Theme news

ZURICH – September 15, 2026 -- IBM and Lockheed Martin have established a quantum innovation hub at ETH Zurich under an offset agreement with armasuisse, Switzerland's Federal Office for Defence Procurement, bringing the country its first IBM Quantum System Two.

Swiss National Supercomputing Centre to host Switzerland's first Quantum System Two by end of 2026

The system will be installed at the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS) in Lugano and powered by IBM's most advanced processor, the Quantum Nighthawk. IBM will operate the machine, while ETH Zurich provides expertise, resources and technologies to Swiss industries, startups and academia, including direct access to the hardware.

Tokyo – September 15, 2026 -- transcosmos inc. has opened CX Square Park23 Bali, its seventh operation site in Indonesia and first location on the island, to deliver multilingual customer experience (CX) services.

transcosmos expands Indonesia footprint to seven sites with Bali debut

The new facility targets businesses operating in the Indonesian market as well as global companies seeking to establish or expand their presence in the country. The company cited Bali's growth as a creative and digital economy hub, alongside its established hospitality and service culture, as key factors behind the site selection.

Berlin – September 10, 2026 -- Makera secured two Best of IFA 2026 media honors for its desktop CNC machines, with the Z1 Pro recognized by Yanko Design and the Z1 selected among The Gadget Flow's Best Products of IFA 2026.

Makera displays four CNC models at Hall 17, Booth 215

The company's booth at IFA 2026 in Berlin features its full desktop CNC lineup: the Z1, Z1 Pro, Carvera, and Carvera Air. The showcase targets creators, designers, educators, and small businesses seeking professional-grade manufacturing capabilities in compact desktop formats.

Z1 series delivers 0.02 mm precision with support for 500-plus materials

The Makera Z1 features a rigid one-piece die-cast frame, auto-probing, auto-leveling, and compatibility with more than 500 materials. The newly developed Makera Studio software streamlines project creation and toolpath generation for both beginners and experienced users.

Beijing – September 15, 2026 -- China now holds more than 5.39 million valid domestic invention patents and 50.82 million valid registered trademarks, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) announced at the China Intellectual Property Annual Conference in Beijing.

China extends seven-year lead in global PCT patent filings

CNIPA confirmed the country has topped the world in Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications for seven consecutive years, cementing its position as the largest source of cross-border patent filings globally. The administration also ranks among the top filers of industrial designs under the Hague System and international trademarks under the Madrid System.

Beijing – September 15, 2026 -- iQIYI has launched the Global AI Creator Challenge, the first international contest on its professional filmmaking platform NadouPro, partnering with Alibaba's Wan3.0 model to drive end-to-end AI video production.

Contest offers $10,000 prize pool across 156 winners

Themed "Make Ideas Unforgettable," the challenge runs submissions from September 10 to 23, 2026, with judging from September 24 to 30. A total prize pool exceeding USD 10,000 will be split among 156 winners: three Masterpiece Awards, three People's Choice Awards and 150 Active Participation Awards. Winning entries will receive additional promotion from NadouPro and Wan3.0 after judging concludes.

Gothenburg – September 15, 2026 -- Volvo Group will develop an energy park near its planned Mariestad battery cell production site, initially providing approximately 70 MW/260 MWh of battery storage capacity, making it one of the largest energy parks in Sweden.

Volvo Group commits to 70 MW/260 MWh storage capacity as first development phase

The energy park will grow along two parallel tracks: a large-scale battery storage facility using Volvo Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) from Volvo Energy, and a future test bed for developing new energy solutions. The facility is expected to become operational during 2027.

Basel, Switzerland – September 15, 2026 -- CordenPharma has committed a multi-year €80 million investment to expand sterile injectable manufacturing at its FDA & EMA-approved Caponago site near Milan, Italy, targeting a total production capacity of 500 million units per year.

CordenPharma finalizes €13 million land and building acquisition to expand Caponago footprint by over 50%

The company completed the purchase of an 11,000 m2 commercial building and 26,000 m2 of adjacent land on 28 July 2026, adjacent to its existing late-stage aseptic fill & finish area. The new space can accommodate at least four aseptic fill & finish lines, four visual inspection lines and four packaging lines, with room for customer-owned lines, large-scale lyophilization and auto-injector assembly.

