Stockwinners Market Radar for September 16, 2020 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:06 EDT GameStop taking pre-orders for PS5, PS5 Digital Edition - GameStop (GME) announced it is now taking pre-orders for the Sony (SNE) PlayStation 5 and Sony PlayStation 5 Digital Edition consoles. Pre-orders for the Xbox Series X (MSFT) and Xbox Series S will begin Sept. 22 at 8 a.m. PST. Both next-gen consoles are scheduled to arrive on store shelves November 10 and November 12 respectively. The PlayStation 5 and the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition will retail for $499.99 and $399.99 respectively, while the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S will retail for $499.99 and $299.99. Customers will be limited to purchasing only one version of each next-gen console per household.

18:52 EDT The Hague Court rules in favor of Chevron in Ecuador Dispute - The District Court of The Hague ruled in favor of Chevron in its dispute with the Republic of Ecuador, upholding a 2018 arbitral award rendered by an international tribunal administered by the Permanent Court of Arbitration. In its unanimous award, issued pursuant to the U.S.-Ecuador Bilateral Investment Treaty, the international arbitral tribunal found that a $9.5B Ecuadorian judgment against Chevron was procured through egregious fraud and corruption by the plaintiffs' legal team, including bribery of the presiding judge and ghostwriting of the judgment. It held the judgment unenforceable under international law. The tribunal also rejected the underlying environmental allegations against Chevron. In its award, the tribunal found that a Chevron subsidiary completed an environmental remediation program supervised and approved by the Republic of Ecuador and that the Republic released the environmental claims on which the fraudulent Ecuadorian judgment was based. Any responsibility for current environmental conditions in Ecuador lies with the state-owned oil company, which continues to operate in the same area today. The District Court of The Hague upheld the award in full and rejected the Republic of Ecuador's attempt to set it aside, noting that "the fraudulent character of the Lago Agrio judgement and the proceedings preceding it is common ground between the parties." The court found that the international tribunal acted within its remit when issuing the award, and that the award was well reasoned and complied with the applicable law and public policy. The court concluded that the international tribunal's orders properly sought to "remove the consequences of a fraudulent judgment that was rendered by a corrupt judge." The court held that "because none of the setting aside grounds brought forward by Ecuador succeed, the claims will be denied." The court's ruling follows decisions from courts in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Gibraltar and the U.S. rejecting the fraudulent Ecuadorian judgment against Chevron. In July, Argentina's highest court unanimously rejected the plaintiffs' bid to enforce the corrupt judgment, bringing to an end the last pending recognition proceeding against Chevron. Even Ecuador finally admitted in a public filing earlier this year that the $9.5B judgment issued by its courts against Chevron is "fraudulent." Chevron's arbitration against the Republic of Ecuador is now in its final stage, where the company is seeking to recover from the Republic of Ecuador costs it has incurred to expose and defend against the fraud.

18:23 EDT Campbell Soup CEO: We are very well positioned with our portfolio - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Mark Clouse said the base and outlook for Campbell's products has "never been greater." "We trained and educated new consumers who are now cooking with our products," Clouse said." Products have entered millions of new households, about 50% of which are millenials. "I feel great about the actions we've taken during the pandemic. The team is doing an amazing job executing," he noted.

18:07 EDT Sony says 'Spider-Man: Miles Morales,' 'Horizon Forbidden West' also on PS4 - Sony said in a blog post that there will be PlayStation 4 versions of many of its upcoming PlayStation 5 games. "Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales," "Sackboy A Big Adventure," and "Horizon Forbidden West" will also launch on PS4. While these three games were designed to take advantage of PS5 and its unique next-gen features like the ultra-high-speed SSD and DualSense controller, PS4 owners will also be able to enjoy these experiences when they launch, the company said. The PS4 digital versions of launch games include a free upgrade on both PS5 consoles, while the PS4 disc versions of these games include a free upgrade on the PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-Ray disc drive.

17:22 EDT Whiting Petroleum announces second half 2020 production guidance - Whiting Petroleum Corporation announced that it has evaluated and reduced its cost structure to better align Whiting's business with the current operating environment. The company is also updating its 2020 guidance to reflect an increased focus on capital discipline. Whiting recently implemented a new organizational structure whereby the company has reduced its total workforce by 16%, of which over 90% were corporate positions. Whiting expects these changes to the organization to generate approximately $20M in annualized cost savings. In conjunction with the reorganization, Whiting is reducing the compensation of its officers by 15%-20%, realigning officer bonus programs, reducing the number of corporate executives, and initiating salary reductions across a broad group of employees. The full impact of these G&A reductions is expected to be realized in 2021, while the effect in 2020 is largely expected to be offset by related one-time charges. As the company has emerged from restructuring and is responding to the current environment, it is updating its guidance for the second half of 2020. Whiting sees second half 2020 production of 88-92 MBOE/d and second half 2020 capital expenditures of $34M-$39M.

17:05 EDT AVCtechnologies names Xavier Williams CEO - American Virtual Cloud Technologies announced the appointment of Xavier Williams as its new Chief Executive Officer and member of its board of directors, effective October 1, 2020. Williams succeeds Darrell J. Mays, who will continue to serve on the AVCT Board of Directors as Executive Vice Chairman.

17:00 EDT Cognizant director John Nelson Fox Jr. sold over $305K in shares - Cognizant director John Nelson Fox Jr disclosed that he had sold 4,400 shares of company stock at $69.32 per share on September 14 for a total transaction value of $305,007.

16:49 EDT Sony says PlayStation 5 out November 12, main edition priced at $499.99 - During its PS5 reveal event, Sony said that its upcoming PlayStation 5 will be out on November 12, with the standard edition costing $499.99 and the digital edition costing $399.99 at launch. The company also announced PlayStation Plus Collection, a collection of major first party and third party titles for the PS4 that will be available on the PlayStation 5 at launch. Sony also teased a sequel to 2018's "God of War," which will come in 2021.

16:33 EDT Yamana Gold says it continues to advance LSE listing, appoints UK brokers - Yamana Gold announces that it continues to advance its London Stock Exchange listing and expects the company's common shares to be admitted to the standard segment of the Official List and to begin trading on the LSE's Main Market before the Company reports its third quarter results which is expected in late October. Yamana has formally engaged Peel Hunt LLP and Joh. Berenberg Gossler & Co. KG as its nominated United Kingdom brokers, both of which have a significant presence in the UK and wider European market, and a fundamental understanding of mining companies and the value proposition that these companies represent. The Company is also evaluating the selection of a third broker, and amongst the factors being considered are the possible benefits of a larger, international broker which still has a significant presence in the UK and wider European market. The appointment of corporate brokers in the UK will provide Yamana with a strong local presence by representatives with knowledge of the Company and mining industry, the objective being to ensure that Yamana becomes the 'investment of choice' in London for those looking for exposure to gold via an investment in a gold mining company with high-quality assets in the Americas, a strong and sustainable dividend, and proper management of environmental, social, and governance, ESG, matters. The corporate brokers will also provide support to the Company as it endeavours to establish and improve liquidity on the LSE's Main Market, and allow Yamana to expand its share register following access to an enlarged investor base.

16:33 EDT Moderna, Vertex Pharmaceuticals announce gene editing collaboration to treat CF - Moderna (MRNA) and Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) announced a new strategic research collaboration and licensing agreement aimed at the discovery and development of lipid nanoparticles, or LNPs, and mRNAs for the delivery of gene-editing therapies for the treatment of cystic fibrosis, or CF. The three-year research collaboration initially will focus on the discovery and optimization of novel LNPs and mRNAs that can deliver gene-editing therapies to cells in the lungs, enabling functional cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, or CFTR, protein to be produced. Under the terms of the agreement, Moderna will conduct research activities to discover and optimize novel LNPs for the delivery of gene-editing therapies to lung cells for the treatment of CF. Moderna will receive $75M upfront and will be eligible to receive up to $380M in development, regulatory and commercial milestones, plus tiered royalties on any products that result from the collaboration. Moderna will be responsible for the discovery and manufacturing of LNPs and mRNA constructs encoding gene-editing endonucleases. Vertex will be responsible for providing other components of the gene-editing therapies to be formulated into LNPs, as well as subsequent preclinical and clinical development and potential commercialization efforts. This new collaboration adds to the existing relationship between Moderna and Vertex in their recently extended collaboration aimed at the discovery and development of mRNA therapeutics for the treatment of CF.

16:26 EDT Fair Isaac to reduce workforce by 3.5% or 140 employees - Fair Isaac disclosed its commitment to a course of action designed to reduce its operating costs in "lower value, less strategic areas" of its business in order to "facilitate incremental investment in higher value, more strategic areas" while also adjusting the company's facilities footprint "in light of post-pandemic workforce patterns." Fair Isaac expects this course of action to result in an aggregate of approximately $36M in annual expense savings beginning in fiscal 2021, consisting of $8.7M in reduced facilities expense and $27.3M in reduced employee expense. The company will close certain non-core offices and reduce office space in other locations and reduce its global workforce by 3.5%, affecting approximately 140 positions. The company expects these actions to result in an aggregate pre-tax charge of approximately $42M in Q4, substantially all of which will result in future cash expenditures.

16:24 EDT New 'COD' multiplayer alpha available for PS4 players from Sep 18-20 - Activision (ATVI) said PlayStation (SNE) players can play the "Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War" multiplayer alpha for free from September 18-20.

16:15 EDT American Electric to transfer listing of corporate units to Nasdaq - American Electric Power Company announced it will transfer the securities exchange listing of its two series of 6.125% Corporate Units from the New York Stock Exchange to The Nasdaq Stock Market effective as of the open of trading on Thursday, Oct. 1. The last day of trading on NYSE will be Wednesday, Sept. 30. AEP's Corporate Units have been approved for listing on Nasdaq. Upon transfer, Corporate Units AEP PR B and AEP PR C will trade under the new ticker symbols AEPPL and AEPPZ, respectively.

16:14 EDT iRobot CRDO Saeger resigns effective immediately - According to a regulatory filing, on September 14, 2020, Tim Saeger notified iRobot Corporation of his decision to resign, effective immediately, as the company's Chief Research & Development Officer to pursue other personal and professional interests. Saeger is expected to remain employed by the company until his successor has been hired, to ensure orderly transition of his responsibilities. The company has engaged an executive search firm and begun the process of recruiting for a CRDO.

16:10 EDT FormFactor announces cryogenic probe family for emerging computing applications - FormFactor announced that it has created a family of engineering probes optimized for operation at cryogenic temperatures. The probes can be used to test the performance of devices operating at temperatures as low as 4 kelvin, such as those in development for use in supercomputers and quantum computing applications. The promise of quantum computing to solve complex problems far beyond today's supercomputer capabilities, the exponential growth in data center power consumption, and the demand for high performance image sensors for security, military, and health care use, have inspired revolutionary new technologies. Extraordinary gains in speed, power efficiency, and sensitivity over traditional CMOS implementations can be achieved, but these advances require highly specialized test and measurement tools operating just a few degrees above absolute zero temperature. FormFactor's cryogenic probe collection enables on-wafer testing for DC, high frequency RF, and optical applications. "The challenges of probing at these extreme low temperatures are significant," said Matt Losey, SVP and GM of the Probes Business Unit at FormFactor. "FormFactor's cryogenic probes are engineered with materials and architectures which thrive under cryogenic conditions to deliver superior performance for the high data rates required to test emerging computing ICs."

16:07 EDT OneSpaWorld CEO sets retirement date, Bonner named CCO - OneSpaWorld Holdings announced that Susan Bonner is expected to join the company as Chief Commercial Officer on October 12, 2020. In this newly created position, Bonner will be part of the executive leadership team and have global responsibility for overseeing the successful direction, planning and execution of all aspects of OneSpaWorld's revenue and operating initiatives to further accelerate the company's growth plan. The company also announced that Glenn Fusfield, Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors, informed the company of his intention to retire effective March 31, 2021 after 20 years of service. Glenn will continue to serve as an independent member of the Board of Directors following his retirement and Leonard Fluxman, Executive Chairman and previous Chief Executive Officer of the Company from 2001 through 2018, is expected to assume the title of Chief Executive Officer once again. Upon joining the Company, Bonner will report to Fusfield, and following his retirement as Chief Executive Officer, she will report to Fluxman.

16:05 EDT Hawaiian Electric submits eight renewable energy projects to regulators - Hawaiian Electric has submitted eight contracts for new grid-scale renewable energy and storage projects on O'ahu and Maui to the Public Utilities Commission for review and approval. The six projects on O'ahu and two on Maui are part of the largest renewable energy procurement ever for Hawai'i. The O'ahu projects are expected to provide generation and storage needed to retire the state's only coal plant, the 180 MW plant at Campbell Industrial Park owned by AES, by September 2022. On Maui, the completion of renewable energy projects will help enable the retirement of the 38 MW oil-fired Kahului plant in 2024. In addition to the projects planned by independent developers, Hawaiian Electric plans to build two standalone energy storage projects, one on Maui and one on Hawai'i Island. Those projects were submitted earlier to the PUC for review and approval. The eight contracts submitted for regulatory review represent nearly 300 MW of new renewable generation and about 2,000 megawatt hours of storage. If completed on schedule in 2022 and 2023, they are estimated to add approximately 9 percentage points to the renewable portfolio on the five islands served by Hawaiian Electric. The company's renewable portfolio is expected to reach 30% by the end of this year with the anticipated return to service of Puna Geothermal Venture on Hawai'i Island.

15:52 EDT Cogeco says Altice, Rogers made 'untrue statements, unsubstantiated allegations' - Cogeco and Cogeco Communications (CGEAF) released a letter to Rogers Communications Inc. (RCI) and Altice USA (ATUS) in response to their letter received on September 15, in which Cogeco stated in part: "The Boards of Directors of Cogeco Inc. and Cogeco Communications Inc. met today to review and consider your letter dated September 15, 2020, in which you make untrue statements and unsubstantiated allegations against them. As stated in our press release of September 2, 2020, after receiving your unsolicited, non-binding proposal, late in the afternoon on September 1, 2020, the independent members of both Boards of Directors met promptly on September 2, 2020 to discuss your proposal. Prior to those discussions, Mr. Audet met with the independent directors as a representative of the Audet family, provided absolute clarity regarding the intentions of the family, indicated that their shares were not for sale and confirmed that their position was not a negotiating tactic. As you have both acknowledged on many occasions since commencing your unsolicited proposal, including in your initial press release and Mr. Goei's interview on CNBC, the support of the Audet family is necessary to complete a transaction. We assume that you know this because you each run a family-controlled company...We are fully confident our process was proper, and that we have given this matter the due care and attention that it deserves. We will not engage in a futile exercise aimed at diverting the attention of management and key resources from our business operations while creating friction among our stakeholders. Cogeco will focus on what matters - executing on our growth strategy, investing in our North American broadband and media platforms, including the previously announced $1 billion broadband investment in Canada over four years, and forging ahead with our mobile services expansion plan to provide more choice to customers."

14:39 EDT JanOne receives interest from third parties over legacy recycling business - JanOne provided an update regarding its initiatives to pursue a strategic alternative process for its legacy businesses first announced in June 2020. The company has received interest from third parties with respect to the sale of its legacy recycling business and is currently reviewing these opportunities. Tony Isaac, President and Chief Executive Officer of JanOne commented, "We remain highly focused on continued advancement of our clinical candidate, JAN101, to treat peripheral artery disease (PAD) and to find non-addictive alternatives to pain. In addition, we are continuing to pursue JAN101's potential to treat vascular complications related to Covid-19. We believe a successful transaction related to the disposition of our legacy recycling business will enhance shareholder value and enable us to concentrate our efforts on advancing JAN101." The strategic alternative review process is being conducted with the goal of maximizing stockholder value. JanOne will provide further disclosure as appropriate. The actual terms of any potential transaction are still to be negotiated between the parties and will be set forth in a letter of intent. There are no assurances that JanOne will be successful in negotiating an acceptable definitive agreement, when or whether a definitive agreement will be reached between the parties, or that any transaction with respect to its legacy businesses will be consummated. Even if a definitive agreement is executed, the terms of the transaction may change materially from the terms set forth in a non-binding letter of intent and will have many conditions to closing, some of which may be outside of the parties' control and we cannot predict whether these conditions will be satisfied. There are no assurances when or if closing will occur, even if the parties successfully negotiate and sign a definitive agreement.

14:07 EDT Ubisoft making 'Assassin's Creed,' 'Splinter Cell' VR games for Oculus - Facebook's (FB) Oculus business said Ubisoft (UBSFY) is bringing two of its AAA franchises to VR with new entries in the "Assassin's Creed" and "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell" universes. Both games are being developed from the ground up by Ubisoft's Red Storm in collaboration with Ubisoft Reflections, Ubisoft Dusseldorf, and Ubisoft Mumbai. Reference Link

13:57 EDT New York Times teams with Facebook on augmented reality-driven stories - New York Times (NYT) announced a multi-year collaboration with Facebook (FB) to publish a series of augmented reality driven reporting on Instagram. To support the work, The Times is launching a new AR Lab of more than a dozen employees. The lab, alongside a dedicated newsroom team, will be responsible for the development of the AR effects, and will work with Facebook's Spark AR platform as the underlying technology, the company said in a statement. "While The Times launched its first exploration into AR in 2018 on its native app, this will be its first long-term effort in producing sharable AR-first journalism on Instagram," it added.

13:27 EDT Facebook and EssilorLuxottica announce multiyear smart glasses collaboration - Facebook and EssilorLuxottica announced a multiyear collaboration to develop the next generation of smart glasses. The announcement was made by Mark Zuckerberg during Facebook Connect, an annual conference held virtually from California. The partnership will combine Facebook apps and technologies, Luxottica's category leadership and iconic brands, and Essilor's advanced lens technology to help people stay better connected to their friends and family. The first product will be branded Ray-Ban, the world's most popular eyewear brand, and is scheduled to launch in 2021. It will combine the best of both worlds - innovative technology and fashion-forward style - to create smart glasses that consumers will truly love wearing. "We're passionate about exploring devices that can give people better ways to connect with those closest to them. Wearables have the potential to do that. With EssilorLuxottica we have an equally ambitious partner who'll lend their expertise and world-class brand catalogue to the first truly fashionable smart glasses," said Andrew Bosworth, Vice President of Facebook Reality Labs. Reference Link

13:09 EDT General Electric CEO 'encouraged' by new orders in Power

12:57 EDT General Electric CEO sees robust finish to 2020

12:53 EDT Manulife COVID-19 pandemic travel plan insurance coming in October - Coming this October, the Manulife COVID-19 Pandemic Travel Plan will be available to Canadians travelling in Canada and internationally, including to countries with a Level 3 Travel Advisory. The policy will provide Emergency Medical coverage, including specific additional coverage for COVID-19 and related conditions. It will also include added Trip Interruption benefits in the event of quarantine. The Manulife COVID-19 Pandemic Travel Plan will be available to Canadians through Manulife's distribution channels including travel agents, brokers, advisors, sponsors, and for direct purchase through Manulife CoverMe.

