general_news

Kuala Lumpur – September 08, 2026 -- Agroz Inc. (NASDAQ: AGRZ) placed #35 globally in the 2025 FoodTech 500, ranking in the top 7% of more than 11,700 companies evaluated by Forward Fooding, the organization behind what is widely called the "Fortune 500 of FoodTech."

Agroz collects four separate industry honors within months

The Malaysia-based agricultural technology firm, which designs, builds and operates indoor and outdoor Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) vertical farms, also received the Superbrands Award 2026 from Superbrands Malaysia, an authority on branding recognized for assessing market leadership and consumer trust. Separately, Agroz won the Asia Pacific Enterprise Awards (APEA) 2026 Fast Enterprise Award, which honors companies demonstrating rapid, sustainable business growth across the region.

Berlin – September 08, 2026 -- PLAN-B NET ZERO AG and river-cleanup company everwave have tied clean-energy subscriptions directly to plastic removal, letting customers convert monthly add-on payments into a fixed volume of waste extracted from rivers before it reaches the ocean.

Impact tariffs convert 1 euro into 1 kilogram of plastic removed from waterways

Under the partnership, active since 2026, customers on PLAN-B NET ZERO's impact tariffs can add between 1 and 5 euros per month. Each euro funds the removal of one kilogram of plastic waste from rivers by everwave, before it enters the sea. "That's not about sacrifice or activism, it's a system that simply works in the background and still moves something," said Bradley Mundt, founder and CEO of PLAN-B NET ZERO.

George Town, Cayman Islands – September 08, 2026 -- Eightpoint Technologies Ltd. SEZC has joined Enterprise Cayman and global startup incubator DMZ as a Programme Partner for the inaugural Launch Labs Incubator, a 14-week programme running from September 1 through December 4, 2026.

Eighteen ventures gain access to structured mentorship and investor-readiness training

The programme connects 18 Cayman-based and international ventures spanning technology, financial services, artificial intelligence and consumer solutions with mentorship, expertise and networks aimed at accelerating commercialisation and investment readiness. Powered by DMZ, the curriculum combines weekly workshops, structured milestones and founder activities across four areas: strategic foundations, go-to-market and sales, financial and growth strategy, and execution and investor readiness.

Tallahassee, Fla. – September 08, 2026 -- Kin Insurance has signed a multi-year deal to place its logo on jerseys across 18 Florida State University varsity sports programs, marking the first jersey patch sponsorship in FSU Athletics history.

Patch debuts September 7 against SMU before expanding league-wide

The Kin logo appears first on FSU football uniforms during the September 7 matchup against SMU, then extends across 17 additional programs including women's basketball, baseball, softball, women's soccer, volleyball, lacrosse, swimming and diving, cross country, track and field, beach volleyball, golf and tennis. The agreement runs four years, starting with the 2026-27 season.

New York – September 08, 2026 -- Exemplar Luxury Group (ELG), the luxury collective behind Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman, has appointed Gretchen Koback Pursel as Chief People Officer, effective September 28.

Koback Pursel brings Chief People Officer experience from Tiffany & Co., The Wella Company and Equinox

Koback Pursel most recently served as Chief People Officer at Equinox, following the same role at The Wella Company and Tiffany & Co. Her background spans luxury retail, beauty and wellness sectors.

CEO Geoffroy van Raemdonck frames the hire as pivotal for ELG's transformation

"With Gretchen's proven track record in luxury and transformation, she is the ideal leader to guide our journey and cultivate an employer-of-choice culture where we drive sustainable growth by unleashing the power of our people," said Geoffroy van Raemdonck, Chief Executive Officer of Exemplar Luxury Group.

Berlin – September 08, 2026 -- BLUETTI brought together executives from BSW-Solar, Shelly Group, Flatpeak and pv magazine at IFA 2026 to debate how real-time data and artificial intelligence are converting standalone solar and storage products into integrated home energy systems.

Panelists call for open standards to scale balcony solar and home batteries

Speakers argued that balcony photovoltaic units, home battery storage and smart home devices now let households generate, store and manage energy closer to the point of consumption. They said broader adoption depends on open integration standards, reliable data exchange and favorable market conditions.

Berlin – September 08, 2026 -- BLUETTI convened executives from BSW-Solar, Shelly Group, Flatpeak and pv magazine at IFA 2026 to press the case for open integration standards that turn household solar, storage and smart-device hardware into unified energy systems.

Industry leaders call for open data exchange to accelerate smart-home energy adoption

The panel, titled "Energy. Value. Future. - From Power Supply to Smarter Living," examined how balcony solar panels, home battery storage and connected devices are shifting households from passive consumers to active participants in energy markets. Speakers argued that reliable data exchange and supportive market frameworks are prerequisites for scaling adoption beyond early adopters.

Mainz – September 08, 2026 -- ZDF's Administrative Council confirmed Bettina Schausten for a new term as chief editor of the German public broadcaster, extending her mandate through September 30, 2032. The decision was taken on Friday, September 4, 2026.

Council extends Schausten's leadership through 2032

Schausten has held the chief editor role since 2022, overseeing ZDF's editorial direction at a time when public broadcasters face mounting pressure from shifting media consumption patterns and audience fragmentation.

Intendant Himmler cites her role in editorial transformation

ZDF Intendant Dr. Norbert Himmler said Schausten represents independent journalism and a clear editorial stance, crediting her with successfully advancing the broadcaster's chief editorial operations during a period of deep media change.

Kitzbühel – September 08, 2026 -- Kitzbühel Tourismus received the TIROLERIN Award in the category "Tourism & Regional Value Creation" at a gala in the Imperial Hofburg in Innsbruck, recognizing the destination's shift to a year-round tourism strategy. Managing Director Dr. Viktoria Veider-Walser accepted the award on behalf of the organization before more than 200 guests from business, culture and politics.

Jury cites brand relaunch and strategic repositioning as key drivers

Florian Neuner, head of industry and corporate communications at Tirol Werbung, praised Kitzbühel Tourismus in his laudatory speech for its consistent strategic development process, highlighting the multi-award-winning 2024 brand relaunch. The relaunch was built on five defined success patterns, a core service proposition and a clear positioning statement, forming the basis for Kitzbühel's long-term development as a contemporary, year-round destination.

Pasadena, Texas – September 08, 2026 -- Teadit hosted a sold-out two-day training course this week at its Pasadena, TX facility, drawing record attendance from local operators and engineers.

Course targets flange sealing engineering under ASME PCC-1 standard

The session, titled "Do You Really Understand the Engineering of Flange Sealing and ASME PCC-1?", covered sealing fundamentals and the interaction between gaskets, fasteners, and flanges in joint performance. Teadit's Engineering Manager Dale Norman and Applications Engineer Francisco Duque led the course, focusing on balancing minimum and maximum gasket stress, bolt stress, and flange stress to achieve effective seals.

"One of the key takeaways from this course was learning how to balance these forces to achieve an effective seal," said Norman.