Bell-ringing ceremony to celebrate the start of trading as the first publicly listed fusion energy company

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 17, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- General Fusion Group Ltd. ("General Fusion" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: GFUZ), a leader in the global race to commercialize fusion energy, today announced that the Company will ring the Nasdaq Opening Bell on July 17, 2026, to celebrate the start of trading as the first publicly listed fusion energy company earlier this week.

"We are honored to ring the Nasdaq Opening Bell and mark this milestone for General Fusion, and to celebrate becoming the first publicly listed fusion company," said Greg Twinney, Chief Executive Officer of General Fusion. "For more than 20 years, our team has worked towards bringing fusion energy, the power of the sun and stars, to Earth. Our move to the public markets puts us in a strong position to bring our uniquely practical technology to the world. I am grateful to our employees for their unwavering commitment to bringing our vision to life, and to our new and longstanding shareholders who have supported us throughout this journey."

The Opening Bell ceremony will be livestreamed on Nasdaq's official channels on Friday, July 17, at 9:30 a.m. EDT at the link: https://www.nasdaq.com/marketsite/bell-ringing-ceremony.

Quick Facts:

General Fusion's MTF is designed to solve significant barriers to commercializing fusion energy at a time when electricity demand is surging and nations around the world are racing to commercialize fusion power. 

As a technology, MTF aims to achieve fusion in a practical and economical way, avoiding superconducting magnets and high-powered lasers while enabling the use of existing materials for durable machines.

In early 2025, General Fusion announced that it had designed, built, and begun operating its LM26 fusion demonstration machine in under two years. LM26 is the first MTF demonstration machine to be built at a commercially relevant scale. It mechanically compresses plasma with a lithium liner at 50% commercial-scale diameter, based on current design parameters.

LM26 aims to achieve key fusion technical milestones: plasma heating to 1 keV (10 million degrees Celsius), then 10 keV (100 million degrees Celsius), and ultimately the Lawson criterion, the combination of fusion parameters that can produce net fusion energy in the plasma. 

About General Fusion

General Fusion (NASDAQ: GFUZ) is pursuing a practical approach to commercial fusion energy and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. The Company was established in 2002 and has been funded by a global syndicate of leading energy venture capital firms, industry leaders, and technology pioneers. Learn more at www.generalfusion.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements included in this document are not historical facts but are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this news release are forward-looking statements.

Any statements that refer to projections, forecasts, or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are also forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by words such as "estimate," "plan," "project," "forecast," "intend," "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "seek," "strategy," "future," "opportunity," "may," "target," "should," "will," "would," "will be," "will continue," "will likely result," "preliminary," or similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. However, the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking.

Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding the outlook for the business of General Fusion, including the potential benefits of a public listing and its ability to commercialize MTF or any other fusion technology on its expected timeline or at all; statements regarding the current and expected results the LM26 program; and any information concerning the possible or assumed future results of operations or financial position of the Company.

These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as, and must not be relied upon as, a guarantee, assurance, prediction, or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties, or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.

These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the risk that the Company is unable to maintain the listing of its securities on Nasdaq; the risk that the price of the Company's securities may be volatile due to a variety of factors outside of the Company's control; the risk that the Company never generates revenue; the risk that the Company fails to commercialize MTF on a cost-effective basis, on the expected timeline, or at all; the risk that the Company fails to achieve the objectives of the LM26 program; the risk that additional capital needed by the Company may not be raised on favorable terms, or at all, including as a result of the restrictions agreed to in connection with the private placement the Company closed on July 10, 2026; the risk that fusion energy does not gain public acceptance; the risk that the scientific and technical assumptions upon which MTF technology is based do not prove to be correct; the risk that our competitors develop viable fusion technology sooner than we do; the risk of supply chain disruptions; the risk that key technical material and service inputs may not be available when required, on reasonable terms or at all; the risk that we are unable to attract and retain qualified personnel with highly technical expertise; the risk that we are subject to negative publicity; the risk that our assessment of the total addressable market for fusion energy is incorrect; the risk of changes in the laws and regulations governing the Company's research and development activities and in the regulation of fusion energy; the risk of fluctuations in currency markets; the risk that the Company is unable to complete and successfully integrate any future acquisitions; the risk of increased competition in the fusion industry; the risk of accidents, earthquakes, fires, floods, and other natural disasters; the risk that our information technology fails; the risk that our operating expenses are materially higher than forecast; the risk that we are unable to remediate material weaknesses in our internal controls or identify additional material weaknesses in the future; the risk that we are unable to adequately protect or enforce our intellectual property rights; the risk of third-party claims that we are infringing or violating another person's intellectual property rights; the risk that our intellectual property applications are not granted; the risk of a cyber event or privacy breach resulting in an interruption in operations or financial loss; the risk that government reduces or delays funding of government programs in which we participate; the risk that future sales by existing shareholders could cause our stock price to decline; and the risk that we are unable to establish and maintain effective internal controls to produce accurate and timely public disclosure.

These forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions, including that none of the risks identified above materialize, that there are no unforeseen changes to economic and market conditions, and that no significant events occur outside the ordinary course of business.

The foregoing list is not exhaustive, and there may be additional risks that the Company does not know or currently believes are immaterial. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors, any other factors discussed herein, and in the other filings by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including those described under the heading "Risk Factors." The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required in accordance with applicable laws.

Investor Relations Contact:

You can contact General Fusion's Investor Relations team by email at: investors@generalfusion.com.

If you are based in North America, you may also leave a toll-free voicemail at +1 (833) 717-1519. Callers outside North America can reach us at +1 (236) 253-6968.

Media Relations Contact:

media@generalfusion.com

1-866-904-0995

VICTORIA, Seychelles, July 17, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bitget, the world's largest Universal Exchange (UEX), has launched the industry's first Cross-Asset Unified Account (UTA), bringing more than 370 eligible assets-including 100 US stock tokens (rTokens)-into a single margin pool. The launch extends unified margin beyond crypto, allowing tokenized equities to function alongside digital assets within one account.

As crypto and traditional financial markets become increasingly connected, users expect assets to do more than represent ownership. The next stage of tokenization focuses on utility, allowing assets to support multiple financial activities from a single account. Bitget's Cross-Asset Unified Account advances that shift by integrating tokenized US equities into the same capital framework used for crypto trading.

The Cross-Asset Unified Account represents the third evolution of exchanges' trading account architecture, with each stage focused on improving capital efficiency. The first generation isolated margin by asset and position, leaving capital fragmented across multiple accounts. The second unified multiple cryptocurrencies into a single margin pool, allowing one pool of collateral to support multiple crypto positions. The latest generation extends that framework beyond cryptocurrencies, bringing tokenized US stocks and other real-world assets into the same unified margin system. By giving RWAs the same status and utility as crypto, the Cross-Asset Unified Account allows eligible assets across different markets to work together within a single capital framework.

"Bringing stocks onchain is the first step but the real breakthrough comes when those assets can work with the same flexibility as crypto," said Gracy Chen, CEO of Bitget. "Capital efficiency is one of the principles behind UEX, and the Cross-Asset UTA puts that idea into practice. A stock position should be able to hold value, support another trade, or unlock liquidity instead of sitting in isolation."

Eligible rTokens can now serve several purposes simultaneously. Users can maintain exposure to the underlying US equities, receive cash dividend distributions where applicable, use rTokens as margin for futures and margin trading, or pledge them as collateral to borrow stablecoins. The same asset can support multiple portfolio strategies without requiring users to exit their positions.

The initial rollout supports 100 tokenized US equities spanning leading US-listed companies, including rAAPL, rAMZN, rMETA, rTSLA, rGOOGL, rNVDA, rMSFT, rQQQ, rSPY, rJPM, rWMT, rV, and rMSTR, among others. Eligible collateral receives discount rates of up to 95%, subject to asset-specific tiers and holding size. Borrowing rates remain market-based and update hourly according to supply and demand.

The Cross-Asset Unified Account builds on the rapid expansion of Bitget's tokenized equities ecosystem. Since the launch of the licensed RWA protocol Reality, rToken, the RWA asset issued by Reality, has surpassed $100 million in assets under management within its first month, while generating more than $671 million in cumulative trading volume. By bringing tokenized equities into the same capital framework as crypto assets, Bitget is extending their role beyond market access to capital deployment, allowing users to trade, borrow, and manage global assets more efficiently through a single account.

Bitget plans to continue expanding the range of assets supported within the Cross-Asset Unified Account as the Universal Exchange evolves to connect crypto and traditional financial markets through a single trading experience.

For more information, visit here.

About Bitget

Bitget is the world's largest Universal Exchange (UEX), serving over 125 million users and offering access to over 2M crypto tokens, 500+ tokenized stocks, ETFs, commodities, FX, and precious metals such as gold. The ecosystem is committed to helping users trade smarter with its AI agent, which co-pilots trade execution. Bitget is driving crypto adoption through strategic partnerships such as MotoGP. Aligned with its global impact strategy, Bitget has joined hands with UNICEF to support blockchain education for 1.1 million people by 2027. Bitget currently leads in the tokenized TradFi market, providing the industry's lowest fees and highest liquidity across 150 regions worldwide.

For more information, visit: Website | X | Telegram | LinkedIn | Discord

For media inquiries, please contact: media@bitget.com

Risk Warning: Digital asset prices are subject to fluctuation and may experience significant volatility. Investors are advised to only allocate funds they can afford to lose. The value of any investment may be impacted, and there is a possibility that financial objectives may not be met, nor the principal investment recovered. Independent financial advice should always be sought, and personal financial experience and standing carefully considered. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Bitget accepts no liability for any potential losses incurred. Nothing contained herein should be construed as financial advice. For further information, please refer to our Terms of Use.

New model transforms real-world operational data into trusted facts and trusted facts into learning signals for Physical AI systems

Key Highlights

*WeRide unveils WITT (World Intelligence Toward Truth), a Physical AI Cognitive Foundation Model designed to build AI cognition of the physical world through trusted facts extracted from real-world experience.

*WITT introduces Atomic Physical Facts (APFs), the smallest verifiable units of information about the physical world, establishing a new fact-based cognitive framework for Physical AI.

*Built on four core capabilities - Fact Extraction, Fact Reasoning, Fact Verification and Fact Curation - WITT continuously transforms real-world data into trusted learning signals for AI training, evaluation and iteration.

*Compared with significantly larger general-purpose AI models, WITT reduces token costs by up to 98% and delivers up to 200x greater data-processing efficiency.

SHANGHAI, July 17, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WeRide (NASDAQ: WRD, HKEX: 0800), a global leader in autonomous driving technology, today unveiled WITT (World Intelligence Toward Truth), a Physical AI Cognitive Foundation Model designed to build AI cognition of the physical world through trusted facts extracted from real-world experience.

