Category: Business Mirror

Addressing the impending shortage of care for older adults requires coordinated action across workforce development, financing, support for informal carers, prevention, technology, and system redesign. Drawing on recommendations from the OECD, WHO, national experiences in high-aging countries (Japan, South Korea, Germany, Nordic nations), and expert analyses, the following policies target the core drivers: rising demand, workforce shortages, funding pressures, and over-reliance on unpaid family care.

1. Strengthening the formal care workforce

The most immediate bottleneck is the shortage of paid carers.

OECD analyses emphasize that without better job quality, recruitment and retention will fail even with expanded training.

Raise wages and improve working conditions: Higher pay relative to hospital or other sectors, reduced physical strain, better scheduling, career progression pathways, and stronger occupational health protections. Countries have used sectoral minimum wages (e.g., Scotland and Wales) and public funding increases to support this. Collective bargaining and recognition of care work as skilled employment are key. Evidence shows poor conditions drive high turnover; improving them is essential for retention.

oecd.org

Expand training and recruitment pipelines: Subsidized or free training for unemployed people, career changers, students, and underrepresented groups (including efforts to attract more men). Japan increased its long-term care (LTC) workforce substantially in earlier years through targeted programs. Accelerated training with work placements (as in Canada) and standardized curricula help scale supply quickly. Long-term workforce planning with better forecasting is needed to align education capacity with demand.

oecd.org

Ethical international recruitment: Targeted migration pathways with visas, language training, and pathways to longer-term residency, paired with bilateral agreements that support origin countries (to avoid ‘brain drain’). Japan uses multiple schemes (economic partnership agreements, specified skilled worker visas, and student-to-worker pathways). South Korea has launched university-based programs for foreign students to train as caregivers with settlement incentives. Germany and Denmark have similar recruitment measures. Migration is a near-term bridge but is not a complete substitute for improving domestic attractiveness.

straitstimes.com

2. Sustainable financing mechanisms

Public spending on long-term care must rise in most countries, but new structures can improve equity, adequacy, and fiscal sustainability.

Mandatory or expanded LTC insurance: Japan’s long-term care insurance (introduced in 2000, with contributions starting at age 40) provides a transparent, universal-risk-sharing model focused on maintaining dignity and independence. Germany and Luxembourg incorporate pre-funding elements. Slovenia introduced LTC insurance in 2023. These systems pool risk better than pure tax-based approaches in some contexts and clarify entitlements.

theguardian.com

Diversify funding and improve targeting: Expand beyond labor taxes (e.g., broader bases or pre-funding), while prioritizing benefits for those with the greatest needs and fewest resources. Caps on out-of-pocket costs scaled by need and income can protect the most vulnerable without universal over-coverage. Some countries explore hybrid public-private models or life/LTC insurance products.

Increase public investment linked to broader goals: Treat LTC as a priority tied to gender equality, labor force participation, and economic growth. Higher spending can create jobs while reducing unmet needs and hospital pressures.

3. Supporting informal and family caregivers

Informal care still provides the majority of support in most places. Policies should reduce burnout and enable workforce participation (especially for women).

Paid or flexible carer leave, cash allowances or benefits, respite care services, and free training/support programs.

Recognition of carers’ contributions and measures to prevent them from exiting the labor market permanently.

OECD and WHO frameworks stress integrating support for unpaid carers into formal systems.

4. Prevention, healthy ageing, and demand management

Reducing the intensity or onset of care needs can ease future pressure.

n Invest in prevention, early diagnosis, rehabilitation (‘reablement’), and healthy ageing programs (e.g., home visits in Denmark and Norway, lifestyle interventions). OECD modeling suggests healthy ageing strategies could lower future LTC expenditures significantly (around 13 percent in some scenarios).

Promote age-friendly environments, home adaptations, and community support so more people can live independently longer.

Research into dementia and age-related conditions, supported by public funding.

5. Technology, productivity, and service redesign

Assistive technology and robotics: Japan has subsidized care robots and digital tools in nursing homes. Studies link adoption to better retention, higher employment of flexible workers, reduced physical strain, and improved care quality indicators (e.g., fewer restraints or pressure ulcers). Productivity gains from technology and task-shifting (e.g., advanced nursing roles) can moderate workforce needs.

worldcommercereview.com

Shift toward home- and community-based care: Most older people prefer ageing in place. Expand home care hours, integrated community services, and ‘hospitals at home’ models while ensuring quality. Nordic countries and others demonstrate stronger community orientation. WHO advocates person-centered, integrated health and social care packages as part of universal health coverage.