12:53 EDT General Electric CEO says Q2 will be company's 'toughest period'

12:36 EDT Becton Dickinson CareFusion 303 recalls Alaris synringe, PCA modules - Beckdon Dickinson CareFusion 303 is recalling Alaris Syringe and Alaris PCA Modules under a Class I recall. BD/Carefusion 303 is recalling the Alaris Syringe Module and Alaris PCA Module because the Alaris PC units may display the incorrect syringe types and/or sizes. This could potentially result in delays in infusion, under-infusion, or over-infusion. If this occurs, this could lead to serious adverse events, including death, the FDA said on its website. About 141,889 devices are being recalled in the U.S.

12:03 EDT Cornerstone OnDemand names Ajay Awatramani as Chief Product Officer - Cornerstone OnDemand (CSOD) announced it has named Ajay Awatramani as its chief product officer to lead product strategy, management and design as the company doubles down on its vision to accelerate innovation and further strengthen its leading people development solutions. Most recently, Awatramani served as head of Product and GTM at Adobe (ADBE). In this role, he successfully led product, strategy and go-to-market for the B2B Digital Experience business. He came to Adobe via the Marketo acquisition in 2018. From 2015 to 2020, he helped achieve the rapid growth and transformation of Marketo into an undisputed market leader, more than doubling revenues through founder-led, private equity and strategic hands. Awatramani received his M.S. in computer science from the University of Southern California and has more than 10 patents filed and granted.

11:54 EDT Nintendo reports over 200M Nintendo Accounts worldwide - Says there are over 200M Nintendo Accounts worldwide, with particular growth in that area since the Nintendo Switch launch in 2017 and even higher growth in 2019 with the release of mobile title "Mario Kart Tour." Says Nintendo Switch Online has over 26M members. Says Switch Online membership numbers have grown alongside hardware sales "at a steady pace," with spikes prompted by "hit games that support online play." Says in terms of video game platform business it will continue to be flexible in response to changes in the business environment. Says roughly half of Nintendo Switch software purchases are digital. Says still plans to expand business around creation of "unique integrated hardware-software products." Comments taken from corporate management policy briefing presentation. Reference Link

10:00 EDT Bombardier announces SPA for sale of transportation business to Alstom - Bombardier (BDRBF) announced that it has signed a definitive Sale and Purchase Agreement, or "SPA," with Alstom SA (ALSMY) and the Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec for the sale of its Transportation business to Alstom. Under the SPA, Bombardier and la Caisse will sell their interests in Bombardier Transportation to Alstom on the basis of an enterprise value of $8.4B, or EUR 7.15B, reflecting a $350M, or EUR 300M, price reduction from the previously announced Memorandum of Understanding, offset by the impact of a more favorable currency exchange rate. Based on Bombardier Transportation's current operational performance and market conditions, total proceeds after the deduction of debt-like items, transferred liabilities and estimated closing adjustments are expected to be $6.2B, based on the lower end of the range agreed to in the SPA, Bombardier said. After deducting la Caisse's equity position of $2.2B billion, Bombardier expects net proceeds of about $4.0B2. This amount includes $585M, or EUR 500M, of Alstom shares for a fixed subscription price of EUR 47.50 per share, monetizable after a three-month lock-up post-closing. With regulatory approvals obtained from several jurisdictions, including the European Commission, the transaction closing is now expected in the first quarter of 2021, subject to the completion of the remaining regulatory reviews and other customary closing conditions, as well as Alstom shareholders' approval at the company's upcoming October 29, 2020 Extraordinary Shareholders' Meeting.

10:00 EDT Social Capital Hedosophia Holdings II falls -8.9% - Social Capital Hedosophia Holdings II is down -8.9%, or -$1.56 to $16.00.

10:00 EDT IDT Corp rises 11.5% - IDT Corp is up 11.5%, or 76c to $7.37.

10:00 EDT Eastman Kodak rises 55.4% - Eastman Kodak is up 55.4%, or $3.45 to $9.68.

09:53 EDT Barnes Group announces long-term agreement with GE Aviation - Barnes Aerospace, a business unit of Barnes Group (B), announced that it has entered into a long-term agreement with GE Aviation, a unit of the General Electric (GE), for the manufacture of components for the LEAP engine program. Barnes Aerospace will "leverage its expertise and technology in the machining and assembly of complex hot-section engine components," the company said. Mike Beck, Senior Vice President, Barnes Group Inc. and President, Barnes Aerospace, added: "We are delighted to expand and extend our participation on these programs and are driving flawless execution through our Barnes Enterprise System. GE's willingness and confidence to place additional LEAP business and extend long-term contracts with Barnes Aerospace is testament to our excellent, long-standing relationship."

09:50 EDT Kansas City Southern says September-to-date volume up 2% year-over-year

09:47 EDT YPF falls -5.0% - YPF is down -5.0%, or -26c to $4.87.

09:47 EDT ADT Inc. falls -12.2% - ADT Inc. is down -12.2%, or -$1.32 to $9.48.

09:47 EDT Tapestry rises 7.3% - Tapestry is up 7.3%, or $1.23 to $18.07.

09:37 EDT Kodak trading resumes

09:33 EDT Equinix says containment, mitigation efforts have 'progressed well' after breach - In a regulatory filing, Equinix noted that on September 9, the company disclosed that it is investigating a security incident involving ransomware on certain of its internal systems. "On September 16, 2020, we disclosed on our corporate blog that our containment and mitigation efforts have progressed well since the detection of the incident and we have reached a milestone that we believe will prevent the release of any data associated with this incident. While we continue to investigate the security incident, our data centers and our service offerings, including managed services, remain fully operational, and the incident has not affected our ability to support our customers. Our internal systems approach full restoration. The security of the data in our systems is always a top priority and we intend to take all necessary actions, as appropriate, based on the results of our investigation," the filing stated.

09:31 EDT Source Capital reinstates stock repurchase program - The Board of Directors of Source Capital reinstated the Fund's stock repurchase program, which was initially approved by the Board on November 16, 2015 and terminated on November 11, 2019. The Program will be effective as of October 5, 2020 through December 31, 2021. Under the Program, the Fund is authorized to make open-market repurchases of its common stock of up to 10% of the Fund's outstanding shares at such times as the Fund's shares trade at a greater than 10% discount to the Fund's net asset value, when in FPA's judgment such repurchases would benefit shareholders.

09:29 EDT Ruth's Hospitality says 90% of company stores, 99% of franchised locations open - In a regulatory filing ahead of a meeting with investors at the CL King's 18th Annual Best Ideas Virtual Conference on September 16, Ruth's Hospitality Group stated that the company plans to share the following information with investors and analysts: The company currently has 90%, or 72 out of 80, of its company-owned locations and 99%, or 71 out of 72, of its franchisee-owned locations open; In the past two weeks the company has been able to open 13 additional capacity restricted dining rooms bringing the total to 63 locations or 79% of the system. As of August 30, the company had a cash balance of $95.3M, a debt balance under its senior credit facility of $135.2M and outstanding letters of credit of $4.6M.

09:24 EDT Veem closes $31M capital raise led by Truist Ventures - Veem announced the closing of a $31M capital raise, led by Truist Ventures. This investment will go towards the development of a robust channel partner program that will widen Veem's geographic footprint. As the company focuses on its scaling efforts, Veem is also committed to further improving and expanding its product suite and capabilities. This funding round builds on Veem's already expansive global investor base, with participants from the United States, China, Japan, Australia, Indonesia, Canada, and the Middle East. Veem is supported by forward-looking banks and major venture capital firms who share Veem's commitment to better enabling global commerce participation for small-to-midsize businesses. Round participants include: MUFG Innovation Partners Co. Ltd., CVC of MUFG, the largest bank in Japan, as well as AB Ventures, the venture arm of Arab Bank, one of the leading financial institutions in the Middle East and North Africa, Paper Excellence and Myer Family Investments. Existing investors that participated in this round include: GV, Goldman Sachs, Kleiner Perkins, Silicon Valley Bank, National Australia Bank Ventures and Trend Forward Capital.

09:20 EDT Boyd Gaming: Delta Downs Racetrack Casino Hotel to open September 16 - Boyd Gaming announced that Delta Downs Racetrack Casino Hotel in Vinton, Louisiana, will reopen to the public on September 16, at 11 a.m. Central Time. The property has been closed since late August due to damage from Hurricane Laura.

09:16 EDT Alkaline Water adds additional Core-Mark distribution centers, C-Store locations - The Alkaline Water Company announces that its flagship brand, Alkaline88 is now available in over 200 new convenience store locations and across seven Core-Mark distribution centers.

09:12 EDT Maxeon Solar announces new board and executive appointments - Maxeon Solar announced that Tiffany See and Lindsey Wiedmann have been respectively named Chief Human Resources Officer and Chief Legal Officer. The composition of the Board of Directors for Maxeon Solar Technologies has also been announced. Tiffany See is joining from BHP, a global resources company. Prior to BHP, she was Executive Director, Human Resources, Asia, for Dell Technologies, where she spent 17 years in a variety of Human Resources leadership positions. Lindsey Wiedmann is the Former General Counsel, Global Projects, Transactions and Operations at SunPower. Wiedmann was also the lead SunPower attorney for 8point3 Energy Partners LP's initial public offering in 2015 and nearly three years of acquisitions and operational activity as a public company. Maxeon Solar announced its new Board of Directors, consisting of ten directors. The board includes three independent directors - Kevin Kennedy, Donald Colvin, Chee Keong Yap; three designees from Total S.E. - Lee Young, Erick Chabanne, Remi Bourgeois; three designees from Tianjin Zhonghuan Semiconductor, Shen Haoping, Zhang Changxu, Wang Yan; and Maxeon's CEO Jeff Waters.

09:11 EDT Cohen & Steers invests ~$100M in Lineage Logistics - Cohen & Steers is pleased to announce that the firm, on behalf of its mutual funds, has invested approximately $100M in privately-held Lineage Logistics, "the world's largest provider of temperature-controlled logistics solutions." With over 5,000 corporate customers and 1.9B cubic feet across 320 facilities in 13 countries, Lineage is well positioned to capitalize on the growing demand for efficient and innovative cold storage capacity amid changing consumption and food supply chain patterns.

