MILAN, April 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — GAC will unveil the European version of the AION UT at its European Premiere on April 13 in Milan, Italy — a city that stands for world-class design, creativity, and craftsmanship, and the natural home for a car that was designed here.

The compact electric hatchback is the second AION model to enter the European market, following the introduction of the AION V last year. With the AION UT, GAC is targeting the heart of the European market: urban customers who need a car that fits their city without compromising on what’s inside.

Expect More

The AION UT is built around a simple promise: Expect More. More design, more space, more range — in a footprint made for European cities. At just 4,300 mm in length, with a 2,750 mm wheelbase optimised for urban agility, AION UT delivers one of the biggest interiors in its segment, proving that compact on the outside doesn’t mean compromise on the inside.

Designed in Milan. Assembled in Austria.

The European version of AION UT was designed at GAC’s European Advanced Design Center in Milan, engineered through the company’s global R&D network spanning three countries and five regions, and is assembled locally at Magna International’s facility in Graz, Austria, where series production officially began on March 18, 2026.

Local assembly is central to GAC’s European strategy. Under the guiding principle “In Europe, for Europe,” the company has established manufacturing in Austria, a parts and logistics centre in Rotterdam, and commercial operations in Amsterdam.

The AION UT European Premiere will take place on April 13, 2026 in Milan.

AION UT

AION UT is an electric hatchback with a 2,750 mm wheelbase, offering one of the biggest interior spaces in the segment. With a range of up to 430 km (WLTP) and fast charging from 30–80% in just 24 minutes (DC charging), AION UT is designed for confident everyday use across Europe.

About GAC

Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Guangzhou, GAC Group has been listed in the Fortune Global 500 for 13 consecutive years. With comprehensive R&D and manufacturing capabilities, and brands including GAC, AION and HYPTEC, GAC Group is dedicated to intelligent, high-quality, and sustainable mobility.

For further information about GAC, please visit: https://www.gacgroup.com/en or follow us on social.

A proven favorite among 500,000+ pool owners gets even smarter, more efficient, and easier to use

ATLANTA, Ga., April 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As April marks the start of pool opening season, homeowners everywhere are stepping outside, pulling back pool covers, and getting ready for long, sun-filled days ahead. Aiper, the world’s No.1 smart robotic pool cleaner brand ^[1] and leader in smart yard innovation, is celebrating one of its most successful products, the award-winning Scuba S1, with new upgrades designed to make pool care even easier, more reliable, and more enjoyable.

Since its launch in 2024, the Scuba S1 has become a proven favorite, trusted by more than 500,000 pool owners worldwide and backed by over 10,000 top-rated reviews. For many, it has transformed pool maintenance from a time-consuming chore into something that runs effortlessly in the background. Now, with thoughtful enhancements, the Scuba S1 continues to deliver on Aiper’s promise of neat, reliable, and carefree living, all at an accessible price point that makes smart pool care more attainable.

For pool owners, opening the pool is often the biggest hurdle of the season. From clearing debris to balancing water and getting everything swim-ready, it can feel like a full-day project. Aiper recognizes that reality and offers simple, practical guidance to make the process smoother, including tips on removing buildup, checking systems, and ensuring water is ready for use. With the Scuba S1, that process becomes significantly easier, helping owners go from “opening day” to “first swim” faster. For more tips on How to Open a Pool visit the Aiper blog here: https://blogs.aiper.com/us/how-to-open-a-pool/.

The Scuba S1 effortlessly fits into everyday routines. With one-click activation, pool owners can simply drop it in and let it get to work, no messy cords or complicated setup required. Its lightweight design makes it easy to handle, while smart app control gives users the flexibility to manage cleaning on their own schedule, whether they are prepping for a weekend gathering or just maintaining a clean, ready-to-use pool throughout the season.

The latest OTA upgrades take that ease even further. A new weekly custom cleaning plan allows owners to set it and forget it, ensuring their pool stays consistently clean without constant attention. Enhanced Eco Mode extends runtime up to four hours, making it ideal for maintaining cleanliness with less energy use over time. Optimized Adaptive Path Planning improves how the cleaner navigates the pool, covering more ground efficiently so no area is missed, while expanded shallow-area cleaning ensures even hard-to-reach spaces get the attention they need. With MicroMesh™ multi-layer filtration, the Scuba S1 captures everything from large debris to fine particles, leaving water visibly clearer and more inviting.

“Scuba S1 has become a favorite for a reason. It’s a product our customers trust to deliver exactly what they want, which is a clean pool without the hassle,” said Richard Wang, CEO of Aiper. “What excites us most is how this product fits into real life. It gives people more time to enjoy their pool instead of maintaining it, and these new upgrades are all about making that experience even more seamless and reliable.”

“I’ve been using Aiper Scuba S1 for about a year now and I can honestly say it’s been one of my favorite purchases for my pool. It made my pool maintenance experience so much easier! No hose, no extra setup, just charge it and ready to go. It does a really good job cleaning and is easy to clean after use. Another reason I’m impressed was the customer service, which made the purchase feel even more worthwhile. I genuinely think Aiper Scuba S1 is worth the investment,” according to Nadine Wijaya, a Scuba S1 user from California.

A high-value, budget-friendly option within Aiper’s cordless robotic pool cleaner lineup, the Scuba S1 continues to stand out. Its combination of proven performance, thoughtful design, and strong customer trust reinforces its place as one of the most dependable choices for pool owners today.

As pool season begins, the upgraded Scuba S1 offers a simple promise: less time cleaning, more time enjoying, and is available at a discounted price of $579.99 on Aiper.com and Amazon.com.

For more information, visit Aiper.com or follow Aiper on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X.

About Aiper

Aiper is the No.1 smart robotic pool cleaner brand and a leader in reliable, intelligent solutions for the smart yard ecosystem. From crystal-clear pools to balanced water and smarter irrigation, Aiper’s ecosystem simplifies care across your entire yard. Trusted by more than 3 million users worldwide, Aiper is available in over 7,000 stores across 50+ countries and regions. Renowned for excellence, Aiper products have earned prestigious honors including the Red Dot Design Award, the iF Design Award, and editorial awards from USA Today and TWICE, and have been recognized as a CES Innovation Awards Honoree from 2023 through 2026. Driven by smart automation, adaptive AI, and sustainable design, Aiper delivers a truly carefree experience, giving you more time to enjoy life’s best moments.

Media Contact:
Eva Li
eva.li@aiper.com 

Phygital International opens host city bidding, inviting cities to take a leading role in the future of sport as phygital competition continues to grow worldwide. 

Click here to watch the video

DUBAI, UAE, April 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Phygital International (PI), the global promoter of phygital sports and rights holder of the Games of the Future, has officially opened the bidding process for host cities for the 2028, 2029 and 2030 editions of the Games of the Future, the world’s leading phygital sports event.

Phygital Football winners at GOTF 2025

Blending immersive digital gameplay with real-world physical competition, the Games of the Future is a global platform designed to re-engage the digital generation with physical activity and sport. At its core, the event uses phygital disciplines to bridge the gap between virtual and traditional sport – motivating young audiences to move from screens into active participation, and fostering long-term engagement with healthy, active lifestyles.

For host cities, the Games represent a strategic tool to strengthen grassroots and elite sports ecosystems, increase youth participation in physical activity, and promote public health outcomes. At the same time, the event accelerates innovation agendas by integrating advanced technologies, digital platforms, and next-generation entertainment formats – positioning host cities as leaders at the intersection of sport, technology, and youth culture.

Interested cities and organizations are invited to participate in a competitive international process to host one of the fastest-growing global sporting events, with the first milestone requiring the submission of a Letter of Intent by 1 July 2026. Bidding cities must secure early endorsement from a relevant governmental or official authority, with further requirements and timelines to be shared as the process progresses.

The opening of the bidding process follows the recent success of the Games of the Future 2025 in Abu Dhabi, UAE, which brought together more than 40,000 spectators on-site and delivered significant global reach and engagement. According to an independent IPSOS report, the event generated 461 million broadcast views, with 137 million unique viewers and 59 million hours of watch time, alongside a further 388 million views across social media platforms.

This level of engagement positions the Games of the Future alongside established international competitions, underlining both the scale of its global audience and the accelerating momentum of the phygital movement. It also highlights the event’s strong appeal to a young and highly engaged demographic, with 90% of viewers aged between 18–34.

With momentum continuing into the Games of the Future 2026, set to be held in Astana, Kazakhstan, from 29 July to 9 August, and strong interest already demonstrated in the ongoing 2027 host city selection process – including bids from  Brazil, Serbia and Uzbekistan – the opening of bids for 2028–2030 further reinforces the rapid international expansion of phygital sport.

“Hosting the Games of the Future offers more than a global event; it provides a platform to drive youth engagement, accelerate digital transformation and strengthen international visibility through sport and technology,” said John Hewitt, International Marketing & Communications Director at Phygital International. “”Building on the success of Abu Dhabi and ahead of Astana this summer, we are inviting ambitious cities to help shape the next chapter of this global movement. We are seeking partner cities with the vision, infrastructure and commitment to deliver an edition of the Games that reflects local culture while contributing to the evolution of sport.”

Each edition brings together elite athletes across multiple phygital disciplines, combining physical sport and gaming within a single format. City-wide fan zones, innovation showcases and community activations extend the experience beyond traditional venues and audiences, delivering tangible benefits for host cities across tourism, investment and youth engagement.

Stephane Timpano, CEO of ASPIRE and member of the Local Organising Committee for the Games of the Future Abu Dhabi 2025, said: “Hosting the Games of the Future Abu Dhabi 2025 showed that sport is no longer just physical competition, it is where digital capability and human performance converge. Bringing together around 850 competitors from more than 60 nations, the event accelerated youth engagement in high-growth sectors such as gaming, AI and robotics, while creating a global platform for industry collaboration. In doing so, it established Abu Dhabi as a credible benchmark for how future host cities can translate this format into economic impact and technological advancement.”

Host cities are selected through a competitive international bidding process, assessed against a comprehensive set of criteria including infrastructure readiness, delivery capability, digital innovation, legacy planning, community engagement and alignment with the values of phygital sport.

All bids are evaluated by an independent expert committee convened by Phygital International, bringing together specialists from sport, technology, event delivery and governance to ensure a transparent, robust and merit-based selection process.

For more information on hosting the Games of the Future from 2028 onwards, visit phygitalinternational.com or contact team@phygitalinternational.com.

Notes to Editors:

About Phygital International (PI):

Phygital International is the promoter of phygital sports globally and is focused on innovating and redefining sports. It is the custodian and rights holder of the Games of the Future and oversees the bidding process for each host city.

For further information please visit https://Phygitalinternational.com or contact us at: press@phygitalinternational.com

About the Games of the Future (GOTF):

The Games of the Future is an annual international event that fuses the worlds of physical and digital and is the pinnacle of phygital sport. The tournament brings together the next generation of phygital sporting heroes from all over the world to compete in a diverse range of phygital disciplines and challenges. The Games of the Future 2025 were held in Abu Dhabi while the Games of the Future 2026, will be held in Astana.

For more information please visit: https://gofuture.games/

MOBAMobile.MLBB winners at GOTF 2025

Acquisition adds identity and device management to Remote, moving toward one system for every global team

SAN FRANCISCO, April 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Remote, the leading global employment operating system, today announced the acquisition of Bravas, a French software company specializing in identity and device management. The acquisition will bring best-in-class identity and device management to the Remote platform, extending Remote’s vision of a single system that manages the full employee lifecycle for teams operating anywhere in the world.