System integration and governance: Better coordination between health and social care, clear quality standards, staffing ratios where appropriate, and transparent regulation. Long-term national strategies with monitoring of workforce wellbeing and unmet needs are essential.

Implementation considerations and country examples

No single package fits all contexts. High-income super-ageing societies (Japan, South Korea, parts of Europe) prioritize workforce attractiveness, technology, and insurance expansion. Rapidly ageing middle-income countries (China and others) focus on building basic formal infrastructure, community services, pilot insurance schemes, and training at scale, often with international support (e.g., World Bank projects in China expanding community-based care and workforce training). Lower-income settings emphasize supporting family carers while gradually formalizing services.

Challenges include fiscal constraints, political prioritization, and the time lag between training and workforce impact. Success requires sustained commitment rather than short-term measures. OECD reports repeatedly stress that improving job quality and recognition of care work is foundational-without it, other reforms underperform.

These solutions are mutually reinforcing: better-paid, better-supported workers deliver higher-quality care; prevention and technology moderate demand; robust financing enables expansion; and support for families prevents system overload. Countries that treat elderly care as a strategic investment in social cohesion and economic resilience-rather than a residual cost-are better positioned to manage the demographic transition with dignity for older people and fairness for carers.

The College of the Holy Spirit (CHS) High School Class of 1977, the Golden Jubilarians of the upcoming celebration, proudly announces that preparations are well underway for the CHSM Grand Alumni Homecoming 2027, set to take place on February 7, 2027, at the School of the Holy Spirit of Quezon City.

The batch has already launched a series of successful activities leading up to the grand event. Among these was the highly successful CHS Golden Golf Cup, held last February at South Forbes Golf City in Silang, Cavite, which brought together alumni and supporters in a spirit of fellowship and celebration.

This was followed by the batch’s enthusiastic participation in CHSAF@45: Steps for Hope, a mall walkathon fundraiser organized by the CHS Alumni Foundation for the benefit of the Holy Spirit Aeta Mission in Capas, Tarlac. Held on May 16 at Robinsons Magnolia, the event provided an opportunity for HS-77 to join fellow alumni from various graduating classes in a meaningful cause.

Continuing the momentum, HS-77 presented its concept and vision for the Grand Alumni Homecoming during a gathering of co-celebrating class representatives on June 6. The presentation was warmly received and generated considerable excitement among fellow jubilarians from HS-57, HS-62, HS-67, HS-72, HS-82, and BSC-82.

Meanwhile, the various HS-77 committees have begun working diligently on their respective responsibilities. Efforts are now underway to reconnect with classmates and alumni both in the Philippines and abroad, encouraging them to return home and take part in the historic celebration next year.

The preparations themselves have become a source of renewed camaraderie among batchmates. From coordinating with production suppliers and planning event details to sourcing costumes and scouting venues for post-event gatherings, classmates are finding new opportunities to strengthen old friendships while working toward a common goal.

While the journey to Homecoming 2027 remains a long one, HS-77 is confidently moving forward, addressing challenges with determination and embracing the task with grateful hearts and hopeful spirits. With the support of fellow alumni and the CHS community, all roads are indeed leading to a memorable and meaningful Grand Alumni Homecoming in 2027.

Ayus.ph and PayLoro bring flexible payment options to the auto repair workflow, giving eligible motorists installment options for repair bills while helping participating auto shops access payment flexibility for parts and supplies.

Ayus, the free AI-powered shop-management platform from Bluewood Inc., has partnered with PayLoro to give Filipino auto repair shops and their customers more flexible ways to pay.

The partnership works on both sides of the repair counter. Motorists facing larger repair bills access installment options before authorizing a job. Eligible shops access buy-now-pay-later options for parts and supplies when working capital is short.

Ayus is free at its core, with no setup fee or subscription required. The platform centralizes job orders, customer and service history, estimates, and billing using AI for shops that have traditionally relied on notebooks, paper records, spreadsheets, and messaging apps. Optional upgrades include digital vehicle inspection, HR management, and accounts receivable and payable tracking.

PayLoro is the fintech platform of eMandarin Ventures, Inc. Its ecosystem supports digital payment acceptance, merchant collections, disbursements, QR and point-of-sale solutions, and enterprise integrations. Financing availability, credit approval, rates, fees, and terms remain subject to the applicable authorized financial partner.

‘We see a strong fit between PayLoro and Ayus because the need exists on both sides of the transaction,’ said Michael Tan, Head of Sales at PayLoro. ‘The goal is to make those payment options available inside the same workflow where the service decision is being made.’

‘You cannot build this from a boardroom, and you cannot build this from a garage alone,’ said Mariner Tulang, Director at Bluewood Inc. ‘It took someone with 25 years in auto service working side by side with someone who spent 20 years writing code to get it right.’

Ayus is already being used in operating repair shops in the Philippines, with plans to onboard more independent shops nationwide.

Family life does not have to mean settling for an ordinary look. For those who want practicality with a touch of personality, Suzuki Philippines brings a sportier expression to its trusted family vehicle with the Ertiga GLX AT-Hybrid Sport.

Designed for families, young professionals, and active individuals who are always on the move, the Ertiga GLX AT-Hybrid Sport brings together everyday versatility and a more dynamic exterior that matches the lifestyle of drivers who want their vehicle to look as ready for adventure as they are.

The upgraded look comes through a set of sporty exterior accessories, including the Front Under Spoiler, Side Under Spoiler, Rear Under Spoiler, Rear Upper Spoiler, and Suzuki Sport Emblem. Together, these enhancements give the Ertiga a bolder and more athletic presence, turning a practical family vehicle into one that makes a statement wherever it goes.

Available in Magma Gray Metallic for a bold, sophisticated look and Snow White Pearl for a clean, timeless appeal, the Ertiga GLX AT-Hybrid Sport lets drivers choose a style that matches their personality.

More than its refreshed appearance, the Ertiga GLX AT-Hybrid Sport is made for life beyond the daily routine. From bringing the family to weekend destinations and carrying everything needed for a getaway, to making a confident impression when arriving at work or meeting friends, it fits seamlessly into different sides of modern life.

For young professionals, its sportier styling complements a lifestyle that values individuality and style without compromising practicality. For families, it offers the flexibility needed for everyday errands, family outings, and road trips. And for travelers who are always packing for the next destination, it delivers the space and versatility to bring along the essentials and then some.

Because looking good should not come at the expense of being ready for what comes next. With the Ertiga GLX AT-Hybrid Sport, Suzuki Philippines gives drivers another way to make every journey feel more like their own, sporty, confident, and ready for wherever life takes them. It reflects Suzuki’s commitment to being ‘By Your Side’ in every chapter, from the everyday school run and work commute to spontaneous weekend escapes and memorable family adventures.

With the Ertiga GLX AT-Hybrid Sport, bring your style wherever life takes you.

Long lines, packed lobbies, and sold-out cinemas are greeting moviegoers at this year’s Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival, as its biggest edition yet opens to a strong first-week turnout.

Crowds have been pouring into participating cinemas to catch the latest batch of original Filipino films produced for Puregold CinePanalo, with multiple screenings selling out within the festival’s first few days.

And at a time when the state of Philippine cinema has been the subject of intense discussion, the sight of audiences lining up for locally made films is sending a clear message: Filipino moviegoers are still willing to show up for Filipino stories.

‘This year, Pinoy cinema has been the subject of much debate and discourse,’ said Puregold CinePanalo Festival Director Chris Cahilig. ‘However, the success of our first day of screenings makes things incredibly clear: there remains a strong appetite for Filipino stories told by Filipino voices. Puregold CinePanalo has always been proud to uplift the stories of our local artists.’

The excitement was already visible even before the first film rolled.

Long lines were reported at cinemas a full day before screenings began, as fans headed to their cinemas of choice to secure tickets in advance. Cinephiles also rushed to Gateway Cineplex 18 and TriNoma to claim festival passes giving them access to the lineup of full-length films and student short-film sets.

By opening day, several screenings were already sold out.

Among the films drawing packed houses were the coming-of-age story ‘Apol of My Ai’; the supernatural queer films ‘Patay Gutom’ and ‘Multwoh (Patay na Patay sa ‘Yo)’; and the romantic comedy ‘Stuck on You,’ which puts a deadly twist on the genre.

