Stockholm – October 05, 2026 -- Europe's water utilities currently invest roughly €52.5 billion annually in drinking-water and wastewater infrastructure, yet the European Commission estimates an annual funding gap of around €23 billion, according to a new Urban Insight report from engineering and consultancy firm Sweco.

Delray Beach, Fla. – September 28, 2026 -- The global smart shopping cart market is projected to grow from $0.59 billion in 2026 to $1.65 billion by 2032, a compound annual growth rate of 18.7%, according to new data from MarketsandMarkets. The market stood at $0.33 billion in 2025, reflecting near-doubling growth in a single year as retailers accelerate deployment of AI-enabled carts to automate checkout and deepen in-store digital engagement.

Pune, India – September 25, 2026 -- The global AI in Clinical Trials Market is set to more than triple from USD 2 billion in 2025 to USD 7.32 billion by 2034, expanding at a 15.5% compound annual growth rate, according to Maximize Market Research.

Pune, India – September 24, 2026 -- The global placenta market is set to nearly triple from USD 96.1 billion in 2025 to USD 275.18 billion by 2034, expanding at a 12.4% compound annual growth rate, according to a new analysis by Maximize Market Research.

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.