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Swiss Bitcoin Pay has taken its servers offline after detecting what it described as likely unauthorised access to internal systems, while warning that customer contact, banking and transaction data may have been exposed. The Switzerland-based Bitcoin payments provider disclosed the incident on September 14 and said it was investigating the intrusion and securing its infrastructure before restoring service. It has not announced a date for reopening. Swiss […]

A browser extension used by nearly 31,000 Twitch viewers has been found forwarding live OAuth session tokens to proxy infrastructure controlled by the operator of a Russian-language commercial bot service, exposing credentials that can grant access to account functions without requiring passwords or two-factor authentication. Security company Socket said the extension, “Twitch Enhanced Viewer | JeetBot”, was available through both the Chrome Web Store and Mozilla’s Firefox […]

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Saudi building materials procurement platform BRKZ has raised $31 million in fresh capital, with Aramco-backed Wa’ed Ventures co-leading a $13 million Series B equity round alongside 500 Global. The financing also includes an $18 million growth-debt commitment from Stride Ventures, part of a previously announced $30 million venture-debt facility. BECO Capital and ANB Seed Fund participated in the equity round, BRKZ said on […]

Cybersecurity stocks jumped on Wall Street on Monday as warnings over the pace and control of increasingly autonomous artificial intelligence systems drove investors away from semiconductor shares and towards companies expected to benefit from heavier spending on digital defence. CrowdStrike closed about 13.9% higher and Palo Alto Networks gained roughly 13.1%, placing both among the strongest performers in the S&P 500. Intraday gains approached 15% for CrowdStrike […]

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 15 September 2026 – The Carnival Fair, Singapore’s carnival event and rental specialist, is happy to announce that it has crossed 1,200 events delivered since its founding, cementing its position as one of the country’s most trusted names in carnival experiences. The milestone spans a client roster of more than 700 brands, covering corporate functions, school carnivals, birthdays and family gatherings.

Founded in 2019 by Jaylon Lim and Joshua Luah, both of whom cut their teeth working part-time at an events rental company, The Carnival Fair was built on a simple observation: Singapore’s events scene had genuine appetite for a specialist who took carnival experiences seriously, from properly maintained equipment to staff who know how to run a booth and hold a crowd.

That foundation has since grown into a catalogue spanning carnival classics such as ring toss and bouncy castle rental, themed booth setups with custom props and backdrops, and a tech-forward lineup including claw machine rental, racing simulators and VR/AR stations. Clients looking to rent carnival games for a single booth or an entire event footprint can now draw from one of the broadest catalogues in the local market, with carnival food rental options available to round out the experience for guests. The breadth was on full display at flagship events such as the City Harvest Church Christmas Carnival at Suntec City, which drew around 10,000 attendees across a multi-day operation, and the Biotronik “Carnival Around the World” celebration, which paired globally themed food stations with bespoke branding to mark a genuine company milestone.

Underpinning the growth is a price-match guarantee, ensuring clients who find a comparable like-for-like quote from another Singapore provider are never short-changed on price or quality.

Reaching 1,200 events reflects sustained demand from Singapore’s businesses, schools and families for carnival experiences done properly, and marks just the beginning as the company moves further into full event planning rather than rentals alone.

With demand continuing to grow across corporate, education and private segments, The Carnival Fair is expanding its interactive and technology-driven offerings, including holographic claw machines, racing simulators, VR/AR stations and interactive digital games, while deepening partnerships with venues and recurring corporate clients.

Hashtag: #TheCarnivalFair



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

About The Carnival Fair

The Carnival Fair is a Singapore-based carnival event and rental company offering bouncy castle rental, carnival games, inflatables, food stations, photo experiences and interactive tech installations for corporate, school and private events. Businesses and families can rent carnival games and equipment individually or as part of a full carnival package, backed by a price-match guarantee. The company has served more than 700 clients since 2019.

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Wall Street is preparing for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates this week for the first time since July 2023, after another surge in oil prices and stubborn inflation pushed market expectations decisively towards tighter policy. Interest-rate futures on Monday assigned roughly a 90% probability to a quarter-point increase at the Federal Open Market Committee’s September 15-16 meeting. A move of 25 […]

As AI cuts production costs and multiplies the output of small agency teams, a new model is emerging in Singapore: revenue-sharing, where the agency earns only when the client sells.

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 14 September 2026 – For decades, the marketing agency business model has rested on one assumption: producing campaigns is expensive, so clients must pay fixed monthly retainers regardless of results. Artificial intelligence is dismantling that assumption from two directions at once — cutting what it costs an agency to operate, while multiplying what a small team can produce.

The savings start in places clients never see. Administrative work that once consumed billable hours — invoicing and quotations, client reporting, campaign documentation, scheduling and follow-ups — can now run largely on AI systems, stripping overhead out of every account an agency manages.

The bigger shift is in production itself. In video, AI now handles the foundation of the edit — assembling rough cuts, syncing footage, generating captions and preparing ad-ready variations — before a human editor applies the judgment, pacing and finishing that machines can’t. What once took an editor days takes hours. The same applies to design and ad creatives. The result: a small team’s production capacity multiplies while its cost per campaign falls.

That double effect — lower cost, higher capacity — changes what an agency can afford to offer. When servicing an account no longer carries heavy fixed costs, those economics can be passed on to the customer: instead of a large retainer that pays for activity, the agency can charge a minimal base fee and earn its real income as a share of the sales its campaigns generate.

Singapore agency touchmkt has built its business on this model, charging SME clients a low base retainer that roughly covers production, then earning 5–9% of the revenue attributed to its campaigns — tracked through conversion tools that tie each sale back to the ads that produced it.

“The economics simply didn’t work before,” said Charlie Tan, founder of touchmkt. “If every account carries thousands of dollars in production and admin costs, you have to charge for it whether the campaigns perform or not. When AI takes out the cost and multiplies the output, you can afford to be paid on outcomes. For the first time, the agency’s goals and the client’s goals are actually aligned — we only do well when they sell.”

The model does demand discipline: rigorous attribution, and the agency absorbing the risk of campaigns that underperform. But for small businesses long wary of paying retainers for activity rather than results, the direction is clear — AI hasn’t just changed how marketing is made; it’s beginning to change how it’s paid for.

Hashtag: #touchmkt #MarketingAgency #AI #Singapore #SME #DigitalMarketing



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

Touchmarket LLP

(TouchMarket LLP) is a Singapore-based growth agency for small and medium businesses, combining on-site videography and photography with AI-assisted content production and performance advertising. The agency builds websites, produces short-form video and branded social content, and manages Meta and Google ad campaigns with full conversion tracking — operating on a performance-based model in which its fees are tied to the sales revenue its campaigns generate. touchmkt works with clients across F&B and catering, education, beauty and skincare, renovation and home services, and professional services in Singapore. Learn more at or contact [email protected].

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By R Suryamurthy The 2026 New Delhi Declaration arrives at a revealing moment for BRICS: two decades after the grouping emerged as a shorthand for the rising economic weight of the Global South, it is no longer merely demanding a larger seat at the table of global governance, but is beginning to construct the institutional […]

The article BRICS is not building a new order, but a hedge against the old one appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on Newspack by India Press Agency).

PARIS, FRANCE – Media OutReach Newswire – 14 September 2026 – Curated by the National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute (NTCRI) under Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture, TAIWAN CRAFTS & DESIGN returns to Maison&Objet Paris 2026, presenting seven Taiwanese brands: KIMU, Lumamiling, MOTOR design, Pan Pan Hua, TOMO, UMAMI, and WÈI CRAFT.

TAIWAN CRAFTS & DESIGN Pavilion in M&O September 2026
TAIWAN CRAFTS & DESIGN Pavilion in M&O September 2026

Rooted in craft, the showcase explores how Taiwan’s materials, techniques, cultural heritage, and contemporary design can respond to modern lifestyles and international markets. Working across wood, leather, ceramics, paper mulberry bark fibre, mixed media, lighting, and furniture, the seven brands reveal a craft culture that is culturally grounded, adaptable, and forward-looking.

KIMU reinterprets East Asian culture through its concept of “The New Old,” transforming familiar memories and aesthetics into contemporary objects.

Based in southern Taiwan, Lumamiling works with Indigenous barkcloth traditions and paper mulberry fibre, translating ancient techniques into lighting, furniture, and objects relevant to sustainability and contemporary living.

MOTOR design, guided by “An Eastern Soul in a Western Form,” combines mixed materials, cultural perspectives, and advanced manufacturing, with all design and production based in Taiwan.

Inspired by Taiwan’s mosaic tiles and architectural heritage, Pan Pan Hua develops handcrafted ceramic tiles for objects, interiors, architecture, and bespoke spatial applications.

TOMO celebrates the warmth and individuality of wood through close attention to grain, proportion, construction, and the tactile qualities of handcraft.

Furniture brand UMAMI balances materials, proportions, function, and detail like ingredients in cooking, creating adaptable furniture for residential, commercial, and public spaces.

Working primarily with leather, WÈI CRAFT explores material, structure, and storytelling through handcrafted objects designed to evolve beautifully through time and use.

Through Maison&Objet Paris, TAIWAN CRAFTS & DESIGN expands the meaning of “Made in Taiwan”—connecting craftsmanship, cultural depth, design innovation, and production expertise with international designers, architects, buyers, retailers, galleries, and creative professionals.

From Taiwan to the world, the initiative aims not only to make Taiwanese craft visible, but to make it part of the way the world lives.

MAISON&OBJET Pulse
Paris · 10–14 September 2026
TAIWAN CRAFTS & DESIGN PAVILION · Hall 5A · Stand A91
Hashtag: #TaiwanCraftsDesign #NTCRI #MaisonObjet

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

A Casbaneiro banking Trojan campaign targeting users in Latin America is using geofenced phishing, staged malware delivery and separate command-and-control servers to make malicious activity harder to detect and analyse, according to security research published this month. FortiGuard Labs said it observed the campaign in August, with activity focused on Argentina, Peru, Colombia and Mexico. Victims are approached through phishing emails and PDF documents disguised as invoices, […]

Calls by leading artificial intelligence executives to slow development of advanced models pressured Asian semiconductor shares on Monday, but investors and strategists said robust spending on computing infrastructure was likely to keep the longer-term AI investment cycle intact. Samsung Electronics fell as much as 4.1% in early trading, while South Korea’s SK Hynix dropped 5.8%. Japan’s Advantest declined 4.7% and Kioxia Holdings slid 9.3% as markets assessed […]

Artificial intelligence leaders are facing mounting resistance from investors and President Donald Trump after calls by Anthropic and OpenAI to slow the advance of frontier models triggered sharp losses in technology shares and exposed a widening dispute over how quickly the industry should proceed. Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei has urged leading developers to reduce the pace at which they improve model capabilities, arguing that safety systems […]

Z. AI Co. has raised about $5 billion through a Hong Kong share placement and convertible bond sale, returning to the market within days of a 60-day issuance lock-up ending as heavy spending on artificial intelligence models continues to consume cash. The Beijing-based company, formerly known as Zhipu AI, sold 21.97 million new H shares at HK$714 each, raising roughly HK$15.7 billion, or about $2 billion. It […]

LuLu Financial Holdings has cut cross-border settlement costs by 25% to 30% after adopting Circle’s USDC stablecoin and Circle Mint for remittance flows across the Gulf, Middle East, North Africa and Asia-Pacific, according to figures released by Circle. The payments group also recorded a 40% increase in cross-border settlement volume after shifting part of its treasury and settlement infrastructure to USDC. Beneficiaries are credited in under a […]

Bitcoin faces renewed downside warnings after Bloomberg Intelligence senior commodity strategist Mike McGlone argued that a stock-market correction and tighter US monetary policy could drive the cryptocurrency sharply lower, potentially towards $10,000. McGlone’s latest bearish case centres on Bitcoin’s failure to establish a sustained break above $80,000, its increasing sensitivity to equities and the prospect that higher interest rates could pressure speculative assets. Bitcoin was trading near […]

Chinese foreign exchange regulators are stepping up pressure on banks to persuade corporate clients to hedge more of their currency exposure, to reduce companies’ vulnerability to yuan swings.

Some local branches of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange have urged lenders to encourage businesses to increase hedging, extending a campaign that has pushed corporate derivatives use to record levels. The guidance targets companies with sizeable foreign-currency receipts or payments as the yuan trades near three-year highs.

The push reflects Beijing’s preference for companies to manage exchange-rate risk through forwards, swaps and options. SAFE has repeatedly promoted what it calls an exchange-rate risk-neutral approach, arguing that companies should focus on their underlying business and use hedging tools to reduce the effect of currency movements on earnings.

Corporate hedging has risen sharply this year. SAFE said enterprises used foreign-exchange derivatives covering 35.3 per cent of their currency transactions in the first half of 2026, up 5.3 percentage points from the full-year level in 2025. The contracted value of derivatives used for exchange-rate risk management reached nearly $1.4 trillion, an increase of about 40 per cent from a year earlier.

The regulator has also broadened access to hedging services. About 130 major domestic and foreign-funded banks can provide foreign-exchange derivatives to companies, while a SAFE database shared with lenders covers about 290,000 foreign-trade enterprises. Authorities have encouraged banks to expand online dealing channels and improve credit and margin arrangements for smaller businesses.

The effort also seeks more balanced corporate behaviour. The latest local instructions add to earlier informal guidance from the central bank and SAFE asking some lenders to lift corporate hedging ratios. Such measures are part of a wider effort to prevent companies from building large unprotected positions after periods when many exporters assumed the yuan would remain weak or move gradually.

That behaviour became more costly as the currency strengthened. The yuan has appreciated this year against the dollar and was trading near a three-and-a-half-year high last week, while global currency markets have been unsettled by changing interest-rate expectations, higher energy prices and geopolitical tensions. Exporters receiving dollars can suffer valuation losses when the yuan rises unless they hedge future receipts.

Beijing has simultaneously tried to avoid an excessive or disorderly rise in the currency. The People’s Bank of China removed a 20 per cent foreign-exchange risk reserve requirement on forward dollar purchases from March 2, lowering the cost of buying dollars forward after a strong yuan rally. The move gave companies and banks more flexibility while signalling that policymakers wanted to discourage one-sided appreciation expectations.

SAFE data show that China’s foreign-exchange market remains supported by large trade and capital flows. Banks recorded a $271.2 billion surplus in foreign-exchange settlement and sales in the first half. The regulator said the ratio measuring companies’ willingness to convert foreign-currency earnings into yuan stood at 65 per cent, while the ratio reflecting demand to purchase foreign currency was 61 per cent.

Foreign-exchange reserves rose to $3.438 trillion at the end of August from $3.419 trillion a month earlier. The yuan gained 0.49 per cent against the dollar during August, while the dollar weakened against a basket of major currencies, contributing to valuation changes in China’s reserve holdings.

Officials have stressed that greater hedging is intended to strengthen corporate resilience rather than direct the yuan toward a particular level. SAFE has said exchange rates are determined by market supply and demand and are difficult to predict, making risk management more important as two-way fluctuations become more common.

The regulator has reduced some transaction costs for smaller companies and encouraged financial institutions to simplify documentation for derivatives. Banks have been asked to use enterprise data to identify firms with foreign-currency exposure and offer products suited to their cash flows rather than promote speculative positions.

China’s state security minister Chen Yixin has warned that artificial intelligence poses six major risks to national security, ranging from political manipulation and cyberattacks to data leakage, social disruption and military transformation. Chen, who heads the Ministry of State Security, set out the risks in an article published on Sunday by China Cyberspace magazine, arguing that Beijing must build a stronger system for monitoring, regulating and responding […]

General aviation manufacturers posted higher aircraft shipments and sharply stronger billings in the first half of 2026, although weaker piston-aircraft deliveries left the industry’s performance uneven across major segments. The General Aviation Manufacturers Association said manufacturers delivered 1,458 aeroplanes worldwide through the second quarter, up 1.7 per cent from 1,433 in the same period of 2025. Aeroplane billings climbed 15.5 per cent to $14.3 billion from $12.4 […]

Dmitry Medvedev has accused leading artificial intelligence companies of overstating fears that their technology could destroy humanity, arguing that commercial self-interest rather than existential concern is shaping their public warnings. Russia’s Security Council deputy chairman said the creators of generative AI systems were “not being sincere” when presenting themselves as alarmed by the possibility that advanced models could become an existential threat. He linked that scepticism to […]

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 14 September 2026 – Azbil Corporation (Tokyo Stock Exchange Code: 6845) announces that it will participate as a Gold Sponsor at Data Centre World Asia 2026 (hereinafter “DCWA”), Asia’s leading event for data centre technologies and digital infrastructure. The event will take place from 29 – 30 September 2026, at the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre in Singapore.

DCWA Gold Sponsor
DCWA Gold Sponsor

DCWA is part of Tech Week Singapore and serves as a key platform for data centre operators, technology providers, and industry stakeholders to exchange insights and explore emerging technologies shaping the future of digital infrastructure.

As demand for digital infrastructure continues to grow, data centre operators face increasing pressure to maintain reliable operations while improving energy efficiency. Azbil applies its expertise in measurement, control, and automation to help optimize building and cooling-system operations in mission-critical environments.

At DCWA, Azbil will highlight its Building Automation solutions and specialized services for mission-critical environments, including an intelligent building management system and the chiller plant digital twin. These solutions leverage advanced technologies to improve energy efficiency, support informed decision-making, and enhance the reliability and resilience of critical infrastructure operations.

Guided by its Purpose, “Expanding Technological Frontiers, Unlocking Human Potential,” Azbil will continue to create new value through its advanced measurement, control, and automation technologies and through co-creation with customers and partners, contributing to more reliable, efficient, and sustainable digital infrastructure.

Event Overview

Event Data Centre World Asia 2026
Dates 29 – 30 September, 2026
Location Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre
Basement 2, Hall E, Booth M15
Registration

(Free registration for Visitor Pass)

Product Showcase Building Automation

  • Intelligent Building Management System

An open and scalable platform that integrates, monitors, and controls multiple building systems through a unified interface. It provides operational insights that support efficient facility management and efforts to improve Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE).

  • Chiller Plant Digital Twin

A virtual replica that simulates energy optimization strategies, detects anomalies, and provides real-time insights to improve chiller plant operations and enhance energy efficiency.

For details, please visit the following website.

* Posted information is accurate as of the date of announcement.

Hashtag: #Azbil #DCWA


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

About Azbil Corporation

Azbil Corporation, formerly known as Yamatake Corporation, is a leading company in building and industrial automation, using its measurement and control technologies to provide customers with high value-added solutions to make their operations more efficient and sustainable. Founded in 1906, the Azbil Group consists of 30 companies and operates in 16 countries, providing cutting-edge solutions and services to meet the diverse needs of its global customers. As of March 31, 2026, Azbil employed about 9,000 people worldwide and generated JPY 298.9 billion in revenue. To learn more about Azbil Corporation and its solutions, please visit Azbil’s website at .

The refined Primary Writing Programme strengthens WRITERS AT WORK’s proprietary STORYBANKING® method to help students think independently, sustain focus and tackle increasingly complex questions with confidence.

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 14 September 2026 – WRITERS AT WORK, a Singapore English writing and enrichment provider recognised on the SME500 Singapore 2025 list, will introduce updates to its Primary Writing Programme, formerly the Pure Composition Writing Programme, across its seven centres in Singapore from 2 January 2027, as part of a wider curriculum refresh designed to help students sustain focused, independent thinking in an increasingly fast-paced learning environment.

Award Winning Writers At Work Refines Signature Writing Programme for 2027 To Develop Future-Ready Thinkers

Built for How Students Think Today

WRITERS AT WORK updates its curriculum annually in response to shifts in Singapore’s English examination and education landscape. The 2027 update also responds to how students today process language, sustain focus, and construct ideas, shaped by their environment, technology, and culture. As attention spans shorten in a faster, more visually driven world, the ability to sit with a difficult question and think it through has become more valuable. The renamed Primary Writing Programme reflects this shift, still anchored in composition instruction but built around how students actually develop writing competency today.

Three Updates to the Primary Writing Programme

Three updates anchor the programme. Under Flexible Writing Practice, students complete guided or independent compositions depending on lesson objectives, with the STORYBANKING® method recalibrated to sharpen critical thinking through adjusted pacing and difficulty. This gradual release of support, from guided modelling to independent application, meets students at different levels of readiness: those who need more guidance receive clearer structure, while more confident writers are pushed to transfer their learning independently and make more sophisticated writing choices.

The update also responds to a reality of how students learn today: with model compositions and ready-made phrases widely accessible, that accessibility is not itself the concern. The risk is students learning techniques without learning to think. Primary Writing Programme lessons are designed to keep that thinking process intact and complete within the lesson, so students build the ability to reason through difficult questions themselves, rather than simply recall a technique.

Selected modules also integrate bite-sized situational writing, oral, and listening comprehension practice alongside composition, giving students regular, low-stakes exposure to other examination components while reinforcing skills they have already built. The STORYBANKING® programme has also been expanded with material tied to current experiences and trends, building on rather than replacing existing content.

A Refresh for the Comprehensive English Programme

The Comprehensive English Programme, covering Primary and Secondary levels, is also being updated, with a focus on strengthening students’ ability to analyse questions and organise ideas. Existing scaffolding within the programme is being broken down further to make the thinking process more visible and explicit to students.

“The updates are not a departure from what has worked. They are a deliberate response to how our students engage with the world today,” said Jemmies Siew, Managing Director and Curriculum Director at WRITERS AT WORK. “Our aim is for students to leave each lesson still knowing how to think through a hard question themselves, not just recall a technique.”

Hashtag: #WritersAtWork #EnglishTuitioninSingapore



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

Writers At Work

is a Singapore English writing and enrichment provider founded in 2012. Its curriculum is built around a structured, results-oriented approach and a proprietary methodology called STORYBANKING®, and has expanded to include writing, comprehension, and oral communication instruction for Primary and Secondary levels across seven centres in Singapore. The company was recognised on the SME500 Singapore 2025 list and has a 14-year track record of students achieving full marks in composition and oral examinations.

ZHANGJIAKOU, HEBEI – Media OutReach Newswire – 13 September 2026 – In the third season of Village Voyage, CGTN host Julian Waghann from the United States and Mexican traveler Juan Carlos Cheang Guzmán journey across Zhangjiakou, a city in Hebei Province some 200 kilometers northwest of Beijing, to explore how its land and people are creating new possibilities for rural life. Known for its mountains, wide-open highlands and vibrant outdoor culture, boosted by the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Zhangjiakou has emerged as a distinctive destination in northern China.

Village Voyage Season 3 Poster
Village Voyage Season 3 Poster

This latest season takes viewers beyond the city‘s famous landmarks and into the countryside, where international travelers get their hands in the soil, learn traditional crafts and share everyday meals with local residents. Through these experiences, they discover a different side of rural China and the people who are helping shape its future.

Mountain pulse: A year-round outdoor playground

The mountains of Chongli in Zhangjiakou are more than the backdrop for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Once best known for their snow-covered slopes, they are increasingly becoming a year-round destination for outdoor activities.

“Winter is for skiing, but summer opens up a whole new world,” said a local outdoor guide.

Since the Winter Olympics, residents have been steadily unlocking the hills’ year-round potential: from mountain biking and trail running to hiking and camping. The mountains no longer fall dormant when the snow melts.

Julian and Juan pedal along forest trails, surrounded by mountain air and the scent of damp earth. At the Chongli 168 Ultra-Trail Race, they stand at the starting line as thousands of runners surge forward – a river of energy that sweeps up everyone watching.

For Juan, the scene strikes a familiar chord. “Mountains don’t have borders,” he said. “The urge to run and challenge yourself in the wild is something we share, whether in Latin America or here.”

Field-rooted well-being: Yoga that grew from the soil

Surrounded by farmland and an open sky, Yugouliang Village sits on a high plateau in northern Zhangjiakou. The village has gained attention for a distinctive form of outdoor yoga practiced among its fields. Unlike the wellness trends often associated with urban gyms and resorts, yoga here has grown naturally out of village life.

“Our yoga comes from farm work,” one villager explained. “It is part of how we live.” Between planting and harvesting, they stretch and breathe, finding stillness in the middle of open fields.

Julian and Juan first experienced another part of village life by making youmian, a local staple made from oats. They kneaded the dough and shaped it by hand, then headed into the fields, where they spread their mats on the earth and practiced yoga alongside local residents.

“This feels familiar,” Juan reflected. “No matter where we are, people want the same things – health, peace, security and a life that feels full.”

Yugouliang offers a different picture of rural China: not a place frozen in the past, but a community that has found its own rhythm and a new sense of well-being amid the fields.

Living heritage remains part of daily life

Located in the southern part of Zhangjiakou, Yuxian is known for its historic settlements, traditional architecture and folk arts. Its ancient buildings have also reached new audiences through popular culture. Some of its architecture has inspired locations in Black Myth: Wukong, the hit Chinese action role-playing game.

Yuxian paper-cutting is one of its best-known folk traditions. “Paper-cutting came from everyday people,” said a master of the craft. “It used to decorate farmhouse windows. Now it reaches the wider world.”

With that spirit in mind, Julian and Juan tried their hand at paper-cutting, fumbling with scissors to produce something far from perfect – but they feel, briefly, what it means to make art out of ordinary life. Here, heritage isn’t sealed behind glass. It’s passed from hand to hand, cut into paper and woven into the fabric of daily existence.

Where clean energy meets modern farming

If Yuxian’s ancient villages preserve the memories of the past, Desheng Village shows how rural communities are looking toward the future. Located in the highland farming region of northern Zhangjiakou, Desheng has embraced modern agriculture and solar power as part of its rural development.

Rows of solar panels stretch across the land, capturing sunlight that once only fed crops. Beneath them, modern greenhouses hum with temperature-controlled precision. It’s agriculture reimagined – and the benefits are tangible.

“We used to depend heavily on the weather,” one villager said “Now technology and sunlight give us new hope.”

Julian and Juan stepped into the greenhouses, picking ripe tomatoes and crisp cucumbers, tasting the sweetness of a harvest that no longer depends on luck. They saw how clean energy revenue flows back into the community – funding schools, roads and public spaces.

As night fell, they joined a bonfire gathering in the village square. Music, laughter and conversation filled the evening air. Around the fire, the visitors saw another side of rural development: a village changing with the times while maintaining the close-knit community spirit that has long defined local life.

More than a journey: Stories shaped by the land

For a new generation of travelers, immersive experiences are offering a more complete picture of rural China. In Zhangjiakou, the countryside is not defined by a single landscape or a single way of life. Chongli’s mountains pulse with year-round energy; Yugouliang’s fields offer a slower rhythm of life; Yuxian’s ancient villages keep traditional architecture and folk crafts alive; and Desheng shows how clean energy and modern agriculture can create new opportunities for rural communities.

Here, tradition and innovation coexist in the same villages, where ancient skills can find new audiences and modern technology can take root in centuries-old communities.

Every village has its own story. From mountain trails and open farmland to historic villages and modern greenhouses, Zhangjiakou reveals a northern Chinese countryside that is more diverse, dynamic and full of possibility than any single image can capture.

Visitors may come for the scenery. But by stepping into village life, they leave with something more lasting: a closer understanding of the people who live on this land, the traditions they carry forward and the future they are building together.

Hashtag: #CGTN

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

Abu Dhabi’s International Holding Company is moving to acquire an 80 per cent stake in Marlan Holding, giving the investment group a controlling position in the company behind UAE-based Marlan Space. The proposed transaction is being carried out through IHC’s wholly owned subsidiary International Tech Group SP LLC and remains subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions, the company said. Financial terms were not disclosed. Marlan […]

China’s National Data Administration plans to accelerate standards for embodied artificial intelligence and direct local authorities on implementation, targeting one of the biggest bottlenecks in the fast-growing robotics sector: access to high-quality, diverse and large-scale training data.

The regulator said the work will focus on creating clearer rules for datasets used by embodied AI systems, which combine artificial intelligence with physical machines such as humanoid robots. The effort is intended to support more consistent data collection, processing, evaluation and use as companies race to improve machines that must perceive, reason and act in real-world environments.

China has already moved to build a broader standards framework around the sector. National standards published on August 27 cover the quality of real-world embodied-intelligence data and technical requirements for data-generation platforms, while several additional specifications remain under development.

Among projects overseen by the National Data Administration are proposed standards covering the sources and constituent elements of high-quality embodied-intelligence datasets, simulated synthetic-data generation and processing, and specifications for data collection and model training at training bases. The projects are being developed under the National Data Standardisation Technical Committee.

One draft programme, registered in April, sets a 12-month timetable for a standard on data collection and model training at embodied-intelligence training bases. Its drafting group includes the China Electronics Standardization Institute, Beijing Institute of Technology, the Institute of Software at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and robotics companies.

A separate draft addresses synthetic data, which is becoming increasingly important because collecting enough physical-world robot interactions can be expensive, slow and difficult to reproduce. China’s policy framework encourages the use of simulation and synthetic techniques to expand supply where genuine operating data are scarce or costly to obtain.

The National Data Administration has made high-quality datasets a central part of its wider artificial-intelligence strategy. An implementation plan issued in June called for faster construction of datasets in strategic and emerging fields including embodied intelligence, intelligent driving and the low-altitude economy. It also called for data covering physical interaction, environmental perception and motion control in key scenarios.

The plan directs authorities and industry participants to improve data cleaning, enhancement, labelling, alignment and quality inspection, while developing national standards covering formats, categories, annotation and quality assessment. The regulator said such work should produce datasets that are structurally complete, diverse, accurately labelled and suitable for model development.

China’s push reflects the distinct data demands of robots operating in the physical world. Unlike text-based systems trained largely on digital information, embodied AI requires large volumes of multimodal material that can include video, images, sensor readings, point clouds, movement trajectories and feedback from physical interaction.

Data supply has therefore emerged as a competitive constraint for developers seeking to train machines to perform long sequences of actions reliably across changing environments. The National Data Development Research Institute has said embodied intelligence and world models are driving sharply higher demand for three-dimensional, video and other multimodal data, while also raising requirements for collection and annotation quality.

The government has also been expanding the underlying pool of AI-ready datasets. At a national data industry event in Guiyang in August, the National Data Administration said more than 126,000 high-quality datasets had been built across China, with a combined volume exceeding 1,815 petabytes.

Officials described a system combining a national dataset management platform, an open-source community and a data-labelling network with sector-specific pilot programmes. The framework includes 106 leading organisations and 140 pilot tasks, with regional authorities encouraged to develop projects suited to local industrial strengths.

Embodied intelligence has featured in those pilots alongside other emerging fields. The administration has promoted cooperation among robotics companies, universities, research institutes and public bodies to increase the quantity and usefulness of machine-training data while testing standards before wider application.

VISHNU RAJA
RYO YAMADA
HITORI GOTOH
IKUYO KITA