Leveraging visual-language model (VLM) capabilities, WITT introduces a new concept called Atomic Physical Facts (APFs) and establishes a fact-based cognitive framework for Physical AI. By connecting multimodal information across video, images and text, WITT decomposes continuously evolving real-world environments into verifiable facts that can be identified, reasoned about and validated, establishing a new generation of AI understanding centered on physical facts.

WITT stands for World Intelligence Toward Truth and is inspired by the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, whose proposition that "the world is the totality of facts" closely aligns with the underlying logic of Physical AI. To build cognition of the physical world, AI must first identify trusted facts embedded in environments, behaviors, rules, risks and temporal relationships. These facts become the foundation for reasoning, judgment and decision-making.

As Physical AI moves from research into real-world deployment, autonomous driving has emerged as the first domain to achieve large-scale commercial validation. Yet building AI systems that can reliably understand the physical world remains a fundamental challenge.

Vast amounts of real-world data continue to grow exponentially, identifying and utilizing data with genuine training, evaluation and iteration value remains difficult. High-value long-tail scenarios are inherently scarce, while datasets collected from both L4 autonomous driving operations and production ADAS systems often contain human interventions, inactive segments and other forms of noise. General-purpose AI models can also struggle to interpret complex traffic environments consistently, leading to hallucinations, factual errors and incomplete scene understanding.

The industry increasingly needs an efficient and trusted mechanism for understanding data - one capable of continuously extracting meaningful scene facts from real-world driving data, improving the quality and efficiency of training, evaluation and model iteration, and transforming real-world experience into trusted learning signals that drive the evolution of autonomous systems.

WITT was developed to address this challenge.

Rooted in WeRide's large-scale autonomous driving operations, WITT continuously extracts patterns, relationships and trusted facts from vast volumes of operational data. Rather than treating data as raw inputs for model training, WITT treats trusted facts as the fundamental building blocks of Physical AI cognition. This foundation enables the model to transform real-world experience into structured knowledge through four core capabilities: Fact Extraction, Fact Reasoning, Fact Verification and Fact Curation.

Together, these capabilities create a complete pipeline spanning scene understanding, event attribution, data validation and learning curation-allowing every kilometer of real-world driving data to become a trusted signal for model improvement.

Fact Extraction

WITT identifies and extracts three categories of Atomic Physical Facts from real-world driving data: standard driving facts, multi-agent interaction facts and physically ambiguous conditions. Together, these facts capture everyday traffic behaviors, evolving relationships among traffic participants and uncertainty within complex physical environments.

For example, a driving video can be decomposed into multiple Atomic Physical Facts, including reduced visibility caused by rain, a pedestrian entering a crosswalk, an ego vehicle slowing down, a nearby vehicle traveling in parallel, changing traffic signals and increasing collision risk. Each fact is designed to be highly reliable, traceable and verifiable, enabling richer scene descriptions and providing the foundation for subsequent reasoning, validation and learning.

Fact Reasoning

After extracting facts, WITT analyzes key events, behavioral relationships and evolving risks within a scene, while identifying the underlying causes and potential trajectories of those events.

During the R&D phrase of Autonomous Driving, engineers often need to search vast video datasets for specific long-tail scenarios, such as pedestrians suddenly crossing in construction zones, lane departures under poor visibility conditions, or complex yielding maneuvers in narrow-road encounters. Powered by an integrated video intelligence engine, WITT enables users to retrieve target scenarios through keywords or natural-language queries, dramatically improving the efficiency of scenario discovery, data investigation and root-cause analysis.

Fact Verification

To reduce hallucinations commonly associated with general-purpose AI models, WITT evaluates outputs across six dimensions:

Vulnerable road users

Ego-vehicle behavior

Surrounding vehicle behavior

Scene understanding

Comprehensive fact

Traffic facilities

The model introduces factual confidence scoring and validates conclusions against external physical evidence to determine whether interpretations are supported by observable reality.

By tracking factual errors, hallucinations, omissions and temporal inconsistencies, WITT provides both a quality benchmark for data users and a preference signal for model training, continuously guiding AI systems toward more accurate and physically grounded understanding.

Today, WITT achieves an average factual error rate approximately one-third that of leading general-purpose AI models in autonomous driving scenario understanding tasks.

Fact Curation

In real-world operations, not all data contribute equally to model learning. WITT automatically identifies high-value facts and routes them into the most effective learning workflows to maximize model improvement.

Rare long-tail scenarios can be returned to WeRide GENESIS, the company's proprietary general-purpose simulation model, for simulation training and scenario expansion. High-frequency everyday scenarios can support reinforcement learning and workflow optimization. Abnormal or ambiguous data can be directed into review processes to prevent valuable information from being mistakenly discarded as noise.

By ensuring that every piece of data follows the most appropriate learning path, WITT maximizes the value of real-world operational data and continuously converts experience into model intelligence.

Within WeRide's Physical AI architecture, WITT serves as the critical understanding and evaluation layer. Together with WeRide GENESIS, the company's proprietary general-purpose simulation model, WITT forms a Physical AI flywheel that continuously converts real-world experience into model improvement.

WITT extracts, understands, verifies and curates physical facts from real-world data, while GENESIS generates high-fidelity simulation environments and long-tail training scenarios based on those facts. Together, the two systems train and improve vehicle-side models, enabling autonomous driving systems to continuously evolve through both real-world experience and synthetic-world learning.

Compared with general-purpose AI models that often rely on hundreds of billions of parameters, WITT delivers strong performance with a significantly more efficient architecture. The model reduces token costs by up to 98%, processes up to 10,000 minutes of vehicle-operation video per day on a single GPU and delivers up to 200 times greater data-processing efficiency in comparable workloads.

In labeling workflows, a single request to WITT can generate more than 100 dynamic tags, enabling massive volumes of real-world driving video to be rapidly retrieved, validated and incorporated into model-development pipelines, where they become continuously accumulating fact assets.

Supported by this Physical AI flywheel, WeRide has become the world's only company to achieve large-scale commercial deployment of both L4 autonomous driving and L2++ intelligent driving systems.

In the L4 domain, WeRide has obtained autonomous driving permits across eight countries and markets, deployed autonomous driving products in more than 40 cities across 12 countries, and operates a fleet of more than 3,000 autonomous vehicles. Its Robotaxi services have already achieved regular, large-scale fully driverless commercial operations in Guangzhou, Beijing, Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

At the same time, high-quality data and model capabilities accumulated through L4 operations are continuously being transferred to WeRide's one-stage end-to-end ADAS solution through the company's Physical AI flywheel. Today, WRD 3.0 has secured an unprecedented six consecutive wins at the China Urban Intelligent Driving Competition. The solution has also been selected for close to 30 vehicle programs and entered production on multiple vehicle platforms, including models from Chery Exeed and GAC Aion. Beyond China, it has expanded technology validation footprint into international markets such as Germany, France and Japan.

Starting from autonomous driving-one of the most data-intensive and operationally complex environments for Physical AI-WITT demonstrates a broader potential for Physical AI applications.

As Physical AI enters a new phase of large-scale deployment, WeRide will continue advancing cognitive foundation models grounded in real-world validation, enabling AI to move beyond understanding the physical world toward operating within it at scale.

About WeRide

WeRide is a global leader and a first mover in the autonomous driving industry, as well as the first publicly traded Robotaxi company. Our autonomous vehicles have been tested or operated in over 40 cities across 12 countries. We are also the first and only technology company whose products have received autonomous driving permits in eight markets: China, the UAE, Singapore, France, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Belgium, and the US. Empowered by the smart, versatile, cost-effective, and highly adaptable WeRide One platform, WeRide provides autonomous driving products and services from L2 to L4, addressing transportation needs in the mobility, logistics, and sanitation industries. WeRide was named to Fortune's 2025 Change the World and 2025 Future 50 lists.

Media Contacts

WeRide: pr@weride.ai

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains statements that may constitute "forward-looking" statements pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "aims," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "likely to," and similar statements. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about WeRide's beliefs, plans, and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in WeRide's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and announcements on the website of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release. WeRide does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

Copyright 2026 GlobeNewswire, Inc.

A comprehensive, high-performance sports floor treatment solution that meets the growing demands of the Asia Pacific market, reinforcing Bona's commitment to the region's surging basketball, badminton, and gym sectors.

MALM?, SWEDEN - Media OutReach Newswire - 17 July 2026 - As the global sports flooring market continues to grow, Bona, a world leader in flooring solutions for over 100 years, is strategically strengthening its reach across the Asia Pacific (APAC) region.

The company today announced the expansion of its comprehensive Bona SuperSport System offering for the Asia Pacific market, reinforcing its commitment to delivering reliable, high-performance sports flooring solutions customized to the diverse needs of sports facilities and contractors across the region.

According to Data Bridge Market Research, the global sports flooring market is projected to reach approximately USD 19.09 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 4.6%. Asia Pacific is expected to account for 18.5% of the global market by then, with indoor sports flooring representing more than 75% of regional demand, particularly across basketball, badminton, and gym facilities.

"The sports flooring market in Asia Pacific continues to grow rapidly, driving increasing demand for high-performance flooring systems that deliver reliability, efficiency, and consistent results," said Pontus Forssell, Vice President, Bona APAC. "We continue to evolve the Bona SuperSport System to better support the needs of sports flooring professionals across the region."

Developed as a complete "start-to-finish" sports floor treatment solution, the Bona SuperSport System includes primers, finishes, paints, cleaners, machines, and tools designed to work together as one fully compatible system. By simplifying application and maintenance processes, the system helps reduce on-site variability while delivering consistent sports floor performance.

The Bona SuperSport System supports a wide range of indoor sports flooring applications, from wooden to resilient sports surfaces, and is suitable for facilities ranging from schools and universities to professional sports arenas. The system is designed to help contractors and facility managers achieve optimal sports surface performance in areas such as slip resistance, sheen levels, durability, and long-term floor preservation.

"The HSUHK Sports Hall accommodates a wide range of sports activities, each with distinct performance requirements for the playing surface. The Bona SuperSport System provides the versatility, stability, and durability required to support these demands, ensuring a safe, reliable, and long-lasting solution for our high-usage sports facility." said official from the Hang Seng University of Hong Kong.

In addressing the growing demands of the APAC sports flooring market, Bona's SuperSport System now features Bona SuperSport 2K, a two-component waterborne wood finish with high durability and appearance, specifically formulated for professional use on indoor sport floors, providing a tough, durable, high-build polyurethane finish to withstand the heavy wear, scuff marks, and daily abuse of athletic activities.

"Bona SuperSport 2K delivers a smooth, high-quality finish that enhances both the appearance and performance of sports flooring. The surface looks professional, provides great traction, and stands up well to heavy daily use." said Kelvin Neo, Manager from Wood & Wood Flooring Pte Ltd, Singapore.

Newly introduced Bona SuperSport Line Paint and Bona SuperSport Zone Paint further enhance the system offering. With excellent adhesion properties, they can be applied on a wide range of sport surfaces, including wood and resilient floorings, delivering superb hiding ability, fast drying performance, and vibrant colour definition to support the region's diverse sports flooring applications.