The rush has spilled onto social media, where moviegoers have begun posting updates about sold-out screenings to help fellow festivalgoers plan and find available schedules.

And the demand is not slowing down.

Multiple screenings for the coming weekend have already sold out, with seats for all seven Puregold CinePanalo full-length films particularly in demand during late-afternoon and evening schedules.

Beyond the movies themselves, festivalgoers have also been walking away with souvenirs and giveaways, including grocery bags, custom totes, pins, and personalized souvenir receipts.

‘Puregold CinePanalo is our treat to both artists and fans of cinema,’ said Cahilig. ‘While we continue to uplift the stories of local filmmakers, we also strive to create memorable experiences for those who come to support these films. Attendees will leave with great stories in their hearts and minds, along with giveaways to serve as mementos of the experience.’

All seven full-length films and 19 original student shorts of the Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival will screen until October 4 at Gateway Cineplex 18, TriNoma, Fairview Terraces, Ayala Malls Feliz, Ayala Malls Circuit, Ayala Malls Manila Bay, and Market! Market!

Regular tickets are priced at ?250, while discounted tickets cost ?200. PWDs, senior citizens, students, national athletes, and Aling Puring and Puregold Perks cardholders qualify for the discounted rate.

A ?2,000 festival pass is also available for moviegoers who want to take on the festival lineup. Festival passes may be purchased only at Gateway Cineplex 18 and TriNoma but can be used across participating festival venues.

The Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival 2026 is sponsored by Alaska, Angel, Argentina, Ariel, Bingo, Birch Tree Fortified, Bear Brand, C2, Century Tuna, Champion, Chuckie, Coca-Cola, Colgate, Cream Silk, Datu Puti, Downy, GoodNom Fresh, Great Taste, Del Monte, Jack ‘N Jill, Knorr, Lucky Me!, Maggi, Magnolia Real Mayonnaise, Milo, Monde, MY San, Nestea, Nissin, Nivea, Palmolive Naturals, Pantene, Purefoods, Rebisco, Royal, Safeguard, Sprite, Surf, Wilkins and Zonrox.

‘Our kids.’

That was the simple reply of Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry-Navotas chapter president Paul Santos when asked who chose the bands performing at the Navotas Music Fest 2026 tonight, Sept. 26, at the Navotas Convention Center.

The lineup makes the answer easy to understand. Cup of Joe, Maki, Mayonnaise, KAIA, and Room Sessions are expected to draw thousands of young music fans for an evening tailored to their generation.

For PCCI-Navotas, however, the concert is about more than giving young people a night out. The business group sees it as an opportunity to introduce Navotas as an emerging destination for tourism, culture and commerce.

The Navotas Convention Center, which Santos said can accommodate 4,000 people, will serve as a test of the city’s potential to host large concerts, cultural activities and business gatherings.

The event will also raise funds for the chamber’s programs for nano, micro and small enterprises. Proceeds will support business development and skills training, networking and livelihood projects, as well as youth and community activities.

Santos and his group hope the music fest will encourage more people from neighboring cities to visit Navotas-and perhaps see the city in a new light. Established event destinations, after all, often begin with a single successful gathering that proves people are willing to make the trip.

For one night, PCCI-Navotas is betting that the city’s young people-and the music they love-can help put Navotas on the map.

Nesthy Petecio stamped her superiority in her first fight at the Aichi-Nagoya 20th Asian Games with a Referee Stopped Contest (RSC) victory over Jordan’s Mays Alreem Abukhadijah in women’s 60 kgs class of boxing at the Nishio City General Gymnasium on Saturday.

Referee Lukman Wekadapola stopped the fight in the 1:51 mark of the second round.

The featherweight silver medalist at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paris 2024 asserted her dominance right from the opening bell to get the judges’ nod, 10-9.

The Filipina boxing star then unleashed her sheer power in the second round, scoring two devastating knockdowns against her Jordanian opponent that left the referee with no choice but to wave off the fight.

Petecio joined fellow Tokyo silver medalist Carlo Paalam in the quarterfinals-Paalam defeated Commonwealth Games silver medalist Jadumani Mandengbam of India via a 3-0 split decision earlier on Saturday.

‘Good day today for us as two Olympic medalists Carlo (Paalam) and Nesthy joined (Junmilardo) Ogayre to make it three boxers in the quarterfinals,’ Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines president Marcus Manalo said.

