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Putting a “green scarf” around the Taklimakan Desert

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BEIJING, Dec. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — A news report from China.org.cn on China’s efforts on combating desertification:

 

“Sandy wind, is blowing over the shed… Sheep in the pen, are circling restlessly…” This is a folk song that people used to sing in counties like Awat along the Taklimakan Desert in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Simple lyrics reflect the sour life they’ve had to suffer from sand and dust storms striking in from time to time.

But not long ago, a new milestone appeared in the long battle with desertification. On Nov. 28th, the last desert rose was planted into the sandy soil, completing the final stretch of the 3,046-km-long sand-blocking green belt surrounding the Taklimakan Desert, hence, China’s largest and the world’s second-largest shifting sand desert now wears a “green scarf.”

Given the vastness of the Taklimakan Desert, not to mention its high-speed winds and severe droughts, building the world’s longest ecological barrier to encircle this monstrosity is no easy task. During the arduous exploration of harnessing desertification, people gradually found that adopting proper methods according to local geographical features is the effective solution.

In areas where the dunes are relatively low, and underground water abundant, people bulldozed the dunes to grow drought-tolerant plants like salt cedar and sacsaoul. With the help of drip irrigation, the plants rooted down quickly, so that vegetation could be resumed and underground water conserved in the desert. For the areas not suitable for plantation, straw checkerboard barriers and upright sand fences primarily made from reed stems were set to “contain” the shifting sand. As for the areas with access to the power grid, photovoltaic panels were built, utilizing the rich energy endowments in the desert, while reducing the wind as well as sand movement. Moreover, people can also plant drought-resistant cash crops, tripling the benefits.

Over time, people living at the brink of the Taklimakan Desert noticed that sand storms have become less frequent, the environment has improved, and yields have been bettered in their farmlands.

Thanks to inter-generational efforts, green tints have encircled the desert, and the way of human-desert harmony lies within.

China is one of the countries that suffer most from desertification. Faced with this steep challenge, the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program (TSFP) was initiated more than four decades ago, and this largest-scale afforestation project on earth has sought to build a Great Green Wall. Three decades ago, China signed the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and has honored its commitment ever since. Now, reduction has been realized in both desertification and sandification, and China has become the first country to achieve zero net land degradation. Under the UNCCD, China has played an active part in carrying out international collaboration in this field. For example, it has shared its experience and technologies in desertification prevention and control with countries facing similar challenges, like Mongolia and Ethiopia, striving for the common green development of the Global South.

At present, the UNCCD COP16 is being held, to accelerate the international cooperation agenda for tackling desertification. For China, the green scarf of the Taklimakan Desert also signifies a new start. For “Our Land” and “Our Future,” one can be hopeful to see more stories about human-desert harmony, and humanity-nature harmony.

China Mosaic
http://www.china.org.cn/video/node_7230027.htm 

 

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SOURCE China.org.cn

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Pyvio Secures Major Payment Institution Licence from the Monetary Authority of Singapore

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November 5, 2026

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SINGAPORE, Nov. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Pyvio Network Technology Pte. Ltd. (“Pyvio Singapore”), the Singapore operating entity of Pyvio, announced that it has been granted a Major Payment Institution (MPI) licence by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), effective 1 November 2026.

Pyvio Singapore is licensed to conduct five regulated payment services: account issuance, domestic money transfer, cross-border money transfer, merchant acquisition, and e-money issuance.

The grant of the MPI licence establishes a foundation for Pyvio to commence licensed operations in Singapore and accelerate its market expansion across the Asia-Pacific region.

Li Kai, Chief Executive Officer of Pyvio Network Technology Pte. Ltd., commented:
“Singapore serves as a premier global financial hub and an essential conduit between Asia-Pacific and international markets. Securing the MPI licence represents a critical step forward in executing our regional growth strategy. Anchored by our Singapore operations, Pyvio Singapore remains dedicated to delivering frictionless, reliable cross-border payment solutions across the Asia-Pacific region—empowering businesses to streamline transactions globally.”

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/pyvio-secures-major-payment-institution-licence-from-the-monetary-authority-of-singapore-302929988.html

SOURCE Pyvio

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Compass Datacenters on the Election of Texas Governor-elect Hinojosa

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November 5, 2026

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DALLAS, Nov. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The following statement is attributed to Chris Crosby, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Compass Datacenters:

“Compass Datacenters congratulates Governor-elect Hinojosa, and we look forward to partnering with her administration to raise the bar for our industry across Texas and the country. The opportunity is generational — and it’s unlocked when communities welcome developers who invest in the grid, steward water, and build sustained economic engines that create high-paying, multi-generational careers. We’re committed to earning that trust in every community we join.”
Chris Crosby
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Compass Datacenters