"The strength of the Bona SuperSport System lies in its ability to deliver a fully integrated, high-performance solution for sports flooring professionals," said Bill Price, Director of Sport, Facility Solutions & Resilient, Bona. "Customers value the consistency, efficiency, and reliability the system provides across different sports flooring environments. Bona Sport products are currently used on professional basketball courts throughout North America, and we continue to see strong interest from APAC markets looking for proven, premium-quality systems."

International Standards and Environmental Certifications

Bona waterborne finishes are GREENGUARD certified for indoor air quality, supporting healthier indoor sports environments. The full Bona SuperSport System is also certified by both FIBA and the Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association (MFMA), meeting internationally recognized standards for sports floor performance used in venues ranging from local training courts to elite professional arenas.

"As expectations for sports flooring performance continue to rise across the region, Bona remains committed to supporting partners across APAC with proven systems, technical expertise, and professional training," added Forssell. "Our focus is to help customers deliver reliable, high-quality sports flooring projects with confidence and consistency."

To learn more about the Bona SuperSport System, visit https://www.bona.com/en-my/professional/installation-renovation/supersport-system/

About Bona

Bona is a global, family-owned company that supplies products for installing, renovating, maintaining and restoring premium floors. Founded in 1919, Bona pioneered the industry by offering waterborne hardwood floor finishing and floor care products. Today, Bona prioritizes the environmental impact of its products and innovates high-quality systems for most premium floor surfaces including wood, tile, vinyl, resilient, rubber, and laminate. The head office is in Malm?, Sweden, and the company is represented globally across 90 countries through 17 subsidiaries, 70 distributors, 4 production sites, and over 700 employees.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Hashtags: #Bona

Univar Solutions meraih pengakuan untuk tahun kedua berturut-turut berkat komitmennya yang berkelanjutan terhadap pengelolaan lingkungan, keunggulan komersial, tanggung jawab sosial, serta penerapan tata kelola perusahaan yang kuat

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., July 17, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Univar Solutions LLC ("Univar Solutions" atau "Perusahaan"), penyedia solusi global terkemuka bagi pengguna bahan baku dan bahan kimia khusus, hari ini mengumumkan bahwa perusahaannya telah dinobatkan sebagai salah satu Perusahaan Paling Ramah Lingkungan di Dunia 2026 oleh Newsweek dan Plant-A Insights Group.

Pengakuan ini diberikan berdasarkan penilaian terhadap data yang tersedia secara publik dan dilakukan melalui kolaborasi dengan Plant-A Insights serta GIST Impact. Penilaian tersebut menyoroti berbagai organisasi yang telah menunjukkan upaya terukur dalam mengurangi dampak terhadap lingkungan dan mendorong penerapan keberlanjutan.

"Kami bangga melihat upaya kami dalam menangani dampak lingkungan mendapat pengakuan, karena ini terus menjadi salah satu aspek dasar dalam cara kami beroperasi," ujar Alexa Colin, Chief Legal and Administrative Officer sekaligus pimpinan eksekutif bidang keberlanjutan di Univar Solutions. "Kami menerapkan pendekatan yang disiplin dan praktis untuk mengurangi emisi di seluruh kegiatan operasional dan rantai nilai kami, sekaligus memberikan manfaat bagi lingkungan dan bisnis."

Melalui investasi berkelanjutan dalam teknologi, penyempurnaan proses, dan keterlibatan insan organisasi, Univar Solutions terus berupaya memenuhi target iklim 2030 serta mewujudkan ambisi jangka panjang menuju emisi nol bersih. Hal itu menjadi salah satu alasan di balik pemberian penghargaan ini. Aspek penting lainnya dalam program keberlanjutan bagi Perusahaan adalah fokus pada efisiensi sumber daya.

"Di Univar Solutions, kami menempatkan efisiensi sumber daya sebagai tanggung jawab sekaligus peluang," jelas Dr. Liam McCarroll, Senior Director of Global Sustainability & Social Impact di Univar Solutions. "Kami berupaya mengurangi limbah, meningkatkan efisiensi penggunaan air, serta menerapkan prinsip ekonomi sirkular di seluruh kegiatan operasional sebisa mungkin. Langkah-langkah tersebut membuka peluang bagi kami untuk menyempurnakan cara kerja, menekan biaya, mengurangi risiko, dan membantu pelanggan mewujudkan ambisi keberlanjutan mereka melalui solusi pengelolaan sumber daya yang lebih baik."

Univar Solutions juga memperoleh pengakuan, salah satunya berkat kerangka kerja produk berkelanjutan dan alami yang membantu pelanggan mengevaluasi aspek keberlanjutan pada bahan dan bahan baku. Kerangka kerja tersebut dirancang untuk mendukung komunikasi yang efektif mengenai keberlanjutan pada tingkat produk.

"Sebagai perusahaan, kami meyakini bahwa penting untuk mendukung pelanggan dalam perjalanan keberlanjutan mereka," ujar Kelly Gilroy, Vice President, Commercial Sustainability di Univar Solutions. "Kami mengembangkan Portofolio Produk Berkelanjutan dan Alami untuk menghadirkan transparansi dan kejelasan, sekaligus mendukung upaya bersama dalam mendorong penerapan keberlanjutan pada tingkat produk."

Dalam penyusunan peringkat Perusahaan Paling Ramah Lingkungan di Dunia 2026, Newsweek mengevaluasi 850 organisasi teratas dari 28 negara. Peringkat tersebut disusun berdasarkan lebih dari 25 kriteria keberlanjutan, termasuk emisi gas rumah kaca, penggunaan air, produksi limbah, serta kepatuhan yang ketat terhadap standar keberlanjutan Uni Eropa.

"Demi masa depan bumi, seluruh sektor harus segera mengambil tindakan bersama," ucap Jennifer H. Cunningham, pemimpin redaksi Newsweek. "Dengan menyoroti Perusahaan Paling Ramah Lingkungan di Dunia, kami mengapresiasi para pemimpin perusahaan yang membuktikan bahwa tanggung jawab lingkungan bukan sekadar kewajiban moral, melainkan juga landasan bagi bisnis yang berkelanjutan dan berwawasan ke depan di tengah dinamika ekonomi global saat ini."

Pelajari lebih lanjut upaya keberlanjutan Univar Solutions di: https://www.univarsolutions.com/sustainability

Pelajari lebih lanjut peringkat Perusahaan Paling Ramah Lingkungan di Dunia 2026 versi Newsweek di: https://rankings.newsweek.com/worlds-greenest-companies-2026

Tentang Univar Solutions

Univar Solutions merupakan distributor global terkemuka untuk bahan baku dan bahan kimia khusus, yang mewakili portofolio premium dari para produsen terkemuka di dunia. Didukung oleh salah satu armada transportasi milik sendiri dan tim penjualan teknis terbesar di industri, keahlian teknis tentang logistik yang tak tertandingi, pengetahuan mendalam tentang pasar dan regulasi, kemampuan formulasi dan pengembangan resep, serta perangkat digital terdepan, Perusahaan memiliki posisi kuat untuk menawarkan solusi khusus dan layanan bernilai tambah untuk berbagai pasar, industri, dan aplikasi. Dalam mewujudkan tujuannya untuk membantu menjaga masyarakat tetap sehat, terpenuhi kebutuhan pangannya, bersih, dan aman, Univar Solutions berkomitmen membantu pelanggan dan pemasok berinovasi serta berfokus pada semangat Tumbuh Bersama. Pelajari lebih lanjut di univarsolutions.com.

Pernyataan dan Informasi Berwawasan ke Depan

Komunikasi ini memuat "pernyataan berwawasan ke depan" berdasarkan hukum yang berlaku tentang aspek keuangan dan operasional yang terkait dengan bisnis Perusahaan. Pernyataan berwawasan ke depan umumnya dapat dikenali dari penggunaan kata-kata seperti "meyakini," "memperkirakan," "mungkin," "akan," "seharusnya," "dapat," "berupaya," "bermaksud," "berencana," "mengestimasi," "mengantisipasi," atau istilah sebanding lainnya. Seluruh pernyataan berwawasan depan yang disampaikan dalam komunikasi ini dibatasi oleh pernyataan kehati-hatian ini.

Pernyataan berwawasan ke depan mengandung berbagai risiko dan ketidakpastian yang diketahui maupun tidak diketahui, yang sebagian besar mungkin berada di luar kendali Perusahaan, yang dapat menyebabkan ekspektasi tidak tercapai atau dapat berdampak secara signifikan dan merugikan terhadap bisnis, kondisi keuangan, hasil operasi, atau arus kas Perusahaan. Meskipun pernyataan berwawasan ke depan didasarkan pada asumsi yang dianggap wajar oleh manajemen, kami mengingatkan bahwa informasi berwawasan ke depan yang disajikan dalam komunikasi ini bukan merupakan jaminan atas peristiwa atau hasil di masa mendatang, dan bahwa peristiwa atau hasil aktual dapat berbeda secara signifikan dari hal-hal yang dinyatakan secara tersurat maupun tersirat oleh informasi berwawasan ke depan yang dimuat dalam komunikasi ini.

Untuk informasi tambahan mengenai faktor-faktor yang dapat memengaruhi Perusahaan, silakan lihat laporan tahunan terbaru Perusahaan dan laporan keuangan lainnya, termasuk informasi yang tercantum dalam bagian berjudul "Faktor Risiko." Setiap pernyataan berwawasan ke depan hanya mencerminkan pandangan Perusahaan pada tanggal komunikasi ini dan tidak boleh dianggap sebagai menggambarkan pandangan Perusahaan pada tanggal setelahnya dan Perusahaan tidak berkewajiban untuk memperbarui pernyataan berwawasan ke depan apa pun, kecuali sebagaimana diwajibkan oleh hukum.

UNTUK INFORMASI TAMBAHAN:

Hubungan Media

Dwayne Roark

+1 331-777-6031

mediarelations@univarsolutions.com

Not intended for UK and US audiences

*JASCAYD (nerandomilast) is the first oral, preferential PDE4B inhibitor approved in the European Union, delivering a novel mechanism of action with antifibrotic and immunomodulatory effects

*Phase III FIBRONEER trials demonstrated that nerandomilast effectively slows lung function decline in adults with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and adults with progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF), two life-threatening, progressive lung conditions1,2,3,4

*Nerandomilast demonstrated a favorable safety and tolerability profile in clinical trials, notably, with monotherapy discontinuation rates similar to placebo

Ingelheim, Germany - Boehringer Ingelheim today announced that the European Commission (EC) has granted marketing authorization for JASCAYD (nerandomilast) for the treatment of adults with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and adults with progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF). This marks the first new treatment approved in IPF in the EU in over a decade and for PPF in more than five years. As a first-in-class oral preferential phosphodiesterase 4B (PDE4B) inhibitor, nerandomilast addresses a critical unmet need by successfully slowing disease progression while remaining tolerable. 

