Technology

Building Smart Shield Against Natural Disasters: China-Pakistan Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Smart Disaster Prevention of Major Infrastructures

Published

1 day ago

August 7, 2026

BEIJING, Aug. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A report from Science and Technology Daily:

When the worst earthquake in Pakistan’s history occurred, Syed Shah was only in third grade. But the memory remains indelibly etched in his mind. “The earth was roaring, the sky spinning, walls cracking, and buildings collapsing. I could hear nothing but crying. I was terrified.”

The powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck northern Pakistan on October 8, 2005. The disaster claimed approximately 73,000 lives and caused the collapse of over 600,000 homes across the country.

The earthquake also altered the life trajectory of Khan Shahzada, then a junior engineer at the Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority, working alongside Chinese contractors. “Witnessing the tragic aftermath of the earthquake firsthand prompted me to shift my career focus toward earthquake engineering,” Shahzada, now a professor at the University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar, said.

Today, their life trajectories have converged at the China-Pakistan Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Smart Disaster Prevention of Major Infrastructures. Some are pursuing their studies here, while others are conducting research.

Tackling shared needs

“The intention behind establishing the joint lab was to better address natural disasters like earthquakes that both China and Pakistan face,” said Professor Xu Zhaodong of Southeast University. Both countries are located on the Eurasian Seismic Belt, which accounts for approximately 15 percent of the world’s earthquakes.

A report released in 2023 shows that since 2001, earthquakes have become the deadliest type of natural disaster for Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) partner countries.

“A significant number of BRI partner countries are located in seismically active zones or regions prone to typhoons, while incidents such as fires also occur periodically. According to available estimates, the cumulative annual economic losses resulting from such disasters across these countries over the past two decades have exceeded one trillion RMB,” Khan Muhammad, counsellor for scientific and technological affairs, Embassy of Pakistan in China, said.

“The destruction of major infrastructure under the impact of multiple hazards, such as earthquakes and storms, is the direct cause of immense economic loss and casualties,” Xu said.

Xu pointed out that the field of disaster prevention and mitigation for major infrastructure currently faces several urgent challenges: limited understanding of cascading multi-disaster mechanisms, lack of advanced big data-driven monitoring systems, and constraints in effective emergency response.

“Faced with shared needs of disaster prevention and mitigation, it is only natural for China and Pakistan to establish a cooperation platform,” Muhammad said. He added that the joint lab was founded against this backdrop, with the goal of enhancing disaster management capabilities through sci-tech innovation and knowledge sharing.

Consolidating the foundation of cooperation

As early as 2014, the two sides conducted joint research on viscoelastic damping and resilience enhancement technology for post-earthquake structures, and completed Pakistan’s first viscoelastic civil damping project at Vision High School.

“These early collaborations laid a solid foundation for the expansion of partner institutions and ongoing academic and technical exchanges between the two sides,” Muhammad said.

“Since the establishment of the joint lab, the two sides have developed a regular exchange mechanism, leading to deeper cooperation in areas such as joint R&D, talent cultivation, standard formulation, and the promotion of applicable technologies,” Chen Zhongfan, professor of Southeast University, said.

“The joint lab provides world-class facilities and cutting-edge technologies, helping us move toward a higher level of smart disaster prevention,” Shahzada said. Through this platform, he secured an open fund project and is currently developing a construction guideline for stone masonry structures in Pakistan.

“Looking ahead, we plan to further promote the localization and implementation of Chinese technical standards, jointly formulate standards for seismic resistance, flood control, and smart monitoring, and facilitate the pilot application of Chinese technologies in major projects in Pakistan,” Xu said.

Planting friendship trees

In September 2023, during the Chinese team’s visit to Pakistan, both sides jointly planted three saplings on the campus of the International Islamic University in Islamabad.

“Today, the saplings we planted have grown, just as the fruits of our cooperation continue to multiply,” Chen said. “By the time we see these ‘friendship trees’ again, our collaboration will have reached a new height.”

The joint lab is cultivating more interdisciplinary technical talent in the field of smart disaster prevention for the two sides.

“As the host institution of the joint lab, we use smart disaster prevention as an entry point to deeply integrate civil disaster prevention and mitigation with multiple disciplines such as AI, big data, and information management,” said Guo Tong, head of the School of Civil Engineering at Southeast University. “This provides the joint lab with a cutting-edge interdisciplinary theoretical and technical environment, as well as comprehensive support for talent cultivation.”

Shah, a survivor of the earthquake 20 years ago, is studying smart disaster prevention technology at Southeast University. “After completing my master’s degree this year, I plan to pursue my PhD here,” Shah said. “In the future, I hope to apply the knowledge I have gained here in disaster prevention and mitigation efforts in my hometown.”

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SOURCE Science and Technology Daily

Technology

Bybit Sues North Korea and Lazarus Group, Secures Preliminary Injunction Freezing Stolen Assets in Landmark Crypto Asset Recovery Effort

Published

3 hours ago

August 8, 2026

Lawsuit accuses North Korea and Lazarus Group of orchestrating the $1.5 billion theft, as court-ordered asset freeze supports recovery efforts and Bybit expands collaboration with law enforcement and industry partners to strengthen accountability for crypto-related cybercrime

DUBAI, UAE, Aug. 8, 2026 /CNW/ — Bybit, the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, today announced that it has filed a civil lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), its Reconnaissance General Bureau (RGB), and the Lazarus Group, which U.S. authorities have identified as the DPRK-linked hacking group responsible for the February 2025 cyberattack.

Bybit has also secured a preliminary injunction freezing identified stolen assets held by the unidentified individuals and entities holding or moving those funds, named in the case as John Doe defendants. The order is intended to preserve identified stolen digital assets while the litigation continues, representing an important step in Bybit’s ongoing efforts to recover funds, support international law enforcement investigations, and reinforce accountability for large-scale cybercrime. Indeed, the court found that “Bybit has demonstrated a likelihood of success on the merits” in its lawsuit.

The legal action forms part of a broader strategy combining blockchain intelligence, international cooperation, and judicial remedies to pursue the illicit actors responsible for what the court, in granting the initial temporary restraining order, described as “one of the largest cryptocurrency thefts in history.” While criminal investigations remain the responsibility of government authorities, the civil proceedings provide an additional avenue for preserving assets and protecting the interests of affected stakeholders.

“Our focus has never changed: protect our users first, recover what we can, and make sure the people behind these attacks are held accountable,” said Ben Zhou, Co-founder and CEO of Bybit. “The Lazarus attack wasn’t just an attack on Bybit. It was an attack on trust in our industry. That’s why we’ve worked closely with investigators, exchanges, regulators, law enforcement, and now the courts. We hope this marks another step toward making crypto a much harder place for criminals to operate in and a much safer place for everyone else.”

Strengthening Accountability Through Legal Action

The preliminary injunction prohibits the transfer or dissipation of identified assets connected to the case while litigation continues. Bybit intends to seek additional judicial relief as the proceedings advance.

The civil action is being pursued independently of ongoing criminal investigations conducted by U.S. law enforcement authorities. Bybit continues to cooperate closely with relevant agencies, including the FBI, by sharing blockchain intelligence and investigative findings that may support broader enforcement efforts.

As digital assets increasingly become a target of sophisticated cross-border cybercrime, the company believes legal remedies, alongside criminal enforcement, can play an important role in preserving recoverable assets and strengthening accountability.

Global Collaboration Driving Asset Recovery

Since the February 2025 incident, Bybit has worked alongside blockchain analytics firms, exchanges, custodians, and international law enforcement agencies to trace stolen assets and disrupt laundering networks.

To date:

Approximately US$48.4 million in stolen assets has been recovered.Over approximately US$30.5 million has been frozen across more than 28 exchanges and custodians, pending further legal and investigative action.

These efforts have also supported broader enforcement actions targeting infrastructure allegedly used to launder stolen funds. Authorities in Germany dismantled the cryptocurrency exchange eXch, while German and Swiss authorities later disrupted Cryptomixer.io, removing key channels used to move illicit proceeds. Together, these actions demonstrate the impact of effective cooperation between the private sector and law enforcement in combating transnational cybercrime.

“The real test comes after the crisis,” Ben added. “That’s when you show whether your commitment is real. For us, that means continuing to strengthen our security, working hand in hand with investigators and industry partners, and doing everything we can to protect our users. Trust isn’t something you claim. You have to earn it through action, every single day.”

