General News

London – – September 30, 2026 -- RBC Capital Markets has been awarded General Clearing Member (GCM) status by European Commodity Clearing AG (ECC), enabling the bank to clear and settle transactions on behalf of Non-Clearing Members across Europe's energy and commodity markets.

RBC gains authorization to clear power, gas and carbon products via EEX

As a General Clearing Member, RBC Capital Markets can now offer a full suite of clearing services covering power and gas futures and spot contracts, European Energy Exchange (EEX) carbon auctions, and a broader range of products across the wider EEX platform.

The status extends the bank's clearing reach to clients that include some of Europe's largest energy producers, utilities and financial institutions, according to the company.

Changsha County – – September 30, 2026 -- The Fifth Changsha Tourism Development Conference opened in Changsha County, Hunan Province, on September 29, with organizers reporting that tourist arrivals and total tourism spending in Changsha doubled in 2025 compared with 2021.

Inbound tourist spending rose more than 40 percent year on year in 2025

The conference disclosed that spending by inbound visitors to Changsha increased by over 40 percent in 2025 versus the prior year, a marker of accelerating international tourism recovery in the city.

Nanchang – September 30, 2026 -- The Jiangxi China-Africa Gen-Z Youth Entrepreneurship Competition concluded on September 29 after drawing 147 eligible entrepreneurial proposals, with 56 percent submitted by mixed Chinese-African teams, organizers said.

Sixteen finalist projects competed for prizes spanning healthcare, agriculture and mining

After multiple evaluation rounds, 16 high-quality projects advanced to the final pitch stage in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province. The proposals addressed practical China-Africa cooperation needs, ranging from healthcare and vocational training to modern agriculture and mining. Six projects won first, second and third prizes, while 10 received excellence awards.

Singapore – – September 30, 2026 -- More than 300 policymakers, entrepreneurs and experts convened in Singapore on September 29 for the opening of the Asia New Vision Forum (ANVF) Innovation 2026, the fourth edition of an event launched by Caixin Global with backing from the Singapore government.

Forum rebrands with new sub-brand targeting industry-level solutions

Since its 2023 launch, ANVF has held three prior editions focused on macro geopolitical dialogue. The 2026 edition introduces the "Innovation Forum" sub-brand, marking a shift toward practical business applications and sector-specific implementation under the theme "Disruption Meets Resilience."

Los Angeles – September 30, 2026 -- A newly filmed segment of the public-television series "Viewpoint hosted by Dennis Quaid" profiles Southern Illinois Now (SI NOW), an economic development organization that has unified a 17-county region into a single point of contact for companies weighing relocation away from saturated metropolitan markets.

SI NOW consolidates 17 counties into one negotiating front for site selection

Rather than compete against one another for incoming industry, the counties in SI NOW's network pool infrastructure, workforce data and logistics assets under a shared regional brand. The organization positions this as a direct answer to fragmented local competition, which it says confuses incoming businesses, dilutes talent pools and duplicates administrative costs across neighboring municipalities.

Seoul, South Korea – September 30, 2026 -- DORCO, the South Korean razor manufacturer operating in more than 130 countries, has won the Red Dot Award in the Corporate Design & Identity category of the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design 2026, one of the design industry's most established competitions running since 1993.

Rebrand tied to 70th anniversary consolidates global visual identity

The recognized corporate identity was developed as DORCO marked its 70th anniversary in 2025. Founded in 1955, the company built the renewal around a new brand core, "Leading Edge," and a stated vision of "Achieving the Top with Leading-Edge Innovation," aimed at unifying how the brand communicates technological expertise and precision across markets.

San Antonio – September 30, 2026 -- NTT TechnoCross has secured Frost & Sullivan's 2026 Japanese Company of the Year Recognition in privileged access management for the third consecutive year, citing its unified governance platform for enterprise cybersecurity.

Frost & Sullivan cites unified governance across human and non-human identities

Frost & Sullivan's evaluation benchmarked NTT TechnoCross across strategy effectiveness and strategy execution, with the company excelling in both dimensions. Vivien Pua, Industry Principal at Frost & Sullivan, noted that the company's iDoperation platform brings privileged account governance, access control, monitoring, auditing, analytics, and just-in-time access capabilities into a single system, aligning with enterprise demand for dynamic access management beyond traditional account protection.

Hollywood, Fla. – September 30, 2026 -- Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital Foundation has secured a $230,000 grant from Simply Healthcare Foundation to expand New Solutions, a pediatric mental health treatment and suicide prevention program, over the next three years.

Grant funds care for 267 individuals over three years

The three-year grant began July 1 and will allow New Solutions to serve 267 individuals, targeting the gap between emergency psychiatric treatment and community-based behavioral health care. The program addresses children and adolescents who arrive at the emergency department in crisis but do not meet medical criteria for hospital admission or an involuntary examination under Florida's Baker Act.

Los Angeles – September 30, 2026 -- The California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals (CCAPP) will run its 13th Annual California Addiction Conference (CAC) from October 14-18, 2026, at the Sheraton Universal Hotel in Universal City, consolidating three previously separate summits into a single five-day program.

Hong Kong – September 30, 2026 -- City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) has risen to 70th place globally in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2027, its best-ever result, advancing three places from the previous year.

CityUHK retains world No. 1 in Industry pillar for fourth straight year

The university scored a perfect 100 in the "Industry" pillar, securing the top global position for the fourth consecutive year. The metric evaluates patent development, technology commercialisation and the strength of institutional innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems.