News

Point Pleasant, N.J. – September 30, 2026 -- Paladone WeCool has appointed Matthew Lauderbach as Product Development Director, bringing more than 25 years of toy design experience to the company's US operations.

Lauderbach brings leadership experience from Fisher-Price, Spin Master and Just Play

Lauderbach's career spans leadership roles at Fisher-Price, Spin Master, Skip Hop and Just Play, with expertise covering concept creation, design management, engineering and commercialization.

Executive says he was already a fan of the Compound Kings and iLY Sticker Maker lines

In his new role, Lauderbach said he had admired Paladone WeCool's product range prior to joining, citing the Compound Kings and iLY Sticker Maker product lines as examples of the company's approach to hands-on play.

United States – – September 30, 2026 -- Smart Shooter has secured a new contract from the U.S. Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF-401) under a framework valued at up to $150 million for future delivery orders, expanding the company's footprint in the U.S. counter-drone market.

Contract Supports Domestic Shield Program Against Drone Threats

The award backs JIATF-401's Domestic Shield Program and related global missions, covering force protection, base defense, and counter-UAS requirements both domestically and overseas. Scope includes hardware, software updates, training, and support services, with the volume and timing of future orders set through individual delivery orders.

Stockholm – – September 30, 2026 -- EQT Foundation has committed more than EUR 1 million to 11 research projects across 10 institutions aimed at solving one of neuroscience's most persistent commercial barriers: getting therapeutics past the blood-brain barrier and into the central nervous system.

Eleven projects target the blood-brain barrier from different scientific angles

The funded research spans engineered biological carriers, molecular shuttles, gene therapy vectors, nanoparticles and AI-designed delivery technologies. Institutions involved are located in the Netherlands, Belgium, the United States and Canada, with initial disease applications including brain cancer, ALS and rare genetic disorders.

Redmond, Wash. – September 30, 2026 -- Halfpricesoft.com has added mid-year payroll accommodation features to its ezPaycheck software, allowing accountants and small businesses to move payroll in-house at any point in the calendar year without losing historical data.

ezPaycheck now imports year-to-date payroll history for mid-year switches

The update lets users input current-year tax and wage data directly, preserving accurate quarterly and annual reporting for businesses that previously relied on outsourced payroll providers. Halfpricesoft.com designed the feature for single-location businesses as well as multi-client accounting practices managing several payrolls simultaneously.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wiesbaden – – September 30, 2026 -- Panasonic has launched the TOUGHBOOK G3, a rugged tablet delivering a 39% increase in battery life over its predecessor, the G2mk3, targeting field workers in defence, emergency services, utilities, logistics and manufacturing.

New battery architecture offers up to 24 hours of runtime per charge

The G3 introduces a modular battery system with three interchangeable options rated at 8.5, 17 and 24 hours of usage, based on MobileMark 30 benchmark testing. Its top-tier 99Wh battery is the largest capacity unit fitted to any TOUGHBOOK device to date. An optional 'bridge' battery enables hot-swapping, allowing users to replace power packs without powering down the tablet during extended shifts.

London – September 30, 2026 -- Clarenta Group has taken a majority stake in Leads To Development (L2D), a Paris-based preclinical and regulatory consultancy, expanding its reach into early-stage drug development ahead of first-in-human trials.

Clarenta adds non-clinical and manufacturing expertise to its clinical development platform

L2D specializes in defining development pathways, assessing preclinical evidence, troubleshooting manufacturing processes, and building regulatory strategies for biotech and pharmaceutical sponsors. The addition connects this early-stage scientific work directly to Clarenta's existing Early Phase Unit and clinical consulting capabilities.

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

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

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

London – – September 30, 2026 -- Norge Mining Limited has entered a strategic partnership with GEM Global Yield LLC SCS, part of the $3.4 billion alternative investment group Global Emerging Markets, securing a share subscription facility of up to $125 million that activates only once the company completes a public listing.

GEM commits $125 million facility contingent on Norge Mining's stock market debut

The facility is designed to form part of a broader funding strategy as Norge Mining works to advance both upstream and downstream projects toward Final Investment Decisions. More than $100 million has already been invested in the company's development, covering exploration, resource definition and technical studies, and its upstream Pre-Feasibility Study has now been completed.