The ABAP chief outlined the crucial upcoming bouts, noting that the national team is now just one victory away from securing podium finishes.

In the quarters, Petecio will face Chengyu Yang of China, Ogayre is pitted against Uzbek Abdumalik Khlakov in men’s 60 kgs and Paalam will go up against China’s Jiaomao Zhang in the men’s 55-kg.

Fresh off a European sprint from the Monza paddock to the Venice Lido to the Madrid grid, I return to find Soho’s festival making its own argument for what independent cinema is worth – on considerably smaller means

I filed my last dispatch from the 83rd Venice Film Festival on a stopover between two Formula 1 assignments – coming off my stint at Monza, and headed next to Madrid – because some detours are worth the itinerary.

I was there when Lav Diaz, the Filipino auteur whose The Woman Who Left won Venice’s Golden Lion in 2016, returned this September to claim the Premio Brian for Makikiraan Po (Let Us Through, Dear Ancestors), a film set during the brutality of Spain’s 1617 colonization of the Philippines – an award given not for spectacle but for cinema that advances a humanist and secular vision of the world. I spent that stretch of the festival among friends: Diaz himself, his longtime collaborator Hazel Orencio, Ed Lejano of the QCinema International Film Festival, and Marija Krunic, President of the International Filmmaking Academy in Bologna – the kind of company that makes clear how small and interconnected the world of serious independent cinema actually is, even at a festival the size of Venice. Diaz, by his own admission, was surprised to receive the award. I wasn’t, having tracked his particular discipline of slow, unflinching cinema since long before Venice caught up to him.

I mention Venice not for color but for contrast. That festival operates with red-carpet infrastructure, a jury system decades in the refining, and a global press corps numbering in the thousands. The Soho International Film Festival, opening its seventeenth edition on October 7 in New York, operates with none of that scaffolding – a seven-day program under the nonprofit SOHO Creative Lab, evolved from a three-day event I remember covering when you knew half the credentialed press by first name because there weren’t enough of us to fill a second row. And yet, watched against what I just witnessed on the Lido, SIFFNYC’s 2026 slate – more than one hundred premieres, thirty-five of them world premieres – is making a version of the same argument Venice makes at ten times the budget: that cinema’s value isn’t measured by the size of the stage but by what the work asks of its audience.

The opening-night selection is the clearest evidence of that ambition. Jackrabbit marks the feature directorial debut of Ballard C. Boyd – a detail that matters more than the press notes let on. Boyd is an Emmy and Peabody Award winner who has directed more than two hundred segments for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, arriving at his first feature with a craftsman’s fluency in pacing, tone, and the mechanics of holding an audience – skills honed nightly under conditions far less forgiving than a festival premiere. Venice can afford to open with an established master; a festival like SIFFNYC proves something different by opening with a debut, betting its most valuable real estate on unproven feature instinct rather than a safer, known quantity.

Shot entirely on New York location, Jackrabbit follows an investigative journalist and a struggling actress forced into partnership when their mutual best friend disappears – a premise that, watched through the lens of someone who has spent a career straddling both trades, doubles as commentary on two professions this city keeps producing in surplus and rewarding in scarcity. Boyd and his cast – Kuhoo Verma, Taylor Ortega, Saamer Usmani, Soojeong Son, and Mark Gessner – are confirmed for Opening Night.

No film in this year’s program carries more unplanned weight than 3 Days Rising, Craig Cukrowski’s reimagining of Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher. It holds the final leading performance of Peter Greene, who died in December 2025 at sixty. Greene built a career on a particular kind of screen menace – the twitchy, dangerous energy that made him unforgettable as Zed in Pulp Fiction and gave The Mask its most memorable villain – and he both stars as Eric Usher and produced the picture himself.

The ensemble around him – Mickey Rourke, Ice-T, Frank Whaley, Paul Ben-Victor, Bo Dietl, Vincent Young, Kelly Monrow, Fredro Starr, and Sticky Fingaz – reads like a registry of actors who built careers on exactly the register Greene specialized in. Watching this lineup assemble around his last performance, after decades spent documenting how New York remembers its own, I find it hard not to read the film as the festival’s own quiet tribute to a strain of American character acting that studios have largely stopped bothering to cast – the kind of tribute Venice pays its auteurs with a lifetime Golden Lion; SIFFNYC pays with an ensemble willing to show up.