"With JASCAYD, physicians across the EU gain a long-awaited, new treatment option for people living with IPF and PPF that is effective, has a well-characterized safety profile and may support long-term adherence," said Shashank Deshpande, Chairman of the Board of Managing Directors and Head of Human Pharma at Boehringer Ingelheim. "This milestone is a major advancement, but it must also be a catalyst for broader recognition that lungs can't wait. Earlier recognition and diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis are crucial because for people living with a progressive disease, every moment matters."

The EC approval follows the positive CHMP opinion received in May and is based on results from the FIBRONEER Phase III program, the largest clinical trial program conducted in IPF and PPF to date.1,2 In both the FIBRONEER -IPF and FIBRONEER - ILD trials, the primary endpoint was met: nerandomilast successfully slowed lung function decline, measured by absolute change in forced vital capacity (FVC)* from baseline to week 52 compared to placebo.1,2 While the key secondary endpoint was not met in either trial,** a numerical reduction in mortality was observed across both trials, reaching nominal significance in FIBRONEER-ILD.1,2 Nerandomilast demonstrated a favorable safety and tolerability profile with no requirement for liver monitoring. As monotherapy, it showed similar discontinuation rates to placebo.1,2 

"One of the challenges of managing IPF and PPF is seeing patients needing to stop treatment early because the side effects are too much to tolerate," said Prof Marlies Wijsenbeek, Pulmonary Physician at the Erasmus MC University Medical Centre. "The FIBRONEER trials showed us that nerandomilast preserves lung function with a tolerability profile that allows patients to stay on their medication, which is a major clinical advancement that patients across the EU have been waiting for. Also, removing the burden of ongoing liver monitoring is an additional improvement for patients." 

IPF and PPF affect more than 500,000 people across Europe,5 causing irreversible lung scarring that severely restricts breathing. Despite the life-threatening nature of these conditions, where approximately half of those diagnosed lose their lives within five years6,7,8 - a prognosis worse than many cancers.7,9,10 - many people delay or stop existing therapies due to side effects such as nausea, photosensitivity, and diarrhea.11,12,13 In IPF specifically, approximately half of those who stop therapy do so within six months.13

"When diagnosed with a progressive and irreversible lung condition like IPF or PPF, your greatest fear is running out of treatment options," said Sue Farrington, President of the Federation of European Scleroderma Associations (FESCA). "Today's authorization is a long-awaited breakthrough for the IPF and PPF community in the EU and offers renewed hope for people living with systemic sclerosis and other diseases that can lead to progressive lung fibrosis. Having a therapy that patients can reliably stay on to preserve their lung health brings real stability and hope to families."

About IPF and PPF

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF) are both conditions characterized by irreversible build-up of scar tissue in the lungs, affecting the lungs' ability to take in and transfer oxygen into the bloodstream.14,15,16 Once lung function is lost, it's lost forever. Signs and symptoms of IPF and PPF include a persistent dry cough, shortness of breath, fatigue and finger/toe clubbing (widening and rounding of the tips of fingers/toes).4,16

In IPF, the root cause of pulmonary fibrosis is not known.14 The disease primarily affects people over the age of 50 and affects more men than women.17

In PPF, the scarring of the lungs may be linked to an existing condition (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis or systemic sclerosis), result from exposure to inhaled substances (e.g. asbestos or mold), or be due to an unknown cause (idiopathic) and worsens despite treatment of the condition.15 

Together, IPF and PPF may affect up to 9.2 million people worldwide.5,18 Approximately half of people with IPF or PPF die within 5 years of diagnosis6,7,8 - a higher mortality than many cancers.7,9,10

About nerandomilast

JASCAYD (nerandomilast) is a twice daily oral, preferential PDE4B inhibitor with antifibrotic and immunomodulatory effects approved in the United States, China, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, Brazil and the European Union for the treatment of adults with IPF and for the treatment of adults with PPF.

Regulatory submissions for nerandomilast in IPF and PPF are also under review in other countries with additional approvals anticipated in 2026. 

Boehringer Ingelheim is also exploring the potential of nerandomilast in two rheumatic diseases: systemic sclerosis (SSc) and myositis (IIM).

Boehringer Ingelheim

Boehringer Ingelheim is a biopharmaceutical company active in both human and animal health. As one of the industry's top investors in research and development, the company focuses on developing innovative therapies that can improve and extend lives in areas of high unmet medical need. Independent since its foundation in 1885, Boehringer takes a long-term perspective, embedding sustainability along the entire value chain. Our approximately 54,300 employees serve over 130 markets to build a healthier and more sustainable tomorrow. Learn more at www.boehringer-ingelheim.com. 

Attachment

Boehringer headquarters

Copyright 2026 GlobeNewswire, Inc.

JAKARTA, INDONESIA - Media OutReach Newswire - 18 July 2026 - VinFast announced the opening of 20 official e-motorcycle dealerships across Indonesia in July 2026, marking a major milestone in its strategy to expand its distribution network in Southeast Asia's largest motorcycle market.

To celebrate the launch, VinFast hosted a large-scale product experience event featuring the VinFast Evo, VinFast Feliz II, and VinFast Viper, offering consumers the opportunity to experience the Company's smart e-motorcycles and comprehensive green mobility ecosystem firsthand.

The grand opening of VinFast dealers will take place from July 19 to 25, 2026, bringing VinFast's genuine products and services closer to customers across Indonesia. The 20 new dealerships are located across key regions such as Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang, Yogyakarta, Medan, Palembang, Makassar and many other major provinces and cities nationwide.

The expansion follows strong customer response to VinFast's Early Booking Program, which has attracted thousands of deposits across Indonesia.

Dealerships will provide a full range of services, including vehicle sales, product consultation, after-sales support, and customer care in accordance with VinFast's global standards. In addition to showcasing and selling VinFast E-motorcycles, the dealerships will offer customers opportunities to test ride the vehicles, experience the battery swapping solution and home charging options, and learn more about VinFast's attractive ownership policies. Customers can visit VinFast's official website at: https://vinfastauto.id/ to locate their nearest dealership and register for a test ride.

The opening campaign kicked off with the VinFast E-Motorcycle Experience Day, taking place on July 18, 2026, at Tribeca, Jakarta. The event welcomed customers, media representatives, KOLs, business partners, and electric mobility enthusiasts to explore VinFast's e-motorcycle lineup and green mobility ecosystem.

During the event, attendees explored the full range of color options available for the VinFast Evo, VinFast Feliz II, and VinFast Viper, while learning more about each model, VinFast's battery swapping network, home charging solutions, and the energy infrastructure being developed in partnership with V-Green.

In addition to the product showcase, the event featured dedicated test ride sessions, battery swapping demonstrations, safe riding challenges, interactive games, and opportunities to engage directly with VinFast's product specialists.

Ms. Vo Thi Cam Tu, Managing Director of VinFast E-scooter Overseas Market, said: "VinFast's strategy goes beyond introducing high-quality electric vehicles. Our vision is to build a complete ecosystem that makes owning and using electric vehicles more convenient than ever. The launch of 20 dealerships across Indonesia, together with our battery swapping, charging, and after-sales service network, represents another important step toward realizing that vision. We hope more Indonesian consumers will choose E-motorcycles as a smart, economical, and sustainable mobility solution."

The three e-motorcycle models introduced by VinFast in Indonesia are designed to meet the needs of different customer segments while sharing the company's advanced technology platform and innovative battery swapping ecosystem.

The VinFast Viper features a sporty design tailored to young, tech-savvy riders. Meanwhile, the VinFast Feliz II and VinFast Evo build upon the proven strengths of their predecessors in Vietnam while incorporating refinements to better suit the needs and preferences of Indonesian consumers.

All three models are equipped with a 5,200W BLDC in-wheel motor. The VinFast Viper and VinFast Feliz II offer a top speed of 90 km/h, while the VinFast Evo reaches 80 km/h. Each motorcycle is designed with dual battery compartments under the seat, allowing the simultaneous use of two 1.5 kWh LFP batteries.

With two fully-charged batteries installed, the VinFast Evo delivers a riding range of up to 150 km, while the VinFast Viper and VinFast Feliz II can travel up to 145 km under standard testing conditions, making them well-suited for both daily commuting and longer urban journeys.

Customers can choose to purchase their motorcycles with batteries included or opt for a battery subscription plan. In addition to battery swapping, the motorcycles can also be conveniently charged at home.

As a special launch benefit, all VinFast E-motorcycle owners will enjoy free battery swapping at V-Green's public battery swapping stations for one year, with a maximum of 20 battery swaps per motorcycle per month. The motorcycles are also backed by a warranty of up to 4+2 years or 60,000+12,000 kilometers, whichever comes first, helping reduce ownership costs while enhancing convenience and peace of mind.

The simultaneous opening of 20 e-motorcycle dealerships further demonstrates VinFast's long-term commitment to the Indonesian market. By expanding its retail network, diversifying its product portfolio, and investing in energy infrastructure, VinFast is steadily building a comprehensive green mobility ecosystem that will help accelerate the country's transition toward sustainable transportation in one of the world's largest motorcycle markets.

Hashtag: #VinFast 

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., July 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- onsemi (Nasdaq: ON) plans to announce its financial results for the second quarter, which ended July 3, 2026, after market close on Monday, August 3, 2026.

The company will host a conference call at 5 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on August 3, 2026, following the release of its financial results. Investors and interested parties can access the conference call in the following manner:

Webcast: A live webcast of the conference call will be available via the "Investor Relations" section of the company's website at http://www.onsemi.com. The re-broadcast of the call will be available at this site approximately one hour following the live broadcast and will remain available for 30 days.

 

Teleconference: Investors and interested parties can also access the conference call by pre-registering here.

About onsemi

onsemi (Nasdaq: ON) delivers intelligent power and sensing technologies that enable electrification, energy efficiency, safety, and automation across automotive, industrial, and AI data center end markets. With a highly differentiated and innovative product portfolio, onsemi helps customers solve complex challenges to achieve higher efficiency, improved performance, and lower system cost, while supporting a safer, cleaner, and more energy-efficient world. onsemi is included in the S&P 500 index. Learn more about onsemi at www.onsemi.com.

onsemi and the onsemi logo are trademarks of Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC. All other brand and product names appearing in this document are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective holders.

Contacts

        

Krystal Heaton

Director, Head of Public Relations

onsemi

(480) 242-6943

Krystal.Heaton@onsemi.com

Parag Agarwal

Vice President - Investor Relations & Corporate Development

onsemi

(602) 244-3437

investor@onsemi.com                                        

Today's premium SUVs are expected to do more than ever before. For EVs, that expectation increasingly extends beyond the drive itself to the ownership experience that comes with it.

