Shanghai – September 24, 2026 -- Pearson has warned that early-career workers in skilled trade, technical and service occupations are entering the workforce without the AI literacy, human skills and hands-on experience employers now require simultaneously. The findings come from a new report, "For Every Future: Preparing Early-Career Skilled Trade, Technical and Service Talent for an AI-Infused World," launched at the WorldSkills International Conference 2026 in Shanghai.

Howell, Mich. – September 23, 2026 -- Ninety-one percent of U.S. wholesale Christmas tree growers plan to hold or lower prices for the 2026 season, up from 84% a year earlier, according to the Real Christmas Tree Board's fifth annual grower survey.

Delray Beach – September 22, 2026 -- The global modular data center market is projected to grow from $41.0 billion in 2026 to $93.6 billion by 2031, expanding at a compound annual growth rate of 18.0%, according to a new MarketsandMarkets report. The market stood at $34.9 billion in 2025, underscoring an accelerating pace of adoption driven by AI workloads and cloud infrastructure buildouts.

Hyderabad – September 21, 2026 -- The global soybean oil market is set to expand from $43.87 billion in 2026 to $57.66 billion by 2031, a 5.62% compound annual growth rate, according to Mordor Intelligence. Renewable diesel mandates and the EU Deforestation Regulation are reshaping demand and sourcing patterns across the value chain, while new crushing capacity in Brazil and Argentina offsets slower North American expansion.

Singapore – September 21, 2026 -- Seoul has emerged as the top overseas holiday destination worldwide for this year's Golden Week, recording a 91% year-on-year jump in international flight bookings, according to new data from Trip.com Group. Chinese travellers are combining Golden Week with the Mid-Autumn Festival into a 13-day break by taking three additional days off, with outbound departures expected to spike as early as September 25 and average trip lengths exceeding nine days.

Beijing – September 19, 2026 -- iQIYI's smart TV application, QIYIGuo TV, recorded 141 million monthly active devices in June 2026, leading China's connected-TV market as long-form video consumption shifts decisively to the big screen.

China's smart TV base expands to 302 million active devices

QuestMobile data shows active smart TV devices in China reached 302 million in June 2026, up 12.04 million year-over-year. QIYIGuo TV posted 50.42 million daily active devices that month, edging past the 45.14 million daily active users on iQIYI's mobile app.

Las Vegas – September 19, 2026 -- The paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) market across the seven major markets was valued at approximately $1.5 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 7.1% through 2036, according to DelveInsight.

Franklin, Tenn. – September 18, 2026 -- Copper prices have surged past $6 per pound just months after crossing the once-unprecedented $5 threshold, forcing commercial construction teams to rebuild how they price and manage electrical scope, according to new analysis from Josh Vogel, CFO at bimetallic wire and cable manufacturer Copperweld.

Athens – September 18, 2026 -- Europe could save €10 billion in electricity grid investment by 2030 through smarter management of EV charging, according to a new study commissioned by EIT Urban Mobility, ChargeUp Europe and ACEA, and conducted by Siemens.

Stockholm – – September 17, 2026 -- Sweden's regulated online gambling market generated an estimated €2.5 billion in annual revenue, with operators facing a 22% tax on gross gaming revenue (GGR), according to Bettingbladet's newly released Swedish Online Gambling Market Report H1 2026. The report tracks operator performance, supplier market shares, payment methods and return-to-player (RTP) levels across Sweden's licensed market during the first half of the year.