general_news

Boulder, Colo. – September 05, 2026 -- Ascend Analytics now optimizes more than 5.2 gigawatts (GW) of operating battery energy storage capacity through its SmartBidder platform, positioning the firm as the largest independent provider of bid optimization services to the U.S. storage market.

Portfolio spans three ISOs and over 30 customers

The operating fleet includes roughly 4 GW under management in ERCOT, 1 GW in CAISO and 200 megawatts (MW) in PJM, spread across more than 30 customers. Ascend crossed the 5 GW threshold in the second quarter of 2026 following the onboarding of storage assets for California Community Power, a Joint Power Agency, and San Diego Community Power, a Community Choice Aggregator.

London – September 04, 2026 -- 50 Best has published its extended ranking of hotels placed No.51 to No.100, covering 23 territories and 40 cities ahead of the main World's 50 Best Hotels 2026 ceremony set for Paris on September 15. The expanded list includes 10 independent properties and precedes the top-50 announcement broadcast live on 50 Best's YouTube channel at 20:00 Paris time.

Asia dominates with 20 ranked properties, led by Japan's seven entries

Japan places Park Hyatt Tokyo at No.53, Hotel The Mitsui in Kyoto at No.79, and Waldorf Astoria Osaka at No.89. Mainland China enters the list with two hotels: Mandarin Oriental Shenzhen at No.90 and The Peninsula Shanghai at No.99.

NEW YORK – September 04, 2026 -- NYU Langone Health has appointed William Gordon Frankle, MD, MBA, as chair of the Department of Psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, effective September.

Frankle succeeds Marmar after 17-year tenure

Dr. Frankle takes over from Charles R. Marmar, MD, who completed 17 years as chair and will continue as director of the Center for Precision Psychiatry within NYU Grossman School of Medicine's faculty. Frankle previously served as vice chair of the department and chief of psychiatry service at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn, and holds the title of professor of psychiatry.

Hamburg, Germany – September 04, 2026 -- Körber AG has achieved Platinum status in the 2026 EcoVadis sustainability rating, moving up from Gold a year earlier and placing the global technology company in the top 1 percent of all firms assessed worldwide.

The result marks Körber's fourth consecutive EcoVadis assessment and the first time it has reached the top tier across all four rated categories: Environment, Labor & Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement.

HANGZHOU – September 04, 2026 -- A documentary series tracking China's cross-border e-commerce sector has drawn more than 8.35 million views on international platforms since its July premiere, according to the Hangzhou International Communication Center, which produced the series with the Hangzhou cross-border e-commerce pilot zone.

The series, titled "Cross-Border E-Commerce: Stories from China," documents how exporters are shifting from product-only sales toward narrative-driven marketing to reach overseas buyers.

Hangzhou's e-commerce trade volume rose 1,266-fold since 2015

The city's cross-border e-commerce trade volume has multiplied 1,266 times since 2015, while the number of registered sellers grew from 200 to more than 65,000 over the same period, the center said.

Chongqing, China – September 04, 2026 -- Chinese automakers are shifting from scale-driven growth to quality-led transformation, with Leapmotor disclosing it now manufactures more than 65 percent of its core vehicle parts in-house across 18 "super factories," according to statements made at the 2026 Automotive New Quality Productive Force Development Forum held in Chongqing's Jiulongpo District.

Leapmotor builds closed-loop production to control costs and quality

Cao Li, senior vice president of Leapmotor, said full-domain self-reliant research and manufacturing has allowed the company to keep quality, cost and iteration efficiency under direct control, reducing exposure to homogeneous competition across China's crowded EV sector.

NEW YORK – September 04, 2026 -- Influencer Advantage has surpassed 75,000 creator partnerships activated each month, as brands shift toward large-scale, data-driven creator marketing over one-off influencer deals.

Creator Marketplace grows to 400,000 profiles supporting $850 million in annual ad spend

The company's proprietary Creator Marketplace now includes more than 400,000 creators and produces over 200,000 performance creative assets each month. Influencer Advantage manages more than $850 million in annual advertising spend across a portfolio of over 700 active brands.

Wuxi, China – September 04, 2026 -- A global executive delegation from KUKA Group, led by the Vice President of Midea Group, visited Centron's manufacturing base in Wuxi last week to discuss intelligent assembly manufacturing trends and potential collaboration.

KUKA sends headquarters leadership and multi-region business heads to Centron site

The delegation included members of KUKA Group's headquarters leadership team alongside business heads from multiple countries and regions. Centron hosted the group with Jed Wang, CEO of sister brand Leetx; Ouyang Su, General Manager of the Centron Product Line; Mike Wang, General Manager of the Centron Business Line; and Samuel Chen, Sales Director of Overseas Business.

Xining, China – September 03, 2026 -- The Qinghai-Xizang Railway has moved 104 million passengers and more than 824 million tonnes of freight across its 1,956-kilometer route since opening 20 years ago, reshaping trade flows and industrial output on the Tibetan plateau.

Cold-chain rail link boosts herder incomes and potash exports

Xizang Gaerde Ecological Livestock Industry Development Co., Ltd. now uses railway cold-chain transport to move fresh milk from the Qiangtang grassland to markets nationwide, raising incomes for thousands of herder households. At Qarhan Salt Lake in Qinghai, potash fertilizer lines feed directly into rail terminals; more than four million tonnes of potash fertilizer moved by rail in 2025.

Hangzhou – September 03, 2026 -- A documentary series chronicling China's cross-border e-commerce sector has drawn more than 8.35 million views on international platforms since its July release, according to producer Hangzhou International Communication Center. The series, Cross-Border E-Commerce: Stories from China, was made in partnership with the China (Hangzhou) Cross-border E-commerce Comprehensive Pilot Area.

Rotating chair sells 80,000 units in two months after 14-million-view viral video

The documentary profiles a rotating chair brand that moved 80,000 units within two months of a short video reaching 14 million views. The company's supply chain delivers 90% of U.S. orders within two days, according to the film.