09:09 EDT Truist Financial announces launch of corporate venture capital division - Truist Financial announced the launch of Truist Ventures, a corporate venture capital division created by integrating investments in technology companies from the heritage SunTrust brand with BB&T Ventures. The firm, which also is announcing its latest deal with global payments network Veem, is focusing on strategic partnerships and investments to bring novel solutions to Truist clients and deliver on the company's purpose to inspire and build better lives and communities. Truist has appointed Vanessa Indriolo Vreeland, a seasoned executive with more than 20 years of private equity, venture capital and banking experience, to lead Truist Ventures.

09:08 EDT Medtronic reports new data on Absorbable Antibacterial Envelope - Medtronic announced new data from the WRAP-IT study, showing the TYRX Absorbable Antibacterial Envelope is cost effective for patients at increased risk of infections who receive cardiac implantable electronic devices. The analysis, newly published in Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology, demonstrates the envelope's cost-effectiveness compared to standard-of-care infection prevention strategies in the U.S. healthcare system. This pre-specified analysis of the global WRAP-IT Trial compared costs and patient outcomes between patients who received the TYRX Envelope and patients who received standard-of-care. The TYRX Envelope's incremental cost effectiveness ratio was well below the upper willingness to pay threshold of $150K, the recommended threshold on cost/value methodology. Long-term results from WRAP-IT, recently published in Heart Rhythm, show that the effects of TYRX to reduce major CIED infection were sustained through three years of follow-up, which was driven by a significant reduction in pocket infections. Based on the WRAP-IT results, an international consensus statement, supported by seven medical societies recommends TYRX for the WRAP-IT study population and for patients with high risk factors.

09:08 EDT Baxter announces exclusive distribution agreement with bioMerieux - Baxter said in a release, "Baxter announced a distribution agreement with bioMerieux for the NEPHROCLEAR CCL14 diagnostic test. The NEPHROCLEAR CCL14 test is currently in development for use in assessing the risk of developing persistent severe acute kidney injury, or AK). The agreement is part of a previously announced collaboration between Baxter and bioMerieux to improve identification and treatment of AKI. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. As part of the agreement, Baxter will be bioMerieux's exclusive distributor of the NEPHROCLEAR CCL14 test in Europe and the U.S. following regulatory approval and launch in both markets. Baxter and bioMerieux will share in-country commercialization, while bioMerieux will retain control over the regulatory approval process. Incorporating new diagnostic products into Baxter's Acute Therapies portfolio advances the company's efforts to support overall patient management by providing solutions that enable efficiencies in critical care."

09:07 EDT Scientific Games awarded four-year contract by Dutch National Lottery - Scientific Games was awarded a new, four-year contract by Nederlandse Loterij, the Dutch National Lottery, to provide instant game "scratch cards" through the Scientific Games Enhanced Partnership, a performance-driven management program used by more than 20 lotteries globally. The agreement may be extended by Nederlandse Loterij for up to four additional years. The program generated more than 28% growth in the Lottery's scratch card retail sales during the previous contract period (2015-2019).

09:06 EDT Anthem announces research study with Apple - Anthem (ATNM) said in a release, "Anthem announced a new study that examines how the use of everyday devices, like Apple Watch and iPhone, may help individuals with asthma better self-manage their condition for improved clinical outcomes. The virtual study is being conducted by University of California, Irvine, or UCI, and was designed in collaboration with Apple (AAPL). CareEvolution is the study technology partner responsible for building the study app and enabling collection of the study data. Launching in the fall, the two-year, randomized controlled study will enroll participants from Anthem-affiliated health plans who have been clinically diagnosed with asthma. Nearly 25 million Americans are currently diagnosed with some form of the chronic condition, and, when uncontrolled, asthma can lead to permanent lung damage, hospitalizations and even premature death. Additionally, nearly 1.8 million emergency department visits each year are counted as a result of asthma attacks. The primary goal of the study is to investigate clinical changes in outcomes associated with the use of the new digital tools in self-management of asthma. Additionally, the study will explore if data collected from everyday use devices such as iPhone and Apple Watch can help predict asthma exacerbation or serve as potential digital biomarkers of asthma control."

09:04 EDT Blue Hat Interactive subsidiary reports $1.5M revenue in first operating month - Blue Hat Interactive's subsidiary, Xunpusen Technology, generated approximately approximately $1.5M in revenue in the first month of its operation. Its recently acquired subsidiary Xun Pu Sen has implemented a sales strategy by leveraging their strength in enterprise software solutions and mobile / SMS sales to promote products directly through customers via mobile and desktop. Since integration of Xun Pu Sen's team in late July, the company has begun to report "considerable" sales growth of Blue Hat interactive game products. Based upon initial reports, the company believes that Xun Pu Sen's contribution to revenue could be potentially in excess of $15.6M on an annualized basis.

09:04 EDT American Express plans to expand Centurion Lounges at LGA, LAS - American Express said in a release, "American Express announced plans to expand two of its signature Centurion Lounges and introduced The Centurion Lounge Commitment, a set of new health and safety protocols and practices, which will be implemented in all Centurion Lounges as they reopen (some starting in early October). The Centurion Lounge at New York's LaGuardia Airport -LGA- will relocate to a larger location in the brand new Terminal B, and as previously announced, the current Centurion Lounge at Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport -LAS-, will be expanded and redesigned. Renovations to The Centurion Lounges at New York's LaGuardia Airport and Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport will be completed in 2021. The expanded lounges will feature a suite of amenities for Card Members to enjoy when they resume traveling. The Centurion Lounge at LGA will double in size and relocate to a space post-security within the airport's brand-new, state-of-the-art Terminal B. The new lounge will feature a family room, additional workspaces, private telephone rooms, and views of the New York City skyline. The footprint of the first-ever Centurion Lounge, opened at LAS in 2013, will be expanded from nearly 9,000 square feet to over 13,400 square feet. The newly designed lounge will feature additional multi-purpose areas, new private telephone rooms, newly designed reception and workspace areas and more. American Express is also working towards opening its newest lounge locations later this year in New York's John F. Kennedy Airport, London's Heathrow Airport and Denver International Airport."

09:03 EDT Great Lakes Dredge announces receipt of $118.8M in awarded work - Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation announced the receipt of several major dredging awards totaling $118.8M. The awarded work includes: Post 45 Contract 4 Charleston Lower Harbor New Work Dredging Project, Capital, South Carolina, $52.9M; Emerald Isle, North Carolina Post-Florence Renourishment - Phase 3 Project, Coastal Protection, North Carolina, $30.6M; Freeport Harbor Channel Improvement Project, Reach 3 Lower Stauffer Channel, Capital, Texas, $15.5M; Upper Yazoo Dredging Subcontract, Capital, Mississippi, $7.2M; Grand Isle and Vicinity, West End Beach Nourishment Project, Coastal Protection, Louisiana, $6.4M; Hudson River Maintenance Dredging Project, Maintenance, New York, $6.2M.

09:01 EDT Pure Storage to acquire Portworx for approximately $370M in cash - Pure Storage announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Portworx, "the leading Kubernetes data services platform enterprises trust to run mission-critical applications in containers in production," for approximately $370M in cash. This deal represents Pure's largest acquisition to date and the company's deeper expansion into the fast-growing market for multi-cloud data services to support Kubernetes and containers.

08:47 EDT Switch appoints Angela Archon to Board of Directors, effective November 4 - Switch (SWCH) announced the appointment of Angela Archon to its Board of Directors, effective November 4. Archon brings over 30 years of leadership experience in the technology industry with expertise in artificial intelligence, digital transformation, technology and operational excellence. Prior to joining the Switch Board of Directors, Archon was with IBM (IBM) for more than 30 years, in leadership capacities including Watson AI, Strategy, Operations, Customer Relations, IT Systems, Business Development and Supply Chain.

08:41 EDT ElectraMeccanica to produce 'utility and fleet' version of SOLO EV - ElectraMeccanica Vehicles announced that the Company is planning to produce an alternative "utility and fleet" version of its flagship SOLO EV, which is expected to become available in early 2021. These modified vehicles are being developed based on direct input from potential commercial and fleet partners and will be equipped with a stylish and functional cargo "cap," offering additional capacity and versatility to suit a variety of different, single-occupant commercial and utility fleet applications. Last month, ElectraMeccanica announced that it had commenced assembly line production of the consumer version of the SOLO EV through its manufacturing partner and strategic investor Zongshen Industrial Group. As part of the next step in the Company's long-term product development roadmap, ElectraMeccanica has been engineering upgrades and modifications over the past few months, which are designed to make the SOLO purpose-built for utility and fleet applications, including food delivery, small parcel and post distribution, technician transportation for service calls and security. The Company's primary focus is to provide single-person transportation where larger vehicles, e.g., trucks and vans are either unnecessary, inefficient and/or costly.

08:39 EDT Toll Brothers Apartment Living to develop Emerson rental community - Toll Brothers announced plans to develop Emerson, a 188-unit multifamily rental community in Sleepy Hollow, NY with a $35.6M construction loan from TD Bank. The debt financing was arranged by Toll Brothers' in-house Finance Department. Toll Brothers Apartment Living will manage the development, management, and marketing of Emerson. The community will offer 127 market-rate floor plans, including one- and two- bedroom style apartments with an average unit size of 1,027 square feet, and 61 affordable floor plan style apartments with an average unit size of 959 square feet. Emerson will feature a shuttle to the Tarrytown MTA station, community-wide WiFi, a state-of-the-art fitness center, storage lockers and bike storage, electric car chargers, and more. The community is located within walking distance of high-end restaurants, retail stores, and office space in Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown. This is a dynamic location for those who seek a flexible and relaxing lifestyle with proximity to New York City and surrounding areas.

08:36 EDT Odyssey Marine files First Memorial in Mexico NAFTA case - Odyssey Marine Exploration reports that on Friday, September 4, 2020, Odyssey filed the First Memorial in the case brought against Mexico under the North American Free Trade Agreement on its behalf and on behalf of subsidiary Exploraciones Oceanicas, alleging that Mexico wrongfully denied environmental approval of the ExO Phosphate project in breach of NAFTA. The First Memorial presents Odyssey's NAFTA claims that Mexico, among other things: Violated the Minimum Standard of Treatment; Indirectly expropriated the investment; and Treated the investment less favorably than it treated domestic investors.Odyssey seeks damages of more than $2.3 billion including interest from April 2016 to the date of the First Memorial's submission. The First Memorial is supported by documentary evidence, and 20 expert reports and witness statements. In summary, this evidence includes: MERITS: Testimony from independent environmental experts and legal experts that the environmental impact of ExO's phosphate project is minimal and readily mitigated by the mitigation measures proposed by ExO. Witnesses also testified that Mexico's denial of environmental approval by the prior administration was politically motivated and not justified on environmental grounds, and that Mexico granted environmental permits to similar dredging projects in areas that are considered more environmentally sensitive than ExO's project location. RESOURCE: An independent marine geologist testified as to the size and character of the resource. OPERATIONAL VIABILITY: Engineering experts testified that the project uses established dredging and processing technology, and the project's anticipated CAPEX and OPEX was reasonable. VALUE: A Phosphate market analyst testified that the project's projected CAPEX and OPEX would make the project one of the lowest cost phosphate rock resources in the world, and damages experts testified the project would be commercially viable and profitable.

08:34 EDT Heron Therapeutics announces publication of Phase 2b HTX-011 results - Heron Therapeutics announced that the results from EPOCH 2 follow-on study of the investigational agent HTX-011 in open inguinal hernia repair surgery with mesh, have been published online by the journal, Surgery in an article. In this study, more than 90% of patients receiving HTX-011, along with postoperative over-the-counter acetaminophen and ibuprofen, remained opioid-free throughout the 72-hour period following hernia repair surgery. The mean pain intensity never rose above the mild range through 72 hours following surgery. HTX-011 is a dual-acting, fixed-dose combination of the local anesthetic bupivacaine with a low dose of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug meloxicam. HTX-011 was well tolerated, with a safety profile comparable to placebo and bupivacaine solution. In total, more than 90% of patients in this study did not require opioids to manage their postoperative pain during the first 72 hours. Across all study patients, 87% were opioid-free through Day 10 and 83% were opioid-free throughout the entire 28-day follow-up period of the study.

08:33 EDT Jabil promotes May Yap to Chief Information Officer - Jabil is announcing the promotion of May Yap to Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer. She succeeds Gary Cantrell, who recently retired. In her new role, May will be responsible for driving end-to-end technology services and solutions, developing and executing technology applications in support of business growth and coordinating digital initiatives across the Jabil enterprise.

08:32 EDT DexCom announces first registry to track CGM outcomes - DexCom announced the first registry dedicated to tracking the outcomes of patients and healthcare professionals using CGM in hospitals in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The current standard-of-care for glucose monitoring in the hospital is a fingerstick blood glucose test, which requires healthcare providers to draw blood from a patient to obtain a glucose reading. Due to the need to preserve personal protective equipment, reduce potential hospital staff exposure to COVID-19 and lessen the overall burden on nursing care, the Dexcom G6 CGM system has been made available to remotely monitor the glucose levels of all hospitalized patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision was made in April based on feedback received from the FDA.

08:31 EDT Arena Pharmaceuticals: First subject dosed in ELEVATE UC 12 Phase 3 trial - Arena Pharmaceuticals announced that the first subject has been dosed in the ELEVATE UC 12 global Phase 3 trial evaluating etrasimod, an investigational, next-generation, once-daily, oral, selective sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor modulator, for the potential treatment of moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis. ELEVATE UC 12 is the second of two pivotal trials within the Phase 3 ELEVATE UC registrational program to assess the safety and efficacy of etrasimod 2 mg.

08:26 EDT Kratos Defense announces CMMC advisory services - Kratos Defense & Security Solutions announced that it is offering CMMC pre-certification advisory services to commercial organizations and Department of Defense contractors seeking CMMC compliance. CMMC advisory services currently include strategic and operational consulting services, gap assessment and remediation services, and documentation services.

08:23 EDT HP Inc. announces range of devices, solution at HP Reinvent - The company announced a range of devices and solutions designed to help people boost productivity, collaborate with ease, and work anywhere, with strong security. With a starting weight of under one kg5 and long battery life, the HP ProBook 635 Aero G7 is designed to keep users productive around the home, in the office, or on-the-go. HP Sure View Reflect allows users to work discreetly,6 Wi-Fi 67 and 4G LTE8 makes it easy to get connected, and the keyboard provides a smooth and quiet typing experience. HP also introduced the HP ProBook 600 G8 and HP ProBook 400 G8 PC Series built for professionals at growing companies who move from desk to meeting room to home. With an enhanced design and optional quad-core 11th Gen Intel Core processors,11 the latest ProBook 600 and ProBook 400 PCs continue to deliver the commercial performance, security, and durability that users need. For users who need more power to keep up with serious workloads, HP unveiled new Elite and Pro desktops designed to meet the demands of a multi-task work-day with a choice of form factors. The HP EliteDesk 805 G6 Series PCs features an upgraded chassis for a modern look and new flexibility and expandability options for personalization. HP Run Quiet Design acoustics minimize noise levels to help users focus and VR-ready capabilities enable high performance workloads. The desktop series allow users to experience enterprise-class productivity, plus industry-leading reliability, security, and manageability in their choice of form factors. The HP EliteDesk 805 G6 Desktop Mini PC is a compact, high-performance PC that fits easily into an open office when paired with the optional Mini-in-One display. The HP EliteDesk 805 G6 Small Form Factor is part of the world's first AMD-based small form factor business class desktop PCs with dual M.2 drive capability. The HP ProDesk 405 G6 Series PCs features the latest AMD Ryzen PRO Series Desktop Processors14 for powerful performance and versatile options with quieter and energy-efficient designs for growing businesses. The HP E24d and E27d Conferencing Monitors empower users with everything they need to virtually collaborate. These Zoom-compatible monitors allow users to effortlessly video conference with the integrated pop-up webcam, microphone, and attached speaker bar without having to buy or connect additional accessories. This clean desk solution is completed with docking, so with a single cable from this monitor, users can connect their laptop and all their PC essentials with 100W USB-C power delivery. When hands-on productivity is needed, the HP E24t G4 FHD Touch Monitor allows users to interact with content onscreen, without distracting glare and fingerprint smudges. Get the right set-up for a comfortable workspace with four-way ergonomics and HP Eye Ease, which addresses blue light without affecting color accuracy or introducing any yellow shift. Responsibly made with more than 80% of its plastics being recycled and 100% sustainably sourced and recyclable packaging

08:20 EDT Aeterna Zentaris to restablish 'diversified, yet focused' development pipeline - Aeterna Zentaris intends to balance risks and secure growth opportunities by re-establishing a diversified, yet focused, development pipeline to which the Company can best leverage its expertise and experience. The Company is focused on opportunistically utilizing its well-established, extensive network with universities in Europe and the US. This strong network of strategic collaborations with universities, provides, what the Company believes will be, vital access to innovative development candidates in different indications, with a focus on rare or orphan indications and potential for pediatric use.

08:18 EDT Varian expects to benefit from extension of tariff exclusion in China - Varian has received notice from the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council of China that the first exclusion of the additional tariffs China imposed on US products will expire on September 16. The exclusion will be extended by one year to September 16, 2021. Varian medical linear accelerators are one of the first items to be excluded from additional tariffs.

08:15 EDT Volkswagen selects Cerence to power voice control in ID.3 - Cerence (CRNC) announced that Volkswagen (VWAGY) selected Cerence to power the innovative voice assistant in Volkswagen's new, fully electric ID.3, the first in the automaker's new generation of electric vehicles. Incorporating Cerence Drive products and innovations and summoned with a simple, "Hello ID," the ID.3 in-car assistant delivers voice-powered control for all key in-car functions, including music and media, navigation, heating and air conditioning, phone calls and messaging. Cerence provided core embedded and cloud technologies to power the assistant, including intelligent, natural speech recognition; human-like language output; and speech signal enhancement to accurately identify who in the car is talking. In addition, Cerence Drive integrates with ID. Light, an LED strip that runs across the cockpit to assist the driver by changing color according to its current function and driving conditions. ID. Light lets drivers and passengers know that the voice assistant is listening through a light signal that indicates that it is awake and listening.

08:13 EDT Ceragon Networks' new quad-carrier outdoor solution selected by 5G providers - Ceragon Networks' new quad-carrier all-outdoor solution, based on IP-50C, has been selected by multiple 5G service providers in Europe and North America to accelerate 5G networks deployments. Ceragon's IP-50C can deliver up to 8Gbps in microwave bands.

08:11 EDT American Shared Hospital appoints Raymond Stachowiak as CEO - American Shared Hospital Services announced that the Board of Directors has appointed Raymond Stachowiak as the Company's CEO, effective October 1, 2020. Mr. Stachowiak previously served as the Company's interim President and CEO and has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2009. The Board of Directors also announced the following realignment of management duties, effective October 1, 2020. Craig Tagawa will assume the title of President, in addition to his current positions as Chief Operating and Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary. Ernest Bates will be promoted to Senior Vice President and will lead International Operations in addition to his current Sales and Business Development duties. Alexis Wallace, currently the Company's Controller, will become Chief Accounting Officer.