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - Media OutReach Newswire - 17 July 2026 - There's a reason premium SUVs remain the vehicle of choice across much of the Middle East. People here spend a lot of time in their cars, commuting between cities, shuttling between meetings, while thinking nothing of driving hundreds of kilometers over a long weekend.

A vehicle is where conference calls are taken between appointments, where children fall asleep in the back seat on the drive home, and where many of the ordinary moments of daily life quietly unfold. That is also why buyers in the region tend to value both performance and convenience, rather than simply paying for horsepower or a premium badge.

Electric vehicles have made those decisions even more nuanced. Not long ago, conversations about EVs were largely centered on battery size, driving range and charging times. Those questions still matter, but increasingly, buyers also demand a clear picture of their post-delivery ownership experience, specifically requiring convenient charging, straightforward servicing, and long-term support.

Viewed through that lens, perhaps the most interesting thing about the VinFast VF 8 isn't any single specification. Rather, it is the way the company has approached the ownership experience around it.

Designed by the legendary Italian design house Pininfarina, the all-electric D-segment SUV combines premium styling with everyday practicality. With up to 493 km of NEDC driving range and up to 402 horsepower through its dual-motor AWD system, the VF 8 is equally at home navigating city traffic or tackling longer journeys across the region. Its spacious cabin, Level 2 driver assistance technologies and 15.6-inch infotainment display are designed with comfort in mind, whether the journey lasts twenty minutes or two hours.

In the UAE, buyers also benefit from a 10-year vehicle warranty, a 10-year unlimited-mileage battery warranty, 24/7 roadside assistance and five years of free maintenance up to 100,000 km. These benefits strike at the heart of the EV ownership experience, especially for first-time buyers. Running low on charge before an important meeting or worrying about finding support on a long drive are precisely the kinds of concerns that can make consumers hesitate about making the switch.

Globally, VinFast has been investing heavily in the ecosystem surrounding its vehicles. Earlier this year, the company signed agreements with 29 international aftersales partners as part of its plan to expand its global service network to more than 1,100 workshops across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia during 2026. The initiative includes globally standardized technician training alongside software updates, battery inspections and technical support throughout the ownership journey.

In the UAE, VinFast works with Al Tayer Motors to provide local aftersales support while continuing to strengthen its regional service network through experienced local partners. Earlier this year, the company also signed an MoU with PlusX Electric, a DEWA-approved charging provider, to complement its charging ecosystem with portable charging pods, on-demand mobile charging and emergency roadside charging services.

In many ways, the Middle East's EV market is still writing its next chapter. Buyers have more choices than ever before, but expectations are rising just as quickly. Developing a competitive electric SUV addresses only part of the equation; ensuring a seamless ownership experience may ultimately prove equally decisive.

https://me.vinfast.com/en

Hashtag: #VinFast 

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

LIDKOPING, Sweden, July 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ASKO is proud to announce the launch of "In the Kitchen With:", a new storytelling series that invites audiences into one of the most personal and meaningful spaces in the home: the kitchen.

Through intimate conversations and shared culinary experiences, the series will spotlight inspiring and influential individuals from around the world, exploring the people, passions and philosophies that shape their lives and work.

In the Kitchen with: Marcel Wanders by ASKO

The first episode features none other than Marcel Wanders, one of the most celebrated and influential designers of our time.

In the Kitchen with: a new series from ASKO

Known for redefining contemporary design through his distinctive blend of emotion, creativity and craftsmanship, Marcel Wanders has spent decades creating products, interiors and experiences that place human connection at the centre. His work spans iconic collaborations with internationally renowned brands including Moooi, Louis Vuitton, Alessi, Baccarat, Laufen Bathrooms and Swarovski, among many others.

Yet behind the global recognition lies a deeply personal source of inspiration.

In the Kitchen with: Marcel Wanders by ASKO

In this first instalment of In the Kitchen With:, Marcel welcomes viewers into his home alongside his daughter, Joy Wanders, and partner, Caterina Roppo. Together, they share stories about family, creativity and the moments that have shaped Marcel's unique design philosophy.

In the Kitchen with: Marcel Wanders by ASKO

"Great design begins with people," says Marcel Wanders. "It is about emotion, meaning and creating experiences that bring us closer together."

Set against the backdrop of a shared cooking experience, the episode highlights the kitchen as more than a place to prepare meals. It is a place where ideas are exchanged, relationships are strengthened and memories are created. Supported by the precision and innovative performance of ASKO appliances, the gathering becomes a reflection of the values that unite both Marcel Wanders and ASKO: craftsmanship, thoughtful design and meaningful everyday experiences.

The launch of In the Kitchen With: marks the beginning of an ongoing series that will feature visionary creators, innovators and cultural influencers from across the globe. Through candid conversations and authentic moments, ASKO aims to uncover the stories behind extraordinary people and celebrate the rituals that bring families and communities together.

The first episode featuring Marcel Wanders is available now through ASKO's digital channels including youtube.

About ASKO

ASKO is rooted in Scandinavian design values of simplicity, durability, and functionality. Today, it creates premium kitchen and laundry appliances that unite precision engineering with timeless design-built to endure and thoughtfully enhance everyday living.

For more information, visit www.asko.com or contact press@asko.com..

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - Media OutReach Newswire - 18 July 2026 - Global electric vehicle company VinFast has officially signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Bespoke Logistics, a Philippine provider of end-to-end automotive logistics solutions, to establish an integrated mobility processing center and authorized service workshop for the inspection and preparation of VinFast electric motorcycles prior to delivery.

The partnership will help ensure vehicle quality, shorten delivery lead times, and lay a solid foundation for VinFast's expanding electric motorcycle ecosystem in the Philippines.

Under the agreement, Bespoke Logistics will operate an integrated mobility processing center and VinFast-authorized service workshop, responsible for warehousing, vehicle inspection, technical preparation of electric motorcycles prior to delivery, vehicle yard management, and transportation. Located in Carmona City, Cavite Province, the 20,000-square-meter facility has a storage capacity of up to 30,000 vehicles, helping streamline vehicle preparation, improve operational efficiency, and ensure product quality before delivery to customers.

As part of the partnership, VinFast will work closely with Bespoke Logistics to implement technician training and certification programs, transfer standardized operating procedures and quality control processes, and establish a parts supply system to support aftersales operations.

Bespoke Logistics specializes in automotive logistics, offering an end-to-end service portfolio that includes pre-delivery inspection (PDI), warehousing, vehicle yard management, transportation, and vehicle delivery. The company also has extensive experience in warehouse-based technical operations and modern vehicle and inventory management systems, serving as a trusted logistics partner for multiple automotive brands in the Philippines.

Partnering with experienced local companies such as Bespoke Logistics will not only strengthen VinFast's logistics and service capabilities in the Philippines but also provide a strong operational foundation for the delivery of its first electric motorcycles to customers.

The agreement forms part of VinFast's long-term strategy to develop a comprehensive, international-standard electric motorcycle ecosystem in the Philippines. Alongside the launch of its diverse lineup of battery-swapping electric motorcycles, VinFast is steadily expanding its distribution network, aftersales services, and battery swapping infrastructure to deliver a seamless, convenient, and reliable ownership experience for customers.

Mr. Bui Viet Hung, VinFast Deputy CEO of Global Aftersales Service, said: "At VinFast, world-class products must be supported by robust infrastructure and exceptional aftersales services. Our partnership with Bespoke Logistics is a key milestone in strengthening our distribution and aftersales capabilities in line with global standards, ensuring that customers in the Philippines enjoy high quality products and services from day one of ownership."

Mr. Allan A. Mina, President and CEO of Bespoke Logistics said: "We are proud to partner with VinFast as it develops its electric motorcycle ecosystem in the Philippines. We are committed to operating the facility in accordance with VinFast's international standards while continuously enhancing our team's capabilities and operational processes to support the brand's long-term growth in the market."

Over the past few years, VinFast has steadily built a green mobility ecosystem across the Philippines, Indonesia, India, and other international markets through strategic partnerships with local companies and ecosystem partners such as Green GSM and V-Green. In addition to electric motorcycles, VinFast is expanding its product portfolio to include electric cars, electric bicycles, and electric buses, providing consumers with more sustainable mobility options while accelerating the global transition to greener transportation.

Hashtag: #VinFast 

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Bengkalis,  - Komisi I bidang Perintahan melaksanakan rapat kerja bersama Dinas Pemberdayaan Masyarakat dan Desa (PMD) Kabupaten Bengkalis, pada Senin (13/07/2026), rapat ini bertujuan untuk membahas Peraturan Pemerintah Nomor 16 Tahun 2026 dan UU Nomor 3 Tahun 2014 tentang Desa

Tantowi Saputra Pangaribuan selaku ketua komisi I menyampaikan, "tujuan rapat ini adalah untuk memperoleh informasi yang lebih mendalam terkait masa jabatan kepala desa dan hal hal lain seputar desa agar tidak bertentangan dengan peraturan yang berlaku,"Terangnya.

Dalam kesempatan, Anggota Komisi I, Surya Riski menjelaskan, terdapat beberapa poin penting yang perlu disampaikan. surat Kementerian Dalam Negeri terkait jabatan kepala desa telah diterima oleh Kabupaten Bengkalis,  ini perlu segera disampaikan agar tidak menimbulkan simpang siur di tengah masyarakat.

Riski menambahkan, Terkait percepatan aliran Listrik, perlu adanya sinkronisasi antara desa dengan Dinas PMD. sebelum adanya Penjabat (PJ) Kepala Desa, masyarakat telah mengusulkan proposal etalase listrik, oleh karena itu kita harap adanya penerapan sinkronisasi antara desa, pemerintah daerah, dan PLN, "Ujarnya.

Menanggapi hal tersebut, Sekretaris Dinas PMD Kabupaten Bengkalis, Ade Suwirman menjelaskan, kewenangan pemerintah kabupaten melalui kecamatan saat ini mulai menghimpun data desa yang membutuhkan aliran listrik, Namun  pembangunan distribusi listrik baru bukan kewenangan Dinas PMD, pihaknya hanya bertugas mengusulkan dan menghimpun data untuk diteruskan kepada PLN.

"Dukungan dan kerja sama antara Dinas PMD dengan desa untuk membentuk forum sangat dibutuhkan agar pergerakan lebih terarah. Seperti di Kecamatan Bathin Solapan, masih ada beberapa titik yang kekurangan aliran listrik sehingga masyarakat membeli sarana listrik sendiri tanpa etalase. kami berharap ada langkah-langkah nyata untuk membantu masyarakat. 

Peraturan Pemerintah Nomor 16 Tahun 2026 serta Undang-Undang Nomor 3 Tahun 2014 menjadi acuan dalam penentuan masa jabatan kepala desa. perubahan Peraturan Daerah (Perda) tentang pemilihan Kepala Desa telah diajukan ke bagian hukum dan ditargetkan selesai tahun ini, sehingga Pilkades dapat dilaksanakan tahun 2027, "ucap Ade Suwirman

"DPRD akan terus mendorong desa agar lebih proaktif memperhatikan kondisi wilayahnya, termasuk dalam pengusulan data ke PLN. terhadap peraturan Bupati (Perbup) terkait tapal batas seperti desa Siak Kecil sampai saat ini belum ada.