Remote is the platform companies trust for employment, payroll, and compliance, across every market they want to grow. To date, equipping an international team to be productive has required a separate stack of tools, vendors, and local IT expertise. Bravas, co-founded by François-Xavier Signori, Yoann Gini, and Olivier Gaudéchoux, unifies identity and device management to make IT invisible to employees and automatic for the teams running it, with data security and compliance built in. As Bravas becomes part of Remote, Remote customers will gain a stronger foundation for managing the full employee lifecycle from a single place, built on the global infrastructure and expertise they already rely on. For Bravas customers, joining Remote means faster product development and the confidence that comes with being backed by infrastructure built for enterprise scale.

The acquisition readies Remote customers for the workforce of today and also tomorrow. As AI agents and automated workflows take on a larger role in how companies operate, the identity layer that governs access becomes more critical and complex. Bravas is built on the open standards the industry is aligning on, ensuring Remote customers will have the infrastructure to manage every identity in their business as the landscape evolves.

“Global teams are becoming the default, not the exception, and the tools supporting them have to keep pace. The team at Bravas has built device and identity technology that meets the demands of international teams today while also being ready for what comes next,” said Job van der Voort, co-founder and CEO of Remote. “Our vision has always been that Remote is the single system that makes global teams work. Bravas brings us closer to that.”

“We built Bravas for the companies operating at the frontier of global work, where the stakes around device security, identity, access, and compliance are highest,” said François-Xavier Signori, CEO of Bravas. “Remote has built that same rigor into its global employment infrastructure, and together we can keep raising the bar for what global teams can expect from their platforms.”

Bravas is Remote’s third acquisition addressing a dimension of the modern employee lifecycle, joining Easop for equity incentive management and Atlas for global spend management. Each has expanded what Remote customers can do without adding complexity to how they work, reflecting Remote’s commitment to being the single platform global teams rely on to scale, so they can focus on building their business rather than managing the tools behind it.

To sign up or learn more about Remote, visit remote.com. And, to learn more about Bravas as the newest tool in Remote’s toolbox, visit https://www.bravas.io.

About Remote: Talent is everywhere, opportunity should be too. Remote’s mission is to create opportunity everywhere by making it simple for companies to find, hire, manage, and pay teams anywhere. Founded in 2019 by Job van der Voort and Marcelo Lebre, Remote combines deep local expertise with a unified platform built for compliance, security, and ease of use. Remote is backed by leading investors including SoftBank, Accel, Sequoia, Index Ventures, Two Sigma Ventures, General Catalyst, and B Capital.

About Bravas: Bravas is a unified IT management platform that brings global identity and device management together in a single solution. Founded in 2021, Bravas makes IT invisible to employees and automatic for the teams running it, enabling seamless, secure access across devices and applications without requiring dedicated IT expertise.

INDIANAPOLIS, April 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — IMG (International Medical Group) is excited to highlight the success of its 2026 corporate service trip with School the World, a nonprofit organization focused on providing access to quality education in Central America. As part of its sponsorship with School the World, IMG sent seven employees on a week-long service trip to Guatemala to help build a new school and playground.

“Supporting School the World through corporate service trips each year gives our employees the opportunity to make a tangible, lasting impact,” said Josh Stoffel, IMG Chief Human Resources Officer. “These experiences allow our employees to contribute to something bigger than themselves, and we are proud to be a continued sponsor of an organization that aligns so closely with IMG’s values.”

During the service trip, participants assisted in mixing and pouring cement for the school’s flooring and helped paint the school and its playground equipment. The finished project was dedicated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and celebration at the end of the week. Additionally, the team connected with the community by playing with students at recess and visiting local homes.

IMG selected employees to go on the trip based on applications submitted via written essay or video. Each applicant responded to the following question:

“How will this experience help you better understand what it’s like to ‘Be There’ for our clients?”

“The simple joy reflected on the faces of the children, teachers, and parents left me with a completely different lens on life,” said Tamika Pepper, IMG Director of Sales Operations. “Watching the children dash excitedly toward their new playground was especially moving, and in that moment, I truly understood what ‘Being There’ is all about.”

The 2026 trip marks the seventh time that IMG has participated in a School the World corporate service trip. To learn more about IMG’s social good initiatives, visit https://www.imglobal.com/social-responsibility. For more information about School the World, visit https://schooltheworld.org/.