ABOUT COMPASS

Compass Datacenters does data centers differently. The company develops and operates sustainable Class A, Community-First campuses guided by a 100-year neighbor philosophy that invests in the workforce, infrastructure, and well-being of every community it calls home. Backed by the institutional strength of Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, Brookfield Infrastructure and KKR, Compass delivers high-quality facilities at speed for the cloud and hyperscale customers driving today’s economy. By combining industrialized, prefabricated design with advanced hybrid cooling that uses no water during operations, responsible energy use, and a commitment to zero-waste goals at our completed sites, Compass takes a more sustainable approach to digital infrastructure supporting the company’s built-to-last vision. The result is move-in ready capacity that scales efficiently and responsibly. Data Centers Done Differently.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/compass-datacenters-on-the-election-of-texas-governor-elect-hinojosa-302930008.html

SOURCE Compass Datacenters

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Visa Establishes Global Capability Hubs in Singapore to Build the Future of Global Commerce

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November 5, 2026

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Visa’s new Solution Center in Paya Lebar Green will host 1,500 employees focused on developing capabilities in agentic AI, next-generation payments and trusted commerce.

SINGAPORE, Nov. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Visa (NYSE: V), a global leader in digital payments, today announced the establishment of six global capability hubs at its new Solution Center in Singapore. Spanning AI, cybersecurity, quantum computing and next-generation payments, the hubs will develop technologies and solutions designed for deployment across Visa’s global network.

For nearly five decades, Singapore has played a central role in Visa’s mission to make commerce more trusted, secure and reliable across Asia Pacific. The new Solution Center at Paya Lebar Green deepens that commitment, bringing together more than 1,500 professionals across technology, product, cybersecurity, engineering and innovation. Visa also plans to further develop specialised research, engineering and innovation roles across areas such as AI, cybersecurity and quantum technologies.

“We’re entering an extraordinary period of commerce innovation, driven by AI, digital money and other emerging technologies. Turning that promise into progress requires technology people and businesses can trust. Our expanded presence in Singapore will bring together great talent, deep expertise, and trusted infrastructure to build new commerce experiences around the world,” said Rajat Taneja, President, Technology, Visa.

Building the capabilities for the next generation of commerce

The six capability hubs will focus on specialised areas where emerging technologies are creating new opportunities for how commerce moves, operates and stays secure. Together, they span three strategic domains:

Artificial Intelligence and Commerce:Applied AI for payments and fintech use cases to responsibly advance the use of AI to improve commerce experiences, operational efficiency and decision-making.Advances in agentic commerce to explore how AI agents can securely interact with merchants, consumers and payment networks.Next-Generation Payments:Research into the digital money, stablecoins and programmable payments ecosystem to support the evolution of money movement and new payment modelsWallets and alternate payment methods to help connect emerging payment experiences across multiple rails and networks.Trust, Security and Resilience:Cybersecurity to strengthen resilience and protection across increasingly complex digital ecosystemsQuantum computing for finance, researching applications of quantum technologies for financial services and preparing for a quantum-secure future.

“Singapore is increasingly where the future of commerce is being built. Many of the world’s most complex questions around payments innovation, digital money, AI and trust are being solved in Asia Pacific. By bringing these capabilities together in Singapore, we are creating a hub that can develop globally relevant solutions while supporting Singapore’s continued leadership in technology and innovation,” said Stephen Karpin, Regional President, Asia Pacific, Visa.

Teams at Paya Lebar Green will collaborate with partners across academia, government, financial institutions and the fintech ecosystem to develop and scale next-generation technologies in Singapore, including AXS, DBS, DCS, FOMO Pay, Nium and StraitsX. Visa is also participating in the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s BLOOM (Borderless, Liquid, Open, Online, Multi-currency) initiative and engaging with academic and research institutions on emerging technologies, including quantum computing.

“Visa has been a long-standing partner with Singapore for over four decades. Visa’s latest investment in six global capability hubs here will create new high-value jobs for Singaporeans. It will also bolster Singapore’s role in developing innovative financial products and solutions in areas such as agentic commerce and quantum,” said Beng Kong Pee, Executive Vice President, Singapore Economic Development Board.

By expanding its research, product development and engineering capabilities in Singapore, Visa aims to accelerate technologies that can be developed locally and deployed across its global network. To learn more about Visa’s commitment to building trusted ways to pay, visit Visa at Singapore EXPO, Hall 2, Booth 2B25 at the Singapore FinTech Festival from 18-20 November 2026.

About Visa

Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, sellers, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at Visa.com.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/visa-establishes-global-capability-hubs-in-singapore-to-build-the-future-of-global-commerce-302930005.html

SOURCE Visa Worldwide Pte. Limited

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