Hwaseong, South Korea -- The European Union's February 12, 2028 deadline requiring food service outlets to offer reusable packaging for takeaway is exposing a washing infrastructure gap that could determine compliance across the bloc.

EU packaging waste hit 79.7 million tonnes in 2023

The EU generated 79.7 million tonnes of packaging waste in 2023, equal to 177.8 kg per citizen, with only 42.1% of plastic packaging recycled. Global disposable cup demand is projected to reach 491 billion units by 2028, while the UK alone consumes 7 million cups daily, generating 30,000 tonnes of cup waste annually.

Berlin – September 15, 2026 -- The Mittelplate oil platform in the UNESCO Wadden Sea World Heritage site generated just 0.2 percent of Schleswig-Holstein's state budget in 2025, according to a new analysis by German environmental group Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH).

Harbour Energy paid 45 million euros in extraction levies against a 21.9 billion euro state budget

British operator Harbour Energy paid 45 million euros in so-called extraction levies to the state of Schleswig-Holstein for 2025 oil production at Mittelplate. Measured against the state's total budget revenue of roughly 21.9 billion euros, that payment amounts to only about 0.2 percent, DUH said. The analysis draws on new figures Harbour Energy submitted during an ongoing court case brought by DUH against the platform's main operating plan.

Berlin – September 15, 2026 -- WELT chief reporter Ibrahim Naber won the Deutscher Fernsehpreis in the category "Best Presenter / Individual Achievement Information" on September 9, 2026, for his continuous frontline reporting from Ukraine.

Naber has covered Ukraine's front lines since Russia's 2022 invasion began

The WELT chief reporter has documented combat zones and the civilian toll of the war since the start of the Russian invasion in 2022. In autumn 2025, Naber, his producer and his cameraman were wounded during a research trip when a Russian drone struck their location.

ZDF presenter Markus Lanz cites Naber's persistence under direct threat in laudatory speech

ZDF moderator Markus Lanz, delivering the award laudation, said Naber had experienced death directly and that fear had become visible in his eyes after the drone strike, yet he continued reporting from both sides of the conflict without theatrics.

Frankfurt – September 15, 2026 -- Management and technology consultancy BearingPoint has appointed Marcus Holzapfel as Director for its Transportation & Logistics practice, effective September 1, 2026, to expand its digital transformation advisory capacity for an industry under mounting operational pressure.

Holzapfel brings more than two decades of Deutsche Bahn leadership experience

Prior to joining BearingPoint, Holzapfel spent over 20 years in senior management roles across the Deutsche Bahn group, most recently at DB Systel. He led large organizational units responsible for business-critical digitalization and technology projects spanning passenger and freight transport, managed significant revenue volumes, and directed multiple interdisciplinary teams. His remit also included strategic portfolio development, long-term client and partner relationship building, and the rollout of company-wide performance management systems.

Brussels – September 15, 2026 -- Committed investment in clean hydrogen has surpassed USD 130 billion globally, backing 6.9 Mtpa of capacity across more than 570 projects, according to the Hydrogen Council's Global Hydrogen Compass 2026 report co-authored with McKinsey & Company.

Ninety percent of tracked projects are already under construction or operational

Global operational capacity nearly doubled over the past year and is projected to double again in 2027 as projects under construction come online, the report states. The analysis draws on data from over 570 projects and perspectives from roughly 70 global CEOs.

Coral Gables, Fla. – September 15, 2026 -- NatGold Digital Ltd. has launched its first major regional marketing activation in Europe for the NatGold Token (NATG), engaging Germany-based bull markets media GmbH to lead the campaign under the direction of 78X Marketing Group.

78X Marketing Group taps bull markets media to spearhead European rollout

78X Marketing Group, which oversees NatGold Digital's global marketing operations, selected bull markets media GmbH to run the Company's educational and market-awareness program across Europe. Bull markets media brings a financial-media network, digital marketing infrastructure and investor communities with experience in both commodity and cryptocurrency markets.

Limassol – – September 15, 2026 -- Global multi-asset broker FP Markets has obtained a Category 5 license from the United Arab Emirates' Capital Markets Authority (CMA), formerly the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA), marking its formal entry into the UAE market.

FP Markets gains authorization to solicit clients across Dubai and the wider Emirates

The license, held by group entity FP Markets MENA Securities L.L.C. S.O.C., permits the broker to conduct marketing, promotional and client acquisition activities throughout Dubai and the UAE. The Australian-founded broker joins a growing list of brokers, fintechs and financial service providers establishing regulated bases in the UAE to build regional client rosters.

Berlin – September 15, 2026 -- Midea has sold more than 10 million R290 air conditioners globally since 2018, cutting carbon emissions by an estimated 5.2 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent, the company disclosed at IFA 2026 in Berlin.

Midea claims 16 straight years as the world's leading manufacturer of R290-based air conditioners

The natural refrigerant carries an ultra-low global warming potential, near-zero CO2 emissions, no harmful PFAS substances, and roughly 10% higher energy efficiency than conventional alternatives. Midea says the emissions reduction achieved through its R290 unit sales matches the carbon absorption capacity of 6.2 million hectares of Amazon rainforest. At its stand, the company displayed a transparent model demonstrating internal system operation to visitors.

Basel – September 15, 2026 -- CordenPharma has committed a multi-year €80 million investment to expand sterile injectable manufacturing at its Caponago, Italy site, targeting total production capacity of up to 500 million injectable units per year.

Beijing – September 15, 2026 -- China Daily and the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism jointly launched the "China Bound•Beijing" English-language cultural tourism platform, giving international visitors a single digital gateway to plan trips, access AI-powered assistance and navigate the capital's attractions via a dedicated website and mini-programs on Alipay and WeChat.

New platform bundles itinerary planning with AI assistance for overseas travelers

The platform, accessible at chinabound.cn/beijing, offers services ranging from trip planning to real-time AI support aimed at extending visitor stays through immersive experiences such as intangible cultural heritage tours. "We aim to tell Beijing's cultural-tourism stories in a language overseas audiences understand, and translate the city's resource advantages into inbound tourism appeal," said Zheng Fang, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism.

Monroe, Wash. – September 15, 2026 -- HKX, Inc. has released its first Wheel Loader 3rd Spool Auxiliary Field Installable Kits, extending more than three decades of excavator hydraulic work into a new machine category as it targets a factory lead time of 12 to 20 weeks that has left dealers unable to quickly equip machines for attachment work.

Factory lead times of up to 20 weeks push dealers toward field-installable kits

Ordering a wheel loader with auxiliary hydraulics direct from the plant can take 12 to 20 weeks, a delay HKX says leaves dealers with few options when a customer needs a machine to run a grapple, snow blower or broom within a month. The company says its kits can be ordered and installed in a fraction of that time, allowing a dealer to reconfigure inventory already on the lot.

San Antonio – September 15, 2026 -- Frost & Sullivan has named TP its 2026 Asia-Pacific Customer Experience Management Services Company of the Year, citing the company's AI orchestration framework and operational scale across the region.

Frost & Sullivan benchmarks TP on innovation and customer impact

The consultancy's evaluation assessed TP across two core dimensions: visionary innovation and performance, and customer impact. Krishna Baidya, Vice President of the ICT Practice at Frost & Sullivan, said TP is moving AI from experimentation into governed, measurable operations at scale, combining orchestration capability with regional delivery depth and operational discipline.

Shanghai – September 15, 2026 -- The FHC Shanghai Global Food Trade Show will run November 10-12, 2026 at the Shanghai New International Expo Center, drawing more than 3,000 international exhibitors and over 180,000 trade visitors across 200,000 square meters of floor space, organizers said.

Show spans 15 core food and beverage segments for one-stop sourcing

The event will host over 50 international pavilions and 500 overseas exhibitors, covering 15 product categories including meat, seafood, dairy, confectionery, foodservice supply, spices, coffee and tea, bakery, food processing and packaging, ready meals, canned goods, machinery, hotpot ingredients, infant nutrition, and food-and-medicine crossover products. Organizers say buyers can complete cross-category supplier comparisons within three days.