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By Annie Domini MOSCOW: It might have been predictable to some extent, but United Russia scoring eight percentage points higher than the previous parliamentary elections in 2021, has, on the one hand, surprised some, while on the other, got branded as one of the ‘dullest election’ ever, despite the wartime upheavals. The just-concluded elections to […]

The article 2026 Russian State Duma Elections Further Consolidate Putin’s Reign appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on Newspack by India Press Agency).

New data highlights the contribution of Dusit Central Park’s rooftop park to urban cooling, air quality, biodiversity, and community well-being. The park will also mark Bangkok Climate Action Week 2026 with a special Tree Walk.

BANGKOK, THAILAND – Media OutReach Newswire – 22 September 2026 – Following its first anniversary on 3 September 2026, Suan Dusit Arun – the 11,200 sq m public rooftop park at Dusit Central Park in the heart of Bangkok – has released its first set of visitor, community, and environmental performance data. The figures demonstrate strong public demand for accessible green space in the Thai capital, with an average of 2,621 unique daily visitors during the 12-month reporting period.

The largest public rooftop park in Bangkok’s central business district, Suan Dusit Arun is a defining feature of Dusit Central Park and provides elevated views across Lumpini Park, one of the city’s most important green spaces. It was designed as a practical response to critical urban challenges facing Bangkok, including rising temperatures, limited access to green space, and declining biodiversity.

Open to all, the park offers the luxury of space, nature, and calm in the centre of Bangkok. Its public use and programming are thoughtfully managed to protect the landscape, preserve a comfortable atmosphere, and ensure that visitors can continue to enjoy the park without compromising the qualities it was designed to provide.

Combining beautiful views with a strong social and environmental purpose, the park serves as the unifying landscape connecting the principal elements of Dusit Central Park: the flagship Dusit Thani Bangkok hotel, Central Park Offices, the Central Park shopping centre, and a 69-storey residential tower comprising the ultra-luxury Dusit Residences and contemporary Dusit Parkside.

The design of Suan Dusit Arun reflects the wider architectural philosophy of Dusit Central Park, responding to wind flow and solar orientation while drawing on Feng Shui principles to foster harmony, balance, and a positive flow of energy between people and their surroundings.

With approximately 98% of its layered landscape dedicated to green space, the park combines 184 plant varieties, including 48 Thai species, with accessible areas for recreation, learning, community gatherings, and quiet reflection. Its planting includes native shade trees, flowering varieties, and climate-adapted plants.

The planting includes nine tree species in the three threatened categories of the IUCN Red List – two Critically Endangered, two Endangered, and five Vulnerable. It also reflects Thailand’s cultural heritage through sacred spirit trees, species referenced in classical Thai literature, and jasmine, a symbol of Mother’s Day in Thailand. Pollinator-friendly species include mangrove apple and queen’s crape myrtle.

Water management is another important part of the park’s operation. Harvested or recycled water supplies approximately 25% of irrigation demand, supported by an automated, timer-controlled irrigation system. The planted landscape is estimated to reduce stormwater runoff entering the city’s drainage system by 30–50% compared with a conventional hard-surfaced roof.

While assessment of the park’s environmental performance is ongoing, monitoring conducted within and outside the project area on 13 and 14 March 2026 provided an initial snapshot of conditions. Air temperature within Suan Dusit Arun was recorded at 31°C, compared with 33°C outside the project area. Suspended particulate matter concentrations were also approximately 35% lower within the park during the monitoring period.

“When we conceived Suan Dusit Arun, we wanted it to become an active part of Bangkok’s daily life – a public landscape with a clear social and environmental purpose,” said Chanin Donavanik, Group CEO, Dusit International. “Welcoming more than 951,000 visitors in its first year shows how strongly people value accessible green spaces where they can exercise, learn, connect, and spend time in nature.

“For Dusit, this is how responsible hospitality reaches beyond hotel operations: by creating places that deliver meaningful value for the communities and environments around them. The initial data from Suan Dusit Arun indicates the potential of thoughtful design and responsible operation to improve everyday urban life. We will continue to monitor the park’s performance and report its contribution with care and transparency.”

Beyond its daily public use, Suan Dusit Arun hosted a thoughtfully curated programme of 43 recreational, wellness, and educational events and visits during its first year. Together, these activities engaged more than 9,500 people. They ranged from aerobics, Pilates, and city runs to Children’s Day celebrations, live music, design talks, and study visits by schools and universities.

Partners included Silpakorn University, SCG Packaging Public Company Limited (SCGP), and the Thai Red Cross, alongside schools, community groups, and commercial organisations.

Collaboration with SCGP also extends to waste reduction. Suan Dusit Arun participates in the company’s “Old for New” recycling initiative and separates around 100 kg of cardboard from its operational waste each month for recycling. Event organisers are also encouraged to reduce disposable plastics and choose reusable or recyclable materials wherever practical.

Tree Walk for Bangkok Climate Action Week 2026

To mark Bangkok Climate Action Week 2026, Suan Dusit Arun and Dusit International will collaborate with Big Trees Foundation to host Tree Walk: Discovering the Value of Urban Trees at Suan Dusit Arun on 9 October 2026. Led by landscape architect Touchapon Soontrajarn and professional arborists, the half-day programme will explore how thoughtful landscape design and tree care can support urban cooling, cleaner air, biodiversity, and public well-being.

Running from 9:00–11:30 hrs, the event is limited to 30 participants and costs THB 250 per person, with all proceeds to be donated to Big Trees Foundation to support urban tree conservation. Registration will be available through the Bangkok Climate Action Week platform.

More information is available at bangkokclimateactionweek.org/en/programme/325.

High-resolution images and a short video accompanying this media release are available here: Suan Dusit Arun

Hashtag: #Dusit

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About Suan Dusit Arun

Suan Dusit Arun is an 11,200 sq m public rooftop park at Dusit Central Park, a mixed-use development in the heart of Bangkok, Thailand. Opened on 3 September 2025, the park was designed according to Universal Design principles and brings together Thai flora, shaded walkways, water features, cultural spaces, and panoramic views of Lumpini Park.

Its principal features include the Bird Nest Viewpoint, Cascade 2513 waterfall, and Dusitpini Amphitheatre. Suan Dusit Arun connects Dusit Thani Bangkok, Central Park Offices, Central Park shopping centre, and a 69-storey residential tower comprising Dusit Residences and Dusit Parkside. The park is open to the public free of charge.

For more information, please visit dusitcentralpark.com/roofpark

About Dusit International

Established in 1949, Dusit International is a leading hospitality group listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand. Its operations comprise five distinct yet complementary business units: Dusit Hotels and Resorts, Dusit Hospitality Education, Dusit Foods, Real Estate Development, and Hospitality-Related Services.

Dusit’s diversified investments in real estate development, hospitality-related services, and the food sector are part of its long-term strategy for sustainable growth, which focuses on three key areas: balance, expansion, and diversification.

For more information, please visit dusit-international.com

The model supports text-to-image creation, image-to-image generation and multi-round editing, according to Tencent Cloud documentation published alongside the release. It can accept multimodal inputs combining text and reference images, preserve context across successive editing turns and produce images at resolutions of up to 4K.

Tencent said the model improves on Hy Image 3.0 in text rendering, realism, stylistic expression and editing consistency. The company said internal evaluations showed an overall capability improvement of about 30 per cent over the previous generation, though those performance claims have not been independently established.

The new system is being integrated into Tencent products including its Yuanbao chatbot and a range of design, productivity and creative tools, while developers can access it through Tencent Cloud’s TokenHub platform. Tencent’s cloud documentation lists the model under the identifier hy-image-v3.5-preview and says it can handle up to 100,000 input tokens for conversational image-generation and editing requests.

The release places greater emphasis on iterative visual production rather than single-prompt image creation. Users can provide reference pictures, request changes over several rounds and retain earlier context, allowing the model to perform tasks such as poster design, product-image editing and other workflows that require repeated adjustments.

Tencent also says the model can use external search enhancement and automatic prompt rewriting, while its application programming interface allows developers to specify image dimensions or let the system determine an appropriate format. The model supports output of up to 4,096 by 4,096 pixels under Tencent Cloud’s documented limits.

The launch comes as China’s largest technology groups broaden their AI offerings beyond large language models and compete more aggressively in image, video and agent-based systems. ByteDance has built a strong position in visual-generation tools through its Seedream family, while Alibaba has expanded its Qwen image models alongside a wider push into cloud infrastructure and AI chips.

Tencent said testing among hundreds of its in-house designers found Hy Image 3.5 Preview performed on a level comparable with ByteDance’s Seedream 5.0 Pro. It also claimed the model slightly exceeded Google’s Nano Banana Pro and Alibaba’s Qwen-Image-3.0 Pro in its own assessments. The company did not disclose full methodology or independent benchmark results for those comparisons.

The timing also coincided with Alibaba’s annual Apsara conference in Hangzhou, where the company outlined plans for a much larger next-generation AI model and introduced its Zhenwu V900 accelerator chip. Alibaba Chief Executive Eddie Wu said the planned model would contain between five trillion and 10 trillion parameters, potentially several times the size of its current flagship system.

Tencent has been accelerating investment in its Hunyuan model family while placing more emphasis on deployment across its existing products. Its Hy3 language model, released in July, was designed around a mixture-of-experts architecture and has since been integrated into services including WorkBuddy, Yuanbao and Tencent Cloud.

The company has also strengthened its AI research leadership. Former OpenAI researcher Yao Shunyu serves as Tencent’s chief AI scientist, while computer-vision specialist Tian Yonglong joined the company in July and leads vision-language model development within the Hunyuan team.

Tencent’s Hong Kong-listed shares climbed more than 6 per cent during Tuesday trading as investors reacted to the product launch and a broader rise in technology stocks. The stock had also advanced in the previous session.

For business users, Tencent Cloud is positioning Hy Image 3.5 Preview as a professional visual-production model rather than a consumer-only image generator. Its documentation says users can combine multiple reference images with text instructions, carry generated images forward into later editing rounds and receive synchronously generated results without submitting separate polling requests.

Customers can enjoy benefits ranging from global eSIM data to complimentary protection and cashback

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 22 September 2026 – Etiqa Insurance Singapore has launched Travel Pass, a first-of-its-kind travel insurance rewards experience that allows customers to earn rewards through their Tiq Travel Insurance purchases and unlock benefits across four membership levels. This initiative introduces a new way for customers to get more value from their travel insurance beyond individual trips.

After accumulating S$100 in eligible premium spend, customers are rewarded with Bronze membership and can progress to Silver, Gold and Platinum as their spending increases. Benefits vary by tier and include global eSIM data, Etiqa Rewards Points multipliers, transport vouchers and partner privileges. Gold and Platinum members also receive complimentary Personal Accident and Lifestyle Protection, while Platinum members are eligible for No Claims Cashback.

Reward tiers at a glance:

Through these benefits, Etiqa Insurance Singapore is shifting travel insurance beyond traditional protection, creating a more holistic travel experience that delivers both peace of mind and practical value for today’s travellers.

“Travel insurance should be more than a product customers purchase for a single trip. As people travel more frequently, protection needs to evolve and become a continuous part of how they travel with confidence. With Etiqa’s Travel Pass, we reward customers each time they choose Tiq by Etiqa, creating greater value as they continue to protect their journeys with us,” said Claudia Soh, Chief Executive Officer of Etiqa Insurance Singapore.

Tracking rewards through the Etiqa+ SG app

Travel Pass is available through the Etiqa+ SG mobile app, where customers can view their accumulated eligible spending, membership tier and available rewards. For Single Trip policies, the spending and rewards are reflected after the policy ends, subject to Travel Pass eligibility criteria.

Tiq Travel Insurance

Tiq Travel Insurance provides automatic claims payouts for eligible flight delays of three consecutive hours or more. Customers may also add optional benefits, including cover for sports equipment protection and pre-existing medical conditions.

From now until 28 December 2026, customers can enjoy 55% off Tiq Travel Insurance Single Trip plans and 30% off Annual Multi-Trip plans. Customers new to Etiqa will receive an additional S$30 discount, further enhancing the value and affordability of their travel protection.

To learn more about Travel Pass and Tiq Travel Insurance, please visit tiq.com.sg.

Terms and Conditions Apply
This policy is underwritten by Etiqa Insurance Pte. Ltd. (Company Reg. No. 201331905K), a member of Maybank Group. This content is for reference only and is not a contract of insurance. Full details of the policy terms and conditions can be found in the policy contract. Protected up to specified limits by SDIC.

Hashtag: #Etiqa

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About Etiqa Insurance Pte. Ltd. (Etiqa Insurance Singapore)

Protecting customers since 1961, Etiqa Insurance Pte. Ltd. (EIPL) is a life and general insurance company licensed and regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore and governed by the Insurance Act 1966. Having protected customers in Singapore since 1961 under the name United General Insurance Co. Sdn. Bhd., the company transitioned into the Singapore branch of Etiqa Insurance Berhad in 2009. Today, EIPL in Singapore stands as the pivotal operating entity of Etiqa Insurance Group, a leading insurance and takaful provider in ASEAN.

EIPL offers a comprehensive range of life and general insurance products accessible through its diverse distribution channels, including bancassurance, agents, brokers, financial advisers, partnerships, direct and online sales via Tiq by Etiqa. Etiqa is rated ‘A’ by credit rating agency Fitch for the group’s ‘Favorable’ business profile. The company is a member of the Maybank Group.

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Dakshina Kannada held that the airline had failed to provide the level of care it had undertaken to offer after collecting ₹2,000 from passenger Sushanth N. G. for special handling. The order, passed on August 31, directed the carrier to refund that fee and pay additional compensation and legal costs.

The commission awarded ₹20,000 for deficiency in service, mental agony and inconvenience, along with ₹5,000 towards litigation expenses. It gave the airline 45 days to comply, failing which the amount will carry interest at 6 per cent a year from the date of default until payment.

Sushanth had booked an Air India Express flight from Chennai to Mangalore for July 27, 2025. He was travelling with a bicycle used for training and competitive racing, which he valued at more than ₹3 lakh. At the time of booking, he paid ₹2,000 for one-piece special equipment handling.

He told the commission that airline staff at Chennai airport had assured him the bicycle would receive special care. After reaching Mangalore, however, he found the bicycle circulating on the ordinary baggage carousel along with other passengers’ luggage.

Sushanth questioned airline staff at the airport and later raised the issue by email on July 31, 2025, seeking a refund of the special handling charge. The airline initially told him the matter was being examined but subsequently closed the complaint, prompting him to approach the consumer forum.

Air India Express acknowledged that the special handling fee had been collected but disputed the passenger’s interpretation of the service. It argued that payment for special equipment did not mean the bicycle had to be manually carried at every stage of the journey.

The airline maintained that special handling involved additional attention and protection where operationally required and permissible. It also contended that baggage within allowed belt dimensions could be delivered through the normal arrival carousel and that the bicycle fell within those limits.

The carrier further submitted that staff had noticed the bicycle on the conveyor and removed it by hand, limiting its exposure to contact with other baggage. It stressed that the bicycle had reached Sushanth without physical damage, wear, tear or loss.

The commission rejected the argument that absence of damage was sufficient to defeat the complaint. It examined documents produced by both sides, including the airline’s terms governing special equipment handling, photographs, email correspondence and video footage showing the bicycle on the baggage belt.

The bench, comprising President-in-charge Somashekarappa K. Handigol and member Sharadamma H. G., found that the footage was inconsistent with the standard of special care promised for the paid service. It held that a passenger who pays an additional charge for handling delicate or valuable equipment is entitled to expect treatment different from ordinary baggage processing.

The commission said the airline’s own service terms contemplated care and caution in dealing with special equipment. By placing the bicycle on the regular belt despite accepting the additional handling fee, it found Air India Express had failed to perform the service in the manner promised.

The panel therefore treated the conduct as a deficiency in service under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, and also found that the handling arrangement had not been honoured as represented to the passenger.

Sushanth had sought refund of the ₹2,000 fee, ₹40,000 as compensation for mental agony and ₹10,000 towards litigation expenses. The commission partly allowed the complaint, awarding a lower compensation amount while granting the full refund and litigation costs.

The ruling turned on the distinction between successful delivery and fulfilment of a paid service commitment. Although the bicycle arrived intact, the commission found that its placement on the ordinary baggage system showed that the special handling Sushanth had purchased was not provided as agreed.

Drivers aged 8–17 build real race experience through qualifying, attack, defense and overtaking

HONG KONG / GUANGZHOU, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 21 September 2026 — For a young racing driver, there is far more to learn from a kart race than simply setting the fastest lap. Organised by China Hong Kong Motorsports Centre (CHKMC) with the support of IAME Series Asia and HKAA, the opening round of the HK Youth Karting Championship 2026 was recently completed at Guangzhou Conghua International Circuit.

Over two days of practice, qualifying and competitive racing, young drivers from Hong Kong put their training into action, testing their speed, race craft and decision-making under genuine race conditions.

The championship features two categories — Cadet for drivers aged 8–12 using 60cc karts and Junior for drivers aged 12–17 using 125cc karts — competing on the approximately 1.2-kilometre, 14-corner circuit.

From lap time to real race craft

The weekend began with practice, allowing drivers to refine braking points, racing lines and corner-exit speed with support from coaches and mechanics.

Qualifying then challenged competitors to produce a competitive lap within a limited time on track to secure the best possible starting position.

However, once the racing began, outright speed was only part of the challenge.

With multiple karts fighting for position at the very first corner, drivers had to assess the traffic around them, choose attacking or defensive lines and decide when to overtake or hold position.

Over the two days of racing, the young drivers chased each other through various corners, with moments of side-by-side cornering, defending positions, and looking for overtaking opportunities. For young drivers, managing traffic on the track, race pressure, and split-second decision-making are experiences that are difficult to fully simulate in routine solo practice.

These situations help young drivers develop genuine race craft, which is an important step for a driver to learn, progress and grow in motorsports.

One Make Karting unifies kart and engine specification, putting the focus on the driver

The championship adopts a One Make Karting / Arrive & Drive format, with race karts and competition equipment arranged to a unified specification, together with designated practice and race tyres.

By reducing equipment differences, the format places greater emphasis on driving technique, consistency, decision-making and race strategy.

It also gives young racers stepping into competitive racing for the first time the opportunity to experience a complete race weekend, from practice and qualifying to race starts, on-track battles and post-session analysis.

The value of the first race is not measured by podium positions

In youth motorsport, results are important, but racing experience often has to be built up race by race.

A position gained or lost at the start, choosing the right moment to overtake, or learning how to recover after a mistake can become valuable lessons for the next race.

CHKMC Head Coach Chester Lam said, “Training can teach a driver racing lines, braking points and kart control, but a real race involves other drivers, starts, attack and defense, and pressure. It is a completely different situation.”

“Young drivers need real racing to gradually learn how to read a race. Every time they complete a race, they should be equipped with more experience than they had before.”

Karting has long been one of the first forms of competitive motorsport experienced by many professional racing drivers. CHKMC hopes to create more opportunities for young people in Hong Kong to develop from fundamental training to track driving and, ultimately, real racing.

From Hong Kong to a wider Asian racing stage

The aim of the HK Youth Karting Championship is not for every participant to become a front-running racer immediately, but to provide a platform where young drivers can compete, make mistakes, learn and gradually build their racing experience.

From lining up on the starting grid to attempting an overtake, defending a position or understanding tyres and changing track conditions, every race adds another layer to a young driver’s development.

The championship also connects young racers with the wider Asian karting scene.

Strong performers in the Cadet and Junior categories may have the opportunity to progress towards the IAME Asia Final 2026 in Macau, competing alongside drivers from across the region.

Round 1 complete, attention turns to the next challenge

Following the opening round, drivers and coaching teams started reviewing lap times, racing lines and overall performance as they prepare for the next race.

The HK Youth Karting Championship 2026 will continue with its next round at Guangzhou Conghua International Circuit on 10 – 11 October 2026, giving young racers another opportunity to apply what they learned and continue building valuable race experience.

For a young driver, the chequered flag at the end of one race is not the end of the journey.

It is preparation for the next one.

About HK Youth Karting Championship 2026

Categories:
Cadet — Ages 8–12 / 60cc
Junior — Ages 12–17 / 125cc

Circuit: Guangzhou Conghua International Circuit
Organiser: China Hong Kong Motorsports Centre (CHKMC)
Supported by: IAME Series Asia

Enquiries
China Hong Kong Motorsports Centre (CHKMC)
Tel: +852 6288 6268
Website: www.chkmc.com.hk

Hashtag: #CHKMC #廣州從化國際賽車場 #中國香港賽車運動中心 #青少年賽車 #青少年車手 #青年車手

https://www.chkmc.com.hk

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

The Bank of Korea said the Bank of Korea Won International Wire Network started trial operations at 9am local time with KB Kookmin Bank, Woori Bank, Hana Bank and Shinhan Bank participating. Two of the banks completed transactions worth about 1.4 billion won during the initial test, according to the central bank.

Full operation is scheduled for January 2027, when foreign financial institutions are expected to gain wider access to the network. The system is designed to allow won payments and settlement during the business hours of major overseas financial centres rather than limiting activity to South Korea’s domestic banking day.

Under the planned framework, offshore investors will be able to trade the won with other foreign participants using accounts opened with Registered Foreign Institutions for KRW Business, known as RFI-Ks, in their home markets. This is intended to reduce the need for investors to open and operate separate accounts directly with financial institutions in South Korea.

The network will function continuously from 9am on each business day until 9am the following day, effectively providing round-the-clock settlement on weekdays. It will remain closed on weekends and public holidays. Foreign banks are also due to participate in the trial, although the Bank of Korea has not specified when they will enter the testing phase.

The central bank said it would monitor the pilot, refine operating arrangements and expand participation before the system moves into full service. It expects the new infrastructure to improve foreign investors’ access to won settlement and support wider international use of the currency.

The trial follows South Korea’s move in July to extend onshore dollar-won trading to a 24-hour schedule. That change removed the previous gap between Seoul trading hours and active periods in major centres such as London and New York, allowing transactions to continue through the global trading day.

Authorities have paired the longer trading window with changes to settlement arrangements because extended dealing hours alone do not remove operational barriers if investors cannot complete payments outside domestic banking hours. The new network is intended to address that mismatch by keeping settlement infrastructure available while overseas markets are active.

The initiative forms part of a broader programme to open South Korea’s foreign-exchange market and make local assets easier for global institutions to access. Seoul has also been seeking improvements in market infrastructure as it pursues developed-market classification for its equities from MSCI, whose accessibility assessments examine areas including foreign-exchange convertibility, investment flows and operational arrangements.

South Korea has already introduced the RFI framework to permit eligible overseas financial institutions to participate directly in the domestic foreign-exchange market. The settlement network extends that approach by enabling those institutions to hold and transfer won through designated accounts linked to the central bank’s payment infrastructure.

The Bank of Korea has also been modernising its core settlement systems. Its 2025 payment and settlement systems report, released last week, said operating hours for BOK-Wire+ were extended in March and that work continued on the international won network and the adoption of the ISO 20022 financial messaging standard.

The central bank has said the international network will use real-time gross settlement, a structure in which transactions are settled individually and continuously rather than being netted for later settlement. That approach is intended to limit credit risk during the payment process while supporting cross-border compatibility.

Preparations have included linked-system testing and business-continuity planning before the scheduled commercial launch. The authorities have also revised foreign-exchange regulations to accommodate the wider use of overseas won accounts and settlement channels.