Saya berharap kepada Dinas terkait untuk segera menggesa tapal batas tersebut supaya tidak terjadi perseteruan di masyarakat," Tutup Tantowi. (hms/*)

Before Menopause, Many Women Are Already Struggling in Silence

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - Media OutReach Newswire - 17 July 2026 - Perimenopause is a natural stage in a woman's life, yet many women enter this transition without fully understanding what is happening to their bodies or knowing where to seek support.

While menopause is becoming more widely discussed, the years leading up to it often receive far less attention. During perimenopause, women may experience changes in their menstrual cycle, energy levels, concentration, sleep, mood and overall well-being. These changes may begin several years before menopause and can gradually affect a woman's daily life, work and family responsibilities.

Recognising the need for earlier awareness and support, Alpro Pharmacy has launched Me. NO PAUSE, a women's health initiative designed to help women better understand, prepare for and live well through the transition to menopause.

As part of the initiative, Alpro is offering eligible women a subsidised ferritin check for only RM1, compared with the normal price of RM35. Alpro is subsidising RM34 of the screening cost to make iron-store assessment more affordable and accessible within the community.

Women aged 35 and above, particularly those experiencing persistent tiredness, brain fog, hair loss, or brittle nails, are encouraged to undergo a ferritin check and speak with a healthcare professional about their results.

The fatigue women are expected to live with

Women in their late thirties, forties, and early fifties often carry multiple responsibilities at home, at work, and within their communities. Persistent exhaustion or difficulty concentrating may therefore be dismissed as stress, lack of sleep, ageing or simply part of having a busy life.

However, these symptoms deserve attention rather than automatic acceptance.

Ferritin is a protein that stores iron in the body. A ferritin check helps assess a person's iron stores and may identify low iron levels before the condition progresses to iron-deficiency anaemia.

Symptoms such as tiredness and brain fog are non-specific and may have many possible causes. Nevertheless, checking ferritin levels provides women with an opportunity to explore a frequently overlooked possibility and receive appropriate professional guidance.

Malaysia's Ministry of Health has reported that approximately one in three Malaysian women of reproductive age, between 15 and 49 years old, experiences anaemia. Despite the scale of the issue, ferritin testing is not commonly discussed as part of routine health screening among women.

Through Me. NO PAUSE, Alpro aims to change that conversation.

"Women are often expected to keep functioning even when they feel persistently exhausted, mentally foggy or simply unlike themselves. These experiences are easily dismissed as stress, age or the result of having too many responsibilities," said Ph. Ng Yi Ling, Professional Care & Development and Project Lead of Me. No Pause from Alpro Pharmacy.

"We want to move the conversation earlier, before women reach menopause and before exhaustion becomes something they believe they simply have to tolerate. The RM1 price is not merely a promotion; it represents Alpro's commitment to removing cost as the first barrier to screening."

"A ferritin check can help a woman understand whether low iron stores may be part of the picture, speak to a pharmacist and take the next appropriate step. Her tiredness deserves to be heard, her concerns deserve to be taken seriously, and her health should never come last."

Emerging research has also drawn attention to the possible relationship between iron status and cognitive performance during the menopausal transition.

A study published in the scientific journal Nutrients in 2025 examined non-anaemic women going through the menopausal transition. The researchers observed that better iron status was associated with stronger cognitive performance, including greater accuracy, better discrimination and faster response times.

The researchers emphasised that the findings were preliminary and that larger, longer-term studies are required. Nevertheless, the research highlights the importance of better understanding iron status in women who may experience brain fog during perimenopause, even when they have not been diagnosed with anaemia.

Supporting this mission, Powerlife, a leading health supplement provider in Malaysia, has stepped forward as the main partner of Me. No Pause to improve access to ferritin screening for women nationwide, with 300 Ferritin analysers from Global Science using handheld fluorescence technology to provide results within minutes, available at all Alpro Pharmacy.

The launch of Me. NO PAUSE was also attended by representatives from the Malaysian Pharmacists Society Special Interest Group on Women and Child Health and from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), bringing together community pharmacy practice and academic research to support women's health.

"Community pharmacists play an important role in making women's health screening more accessible, approachable and connected to timely action," said Ms Harpreet Kaur, representing the Malaysian Pharmacists Society Special Interest Group on Women and Child Health.

"Through this initiative, we hope to empower pharmacists to identify women who may be at risk of iron deficiency, provide timely counselling and connect them to appropriate care when further medical assessment is required."

Representing the Faculty of Pharmacy, UiTM, Associate Professor Dr Mahmathi Karuppannan said:

"Research helps us better understand the burden, level of awareness and health impact of iron deficiency among women in Malaysia. Through this collaboration, UiTM hopes to generate meaningful local insights that can guide public education, early risk detection and the development of future women's health interventions."

By connecting accessible screening with pharmacist counselling and appropriate referral pathways, Alpro aims to translate awareness into meaningful, responsible health action.

Women aged 35 and above who experience persistent tiredness, brain fog, hair loss or brittle nails are encouraged to visit their nearest Alpro Pharmacy to learn more about ferritin checks and speak with an Alpro pharmacist.

Through Me. NO PAUSE, Alpro hopes to help more women feel heard, informed and supported before, during and beyond the transition to menopause.

Hashtag: #Alpro 

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND - Media OutReach Newswire - 17 July 2026 - Competition authorities from BRICS countries have established a task force to conduct a joint sector inquiry into the global grain trade, marking a new step in cooperation on competition policy across international agricultural markets.

The decision was announced during the discussion "Competition Development in Global Grain Trade: Joint Efforts of BRICS Countries", organized by the BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre on the sidelines of the 23rd Session of the UNCTAD Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Competition Law and Policy in Geneva.

The event included a closed meeting of BRICS competition authorities and a public panel featuring researchers, academics and representatives of international organizations.

Discussions focused on competition in global grain markets, the growing influence of financialization and digitalization across agricultural value chains, and policy tools to improve market transparency. Participants also reviewed the findings of a joint report prepared by the BRICS Competition Centre and UNCTAD (link: https://www.bricscompetition.org/ru/grainreport) , first presented at the 9th BRICS International Competition Conference in Cape Town in 2025.

A coordinated market study

The central outcome of the meeting was the establishment of a BRICS task force that will coordinate a joint sector inquiry into global grain trade within the framework of the BRICS Working Group on Food Markets.

The task force will be co-chaired by Diogo Thomson, President of Brazil's Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE), and Mahmoud Momtaz, Chairperson of the Egyptian Competition Authority (ECA).

Thomson welcomed the initiative and proposed making competition in global grain trade a key topic at the next BRICS International Competition Conference, scheduled to take place in Brazil in 2027.

"Brazil is the only jurisdiction that has launched an investigation into digital grain trading platforms such as Covantis. I therefore strongly welcome this sector inquiry, which will help us better understand the impact of digitalization across grain supply chains and the risks it may create for competition. I also support using the BRICS Competition Centre as the coordination platform for this work," he said.

Momtaz said one of the main conclusions of the BRICS-UNCTAD report was the significant role speculative activity plays in global grain markets.

"One of the key findings of the report presented by the BRICS Competition Centre is the extent to which speculative factors influence global grain trade. The most effective response is greater market transparency. We should not accept a situation where farmers receive only a small share of the value they create while consumers in Egypt pay excessively high prices for bread. Where does this margin accumulate, and who ultimately benefits from it? These are the questions our sector inquiry should answer," he said.

He also proposed that the task force develop a common AI-powered price monitoring tool covering BRICS grain markets.

"Such a tool would provide the information needed for market analysis and become an important complement to the joint sector inquiry," Momtaz added.

From analysis to policy recommendations

Hardin Ratshisusu, Deputy Commissioner of the Competition Commission of South Africa, said the study should contribute to the implementation of the BRICS Grain Exchange initiative endorsed by BRICS leaders in the Kazan Declaration (2024) and the Rio de Janeiro Declaration (2025).

"The proposal to establish a BRICS Grain Exchange should become one of the key recommendations of the sector inquiry as an innovative mechanism for restoring competition in global grain trade. Our objective is not merely to identify market problems but to develop practical recommendations that can ultimately be submitted to the leaders of our countries," he said.

Alexey Ivanov, Director of the BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre, said competition authorities should play a central role in designing the institutional framework of the future exchange.

"The BRICS Grain Exchange should not become another formal institution. It must serve as a practical mechanism for improving competition and market transparency. Competition authorities are uniquely positioned to identify the institutional features that will allow the exchange to achieve these objectives," he said.

Growing international role

Fr?d?ric Jenny, Chairmanof the OECD Competition Committee, said the initiative demonstrated the growing international role of BRICS competition authorities.

"This project illustrates how BRICS competition authorities are becoming drivers of the global competition agenda. In the past, they largely followed the lead of developed jurisdictions. That is no longer the case. There are very few examples worldwide of such close cooperation between competition authorities. This applies not only to joint market studies, but also to enforcement cooperation and competition advocacy. Rather than acting individually, you have found both the mechanisms and the political will to work together," Jenny said.

The task force will now begin developing the methodology and work plan for the joint inquiry. Its findings are expected to provide policy recommendations aimed at strengthening competition, improving transparency in global grain trade, and supporting future BRICS initiatives in agricultural markets.

Hashtag: #BRICSCompetition 

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

SINGAPORE - Media OutReach Newswire - 17 July 2026 - Visitors looking to experience Singapore beyond its iconic attractions can now immerse themselves in two hands-on heritage workshops in the heart of Chinatown. Organised by Chinatown Business Association (CBA), these interactive experiences invite International tourists, families and local Singaporeans to create memorable souvenirs while discovering Singapore's multicultural traditions.

On 18 July 2026, families can try their hands to create a bag at the DIY Canvas Bag Workshop. Participants will get to design and personalise their own reusable canvas bags using colourful paints. Suitable for all ages and requiring no prior artistic experience, the 90-minute workshop offers a fun way to bond while taking home a unique handcrafted keepsake. Tickets are priced at S$6 per participant, making it an affordable family activity during the school holidays.

The heritage journey continues on 25 July 2026 with the Traditional Nyonya Kueh Workshop, where participants will learn to prepare two beloved Peranakan delicacies - Kueh Koswee, soft pandan rice cakes coated with freshly grated coconut and Apom Berkuah, fluffy traditional rice pancakes served with rich coconut sauce. Guided by an experienced instructor, the workshop introduces beginners to authentic recipes and the rich culinary traditions of Singapore's Peranakan community through hands-on experience.