08:10 EDT Axcelis announces multiple shipments of 'Purion H' evaluation systems - Axcelis Technologies announced that it has shipped multiple evaluation systems for the next generation Purion H to advanced logic and advanced 3D NAND memory device manufacturers in Asia Pacific. The systems shipped in the third quarter. President and CEO Mary Puma commented, "We're very excited to ship our high current system to a leading advanced logic device manufacturer. We are also pleased with the high current penetration at a new 3D NAND customer. Placing these new products in major markets is key to our growth in high current, the largest ion implant segment, and will enable our long term $650M business model."

08:09 EDT Biocept provides COVID-19 testing update with more than 35,000 specimens - Biocept has received more than 35,000 COVID-19 specimens to date for processing through its RT-PCR technology at its CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited high-complexity molecular lab and expects to collect an average reimbursement of approximately $100 per test. The company has distributed approximately 83,000 COVID-19 PCR specimen collection kits to date, and has inventory for approximately 87,000 additional collection kits. The company has assembled over 83,000 specimen collection kits to date and has inventory for an additional 87,000, for an overall total of 170,000 kits.

08:05 EDT Wix.com announces internal venture arm, Wix Capital, to invest in startups - Wix.com announced its own venture capital initiative, Wix Capital, to invest in technology innovators that are focused on the future of the web and that look to accelerate how businesses operate in today's evolving digital landscape. Wix Capital's specific areas of focus include software and technology companies that sit at the intersection of online design and development, commerce and business management and AI and automation solutions. Wix Capital aims to participate in seed and early stage investment rounds worldwide.

08:04 EDT Kindred Biosciences: Primary objectives of KIND-030 study were met - Kindred Biosciences announced positive results from a pivotal efficacy study of KIND-030, a monoclonal antibody targeting canine parvovirus. The results showed 100% efficacy in the prevention of parvovirus, as well as a mortality benefit in the treated group. In this randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled study, KIND-030 was administered to dogs as prophylactic therapy to prevent clinical signs of CPV infection. The primary objectives of the study were met. All of the placebo-control dogs developed parvovirus infection as predefined in the study protocol, while none of the KIND-030 treated dogs developed the disease. Furthermore, the parvovirus challenge resulted in 60% mortality rate in the control dogs compared to 0% mortality rate in the KIND-030 treated dogs. KIND-030 is currently being pursued for two indications in dogs: prophylactic therapy to prevent clinical signs of canine parvovirus infection and treatment of established parvovirus infection. The pivotal efficacy study for the treatment indication and pivotal safety studies remain on track to be completed by year-end 2020, with approval expected by early 2021.

08:03 EDT Altair acquires Ellexus, terms not disclosed - Altair announced the acquisition of Ellexus, a leading input/output analysis tool, which helps customers find and address issues quickly, improving speed accuracy and cloud readiness. The Ellexus software products, Mistral and Breeze, are used for I/O diagnostics, optimization, and dependency detection by HPC administrators of large enterprises. Altair plans to integrate them into the storage aware scheduling functionality of Altair PBS Works. The recent acquisition of Univa positions Altair as the leading scheduling and resource optimization solution provider for both massively parallel and high-throughput, single-core jobs. Ellexus nicely complements Altair's scheduling technology by providing per-job storage agnostic file and network I/O real-time monitoring to identify I/O latencies and bottlenecks for faster job execution times and better resource utilization. Altair will also deepen its technical ranks with the addition of Dr. Rosemary Francis, Ellexus founder and chief executive officer. Francis earned a PhD in computer architecture from the University of Cambridge and an undergraduate degree in math and computer science. She is a regular guest lecturer at Cambridge University and is a member of the Raspberry Pi Foundation.

08:01 EDT Enlivex announces allowance of patent covering Allocetra immunotherapy - Enlivex Therapeutics announced that the China National Intellectual Property Administration issued a notice of allowance for a new patent application covering ALLOCETRA, the company's immunotherapy product candidate. Upon issuance, the new patent will provide added intellectual property protection, including methods, uses and pharmaceutical compositions. The company expects that this new patent will be issued in China during the fourth quarter of 2020. ALLOCETRA has been designed to provide a novel immunotherapy mechanism of action that targets life-threatening clinical indications that are defined as "unmet medical needs", including organ dysfunction and acute multiple organ failure associated with Sepsis and COVID-19, as well as treating solid tumors by modulating such tumors' microenvironment.

07:48 EDT Hookipa Pharma announces peer-reviewed publication on HB-201 - HOOKIPA Pharma announced a publication in the peer reviewed, open access journal OncoImmunology of a paper on HB-201, an arenavirus vector-based immunotherapy for Human Papillomavirus 16-positive cancers currently in clinical trials. The paper shows that systemically administered HB-201 leads to: Dose-dependent induction of a robust, systemic cytotoxic T cell response directed against HPV16 proteins; Tumor infiltration of HPV16 specific cytotoxic T cells; and Significantly delayed tumor growth or complete tumor clearance accompanied with prolonged survival. Mice that have cleared tumors post-HB-201 administration developed long-term protection, as demonstrated by the rejection of re-administered tumors. Furthermore, the combination of HB-201 with a checkpoint inhibitor increased the anti-tumor efficacy, with more than 77% of treated mice clearing established tumors. HB-201 is one of HOOKIPA's lead oncology candidates. It targets HPV16 E6/E7 and is based on the Company's replicating LCMV arenaviral vector platform. It is currently in Phase 1/2 clinical trials for HPV16+ cancers alone and in combination with an approved checkpoint inhibitor.

07:44 EDT First Quantum expects to produce 750,000-770,000 tonnes of copper for 2020 - First Quantum Minerals provides an update on operations and continuing efforts to mitigate the impact of COVID-19. The Company expects to produce 725,000 - 770,000 tonnes of copper, 230,000 - 250,000 ounces of gold and 15,000 - 17,000 tonnes of nickel for the full year 2020, as previously stated. Operations continue to perform as expected despite the challenges presented by the current pandemic and the necessary heightened focus on health and sanitisation protocols. With the resumption of normal operations at Cobre Panama, the Company is not expecting any additional disruptions related to COVID-19 now that all precautionary measures have been put into practice. Cobre Panama reached full production on the three SAG mill trains on August 8, 2020, slightly ahead of schedule after the operation had been placed on Preservation and Safe Maintenance in early April by order of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Panama. With the cooperation of MINSA, the Company announced the resumption of normal operations in July with the ramp-up expected to reach full production levels in mid-August. This was achieved ahead of expectation in August during which Cobre Panama produced just over 25,000 tonnes of copper The focus is now on delivering consistent operational performance and maintaining the throughput rate of 85 million tonnes per annum for the remainder of the year. Production for 2020 is expected to be well within our existing guidance of between 180,000 and 200,000 tonnes of copper and 70,000 and 80,000 ounces of gold. Kansanshi continues to operate as expected, delivering consistent production despite declines in oxide grades and recovery. The Company's recently updated Mineral Reserves and Resources at Kansanshi resulted in a 70% and 40% increase respectively over the last update in May 2015. This extended the the mine life to 24 years. Sentinel has exceeded expectations so far in the quarter, achieving higher than average monthly production in July, with over 23,000 tonnes of copper production and in August, with over 25,000 tonnes of copper production. This strong performance is due to consistent milling rates and better than expected grades in August and positions the operation well to achieve guidance previously provided. The Company continues to prioritize the health and safety of personnel and focus on measures to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 amongst the workforce and communities surrounding our operations. When COVID-19 was declared an international public health emergency by the World Health Organization in late January 2020, the Company moved quickly to introduce health and sanitation protocols across its sites in compliance with both local and international guidelines. These health protocols are regularly reviewed and adjusted as needed. Specifically, Cobre Panama has undertaken a deep disinfection program and has developed heightened health protocols which are regularly inspected by MINSA. There have been no cases onsite since May 2020. In addition to the protocols in place throughout the operation, before any personnel is permitted to enter the site, they are tested and quarantined off-site in Company provided accommodation to ensure the site remain virus-free. These strict protocols and sanitary vigilance remain in place as a "new normal" way of working. The Company is also supporting the wider community in Panama, with donations of medical equipment and supplies, as well as responding to the Panamanian Government's request to support families in need with food and other supplies. In Zambia, the Company has worked with Zambian Health Authorities to adopt and implement strict procedures at all of its mine sites to manage the COVID-19 risks. This has enabled normal levels of operations throughout the crisis. In addition to practicing social distancing and ensuring stringent hygiene practices, implementing self-isolation policies, utilizing alternate office space and working from home to limit interaction, establishing a comprehensive contact tracing protocol, increased capacity to generate therapeutic oxygen and building extensive isolation facilities with intensive care capability, Kansanshi and Sentinel have also procured their own serological testing equipment to ensure that both sites can monitor and manage the situation appropriately. The Company has also pledged financial support for the provision of medical logistics support in the Solwezi and Kalumbila districts of North-Western Zambia.

