Proactive news summary: Westminster, ValiRx, NetScientific, Sound Energy and more...

Specialist security group Westminster (LON:WSG) saw shares advance as cargo screening operations began at Freetown International Airport (FNA) in Sierra Leone, West Africa. Meanwhile, drug developer ValiRx (LON:VAL) is readying to expand the reach of its lead drug, VAL201, to female infertility condition endometriosis. The drug is currently going through a phase I/II trial as a prostate cancer treatment. Similarly, one of NetScientific’s (LON:NSCI) portfolio companies is to partner with the US National Cancer Institute for phase II clinical trials of its cancer immunotherapies. PDS Biotechnology has signed a co-operative research and development agreement to develop treatments using its Versamune platform. In other news, Sound Energy (LON:SOU) is set to ramp up production from its Nervesa gas field in Italy after completing the initial cleaning phase. Output will now increase over the coming months to the planned production rate. Over in software and technology, Tern (LON:TERN) announced it had appointed Dan McDuffie, an “internet of things” visionary, as a board advisor. It says the latest version Cyptosoft platform offers a game changing solution to the problem of security in the IoT (Internet of Things) arena. African Potash’s (LON:AFPO) payment is still pending for a 20,000 metric tonne fertiliser sale made to a Zambian client. “Notification will be made in due course as and when payment has been received,” investors were told. Electronic invoicing company Tungsten (LON:TUNG) said trading in its fiscal third quarter was in line with market expectations. The company continues to expect the loss before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation for the full year will be no more than £15mln. And finally, BP Marsh (LON:BPM) upped its annual dividend by 24% as it looks forward to the receipt of £7.3mln from the sale of its stake in insurer Hyperion. The niche venture capital group said it would pay out 3.42p per share (2.75p), which will cost it £1mln.