General News

Ultra-Cyclist Launches 10,000-Mile 'Ride the Nation' With NewForm

Boston – September 16, 2026 -- Ultra-endurance cyclist Jack Thompson departed Boston today on a 10,000-mile, 60-day ride across all 48 contiguous U.S. states, partnering with national sobriety and mental health platform NewForm to document how American communities are building recovery and connection networks.

Thompson's 60-day route spans the continental U.S. before ending in Santa Cruz

The journey, dubbed "Ride the Nation," is scheduled to conclude around November 13 in Santa Cruz, California. Thompson will stop in communities nationwide to meet recovery groups, schools, local leaders and individuals navigating addiction, sobriety and mental health challenges.

Vanguard Ranks Third in Retirement Plan Website Experience

Valley Forge, Pa. – September 16, 2026 -- Vanguard ranked third among 17 retirement plan providers for website experience and fourth for mobile app experience in the JD Power 2026 U.S. Retirement Plan Digital Experience Study, with both channels scoring above industry averages.

Vanguard outperforms industry average across all four measured categories

The firm scored above the industry benchmark in design, system performance, information and content, and tools and capabilities, according to the study, which surveyed more than 6,500 retirement plan participants between May and July 2026. JD Power evaluated the 17 providers on a 1,000-point scale and, for the first time, ranked mobile applications and websites separately.

Federal Contract Cycles Nearly Double Global Benchmark, Report Finds

Reston, Va. – September 16, 2026 -- Federal acquisition organizations report contract cycle times nearly twice the global benchmark for lower-complexity acquisitions, according to the 2026 US Government Benchmark Report released by the Commerce & Contract Management Institute (CCM Institute).

Federal workers report higher resilience despite structural delays

The study, based on responses from more than 500 federal acquisition professionals and industry suppliers, found federal respondents scoring 5.0 on workforce resilience and 4.6 on adaptability, outperforming global benchmarks of 4.8 and 4.2 respectively. Yet 66 percent of respondents cited ongoing uncertainty and 64 percent cited operational workload as major barriers to organizational agility.

Central Park Bangkok Hits 25M Visits, Launches Global Expansion Push

Bangkok – September 16, 2026 -- Central Pattana's Central Park Shopping Centre logged more than 25 million visits in its first year of operation, including over 10 million from international tourists, ranking the property among the top-tier performers in the developer's retail portfolio.

Central Park Bangkok marks first anniversary with new global brand strategy

To mark the milestone, Central Pattana unveiled "Bangkok's World Stage,

Saudi Arabia Nominates Dr Hanan Balkhy for WHO Director-General

Riyadh – September 16, 2026 -- Dr Hanan H. Balkhy, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, has launched her candidacy for WHO Director-General after being nominated by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, pledging to build "a WHO the world can count on."

Saudi Arabia backs a 30-year public health veteran for WHO's top post

Dr Balkhy, trained in Saudi Arabia and the United States, has spent more than three decades in clinical medicine, academic research and international public health leadership. She currently oversees WHO operations across 22 Member States and more than 750 million people as Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, and previously served as WHO's first Assistant Director-General for Antimicrobial Resistance and as a member of the Organization's Global Policy Group.

First Mining Reports High-Grade Gold Hits at Duparquet's Miroir Zone

Vancouver – September 16, 2026 -- First Mining Gold Corp. (TSX: FF; OTCQX: FFMGF; FRANKFURT: FMG) has reported new high-grade gold intercepts from its 2026 drilling program at the Miroir target within the Duparquet Gold Project in Quebec's Abitibi region, extending the known mineralized strike length to approximately 220 metres from 150 metres in 2025.

Drill hole DUP26-093 returns 5.26 g/t gold over 19.55 metres

The intercept, from 182.0 m to 201.55 m depth, included 7.58 g/t Au over 12.95 m and a higher-grade section of 21.80 g/t Au over 1.0 m. Drill hole DUP26-096 returned 3.43 g/t Au over 28.0 m from 234.35 m to 262.35 m, including 10.36 g/t Au over 7.2 m, plus a secondary zone of 2.99 g/t Au over 4.6 m and 4.90 g/t Au over 2.7 m.

dpa to Livestream EUconomy Closing Event on EU Cohesion Policy

Berlin – – September 16, 2026 -- dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur will livestream the closing event of EUconomy - Partnerships4Prosperity on September 16, 2026, at 18:30 CEST via LinkedIn, marking the conclusion of a 12-month media initiative co-financed by the European Union.

Event documents EU-funded cross-border projects across five German border regions

EUconomy - Partnerships4Prosperity, produced by dpa-Custom Content, has tracked EU-backed cross-border initiatives in German border regions adjoining Austria, Poland, Czech Republic, France and Denmark. The project distributed multilingual journalistic content packages -- including video, images and social media material -- free of charge to media outlets in Germany and beyond, illustrating how EU cohesion policy and Interreg funding drive regional development, sustainability, innovation, job creation and professional training.

Digital Literacy Gap Leaves 3.1 Billion Offline, Report Finds $3.5T GDP Stake

Paris – September 16, 2026 -- More than one in three people, or 38%, remain offline despite living within mobile broadband coverage zones, according to a new report from GSMA Intelligence produced in collaboration with Huawei and unveiled at UNESCO's Digital Learning Week. The report, titled "Bridging the Divide: Enhancing Digital Literacy in the AI Era," attributes the gap to shortfalls in digital skills, user trust and AI literacy affecting 3.1 billion people worldwide.

Physical network coverage has outpaced actual usage

Mobile broadband infrastructure now physically reaches 96% of the global population, the report states, yet usage lags far behind due to capability barriers rather than access constraints. Closing this capability gap could add approximately $3.5 trillion to global GDP by 2030, with more than 90% of those gains projected to flow to low- and middle-income countries.

CSTS, ShanKai Sports Launch Joint Venture in Sports Hospitality

New York and Hong Kong – September 16, 2026 -- CSTS Enterprises and ShanKai Sports have formed CSTS Hospitality, a joint venture targeting premium sports hospitality and event experiences across Asia and global markets, tied to properties including FIFA World Cup 2026 and UEFA EURO 2028.

New venture combines CSTS global reach with ShanKai's China market access

The joint venture pairs CSTS Enterprises' capabilities in international sports, entertainment, travel technology and experiential marketing with ShanKai Sports' hospitality expertise in China, including sponsorship development and talent management. ShanKai Sports, founded in 2009, is one of China's leading international sports management firms, offering sponsorship, hospitality, sports travel, event operations, media and consulting services.

Shenyang Hosts BMW-Backed Friendship Football Tournament for Expats

Shenyang – September 16, 2026 -- Shenyang's municipal government staged the fourth edition of its "Hello, Shenyang" international friendship football tournament on September 5 at Shenyang University, drawing four teams including a BMW elite squad in a city-led push to court foreign talent and residents.

BMW Elite Squad Faces Three Student and School Teams On The Pitch

Four teams competed in the tournament: an elite team fielded by BMW, international student sides from Shenyang University and Shenyang Medical University, and a youth team from Shenyang Huimin Senior High School. Organizers described the matches as competitive, with strong teamwork among players of different nationalities.