Both workshops will be held at the Chinatown Singapore along historic Smith Street. Conveniently located near Chinatown and Maxwell MRT stations, the venue allows visitors to complement their workshop experience with a stroll through heritage streets, traditional shops, temples and local Singaporean eateries.

"Chinatown Singapore is a living cultural district where visitors can experience Singapore's traditions through meaningful and interactive activities," said Lim Yick Suan, Executive Director of Chinatown Business Association. "These workshops offer international tourists and local Singaporeans an opportunity to create lasting memories while connecting with our local Singaporean heritage in a fun and engaging way."

The workshops are available to both international visitors and local participants. As places are limited, advance booking is recommended. For tickets and more information, visit the ticketing page at https://peatix.com/event/5079145 and https://peatix.com/event/5080182.

Event Details

DIY Canvas Bag Workshop: 18 July 2026 (Saturday)

Traditional Nyonya Kueh Workshop: 25 July 2026 (Saturday)

Venue: Chinatown Business Association, 9A Smith Street, Singapore 058923

Sessions: 11.00am - 12.30pm and 1.30pm - 3.00pm (2 sessions)

Chinatown Singapore is a vibrant destination offering a year-round calendar of cultural events, festivals and heritage experiences that celebrate the precinct's rich traditions and vibrant community. To discover upcoming programmes and the latest updates, visit https://chinatown.sg/ or follow Chinatown Singapore on Instagram and https://www.facebook.com/ChinatownSGcsm

Hashtag: #ChinatownBusinessAssociation 

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

HANOI, VIETNAM - Media OutReach Newswire - 17 July 2026 - VinFast today announced the signing of a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with TUV Rheinland, a global leader in automotive testing, inspection and certification, to strengthen vehicle testing capabilities in Vietnam.

The partnership includes the development of the VinFast Testing Center in accordance with international standards and the provision of testing and technical advisory services to automotive manufacturers across the region from Vietnam, laying the foundation for deeper integration into the global automotive value chain.

Under the MOU, VinFast and TUV Rheinland will work closely across a broad range of areas, including technical advisory services, testing, certification and specialized training. TUV Rheinland will prioritize the VinFast Testing Center as its preferred provider of testing and technical advisory services for relevant projects in Vietnam and the ASEAN region. The two parties will also jointly promote the capabilities of the VinFast Testing Center to international automotive manufacturers, develop new business opportunities, and organize specialized training programs and industry seminars to further strengthen technical capabilities.

Previously, VinFast and TUV Rheinland have collaborated on numerous testing and technical assessment activities covering electric vehicle systems, components and complete vehicles, supporting the development of products that meet the technical requirements of both domestic and international markets. The new strategic MOU elevates the relationship beyond individual projects and establishes a long-term partnership aimed at helping Vietnamese businesses integrate more deeply into the global automotive value chain.

Headquartered in Germany and backed by more than 150 years of experience, TUV Rheinland is a global leader in testing, inspection and certification. The company provides technical services to automotive manufacturers and suppliers worldwide, helping them comply with regulatory requirements and international standards related to safety, performance, electromagnetic compatibility, cybersecurity and other specialized technical fields.

Mr. Nguyen Manh Quan, Deputy CEO of Quality Control Division, VinFast, said: "Our partnership with TUV Rheinland is a key step in VinFast's long-term strategy to strengthen our research, testing and product development capabilities in line with international standards. Beyond enhancing product quality, this collaboration also creates opportunities for VinFast to gradually become part of the regional and global automotive technical services network, contributing to the continued development of Vietnam's automotive industry ecosystem."

Mr. Nguyen The Anh, General Director of TUV Rheinland Vietnam, said: "We highly value VinFast's continued investment in research, testing and product development. Leveraging our global expertise in testing, inspection and certification, TUV Rheinland looks forward to working alongside VinFast to strengthen technical capabilities, drive technological innovation, and develop services that meet the growing demands of the market."

As Vietnam's leading electric vehicle manufacturer with a diverse ecosystem spanning electric cars, electric motorcycles and smart mobility solutions, VinFast continues to invest in research, development and testing infrastructure to meet the world's most demanding international standards. The expanded partnership with TUV Rheinland further reinforces VinFast's strategy of building a network of world-leading technical partners, strengthening its research, testing and product development capabilities while contributing to technological innovation and the development of the automotive industry ecosystem in Vietnam and the region.

Hashtag: #VinFast  #TUVRheinland  #AutomotiveTesting 

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

OSLO, Norway, July 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Society for Medical Decision Making (SMDM) presented its highest career honor, the 2026 Career Achievement Award, to Professor Uwe Siebert, MPH, MSc, ScD, of UMIT TIROL and Harvard University, recognizing his decades of transformative contributions to medical decision making through groundbreaking research, international leadership, education, and service.

The award was presented during the Leadership Awards Session at the SMDM 48th Annual Meeting in Oslo, Norway, by Professor Mark Bounthavong, PharmD, PhD, Chair of the SMDM Awards Committee and Professor of Clinical Pharmacy at the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of California, San Diego.

The SMDM Career Achievement Award recognizes distinguished senior investigators whose sustained contributions have significantly advanced the science and practice of medical decision making. Recipients are selected through a competitive nomination process following an open call and are evaluated by the Society's Awards Committee.

"It was a tremendous honor to present the Society for Medical Decision Making's 2026 Career Achievement Award to Professor Uwe Siebert," said Professor Bounthavong. "Throughout his career, Professor Siebert has exemplified the qualities this award celebrates, scientific excellence, methodological innovation, visionary leadership, and an unwavering commitment to improving healthcare decisions through rigorous evidence. His work has influenced researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and generations of trainees around the world, making him exceptionally deserving of this recognition."

Professor Siebert serves as Professor of Public Health, Medical Decision Making and Health Technology Assessment and Head of the Institute of Public Health, Medical Decision Making and Health Technology Assessment at UMIT TIROL - University for Health Sciences and Health Technology in Austria. He is also Adjunct Professor of Health Policy and Management, and Epidemiology, at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and an affiliated researcher at the Center for Health Technology Assessment at Mass General Brigham, Harvard Medical School.

A physician by training, Professor Siebert began his career working in international public health projects in West Africa, Brazil, and Germany before pursuing training in public health, epidemiology, and decision sciences. He earned his Master of Public Health from the Munich School of Public Health and Epidemiology and both his Master of Science in Epidemiology and Doctor of Science in Health Policy and Management from the Harvard School of Public Health.

Over more than three decades, Professor Siebert has become one of the world's leading voices in medical decision making. His pioneering work in medical decision analysis, benefit-harm assessment, health-economic evaluation, decision-analytic modeling, health technology assessment, epidemiology, and causal inference has advanced the science of evidence-based healthcare while directly informing clinical guidelines, cancer screening programs, health technology assessments, reimbursement decisions, and national health policies around the world.

His influence extends well beyond research. Professor Siebert is a Past President of SMDM and serves as recent Past President of ISPOR - The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research. Throughout his career, he has advised governments, health technology assessment agencies, professional societies, and international organizations on evidence-based policy and healthcare decision making. He has authored more than 500 publications, including scientific articles, textbook chapters, policy briefs, and HTA reports, and serves in editorial leadership roles for several internationally recognized scientific journals.

Professor Siebert is also a dedicated educator, teaching courses in health technology assessment, decision sciences, and causal inference from real-world data at the HTADS Program at UMIT TIROL and Decision Analysis in Clinical Research in the summer program at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Accepting the award, Professor Siebert reflected on the mentors, colleagues, students, and collaborators who shaped his career, emphasizing that scientific advancement is built not only on ideas but on the people who inspire, challenge, and support one another.

"I am deeply honored to receive this award, and I am truly grateful for this special recognition," said Professor Siebert. "This award reflects not only my own work but also the dedication and expertise of my entire team. It also reflects the support, encouragement, and inspiration I have received throughout my career from my students, fellows, colleagues, mentors, friends, and my family. SMDM has been an extraordinary intellectual home, and I am grateful to this community for the opportunities it has given me to learn, collaborate, and grow."

One of the most poignant moments of Professor Siebert's remarks came as he reflected on the profound influence of his longtime mentor, Milton Weinstein, PhD, whose Harvard course first introduced him to decision analysis and ultimately shaped the direction of his career. Professor Weinstein received SMDM's Career Achievement Award in 1996, making Professor Siebert's recognition especially meaningful as it comes exactly thirty years after his mentor received the Society's highest honor.

"Careers are built not only on ideas," Professor Siebert reflected during his acceptance remarks, "but also on the people who inspire us, believe in us, and open doors."

Throughout his address, Professor Siebert highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and working directly with healthcare decision-makers to translate research into meaningful improvements in patient care. Drawing on examples from his own career, he described how collaborative decision modeling informed national COVID-19 vaccination strategies and cancer screening policies, illustrating how rigorous decision science can have a lasting impact on healthcare systems and population health.

He concluded by encouraging the next generation of researchers to embrace collaboration across regions and disciplines and to remember that one of the most valuable skills in science is listening, to colleagues, patients, decision-makers, and one another.

Professor Siebert joins a distinguished group of Career Achievement Award recipients whose work has defined and advanced the field of medical decision making over the past three decades. Previous honorees include Anne Stiggelbout, John B. Wong, Dawn Stacey, Michael Kattan, Doug Coyle, Karen Kuntz, Murray Krahn, M.G. Myriam Hunink, Valerie Reyna, Ivar Kristiansen, Alvin Mushlin, Mark Roberts, Donald Redelmeier, Annette O'Connor, Howard Raiffa, J. Sanford (Sandy) Schwartz, Alan Garber, Barbara J. McNeil, Peter Wakker, David J. Spiegelhalter, Allan Detsky, Joseph Pliskin, Jerome P. Kassirer, Daniel Kahneman, George Torrance, John Eisenberg, Dennis Fryback, Harold Sox, Arthur Elstein, Milton Weinstein, and Stephen Pauker.

About the Society for Medical Decision Making

Founded in 1979, the Society for Medical Decision Making (SMDM) is an international professional organization dedicated to improving health outcomes through better decision making. The Society brings together researchers, clinicians, educators, policymakers, patients, and industry leaders to advance the science and application of medical decision making through research, education, collaboration, and the dissemination of evidence-based methods.

Media Contact

Wendy Weber

Communications & Membership Director

Society for Medical Decision Making (SMDM)

info@smdm.org

Photo: Beate Jahn, PhD, SMDM President (2025?2026); Professor Uwe Siebert, MPH, MSc, ScD, recipient of the 2026 SMDM Career Achievement Award; Mark Bounthavong, PharmD, PhD, Chair of the SMDM Awards Committee; and Milton Weinstein, PhD, recipient of the 1996 SMDM Career Achievement Award and Professor Siebert's longtime mentor, following the presentation of SMDM's highest career honor during the SMDM 48th Annual Meeting in Oslo, Norway, on June 30, 2026.

