BANGKOK, April 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Lau Yee Wa has been awarded the Grand Prize at the Chommanard International Women’s Literary Award 2026, marking a major milestone as the prize expands from a national to an international platform. Her novel “Tongueless” was selected from more than 70 entries across 13 countries and territories, including ASEAN, Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. The award, presented in collaboration between Bangkok Bank and Praphansarn Publishing, carries a prize of 500,000 baht.

The announcement was made during the Elite Plus Magazine 12th Anniversary Gala Celebration, attended by leading figures in the literary and business communities.

A regional literary platform Eight finalists were shortlisted, representing diverse voices across Asia, including writers from Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Their works explored identity, memory, culture, and social change. Ahead of the awards night, finalists joined cultural programs in Thailand, including a visit to Ayutthaya and a media and publishing tour in Bangkok, aimed at deepening engagement with Thailand’s literary ecosystem.

A voice beyond borders Accepting the award, Lau said she never expected Tongueless—first published in Hong Kong in 2019—to be translated into multiple languages or gain international recognition. She described the novel as a story rooted in Hong Kong’s education system, portraying the struggles of teachers within a rigid, exam-driven environment. Though not intended as a political work, she said it reflects deeper questions about identity, language, and freedom.

Her speech, themed “Deschooling Society for Global Peace,” highlighted the need to rethink education systems and reclaim individual voice and agency.

Five ideas for ‘deschooling’ Lau outlined five reflections, including:

• Reconsidering exam-driven education and allowing children space for curiosity
• Encouraging authentic self-expression beyond “approved” language
• Listening to others with openness rather than judgment
• Supporting alternatives to rigid standards
• Returning learning to real-life experiences and diverse voices

She concluded by pledging to continue her work as a writer as part of a “quiet revolution” to expand freedom of thought. The award underscores the growing role of women’s literature as a force for cultural dialogue and social change across the region.

BEIJING, April 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On March 28, iQIYI, China’s leading online entertainment platform, announced plans to develop iQIYI LAND in Wuhan, Central China’s Hubei province. Set within the Hanyangzao Cultural and Creative Industry Park, the park is the company’s first project integrated into an urban renewal initiative, which positions iQIYI LAND as a new cultural and tourism landmark for the city, combining homegrown IP with technology-driven immersive experiences.

Slated to open in 2027, the park is iQIYI’s fourth theme park development and the first in Central China, in partnership with Wuhan Urban Construction Group. It will bring iQIYI’s most beloved Chinese IPs to life through immersive theaters, immersive experiences, immersive stage performances, iconic film-and-TV scene photo spots, live character interactions, and social games, alongside cultural tourism experiences developed around Wuhan’s local heritage. The result is a destination designed not just to entertain, but to deepen the emotional connection audiences already have with iQIYI’s content.

The announcement reflects a broader shift underway in China’s cultural tourism industry, where content and emotional resonance, rather than just scenery and ticket sales, are becoming the primary draw. “IP and technology are the accelerators of this transition,” said Gong YU, founder and CEO of iQIYI. “Powered by technology, we will use IP as our core thread, delivering emotional value through dramas, animation, and variety shows online, and through theme parks and IP-based consumer products offline.”

Building on the Proven Results of iQIYI LAND Yangzhou

The new iQIYI LAND in Wuhan builds on a strong start at iQIYI LAND Yangzhou, which opened on February 8, 2026, and has since earned ratings above 4.9 out of 5 on Dianping, Meituan, and Ctrip, driven by its blend of drama IP experiences and technology-powered immersion. Recent programs include a costume exhibition featuring wardrobe pieces from iQIYI’s shows such as “Mysterious Lotus Casebook” and “FEUD,” as well as upcoming events including an offline promotional event for other upcoming dramas that turns the shows’ streaming momentum into a physical draw.

iQIYI LAND locations in Beijing, China’s Capital in the north, and Kaifeng, a city in eastern Henan Province in Central China, are currently under construction and expected to open later this year. As the network grows, so does iQIYI’s ability to bring the same stories audiences watch at home into spaces they can physically experience.

Contact: iQIYI Press, press@qiyi.com

BEIJING, April 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Wuxi Tairex Technology Co. Ltd. (“Tairex” or the “Company”) today announced the launch of the Virtual Consultation Room for Tairex Agent Hospital, now open to doctors and medical students.

Built on Tairex Agent Hospital, a virtual medical world centered on AI agents, the new feature provides a scalable environment for simulated clinical training and the development of digital clinical capabilities. With this launch, the Company advances the commercialization of its AI-driven platform and expands its application in real-world clinical scenarios.

Professor Liu Yang, the initiator of Tairex, said: “The launch of the Virtual Consultation Room advances the commercialization of Tairex Agent Hospital. The platform enables scalable clinical training and the replication of medical expertise, supporting improved accessibility and efficiency of digital clinical services.”

Tairex is an incubated company of the Institute for AI Industry Research at Tsinghua University (AIR, THU), initiated by Professor Liu Yang’s team, and focused on the development and large-scale deployment of Tairex Agent Hospital. Backed by Tsinghua AIR, the platform has demonstrated early-stage capabilities in large-scale simulation and clinical reasoning, with AI Doctor Agents supporting diagnosis across more than 1,000 disease types.

As an integrated online-offline system, Tairex Agent Hospital connects supply and demand in clinical service delivery, enabling full-cycle patient management across pre-service, in-service, and post-service stages. The platform features 21 clinical departments populated with large-scale AI Patient Agents, supporting end-to-end clinical workflows including consultation, diagnosis, treatment planning, and follow-up management. It also enables doctors to build personalized AI Doctor Avatars and provides hospitals with deployable and cost-efficient AI-powered medical services.  

The launch of the Virtual Consultation Room reflects a shift toward scalable, AI-enabled clinical capability development and the broader application of digital clinical services. By enabling simulated training and the replication of medical expertise, Tairex Agent Hospital is designed to expand access to clinical resources and improve service efficiency across diverse healthcare settings.

Tairex has completed an angel funding round of nearly RMB 100 million, supported by venture capital firms including Link-X Capital, InnoAngel Fund, and Shangshi Capital.

The Virtual Consultation Room is now open to doctors and medical students worldwide, with plans to support additional languages beyond Chinese and English. Access is available through Tairex’s official channels, including its website (www.tairex.cn), with limited public beta access distributed through partner channels.

Hospitals can establish comprehensive partnerships with Tairex to co-develop AI hospitals. In addition to securing test access in bulk, partners can benefit from customized training environments, specialized AI patients Agents, and other tailored features. Going forward, Tairex plans to provide partner hospitals with access to real-world consultation room modes and related capabilities.

About Wuxi Tairex Technology Co. Ltd. (Tairex)

Tairex is a leading AI-driven clinical technology company incubated by the Institute for AI Industry Research at Tsinghua University (AIR, THU). The Company focuses on advancing digital clinical capabilities through artificial intelligence, aiming to improve the accessibility and efficiency of medical services globally. Tairex integrates interdisciplinary expertise in artificial intelligence, medical research, and digital health innovation. Its core technologies include generative models for disease progression, continuous training for medical agents, and an AI application infrastructure supporting deployment across diverse clinical scenarios.

Its flagship platform, Tairex Agent Hospital, is built on the operational logic of real-world hospitals and serves as a virtual medical world that supports simulation, training, and digital clinical applications.

For more information, please visit: www.tairex.cn

Test account application: https://www.tairex.cn/af 

Log in to experience Tairex Agent Hospital: https://doctor.tairex.cn

For hospital-comprehensive cooperation, please send email to: contact@tairex.cn

SINGAPORE, April 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Tata Power, one of India’s largest integrated power companies and a part of the Tata Group, today announced the enterprise-wide adoption of the Databricks platform to accelerate its data and AI transformation across all business clusters – driving enhanced operational efficiency, smarter decision-making, and scalable digital innovation.

As Tata Power advances its transformation in line with the energy transition – spanning renewable integration, smart grids, and an expanding B2C portfolio – the company is building a future-ready data and AI platform to power its next phase of growth. This unified platform will enable intelligent grid management, advanced power planning and optimisation, improved billing and collection efficiencies, accurate renewable forecasting, and operational excellence across solar manufacturing and rooftop businesses while delivering a seamless, single-view customer experience.

