Author: News Room

Swiss asset manager Mars Capital Advisors anchors facility targeting Brazil’s $100B credit card receivables market, brought onchain via Plume Network. DELAWARE CITY, Del., Jan. 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BlackOpal, LATAM’s emerging global payments finance platform, today announced the launch of GemStone, its flagship institutional product in tokenized Brazilian credit card receivables. The launch is backed by a US$200 million, three-year anchor facility structured by Mars Capital Advisors, a Swiss-based firm specializing in working capital with approximately $2 billion in assets under advisory and is deployed on BlackOpal’s tokenization partner, Plume, the leading RWA blockchain powering real-world yield. The launch…

Business owners in Kelowna, B.C., say they’re cautiously hopeful, but skeptical, after the city announced new measures to address ongoing concerns around crime and public disorder in the downtown core. After months of calling for action, the City of Kelowna says it’s increasing RCMP and bylaw patrols, launching a mobile mental health response program aimed at freeing up police officers, and planning a business forum in the coming weeks.For some, however, the announcement doesn’t go far enough.“I don’t know, I’m not believing that they can help as much as they say they’re going to,” said Colleen Woelders, owner of Kelowna…

First it was pediatric care, then maternity and now neurology services at Kelowna General Hospital are being curtailed. “There’s a major break in access to care for the many people who will inevitably need a general neurologist at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH),” said Dr. Rob Carruthers, a neurologist and the president of Consultant Specialists of B.C.The service disruptions started on Jan. 1.In an internal memo obtained by Global News, Interior Health (IH) stated, “During these periods, general neurology services will not be consistently available on site.”“We need more neurologists is the bottom line,” said Dr. Pete Bosma, IH’s executive director…

City of Calgary officials are working on plans to implement key recommendations included in an independent panel’s report on the 2024 failure of the Bearspaw feeder main, a report that shows the city’s water utility has “steadily eroded” amid “chronic underinvesting” over the last 20 years. The report, released publicly Wednesday, highlighted “systemic gaps” in the city’s water utility caused by external pressures, issues with risk and asset integrity processes, ineffective management, unclear accountability and a lack of effective governance oversight.It said those factors over two decades eventually resulted in the critical rupture of the Bearpsaw feeder main in June…

VICTORIA, Seychelles, Jan. 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bitget, the world’s largest Universal Exchange (UEX), announced the listing of 98 new US stocks and Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs), opening broader access to traditional markets while advancing its multi-asset trading environment. Enabled through collaboration with Ondo, the expansion introduces greater exposure across equities, fixed income, commodities, and tactical ETF structures, creating more ways for users to participate in global market cycles from a single platform. The new assets span short-duration Treasury strategies such as SGOV, leading US companies across technology, energy, manufacturing, healthcare, finance and consumer sectors, as well as international growth…

SEOUL, South Korea, Jan. 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — WePlay, a social entertainment platform beloved by young people globally, today officially announced a limited-time collaboration with the super-popular Korean IP “ZANMANG LOOPY.” Dubbed the “ZANMANG LOOPY Healing Season,” this event, running from January 9 to January 15, will treat WePlay users to a pink winter party featuring virtual outfits, interactive entertainment, and emotional healing. ZANMANG LOOPY is an immensely popular Korean online IP character. With her unique “tsundere” personality and “whimsical” temper, she has attracted a massive fanbase, particularly among young users. Immersive Features: Unlock New Pink Social Expressions During…

By Frédéric Lacroix-Couture The Canadian Press Posted January 8, 2026 9:32 pm 1 min read Descrease article font size Increase article font size The chief whip of the Coalition Avenir Québec government says the party is considering its next steps after a legislature member was reportedly arrested for driving while impaired. Several media outlets have reported that CAQ member François Tremblay was allegedly arrested during the night between Wednesday and Thursday in Saguenay, Que., north of Quebec City.Whip François Jacques says the party is aware of the reports and considers the situation to be serious. Get breaking National news For…

The women’s-only shelter in Saskatoon has seen concerning numbers this winter, with 4,030 visits from women within the two months since opening, 92 per cent being Indigenous. “Out of those 4,030 interactions, it’s come out to be about 550 different women that are accessing services. So, that a woman could be there for five minutes, five hours, five days, whatever it may be, that’s what we mean,” Tribal Chief Mark Arcand of the Saskatoon Tribal Council said.“So, it’s alarming to see that many women in need inside of two months for our services.”The Saskatoon Tribal Council was asked to run…

Descrease article font size Increase article font size The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra says it will no longer use confidentiality agreements in sexual misconduct cases. This comes after a former member of the orchestra, Esther Hwang, breached her non-disclosure agreement and went public with accusations that she had been raped by one of its senior musicians, then faced retaliation from the orchestra.An open letter signed by VSO president Angela Elster and the symphony society’s board of directors says they regret the “suffering” endured by Hwang, who spoke out last month about the alleged attack she says took place several years ago. Get…

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Alchera X (AX), a global leader in AI-powered facial recognition and computer vision solutions, is beginning 2026 on a strong trajectory, marked by high-profile national media coverage, executive leadership recognition from the Los Angeles Times, and strategic global engagement across the artificial intelligence ecosystem. Alchera X President & CEO, Michael Plaksin, was recently featured in an in-depth Q&A interview with Pulse 2.0, a nationally recognized technology and business publication, where he addressed a wide range of topics central to the company’s strategy, mission, and technological evolution. The interview explored Plaksin’s professional background, the…