Building a More Resilient Digital Asset Ecosystem

The legal proceedings represent one component of Bybit’s broader commitment to improving security standards across the cryptocurrency industry. The company continues to invest in advanced blockchain intelligence capabilities, deepen cooperation with exchanges and regulators, and support initiatives aimed at making digital asset theft increasingly difficult, traceable and costly for criminal organisations.

This action reflects Bybit’s commitment to holding state-sponsored threat actors accountable and using all available legal avenues, both civil and in cooperation with law enforcement, to disrupt cybercrime targeting the digital asset industry.

The civil proceedings remain ongoing. Bybit will continue to cooperate with relevant authorities and provide updates as permitted by the court.

#NewFinancialPlatform

About Bybit

Bybit is The New Financial Platform.

We believe every person should have access to every financial opportunity on earth. That’s why we’re building the first intelligent platform that connects anyone, anywhere to the world’s finance.

Trusted by more than 80 million users worldwide, Bybit brings together investing, trading, payments, and wealth-building in a single secure and intelligent ecosystem. Through the combination of AI-powered technology, deep global liquidity, robust security, and transparent operations, Bybit makes global finance more accessible, efficient, and empowering for everyone.

Built for everyone. Powered by intelligence. Open to the world.

Learn more at Bybit.com.

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SOURCE Bybit

Technology

FancyAI Launches Agentic Social Engagement to Shape AI Recommendations

Published

4 hours ago

August 8, 2026

New GEO capability finds the third-party conversations AI engines trust and gives brands a direct way to act on them, in real time.

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — FancyAI, the execution layer for AI discovery, today launched Agentic Social Engagement, a new capability that identifies the third-party conversations shaping how AI engines understand and recommend brands.

Teams can assess and join those conversations directly inside FancyAI, then measure how their AI visibility changes.

When someone asks ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity or Claude what to buy, the answer often draws on sources the brand doesn’t control. Independent reviews, Reddit threads, YouTube videos, Quora answers and other public discussions can all influence which brands make the shortlist.

The scale of that influence is significant. A recent study of more than 200 million prompts found that Reddit appeared in 20% or more of Perplexity responses at points during January and February 2026.

No amount of on-site optimization reaches those conversations.

Until now, most Generative Engine Optimization work has centered on the content a brand publishes and the authority it earns through media. Agentic Social Engagement extends that work to the live, third-party conversations AI engines use as evidence.

“AI doesn’t rank pages. It recommends brands, and it builds those recommendations from what other people say about you,” said Tom Howell, co-founder and CEO of FancyAI. “You can perfect every page you own and still lose a shortlist that’s being decided somewhere else. Agentic Social Engagement puts your team in those conversations.”

Traditional social listening starts with keywords and ends with a feed of mentions. FancyAI’s Agentic Social Engagement works differently. An AI agent reads each conversation in context, assesses its relevance to the business and determines whether it deserves attention.

A prospective customer may be asking for a recommendation. A competitor may be winning the discussion. A reputation issue may be emerging. A category trend may be taking shape. The agent cuts through the noise and shows teams what matters.

Each prioritized conversation appears inside FancyAI alongside recommendation intelligence, visibility tracking, citation building and content execution. Teams can see whether AI engines already cite the underlying page and respond without leaving the platform. The right move might be direct engagement, a factual correction, an earned mention, a new piece of content or no action at all.

FancyAI then measures what changed.

“Listening tools tell you a conversation happened. We tell you where the decision is taking shape,” Howell said. “The agent finds the signal and gives the team a direct path to act. Discovery is no longer about being seen. It’s about being selected.”

Agentic Social Engagement is available this week to current FancyAI customers and as an add-on for new customers. Teams can operate the capability themselves or have FancyAI’s strategists run it for them.

To learn more, visit getfancy.ai.

About FancyAI

FancyAI is the execution layer for AI discovery. It shows brands where they stand across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Claude, then executes the work required to improve those outcomes. The platform brings technical optimization, content execution, citation development, authority building, and agentic social engagement into one system. Teams can run FancyAI themselves or have FancyAI’s strategists run the program for them.

Learn more at getfancy.ai.