About IMG® (International Medical Group®)
IMG® (International Medical Group®), a SiriusPoint company, is an award-winning global insurance benefits and assistance services company that has served millions of members worldwide since its founding in 1990. The preeminent provider of travel and health safety solutions, IMG offers a wide range of insurance programs, including international private medical insurance, travel medical insurance, and travel insurance, as well as enterprise services, including insurance administrative services and 24/7 emergency medical, security, and travel assistance. IMG’s world-class services, combined with an extensive product portfolio, provide Global Peace of Mind® for travelers, students, missionaries, marine crews, and other individuals or groups traveling, working, or living away from home. For more information, please visit www.imglobal.com.

About School the World
Our mission is to solve extreme poverty through the power of education. We believe that by working together we can create a world where every child has the quality education they deserve. That is why we work both on the ground in poverty-stricken communities who have little to no access to education, as well as right here in the U.S., providing students, families, and companies the opportunity to create change. Our strategy is to work at the grassroots level, organizing communities around education from early childhood through adolescence. Our Service Program amplifies our impact at home & abroad. Everyone, working together, towards making our world a more just place. Learn more at www.schooltheworld.org.

Media Contact: Carly Kessler, IMG Communications Manager, carly.kessler@imglobal.com

Veteran enterprise software leader brings 25+ years of experience scaling high-growth infrastructure and security companies

TAMPA BAY, Fla., April 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ —  Devicie, a leader in automated device management for Microsoft environments, today announced the appointment of Alex Hesterberg as Chief Executive Officer. Based in the United States, Hesterberg will lead the company’s next phase of growth, with a focus on expanding Devicie’s presence in North America and scaling its go-to-market operations globally.

Hesterberg brings more than 25 years of experience across infrastructure, security and cloud technologies, with executive leadership roles spanning strategy, customer success, operations and sales. He most recently served as CEO of Superna and previously held senior leadership positions at Delphix, Turbonomic, Pure Storage, Riverbed, Symantec and Veritas. Hesterberg is also a Board Advisor for Beryllium InfoSec and serves on the Board of the Soi Dog Foundation.

“Devicie is addressing a complex reality for organizations trying to secure and manage distributed, heterogenous device environments,” said Hesterberg. “Devicie operates at the intersection of the three biggest challenge areas for device management teams today: Application Management, Security and Compliance.  The Devicie platform simplifies and automates thousands of tasks and operations across these functions, continuously.  As a result, our customers greatly reduce manual work, improve end user experience, close security gaps and gain better visibility across their environment. Devicie has built a strong foundation, and I am excited to help accelerate its next phase of growth.”

The appointment comes at a pivotal time for Devicie as organizations look for simpler, more scalable ways to manage modern endpoints across users, devices, applications and policies. Devicie helps organizations reduce manual effort and improve outcomes by automating the ongoing work required to keep Microsoft environments secure, compliant and running smoothly.

In 2025, Devicie was recognized as a finalist for the Microsoft for Startups Partner of the Year Award and as a Microsoft Security Excellence Awards finalist for Secure Access Trailblazer. These recognitions reflect the company’s continued momentum and close alignment with Microsoft technologies.

Hesterberg is Devicie’s first U.S.-based CEO, underscoring the company’s commitment to expanding its presence in one of its largest and fastest-growing markets. Under his leadership, Devicie will continue to invest in product innovation, partner ecosystem development and customer success to help organizations simplify device management at scale.

About Devicie

Device management that just works | across every platform | for every application | with simpler compliance

Devicie helps organizations simplify device management across Microsoft environments through automation, consistency, and visibility. By reducing manual effort across configuration, application management, compliance, and ongoing maintenance, Devicie helps IT teams improve security outcomes, support end-user productivity, and scale with greater confidence.

Learn more at www.devicie.com.

For more information, press only:

Miluse Vejdani, Head of Global Marketing, +1 (617) 640-3802, Miluse.vejdani@devicie.com