To support this vision, Tata Power is leveraging Databricks to establish a modern data foundation that goes beyond traditional warehouses and fragmented analytics systems. Designed to process data at scale and enable near real-time insights, it will also support advanced analytics, AI and agents – underpinned by the governance and security of the Databricks platform. With Databricks, Tata Power can unify data engineering, analytics, and AI on a single, scalable platform, integrating edge, operational, and enterprise data, eliminating silos, and accelerating insight-led decision-making across the organisation.

A key highlight of this transformation is the adoption of Genie, Databricks’ AI agent that lets any employee talk to their data and get trusted answers instantly. With its natural language interface, Genie redefines how organisations access enterprise data to quickly generate insights, dashboards, and analytics and make better decisions, faster.

Dr Praveer Sinha, CEO & MD, Tata Power said, “This partnership with Databricks marks a key milestone in our journey to build a future-ready, intelligent energy ecosystem. By leveraging the power of data and AI , we are strengthening our digital foundation to drive smarter operations, accelerate renewable integration, and deliver more agile, customer-centric solutions while contributing to a resilient and sustainable power sector.”

Tata Power is reshaping customer energy behaviour across residential, commercial, and industrial segments – an essential lever in accelerating the energy transition. Customers are increasingly evolving into active energy participants, not just consumers, optimising their energy usage while contributing to greater grid flexibility, enhanced efficiency, and a more sustainable energy ecosystem.

“The energy sector is undergoing a profound transformation, and data and AI is at the heart of that change. Together, Databricks and Tata Power are building a unified and scalable platform that brings together data, apps, analytics, and AI agents – enabling faster innovation and more resilient, data-driven energy systems. This empowers Tata Power to optimize energy distribution, and drive smarter, more sustainable decision-making at scale,” said Nick Eayrs, Vice President of Field Engineering for Asia Pacific and Japan at Databricks.

“Tata Power’s decision to standardize on Databricks underscores the growing importance of data and AI in transforming the energy sector. As they build a unified, enterprise-wide platform, we are excited to support their journey toward smarter, more efficient operations. This also reflects the strong momentum we are seeing in India, where enterprises are rapidly scaling AI to drive innovation and measurable outcomes,” said Kamalkanth Tummala, Managing Director for India at Databricks.

Tata Power aims to consolidate enterprise data on the Databricks platform, creating a strong foundation for new initiatives and next-generation AI applications. In the medium term, this future-ready platform will enable self-service analytics, “talk-to-data” capabilities, and the democratisation of data and AI – driving faster, insight-led decision-making across the organisation.

To bring this vision to life, Tata Power will build a robust data infrastructure by leveraging the platform’s capabilities, anchored by its internal Centre of Excellence and strengthened through a strategic partner ecosystem.

About Tata Power
Tata Power, a part of the Tata Group, is one of India’s largest integrated power companies with a diversified portfolio spanning power generation, transmission, distribution, trading, renewable energy, storage solutions, and solar manufacturing. The company has a diversified portfolio of over 16 GW with a rapidly growing share of clean energy and is committed to achieving Net Zero before 2045. To learn more, follow Tata Power on LinkedIn, X, YouTube, and Instagram or visit www.tatapower.com.

About Databricks
Databricks is the Data and AI company. More than 20,000 organizations worldwide — including adidas, AT&T, Bayer, Block, Mastercard, Rivian, Unilever, and over 60% of the Fortune 500 — rely on Databricks to build and scale data and AI apps, analytics and agents. Headquartered in San Francisco with 30+ offices around the globe, Databricks offers a unified platform that includes Lakebase, Genie, Agent Bricks, Lakeflow, Lakehouse, and Unity Catalog. To learn more, follow Databricks on LinkedIn, X, YouTube, and Instagram.

BEIJING, April 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Güntner (www.guntner.com), a leading provider of refrigeration and air conditioning solutions, successfully participated in China Refrigeration 2026 at the Beijing Capital International Convention & Exhibition Center from April 8 to 10. Throughout the three-day event, the Güntner Asia Pacific team welcomed numerous industry partners and visitors at booth A1C79, engaging in meaningful discussions on key industry topics and showcasing the company’s latest advancements in intelligent controls, heat pump technologies, and natural refrigerants.

This year’s exhibition, themed “Empower refrigeration and heat pump with digital intelligence for a new chapter of carbon neutrality,” resonated strongly with Güntner’s strategic vision and sustainability commitments in in the Asia Pacific region.

aicore™ Controls & IoT Solutions: Smarter Cooling and Smoother Operations

Güntner’s aicore™ Controls & IoT Solutions have already been deployed across multiple intelligent refrigeration projects throughout the Asia Pacific region. The platform integrates Güntner’s proven GMMNext controller and GHM water management controller, optimizing energy consumption during operation to enhance overall system efficiency. The newly launched aicore™ Cloud solution adds remote monitoring capabilities, enabling full lifecycle management of Güntner’s outdoor equipment.

“From controllers to IoT solutions, aicore™ is a platform that makes cooling smarter and operations smoother. We’re already seeing many forward-thinking customers adopt the aicore™ Cloud. For them, it’s not just about reducing labor costs—it’s about optimizing system performance through data-driven insights. That means lower energy consumption, longer equipment life, and ultimately, the operational certainty that our customers value most.” Mr. Nguyen Hong Quang, Güntner’s Sales Director for Southeast Asia, Japan, and Korea, shared real-world application examples at the exhibition, demonstrating how aicore™ delivered tangible value across diverse use cases.

Heat Pumps: Driving the Low-Carbon Transition

As the global decarbonization agenda accelerates, heat pump technology is gaining significant traction—particularly in the air-source segment. Güntner showcased its innovations in heat recovery and system efficiency, highlighting the critical role of the heat collector as the front-end component determining overall system performance.

In China, Güntner has advanced multiple heat pump projects in collaboration with local partners. A notable example is the Ordos Zero-Carbon Airport Project, which was successfully completed at the end of 2025. Güntner supplied 18 customized high-performance evaporators for this project, manufactured at its Asia Pacific facility in Indonesia. Each unit delivers 350kW of rated capacity and operates reliably under demanding conditions, with ambient temperatures as low as -12°C and evaporating temperatures reaching -18°C.

“Through close collaboration between our local technical team and our German colleagues, Güntner has built extensive hands-on experience in CO₂ heat pump technology. We’re well-positioned to support more customers on their journey toward a low-carbon future—and we’re always eager to share our expertise with partners across the Asia Pacific region.” Mr. Youde Xiao, General Manager of Greater China, together with his technical team, presented the latest developments and application cases, illustrating how Güntner’s innovations are helping Chinese customers achieve their zero-carbon goals.

Natural Refrigerants: Harnessing Nature for Greater Efficiency

As part of Güntner’s 2030 sustainability commitments, the company is actively transitioning to environmentally friendly refrigerants to reduce its environmental footprint. In recent years, Güntner’s laboratory efforts have focused in particular on the use of natural refrigerants. A considerable amount of work has been carried out to reduce the refrigerant charge required in natural refrigerant systems and to develop new tube geometries.

In Southern Asia—particularly in high-temperature countries like India—rapid growth in the agricultural and food processing industries is driving increasing demand for efficient refrigeration solutions. Systems utilizing natural refrigerants such as ammonia (NH₃) demonstrate clear energy efficiency advantages in these hot-climate applications.

“Güntner is committed to helping customers in the agricultural and food processing sectors reduce operating costs through natural refrigerant technologies. Our product range covers everything from blast freezers and air coolers to evaporators, offering flexible solutions for diverse applications—whether it’s food processing rooms, cold storage facilities, or corridor areas.” Mr. Anuj Bedi, Sales Director for Southern Asia, engaged with visitors at the exhibition, discussing technical details and industry applications, and sharing how Güntner’s natural refrigerant solutions are helping customers across Southern Asia tackle high-temperature challenges.

Güntner remains dedicated to driving industry progress through innovative technologies and sustainable solutions. Its participation in China Refrigeration 2026 provided an invaluable platform to strengthen partnerships, exchange ideas, and explore pathways toward a greener future.

About Güntner

Founded in 1931 and headquartered in Fürstenfeldbruck, Germany, Güntner is a global provider of heat exchange solutions for the refrigeration and air conditioning industry. In the Asia Pacific region, Güntner operates a manufacturing facility in Indonesia and maintains a comprehensive sales and service network across key markets, including China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.