Latest release strengthens trusted enterprise context for AI, analytics, and data sharing

PALO ALTO, Calif., July 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Denodo, the AI data layer company, announced the availability of Denodo Platform 9.5, advancing its role in providing active context for agentic AI, analytics, and self-service data delivery.

Enterprise AI initiatives increasingly depend on whether AI agents, applications, and business users can access trusted enterprise context in real time. Data access alone is not enough. Organizations need shared business meaning, consistent governance, reusable data products, and direct, governed access to live data in the operational systems where business activity happens.

Denodo Platform 9.5 makes trusted enterprise context easier to define, operationalize, and reuse. The latest release strengthens the semantic and contextual intelligence within the Denodo Platform while simplifying how teams build, manage, and share trusted data products across the enterprise.

New Features

An expanded enterprise knowledge graph within the Denodo Data Marketplace, to improve the view of data context and provide AI with a more trusted foundation

Metric views, enabling consistent, standardized metrics within the semantic layer, to improve the accuracy of all metrics-driven business decisions

Enhanced reasoning ability for Denodo Assistant, to streamline data-view development

Expanded connectivity across the data and AI ecosystem, to improve the flow of active context across disparate data sources and the quality of business decisions

Expanding the Enterprise Knowledge Graph for Data Context

Denodo Platform 9.5 expands its Data Marketplace with a new 360-degree graph and asset extensions, enabling organizations to define an enterprise knowledge graph with a broader set of data ecosystem assets and the relationships that connect them. Teams can define and manage related assets such as extract, transform, and load (ETL) processes, consuming applications, notebooks, business glossaries, data dictionaries, governance controls, data product contracts, data sharing agreements, AI skills, and other business or technical artifacts.

"Denodo's 360-degree graph and asset extensions mark a major milestone in the evolution of our data governance model, reinforcing Denodo as the core of our semantic layer and the central hub for governed access to data assets," said Jose Carlos Bermejo, head of Data & Analytics at Air Europa, who had access to a public beta version. "These new capabilities enable us to enrich, connect, and contextualize our data assets, turning them into accessible, governed, and interconnected data products through the Denodo Data Marketplace. As a result, we can provide business users with a unified, intuitive, and trusted view of data, accelerating the adoption of data as a strategic asset and scaling its governed use across the organization as part of our broader data democratization strategy."

Governed data products, enhanced with new semantic elements such as metric views, form an expanded knowledge graph that represents the business, technical, governance, and usage context surrounding enterprise data. This provides users with a more complete view of the processes, definitions, controls, relationships, and downstream consumers associated with enterprise data, while supplying AI assistants and agents with a stronger foundation for discovery, reasoning, and automation.

Trusted Metrics and KPIs for AI and Analytics

Denodo Platform 9.5 introduces metric views, a new semantic-layer object for defining, governing, and reusing business metrics and KPIs. Metrics such as revenue, profit, order count, and customer value often depend on formulas, filters, dimensions, and grouping context that are recreated differently across reports, dashboards, and tools.

With metric views, organizations can define key business measures once in the Denodo semantic layer, along with the appropriate formulas, relationships, dimensions, filters, and documentation. These trusted metrics can then be reused across governed data products, the Denodo Data Marketplace, BI tools, and AI-powered experiences, with all downstream users assured they include live, contextually-relevant, and well-governed data leading to trustworthy decisions and actions.

Conversational Development and Broader Ecosystem Connectivity

Denodo Platform 9.5 advances the VQL Shell toward a more conversational development experience. With enhanced reasoning and disambiguation capabilities, Denodo Assistant now supports an interactive workflow as users explore metadata, generate VQL, refine query logic, and troubleshoot issues. Denodo Assistant guides development through follow-up prompts and contextual feedback, helping teams create accurate data views faster, without needing to know the exact syntax or the specific views or fields required for each operation.

This release also expands connectivity across the modern data and AI ecosystem. These enhancements include improved support for unstructured data, new connectivity with Databricks and Azure AI Search, support for vector search with indexes for more efficient semantic and document queries, enhanced support for Delta tables and Databricks environments, and greater efficiency when using the Denodo Lakehouse Accelerator with Iceberg.

Together, these capabilities help organizations bring more enterprise information into governed AI, analytics, and data-sharing workflows while reducing integration friction and improving performance across distributed environments.

"Agentic AI is changing what organizations require from their data infrastructure," said Alberto Pan, chief technology officer at Denodo. "AI systems need to understand business context, work with trusted metrics, access live operational data, and operate within clear governance controls. Denodo Platform 9.5 helps organizations deliver the trusted active context that AI, analytics, and data consumers across the entire enterprise need to act with confidence."

Find out more:

What's New in Denodo Platform 9.5?

Denodo

Denodo is the AI data layer that powers trustworthy agents and applications. The award-winning Denodo Platform enables that layer, transforming enterprise data into reliable insights for analytics and self-service. Organizations worldwide use Denodo alongside their data lakehouses to deliver AI-ready, business-ready data in a fraction of the time, achieving up to 4x faster time-to-insight, 345% ROI, and 10x better performance.

For more information, visit denodo.com.

Media contacts

pr@denodo.com

Data-driven textile formulation that connects business systems and dispensing into one intelligent lab workflow

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J., July 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Datacolor, a global leader in integrated color management solutions, announced the launch of Datacolor Textile Lab Manager, a data-driven lab workflow platform that helps manufacturers get color right the first time, cutting correction rounds that drain time, chemicals and water.

By connecting color measurement, formulation and quality control with business systems into one intelligent workflow, Datacolor is leading customers into a new era of Connected Color Intelligence:

*One connected lab ecosystem: The platform connects with Datacolor's precision spectrophotometers and dispensing systems, including the newly introduced Autolab TFD dual-arm automated dispenser and third-party dispensers for automated weighing and dispensing.

*Color lab meets business: Integrates with ERP and MES platforms, directly connecting color decisions to order management and cost planning. 

*Data-driven formulation: Matching and auxiliary recommendations learn from historical formulations, delivering faster first-shot matches and reducing correction rounds. 

*Built for what's next: Textile Lab Manager is ready to connect beyond the lab as Datacolor extends its vision across the textile color chain.

Textile manufacturers are already seeing measurable results. Lianfa Textile shortened development cycles by 30% and improved on-time completion by 15%, and Yangzi Wool Spinning now hits target color in one or two tries, cutting yarn delivery times to under a week.

"The textile industry has largely made the shift to digital ? that's no longer the differentiator," said Mathieu Bonenfant, director of product management at Datacolor. "What we're seeing now is that most labs have capable tools that still operate independently of each other. The real opportunity is in connecting them. That's what Textile Lab Manager delivers, and the lab is just where we're starting."

Existing Match Textile customers can migrate with full support from Datacolor's global services team.

Textile Lab Manager is available now. It's the first in a series of connected textile color solutions, with more to follow. For more information, visit datacolor.com or contact a local Datacolor representative.

Attachment

Textile Lab Manager

Katie Youngblood

Luxid Group

937-890-5311

katie.youngblood@luxidgroup.com

Copyright 2026 GlobeNewswire, Inc.

MicroEJ's VEE Audio Platform unites silicon, device makers, software and app providers to bring agentic AI and direct-to-cloud experiences to intelligent audio platforms

BOSTON, July 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MicroEJ, a leader in embedded software, today unveils VEE Audio, the software platform that ushers in a new software-defined era for connected audio devices.

VEE Audio transforms earbuds, headsets, speakers, soundbars, and smart glasses into intelligent sound platforms with a rich app ecosystem, direct-to-cloud services, agentic AI build-in, all on power-efficient hardware, without costly redesigns. By bringing together silicon vendors, device makers, app and IP providers around a single open platform, MicroEJ is opening a new app economy for audio. The program will start with Snapdragon S7 Series as lead silicon partner.

From Accessories to Smart AI Companions With Their Own Ecosystem

As consumers increasingly expect their audio devices to act as personal AI companions, streaming hubs, and wellness tools, independent of a smartphone, device makers face mounting pressure to deliver more intelligence, faster, on tighter power and cost budgets.

VEE Audio answers this with a modular, agent-based architecture that opens connected audio to a significantly wider developer community, enabling service providers to reach users across hundreds of millions of sound devices.

App providers build once and deploy their services across any VEE Audio-powered device. Device makers benefit from faster time to deployment, over-the-air partial updates, and software reuse across their entire product range, keeping devices relevant well beyond initial deployment. Software and AI bring sound that is not only heard, but adaptive and contextual.

"With VEE Audio, we are creating a platform the entire audio industry can build on," says Dr. Fred Rivard, CEO of MicroEJ. "Silicon vendors bring the hardware innovation, device makers bring the product vision, app and IP providers bring the services consumers love. MicroEJ brings the connective layer that makes all of this work, from the chip to the cloud, the same software-defined model that turned smartphones into indispensable devices."

Key benefits of VEE Audio include:

*App ecosystems and downloadable agents on any connected audio device

*Direct-to-cloud connectivity enabling smartphone-free streaming and agentic AI services

*Support for any voice AI or generative AI model, switchable at runtime

*Faster time to market through virtual device simulation and binary-portable code

*Software reuse across earbuds, headsets, speakers, soundbars, and smart glasses

Proven With a World Leader in Audio Silicon

VEE Audio is already proven on the Snapdragon S7+ Gen 1 Sound Platform, which is purpose-built for the next generation of intelligent, always-on audio devices. By combining industry-leading micro-power Wi-Fi, powerful compute, and on-device AI, Snapdragon Sound enables direct-to-cloud connectivity and delivers premium, highly responsive audio experiences at scale.

"Audio devices are entering a new era - moving beyond companion accessories to become fully standalone personal AI devices: intelligent, always connected, and deeply contextual," said Dino Bekis, SVP and GM, Wearable AI at Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. "Our Snapdragon S7+ Sound platform was designed to enable this shift, bringing together ultra-low power compute, on-device AI, and direct-to-cloud connectivity to deliver more personalized, responsive, and standalone audio experiences. MicroEJ's VEE Audio platform builds on this foundation by helping scale an open ecosystem of native applications, bringing Personal AI to a new generation of audio devices."

MicroEJ will announce additional ecosystem partners across silicon, application, and IP categories in the coming months. For more information, visit www.microej.com/product/vee-audio.

About MicroEJ

MicroEJ is a global leader in software solutions for intelligent devices, trusted by industry leaders in consumer electronics, energy, healthcare, and industrial automation. With over 450 million units of MicroEJ VEE deployed worldwide, MicroEJ empowers manufacturers to turn standard products into smart, cloud-connected, AI-enabled devices. By bridging IT and embedded systems, MicroEJ helps industries innovate faster, adapt to market needs, and build a software-driven future for IoT and connected devices.

For more information: Press Kit - Press Room - www.microej.com - LinkedIn

Press contact:

MicroEJ

Elsa Hervio

press@microej.com

Snapdragon is a trademark or registered trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated.

Snapdragon Sound Platform is a product of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries.