Sharjah Deputy Ruler Announces US$1.6 Mln Humanitarian Innovation Centre In Indonesia

 

Sultan bin Ahmed announces establishment of Jawaher Al Qasimi Humanitarian Innovation Centre in Indonesia with $1.6m funding (Photo: AETOSWire)

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 23 (Bernama) -- Sharjah Deputy Ruler, Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qasimi has announced the establishment of the Jawaher Al Qasimi Humanitarian Innovation Centre at Universitas Gadjah Mada in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

The centre has received total funding of US$1.6 million and will connect academic research and innovation with humanitarian field expertise to develop, test and implement practical responses to humanitarian challenges. (US$1=RM4.06)

It is being established through a partnership between The Big Heart Foundation (TBHF), NAMA Women Advancement Establishment (NAMA) and Universitas Gadjah Mada. TBHF will contribute US$1 million, NAMA US$500,000 and the university US$100,000.

According to a statement, the announcement was made during a visit to Indonesia by a TBHF delegation led by Sheikh Sultan, who is also the humanitarian envoy of TBHF, as part of the foundation’s efforts to expand its humanitarian and development partnerships.

The centre will use research to address challenges ranging from food security and climate change to livelihoods, economic opportunities, disaster risk reduction, and maternal and child wellbeing, particularly in communities with limited access to services and opportunities.

The agreement includes an investment endowment fund to provide long-term financing for the centre’s programmes, which will focus on multidisciplinary research, policy studies and researcher residencies, innovation challenges and humanitarian project incubators, field testing and impact assessment, as well as public engagement and community empowerment.

The centre will operate through two facilities at Universitas Gadjah Mada. The first will serve as its main base for research, collaboration and community events, while the second, known as the “Living Humanitarian Lab”, will occupy about two hectares allocated by the university for agricultural innovation, field trials and community participation, supporting food security, sustainable agriculture and community empowerment.

The visit is part of TBHF’s efforts to expand partnerships across South and Southeast Asia and draw on local expertise to develop initiatives that respond to community needs.

Sheikh Sultan also reviewed several humanitarian and community programmes during the visit, including services for people with disabilities, education and family empowerment initiatives, and family care and child protection programmes in Bali. In Central Java, he visited a coffee farm supported by NAMA under a programme aimed at equipping about 2,800 women with the skills and knowledge needed to participate in coffee farming.

The visit concluded in Gunung Kidul, where Sheikh Sultan reviewed the “Home for a Home” initiative, which plans to build 250 homes, adapt 50 others for people with disabilities and provide clean-water infrastructure, benefiting more than 3,700 people. He also visited Universitas Gadjah Mada and the site of the centre in Yogyakarta.

-- BERNAMA

SunCar Posts US$3.4 Mln Net Income In First Half 2026

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 23 (Bernama) -- SunCar Technology Group Inc (SunCar), an innovative leader in artificial intelligence (AI)-powered auto insurance and auto services, has reported net income of US$3.4 million for the six months ended June 30, an improvement of US$8.9 million from a net loss of US$5.5 million in the same period last year. (US$1=RM4.06)

The company said the improvement reflected revenue growth in electric vehicle (EV) insurance and technology services, together with disciplined expense management.

Revenue increased 24 per cent to US$276.5 million in the first half of 2026 from US$222.3 million a year earlier, driven by continued growth in auto insurance and stronger growth in auto services.

Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) surged 276 per cent to US$9.4 million from US$2.5 million, reflecting improved operating performance and cost efficiency, SunCar said in a statement.

“Our top-line growth of 24 per cent demonstrated that SunCar can maintain strong revenue growth while also growing profits. Major wins for the company in the first half, including the AgBank chauffeur contract and multiple Huawei ecosystem customer wins, show that the size and scope of SunCar’s contracts are increasing,” said its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Zaichang Ye.

Insurance premiums for EVs increased 31 per cent to US$915.9 million from US$697.6 million, while auto eInsurance service revenue rose 29 per cent to US$126.2 million from US$97.8 million. Auto service revenue also increased 22 per cent to US$122.3 million from US$100.1 million.

SunCar added that operating costs and expenses increased 21 per cent to US$270.2 million from US$223.5 million, while integrated service costs rose 39 per cent to US$141.3 million from US$101.5 million. Selling expenses, however, fell 49 per cent to US$5.6 million, while general and administrative expenses declined 56 per cent to US$6.7 million.

During the first half, SunCar continued to expand its auto insurance and services with customers including Tesla, Xiaomi, NIO, Li Auto and Zeekr. Its auto services business also secured contracts with PICC, Ping An Insurance, Ping An Bank, Agricultural Bank of China and China UnionPay.

SunCar said its AI initiatives also progressed during the period, with AI feature testing completed for eight original equipment manufacturer (OEM) projects. Automated testing coverage reached 75 per cent of vehicles, while overall operational efficiency increased 45 per cent and error rates fell 80 per cent.

The company maintained its forecast for full-year 2026 revenue of approximately US$600 million.

-- BERNAMA

ITRON LAUNCHES GRID EDGE METERS FOR APAC UTILITIES

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 23 (Bernama) -- Itron Inc, an intelligent infrastructure provider for modern energy and water management, has announced the availability of its grid edge portfolio, including Itron Riva S and Itron Riva T IEC electricity meters, for utilities in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.

As the first Itron Gen6 network platform devices available in APAC, the launch marks a significant milestone in its expansion of Grid Edge Intelligence in the region, according to the company in a statement.

Itron senior vice president of Networked Solutions, John Marcolini said the launch was an important step in helping utilities translate awareness into action, with an interoperable and modular architecture designed to preserve technology choice and expand value over time.

The Itron Riva meters provide utilities with a practical starting point to improve visibility across the low-voltage network and respond to the growing impact of distributed energy resources (DERs) with advanced intelligence over time.

Serving as both grid sensors and DER control points, the meters provide utilities with real-time visibility into grid conditions, enabling earlier identification of emerging network faults and constraints, proactive management of growing DERs across the low-voltage network, and optimisation of operational and capital budget allocation.

By extending sensing and intelligence to the grid edge, the Itron Riva meters allow utilities to begin with advanced metering and localised grid awareness and seamlessly expand to distributed intelligence (DI) applications as operational needs evolve, improving grid reliability, resilience and efficiency.

The meters also extend visibility beyond energy consumption data, helping utilities detect voltage fluctuations, transformer loading issues, emerging faults and other network conditions through high-frequency sensing and edge computing capabilities.

Built on open DLMS/COSEM standards and designed to meet International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) requirements, the meters help utilities modernise their infrastructure while maintaining flexibility to integrate with existing and future technologies.

The Itron Riva IEC electricity meter is initially available in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore and is expected to expand to additional APAC countries, helping utilities modernise grid operations and respond to growing network complexity across the region.

-- BERNAMA

Hubei launches tourism routes tailored for overseas visitors

XIANGYANG, China, Sept. 21, 2026 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/--

Central China's Hubei Province has launched five tourism routes tailored for overseas visitors, aiming to turn its rich cultural and natural resources into market-ready inbound tourism products.

The routes were unveiled at the 2026 Hubei Culture and Tourism Development Conference, held Thursday in Xiangyang City. Business-matching activities between local tourism operators and overseas travel agencies were also held during the event.

Known for its profound cultural heritage and diverse landscapes, Hubei has prioritized the integrated development of culture and tourism in recent years. The province received nearly 1 billion tourist visits in 2025, with tourism revenue exceeding 1 trillion yuan.

The five routes include a Yangtze River journey featuring the Three Gorges and Three Kingdoms culture, an ecological tour covering Shennongjia, Wudang Mountain and the Three Gorges, a cultural itinerary linking Jingzhou, Xiangyang and Suizhou, a revolutionary heritage tour of Hong'an and Honghu, and an urban tour of Wuhan.

The itineraries also incorporate local cuisine, intangible cultural heritage activities and emerging urban consumption experiences, offering overseas travelers more convenient access to Hubei's diverse attractions.

Eight themed travel experiences were also introduced, covering world heritage, Yangtze River sightseeing, Jingchu culture, technological innovation, traditional Chinese medicine and wellness, contemporary lifestyles, festivals and seasonal flower viewing.

In recent years, Hubei has worked to tap the inbound tourism market by developing new products, expanding overseas marketing channels, enriching immersive cultural experiences, improving services for international visitors and strengthening tourism exchanges with overseas partners.

A provincial culture and tourism official said the new offerings are expected to provide overseas tour operators with more integrated options and enhance Hubei's appeal as an international cultural tourism destination. 

SOURCE: The 2026 Hubei Culture and Tourism Development Conference 

--BERNAMA 

RobotPlusPlus Raises Series C to Scale Working-at-Height Robots

BEIJING, Sept 17 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RobotPlusPlus (ROBOT++) has closed a Series C round worth hundreds of millions of RMB (tens of millions of USD) to accelerate global expansion and embodied AI development.

Qianggang Capital Fund led the round, joined by GIG Capital Group, Sealand Innovation, and Juntong Capital. Fosun RZ Capital increased its stake.

"The true value of industrial robotics lies in real-world execution," said Dr. Hua-Yang Xu, Founder and CEO of RobotPlusPlus. "Over ten years, we have built special-purpose robots that are genuinely deployable at scale, and this round lets us bring those solutions to more industrial sites around the world."

Taking humans out of dangerous work

Across shipyards, oil-and-gas facilities, wind farms, and building façades, maintenance still puts skilled workers on scaffolding and other hazardous structures. RobotPlusPlus builds robots to handle these dangerous tasks, improving safety and efficiency while allowing professionals to focus on supervision and decision-making.

Its hull derusting robots have been deployed at more than 100 shipyards, with market share above 70%, and have worked on over 10,000 cargo vessels. They improve efficiency five to six times and reduce overall costs by 30% to 50% compared with manual methods.

"The endgame for embodied AI in industry is not the laboratory; it is the most demanding worksites," said Zhang Zhenming, General Manager of Qianggang Capital Fund. "RobotPlusPlus has brought robot fleets to commercial scale and expanded from ship-hull derusting into other demanding industrial applications. We see the potential for a global platform in autonomous industrial operations."

Global Scale, Deep R&D and data advantage

RobotPlusPlus operates across more than 18 countries, with customers and partners including NOSCO Shipyard, Drydocks World, ST Engineering Marine, Saudi Aramco and Vopak.

More than 60% of its workforce is in R&D, with R&D investment above 20% of revenue for three consecutive years. Its robots have accumulated over 2 million operating hours, generating real-world data to strengthen vertical AI models for complex industrial environments.

"We first invested in 2022 and have continued to increase our commitment," said Jin Hualong, chairman of Fosun RZ Capital. "RobotPlusPlus has built deep expertise in special-purpose robotics and marine applications. Its move from individual robots to industrial-grade embodied intelligence and complete system solutions creates strong technical barriers for high-risk industrial environments."

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/431809ea-215c-4d91-8b7c-316755da10a2

Contact RobotPlusPlus: sales@robotplusplus.com 

SOURCE: Robot PlusPlus

--BERNAMA 

LRN LAUNCHES COMPLIANCE POLICY MANAGEMENT SOLUTION

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 17 (Bernama) -- LRN Corporation, a global provider of ethics and compliance solutions, has launched Catalyst Policy, a compliance policy management solution integrated into LRN Catalyst platform.

In a statement, the company said Catalyst Policy enables organisations to manage policy creation, communication and adoption across geographies, languages and regulatory requirements, as artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes governance, risk and compliance requirements.

The solution was developed based on LRN’s work with clients managing global policy governance, including collaboration with Howden Group, a global insurance intermediary. The partnership drew on Howden’s experience in building compliance programmes and ethical cultures.

LRN Chief Executive Officer, Bob Lemmond said Howden’s experience had helped shape Catalyst Policy around the needs of global ethics and compliance teams.

Meanwhile, Howden Group Head of Compliance, Ian Jacob said effective policy lifecycle management was essential to reducing risk, meeting regulatory obligations and ensuring employees understood workplace conduct expectations.

LRN said organisations face growing policy complexity as regulatory requirements, business risks and the deployment of AI-related policies and governance continue to expand, increasing the need for clear oversight, accountability and audit readiness.

Catalyst Policy enables organisations to manage policies through a centralised model, replacing fragmented repositories and manual review and translation processes. Its features include in-platform redlining and track changes such as AI-assisted translations with human review; scoped access for external auditors and reviewers; and evergreen links and an immutable repository.

The solution also connects policy governance with attestations, training, policy access, analytics and behavioural insights within the LRN Catalyst platform.

LRN said its research on ethics and compliance programme effectiveness shows that high-impact programmes integrate data and analytics across ethics and compliance initiatives into day-to-day management. Catalyst Policy forms part of the company’s broader approach to connected governance, behavioural insights and data-driven compliance management.

-- BERNAMA

UNIVAR SOLUTIONS LISTED IN TIME’S BEST COMPANIES FOR FUTURE LEADERS 2026

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 17 (Bernama) -- Univar Solutions LLC (Univar Solutions), a global solutions provider to users of speciality ingredients and chemicals, has been recognised on TIME’s distinguished list of Best Companies for Future Leaders 2026.

Presented in partnership with Statista, an industry data and rankings provider, TIME’s Best Companies for Future Leaders ranking highlights businesses and organisations across the United States that have contributed meaningfully to the journeys of the country's most influential leaders.

Univar Solutions Chief Legal and Administrative Officer Alexandra Colin said the recognition reflects the company’s commitment to building a culture where people can grow, contribute and lead.

“Our success is driven by talented employees who are empowered to make an impact for our customers, communities, and industry, and we are proud to invest in programmes and opportunities that enable our people to develop their careers while advancing our purpose of helping keep communities healthy, fed, clean, and safe,” added Colin in a statement.

Meanwhile, Univar Solutions Chief Human Resources Officer, Ingredients + Specialties, Lamiya Mammadova said the recognition highlights the company’s ongoing commitment to cultivating talent, fostering innovation and creating an environment where people can thrive and achieve their full potential.

This year’s ranking is the result of an extensive analysis of approximately 4,900 leaders from a wide array of fields, including business, government, science, arts and activism. Organisations were recognised for the unique opportunities and impactful professional experiences they provide.

-- BERNAMA