Media Contact

Chris Barbee

Chief Revenue Officer, FancyAI

barbee@getfancy.ai

312-721-2199

Media Contact

Chris Barbee, FancyAI, 1 3127212199, barbee@getfancy.ai, getfancy.ai

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SOURCE FancyAI

Technology

A Cup of Fresh Durian Coffee: The New Shu Road Comes to Life

Published

5 hours ago

August 8, 2026

BEIJING, Aug. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A news report from China.org.cn on the the New Shu Road:

Have you ever seen durian coffee brewed right inside a fresh durian?

This one-of-a-kind durian coffee has recently taken young people by storm at the Chengdu International Railway Port.

You may be even more surprised to learn these durians were still hanging on the trees just five days ago. Five days later, they “rode” more than 2,000 kilometers via the China-Laos-Thailand all-rail-cold-chain freight service, traveling straight from major growing areas in eastern Thailand to the imported durian distribution center inside the Chengdu-Eurasia National (Commodity) Pavilion in the Chengdu International Railway Port.

Thanks to this regular cold-chain rail route that delivers goods efficiently with minimal damage, and in seamless container journeys, tropical Southeast Asian fruits that once commanded steep prices — such as Vietnamese longans and Lao mangosteens — now reach Chinese consumers at lower prices and in better condition.

If you look at the transport route map of Chengdu International Railway Port, every shipping line runs like a blood vessel, pumping steady vitality into countries and cities along the way.

Since the first Chengdu-Europe Express Rail pulled out of Chengdu bound for Lodz, Poland, back in 2013, the Chengdu-Eurasia international logistics corridor centered on Chengdu has expanded steadily over more than a decade. More than 100 cities at home and abroad, including Moscow, Lodz, Vientiane, Hanoi and Izmir, have joined the network one after another. A land-sea intermodal shipping network focused on overland rail now connects Europe, Asia and North America, together with a backbone network of air cargo routes, has gradually taken shape.

Today’s sophisticated transport network stands in stark contrast to the region’s isolation in ancient times. To reach the Shu lands (the Sichuan Basin around present-day Chengdu), travelers had to cross the formidable Qinling and Daba mountain ranges. The great Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai once sighed, “The road to Shu is harder than climbing to the sky.” The Italian explorer Marco Polo also wrote in his travelogue that traversing the Shu Road took twenty days, with winding paths snaking through mountains, gorges and dense forests.

That is why inland western Chinese cities like Chengdu needed an efficient, stable international logistics corridor to break the shackles holding back development. No matter how hard the ancient Shu Road once was, a new thoroughfare had to be built.

After years of infrastructure construction and strategic planning of international logistics corridors, the New Shu Road is fully open and efficient. Today, setting out from Chengdu, you can “roam” the Eurasian continent in just 20 days: Around 12 days by China-Europe Railway Express to Lodz and Moscow; Around 14 days to Nuremberg and Tilburg; Roughly 3 days to Laos and 5 days to Thailand via the all-rail freight line covering China, Laos, Thailand and Malaysia; And a mere 10 days to travel all across ASEAN via the ASEAN land-sea intermodal transport route.

The smooth New Shu Road has turned into a global “conveyor belt” for the flow of goods. New energy products and specialty agricultural products “Made in Chengdu” and “Made in China” are constantly shipped overseas. Meanwhile, French red wine, German automobiles and other commodities pass through Chengdu to reach inland China, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, as well as Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia. In the first half of this year, Chengdu’s total import and export volume of goods hit 440.67 billion yuan.

Transportation is no longer a constraint on local development — instead, it has become a force that nourishes and propels regional growth. Chengdu once relied heavily on traditional heavy industry, but the China-Europe Railway Express has rapidly opened it up to the outside world and driven industrial upgrading. This positive impact has spilled over to many more regions along the routes. For example, Malaszewicze, a small Polish border town, has grown into a key EU logistics hub thanks to the railway service.

In ancient times, the Shu Road was hard, because mountains and passes stood in the way. Today, the new Shu Road stretches far and wide, connecting China with the rest of the world.

The ever-improving New Shu Road brings impetus for high-standard opening-up to China’s western hinterland, offering richer opportunities for all countries, cities and enterprises along the routes, and delivering tangible benefits to people everywhere — just like that fresh cup of durian coffee.

China Mosaic

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

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SOURCE China.org.cn