07:38 EDT OpGen announces publication of study on ceftolozane-tazobactam resistance - OpGen announced that scientists at its subsidiary Ares Genetics, in collaboration with researchers from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, have published a peer-reviewed study on modifiable risk factors for the emergence of ceftolozane-tazobactam resistance in P. aeruginosa in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases. P. aeruginosa is listed by the World Health Organization as critical priority pathogen. To overcome antimicrobial resistance, ceftolozane-tazobactam has been introduced as a novel beta-lactam-beta-lactamase inhibitor combination agent and received initial U.S. FDA approval in 2014. While pre-clinical investigations indicated ceftolozane-tazobactam activity against approximately 85%-95% of U.S. and Canadian carbapenem-non-susceptible P. aeruginosa isolates, soon after the clinical introduction of ceftolozane-tazobactam, reports of resistance during therapy emerged. The study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases sought to understand mechanisms of resistance leading to ceftolozane-tazobactam resistance, the frequency of cross-resistance between ceftolozane-tazobactam and other novel beta-lactam beta-lactamase inhibitor combinations and identify modifiable risk factors that may slow or prevent the acquisition of ceftolozane-tazobactam resistance. Findings demonstrate the potential of Next-Generation Sequencing to investigate mechanisms of resistance by analyzing whole-genome sequencing data from P. aeruginosa isolates that developed resistance under treatment with ceftolozane-tazobactam. Mutations identified in ceftolozane-tazobactam resistant isolates involved, amongst others, AmpC, a known binding site for ceftolozane, PBP3, the target of ceftolozane, and DNA polymerase. The researchers propose extending ceftolozane-tazobactam infusions as a potential protective measure against acquired mutational resistance. The present study is the result of an ongoing collaboration between Ares Genetics and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, with the goal of investigating the diagnostic potential of NGS for antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Earlier this year, Dr. Patricia Simner of Johns Hopkins Medicine and Ares Genetics presented results from a study assessing the potential of long-read sequencing to predict antimicrobial susceptibility results at the online ASM Microbe 2020 meeting.

07:35 EDT Eventbrite says paid tickets grew 17% in August vs July - Eventbrite said in a release, "Eventbrite provided an update on the company's event ticketing trends and advance payout program. The month-on-month improvement in paid ticket trends the company experienced throughout the second quarter continued into the third quarter, as paid ticket volumes increased 17% in August compared to July, on top of a 25% increase in July compared to June. The improvement was primarily driven by growth in paid tickets to in-person events, which increased 26% in August compared to July and 50% in July compared to June. On a year-over-year basis, August paid ticket volume declined 65%, improving from an 82% decline in the second quarter of 2020. Throughout the summer and the peak of the festival season, Eventbrite has provided critical assistance to customers, as creators and attendees navigate a challenging environment. The company launched initiatives designed to not only advocate for creators, but also increase communication and flexibility with consumers with new offerings such as Event Credits. These efforts helped reduce the company's advance payout balance to $230 million. Many creators have rescheduled their events for 2021 and have funded the majority of attendee refund requests on their own. Since reporting second quarter financial results in early August, Eventbrite's additional company-funded chargebacks and refunds amount to less than $0.3 million. The company's total chargeback and refund losses since early March have been limited to $4.1 million."

07:33 EDT Arrowhead announces 'positive' interim 24-week liver biopsy results in study - Arrowhead said in a release, "Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals announced positive interim 24-week liver biopsy results in four subjects from AROAAT2002, an open-label Phase 2 clinical study of ARO-AAT, the company's second generation investigational RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutic being developed as a treatment for the rare genetic liver disease associated with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, or AATD. The results show clear evidence of a meaningful pharmacodynamic effect by ARO-AAT, leading to improvements in relevant biomarkers, including substantial reductions in intra-hepatic mutant AAT protein (Z-AAT), both Z-AAT monomer and Z-AAT polymer; improvements in liver stiffness based on FibroScan; and, a decrease in alanine aminotransferase, or ALT, and gamma-glutamyl transferase, or GGT, both serum biomarkers of liver injury. After 24 weeks of treatment with investigational ARO-AAT in the AROAAT2002 study, serum and total intra-hepatic Z-AAT decreased in all four patients by up to 93% and 95%, respectively. Three of four patients demonstrated reductions from baseline in intra-hepatic Z-AAT polymer, with a maximum reduction of 97%. All four patients showed reductions in ALT and GGT, with maximum reductions of 66% and 58%, respectively. All patients demonstrated improved transient elastography FibroScan values, with three of four patients exhibiting greater than 20% reductions."

07:33 EDT Kopin receives $22.9M order from Leonardo DRS for eyepiece assembly - Kopin announced it has received an approximately $22.9M order from Leonardo DRS, or DRS, for its eyepiece assembly which is included in the Family of Weapon Sight-Individual, or FWS-I, weapon sight. FWS-I is a stand-alone, clip-on thermal weapon sight that gives users the ability to acquire targets day or night and in smoke or fog, increasing survivability and lethality margins on the battlefield. This follow-on order has Kopin providing DRS with FWS-I eyepiece assemblies through 2021 as the program ramps up to full-scale production.

07:32 EDT CVS Health invests $13.7M in housing and community programs in Columbus, OH - CVS Health will invest $13.7M to help renovate 230 low-income housing units at the Rosewind apartments in Columbus, Ohio. These funds will also be used to make improvements to the local community center and support new community programs in the area. The investment launches the company's commitment of nearly $600M over five years to address racial inequality and social determinants of health in Black communities. CVS Health will work with the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority and the Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing on the project. Through CVS Health's investment, CMHA will spend $50K per unit in rehab and repairs.

07:31 EDT Vericel announces FDA acceptance of BLA for NexoBrid - Vericel Corporation announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted for filing the recently submitted Biologics License Application for NexoBrid for eschar removal in adults with deep partial-thickness and/or full-thickness thermal burns. The FDA assigned a Prescription Drug User Fee Act target date of June 29, 2021. In addition, the FDA communicated that it is not currently planning to hold an advisory committee meeting to discuss the application.

07:18 EDT Teladoc, Livongo Health recommend stockholders vote for merger - Teladoc Health (TDOC) and Livongo (LVGO) have filed the definitive joint proxy statement and prospectus with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the proposed merger of the two companies. The definitive joint proxy statement and prospectus is being mailed to all Teladoc Health and Livongo stockholders entitled to vote. The Teladoc Health Special Meeting of stockholders is scheduled to take place on October 29, 2020, at 11:00 a.m., Eastern Time, and will be held virtually. All stockholders of record of Teladoc Health common stock as of the close of business on September 8, 2020, will be entitled to vote at the meeting. The Livongo Special Meeting of stockholders is scheduled to take place on October 29, 2020, at 11:00 a.m., Eastern Time, and will be held virtually. All stockholders of record of Livongo common stock as of the close of business on September 8, 2020, will be entitled to vote at the meeting. The Teladoc and Livongo Boards of Directors each unanimously recommends their respective stockholders vote "For" the proposed merger and other proposals set forth in the definitive joint proxy statement and prospectus. As set forth in the definitive joint proxy statement and prospectus, each share of Livongo will be exchanged for 0.5920 shares of Teladoc Health plus cash consideration of $4.24. Additionally, prior to the closing of the merger, Livongo will pay a cash dividend of $7.09 per share of Livongo common stock to stockholders of Livongo as of a record date immediately prior to closing of the merger. The combination remains on track to close by the end of the fourth quarter of 2020, subject to approval by Teladoc Health and Livongo stockholders and other customary closing conditions.

07:15 EDT Photon Control enters into distribution agreement with Woowon Technology - Photon Control announced it has entered into a distribution agreement with a Korean distributor, Woowon Technology Co. This agreement provides Photon Control with a proven partner in Korea, the second largest semiconductor market in the world accounting for over 20% of the global market. The partnership furthers Photon Control's market penetration strategy of strong local support in key markets. Woowon will distribute Photon Control's fiber optic sensors that play a critical role in advanced process control in the semiconductor and display manufacturing industries.

07:11 EDT XPO Logistics expands education benefits for U.S. employees - XPO Logistics announced the expansion of its Academic Partners Program benefitting hourly workers in the United States. The company's academic partnerships make thousands of accredited courses, degrees and certifications available to US employees at large discounts. Qualifying hourly employees can couple XPO's $5,250 annual tuition reimbursement with an Academic Partners discount to earn tuition-free college degrees in over 80 separate fields of online study. Additionally, the company's partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Industrial Liaison Program gives employees access to MIT Sloan Executive Education and MIT Professional Education short courses at a reduced cost. In addition to academic partnerships, US tuition reimbursement, UK apprenticeship programs and tuition-free commercial driver training, the company provides career development training at no charge through its XPO University portal. In 2019, XPO employees utilized the portal for more than 486,000 e-learning courses and other training tools globally.

07:09 EDT INmune Bio awarded $2.9M NIH SBIR grant to support Phase 2 study of XPro1595 - INmune Bio announced it has received a $2.9M Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Institutes of Health, of which, the Company will receive $739,739 this year, $1,210,682 next year with the balance to be received in 2022. The grant will support a Phase 2 study of XPro1595 in patients with treatment resistant depression. The study, entitled, "Effects of the Next Generation TNF Inhibitor on Inflammation-related Deficits in Reward Circuitry and Motivation in Depression," will be conducted at two sites in the U.S. - Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta and University of Alabama in Birmingham. XPro1595 is a selective inhibitor of soluble Tumor Necrosis Factor, a key inflammatory cytokine implicated in causing neuroinflammation in patients with neurologic disease including treatment resistant depression, Alzheimer's disease, and other neurodegenerative diseases. This Phase 2 multi-center, blinded, randomized study will enroll patients with treatment resistant depression that have biomarkers of inflammation and anhedonia. Neuroimaging biomarkers will be used to measure response to XPro1595. Patients will be studied with functional MRI to determine if functional connectivity in reward-related brain circuitry can be improved by reversing neuroinflammation, and if this translates into improvements in the clinical symptoms of anhedonia and motivation. The company will also host a Key Opinion Leader webinar at 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday, September 29, 2020 to provide additional information about the role of neuroinflammation in treatment resistant depression. This webinar will feature presentations by Charles Raison, M.D., professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and John E. Schneider, Ph.D., chief executive officer and principal of Avalon Health Economics. Further details will be provided in the near future.

07:07 EDT Mateon Therapeutics granted pediatric disease designation for OXi-4503 - Mateon Therapeutics announced that the US Food and Drug Administration granted our request and designate OXi4503 for treatment of acute myeloid leukemia due to genetic mutations that disproportionately affect pediatric patients as a drug for a "rare pediatric disease," as defined in section 529(a)(3) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. OXi4503 in combination with standard chemotherapy drug cytarabine was generally well tolerated by adult AML patients and a maximum tolerated dose level of OXi4503 was identified as the recommended dose for further clinical development of this novel two-drug combination. In 26 evaluable AML patients, there were 4 complete remissions and one partial remission. The CR responses were associated with greater than1-year overall survival times. The combination therapy exhibited a manageable toxicity and a promising benefit to risk profile in older adults with relapsed AML. Four of the 5 objective responders were in the greater than or equal to65-years poor prognosis age category with adverse cytogenetic features.

07:05 EDT Ceva partners with Fluent.ai for multilingual speech understanding solution - Ceva and Fluent.ai, a provider of on-device, small footprint and multilingual speech understanding solutions, have partnered to offer ultra-low power speech-to-intent solutions for intelligent edge devices. Fluent.ai's suite of speech-to-intent technologies has been ported and optimized for Ceva's low power audio and sensor hub DSPs, providing a solution for OEMs and ODMs looking to integrate intelligent voice activation and control into their wearables, consumer devices and IoT products. Fluent.ai provides embedded, multilingual speech understanding solutions capable of running fully offline on small footprint and low power devices.

07:04 EDT AIM ImmunoTech announces beginning of recruitment for Phase 1/2a clinical study - AIM ImmunoTech said in a release, "AIM ImmunoTech announced that recruitment has begun in Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center's Phase 1/2a clinical study of the effectiveness of rintatolimod (Ampligen) in combination with interferon alpha-2b in treating cancer patients with mild or moderate COVID-19 infection, which is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Funding for the Roswell Park clinical trial is provided, in part, through grants from the National Cancer Institute and AIM, as well as institutional support from Roswell Park."

07:01 EDT Southwest to keep middle seats open through November 30 - Southwest renewed its ongoing commitment to supporting the well-being and comfort of its Customers and Employees by announcing that the carrier will continue limiting the amount of seats sold on every flight to allow middle seats to remain open through Nov. 30, 2020. Additionally, as part of The Southwest Promise, the airline requires face masks to be worn at all times, has implemented physical distancing measures in airports and onboard aircraft, and maintains a stringent cleaning schedule of its facilities and aircraft throughout each day. "As we transition into autumn and the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday season, we want Southwest Customers to have the confidence of knowing that middle seats will remain open through Nov. 30 to accommodate their fall travel plans," said Ryan Green, Southwest's Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. "Southwest has been operating flights with middle seats open throughout the summer and has added thousands of flights to in-demand destinations to provide extra seats for on-board physical distancing and added comfort."

06:56 EDT Acasti Pharma names Brian Ford as CFO, effective September 14 - Acasti Pharma announced that it has appointed seasoned financial executive Brian Ford as its CFO, effective September 14. Ford assumes the responsibilities formerly held by Jean-Francois Boily, Vice-President, Finance, who recently resigned. Most recently, Ford served as CFO and Senior Business Advisor at a private group of Ontario based medical clinics, including the largest chronic pain management practice in Canada.

06:48 EDT Eli Lilly announces proof of concept data from BLAZE-1 trial of LY-CoV555 - Eli Lilly announced proof of concept data from an interim analysis of the BLAZE-1 clinical trial, showing a reduced rate of hospitalization for patients treated with LY-CoV555. The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 study evaluated LY-CoV555, a SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody, for the treatment of symptomatic COVID-19 in the outpatient setting. The trial enrolled mild-to-moderate recently diagnosed COVID-19 patients across four groups. The prespecified primary endpoint, change from baseline in viral load at day 11, was met at the 2800 mg dose level, but not the others. Most patients, including those receiving placebo, demonstrated near complete viral clearance by day 11. Additional analyses of viral data demonstrated that LY-CoV555 improved viral clearance at an earlier time point and reduced the proportion of patients with persistently high viral load at later time points. These biomarker data correlated with LY-CoV555's impact on the prespecified endpoint of COVID-19-related hospitalization or ER visit. This endpoint occurred in 1.7% of LY-CoV555 patients, pooled across dose groups, as compared to 6% of placebo patients, which corresponds to a 72% risk reduction in this limited population. Most study hospitalizations occurred in patients with underlying risk factors, suggesting a more pronounced treatment effect for patients in these higher-risk groups. Ongoing studies will seek to confirm this finding. Across all treatment groups, no patients progressed to mechanical ventilation or died. Exploratory analyses indicated a more rapid improvement in symptoms for patients treated with LY-CoV555 versus placebo, supporting the hospitalization effect. LY-CoV555 was well-tolerated, with no drug-related serious adverse events reported. Treatment emergent adverse events were similar across all dose groups and comparable to placebo. Viral RNA sequencing revealed putative LY-CoV555-resistance variants in placebo and all treatment arms. The rate of resistance variants was numerically higher in treated patients versus placebo. Lilly intends to quickly publish the results of this interim analysis in a peer-reviewed journal and discuss appropriate next steps with global regulators. The BLAZE-1 clinical trial remains ongoing, testing LY-CoV555 in combination with a second Lilly antibody, LY-CoV016, which binds a different epitope in the SARS-CoV-2 spike region. The trial is currently enrolling a larger, confirmatory cohort of higher risk patients, testing the ability of the antibody combination to reduce the number of patients with persistently high viral load and reduce COVID-related hospitalizations.

06:34 EDT Dr. Reddy's, RDIF enter clinical trial, distribution agreement for Sputnik V - The Russian Direct Investment Fund, or RDIF, Russia's sovereign wealth fund, and Dr. Reddy's Laboratories have agreed to cooperate on clinical trials and distribution of Sputnik V vaccine in India. Upon regulatory approval in India, RDIF shall supply to Dr. Reddy's 100 million doses of the vaccine. The Sputnik V vaccine, which is based on well-studied human adenoviral vector platform with proven safety, is undergoing clinical trials for the coronavirus pandemic. Deliveries could potentially begin in late 2020 subject to completion of successful trials and registration of the vaccine by regulatory authorities in India. On August 11, the Sputnik V vaccine developed by the Gamaleya National Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology was registered by the Ministry of Health of Russia and became the world's first registered vaccine against COVID-19 based on the human adenoviral vectors platform.

06:31 EDT Dr. Reddy's and Russia's RDIF to cooperate on Sputnik V vaccine in India - Dr. Reddy's and The Russian Direct Investment Fund or RDIF, Russia's sovereign wealth fund, have agreed to cooperate on clinical trials and distribution of Sputnik V vaccine in India. Upon regulatory approval in India, RDIF will supply to Dr. Reddy's 100 million doses of the vaccine. The Sputnik V vaccine is undergoing clinical trials for the coronavirus pandemic. Deliveries could potentially begin in late 2020 subject to completion of successful trials and registration of the vaccine by regulatory authorities in India. On September 4, a research paper on the results of Phase I and Phase II clinical trials of the Sputnik V vaccine was published in The Lancet, demonstrating no serious adverse effects and a stable immune response in 100% of participants. Post-registration clinical trials of the Sputnik V vaccine involving 40,000 volunteers are currently ongoing. The first results of these trials are expected to be published in October-November 2020.

06:03 EDT ReTo Eco-Solutions signs cooperation agreement with Yangbi Yi Autonomous County - ReTo Eco-Solutions announced that it signed a cooperation agreement with the People's Government of Yangbi Yi Autonomous County. Under the agreement, in Yangbi County the company will be responsible for the planning, design and construction of an industrial park and elderly wellness town, which development is promoted by the government. The large scale project covers 125 hectares, with 58 hectares designated for an ecologically-friendly industrial park and 67 hectares designated for an elderly wellness town providing healthcare, and serving as a destination for travel and vacations. The geological survey for the project site is already underway, with preliminary work expected to take about four months, allowing for construction to commence in Q1 of 2021.

05:32 EDT Accenture to acquire SALT Solutions, terms not disclosed - Accenture said in a release, "Accenture has agreed to acquire SALT Solutions AG, a technology consultancy headquartered in Wurzburg, Germany. The firm implements and maintains IT systems for production, operations and logistics at leading German automotive, manufacturing, consumer goods and chemicals companies. The acquisition will help Accenture build cloud-based industrial internet of things (IoT) platforms that speed up and optimize clients' production and logistics and enable them to reduce quality and waste issues along the entire supply chain. Completion of the acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions. Financial terms were not disclosed."

05:21 EDT NetEase Cloud Music enters strategic partnership with BMG - NetEase Cloud Music announced that it has entered into a strategic music partnership with BMG. Under the agreement, NetEase Cloud Music will gain access to BMG's global music catalogue and partner with BMG in new music-related endeavors including live concert performances, artist promotions, live streaming and online karaoke. The new deal will provide BMG's international artists and songwriters with a new stage that is recognized as one of China's most active music platforms and one of the most popular music streaming platforms with over 800M registered users. The agreement includes recording works of Andy Grammer, Avril Lavigne, Black Sabbath, Blanco Brown, Conkarah, Curtis Waters, Dido, Jason Aldean, Kylie Minogue, Lil Dicky, and Run The Jewels, as well as copyrights from the likes of 21 Savage, Bebe Rexha, Bruno Mars, David Bowie, DJ Khaled, John Legend, Juice WRLD, Kurt Cobain, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, and Roger Waters. As part of the strategic partnership, NetEase Cloud Music will team with BMG on its renowned "SoundLabs" series to develop initiatives and projects crossing cultures and genres following BMG's success with last year's China Beat SoundLab. Leading up to a virtual SoundLab later in 2020, Chinese musicians will have a chance to compete online on NetEase Cloud Music's platform to join songwriters in creating BMG's China Beat releases. The creative projects will give China-based and global BMG artists and songwriters platforms to collaborate and release music and fans the opportunity to experience the creative process through live streaming and other initiatives.