Elsewhere in special presentations, Academy Award nominee Harvey Keitel and Academy Award winner F. Murray Abraham share the screen in director Louis Nero’s Milarepa, a post-apocalyptic coming-of-age story set in a world where nature has reclaimed the machinery of civilization, following a young girl’s journey into the magic arts after losing her father. Pairing two actors of this caliber on a festival stage – rather than inside a studio release calendar – is precisely the kind of programming that separates a festival still building its brand from one that has already earned the right to make such asks.

Juliette Lewis stars in Jesus Land, writer-director Saila Kariat’s adaptation of Julia Scheeres’ bestselling memoir, following a white teenage sister and her adopted Black brother whose bond is tested by racism, religious fundamentalism, and an abusive reform school – material Kariat has said draws on her own upbringing across India, Canada, and the United States. And writer-director Andrew Zappin’s The King of Black Goo, starring DJ Qualls alongside Kathleen Wilhoite, Harriet Sansom Harris, Margaret Cho, Michael McShane, and Matt Malloy, supplies the program’s necessary absurdist counterweight – a darkly comic study of a bitter, isolated man undergoing a personality-altering medical procedure in pursuit of love.

The most consequential decision in this year’s lineup isn’t a film at all. SIFFNYC’s partnership with the New York City Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment to host a stop on the ‘Made in NY’ Filmmaker Listening Tour – an initiative led by Film Commissioner Rafael Espinal and Deputy Commissioner Kwame Amoaku – inserts municipal policy directly into festival programming. Venice has the Italian state and the Biennale’s institutional weight behind it; New York’s independent filmmakers get a listening session, and this year, at least, that session is being treated as newsworthy in its own right.

Espinal’s own framing leaves little ambiguity about what’s at stake: ‘Film and television production is back in New York City, but a strong industry also means making sure all filmmakers can afford to create and build their careers here.’ In seventeen years of watching this festival’s press cycle – and far longer covering how this city’s institutions treat its working creative class – I cannot recall an announcement that so plainly treated policy access as a headline alongside the premieres.

The parallel partnership with New York Women in Film and Television, presenting a curated slate of member-directed shorts, extends that same institutional logic – treating a professional network’s visibility as infrastructure worth programming around, not simply a courtesy slot.

The festival’s international selections this year hold up on technical merit rather than novelty alone. South Korea’s Karlovy Vary, a comedy-drama turning the chaos of independent filmmaking into its own subject, stars Lee Je-yeon, Oh Ji-ho, and Shin Ji-won – the singer and actress formerly known as Johyun of the K-pop group Berry Good – with its director crossing the Pacific for the New York premiere. Japanese filmmaker Toshio Sekine’s Shambhala Story, shot over a multi-year production spanning three countries, follows a Tibetan monk sent to Japan to continue his studies, starring Morning Tzu-Yi Mo and martial-arts actress Rina Takeda. And France’s The Gliwensbourg Chronicles, Emilie Tommasi’s World War I-era time-travel fantasy starring Arnaud Thery, Myriam Caucheteux, Romain Pirosa, Laurent Brebion, and Adil Jbilou, arrives already decorated on the international circuit for directing, acting, production design, costume design, and cinematography.

Somewhere in the stretch between Monza, Venice, and Madrid, I found myself thinking about what separates a festival that can crown a Golden Lion from one still building the room to hold it. What this year’s SIFFNYC slate ultimately argues, watched by someone who has tracked this festival from its three-day origins to its current seven-day footprint, is that scale was never the real currency – conviction was. Pairing a director’s first feature, a departed actor’s final testament, and a City Hall listening session inside a single week is a harder festival to build than one that simply books famous faces, and closer to what Venice does with its budget than the size of SIFFNYC’s operation would suggest. That is the argument worth making, on a Grand Prix grid or in Lower Manhattan. I intend to be in the room for it, as I have been for every edition before.

On September 11, the iCAUR V27, an all-round hybrid SUV, won the Best Interior Design Award winner in the Premium Car Category at the 2026 Torino Automotive Design Award (TADA), recognizing its distinctive interior design and reinforcing iCAUR’s ‘Future-Classic’ design language.

Presented on September 11 in Turin, Italy, the recognition highlights the V27’s approach to combining timeless design, intelligent technology, functionality, and user-focused innovation-key elements of iCAUR’s vision for premium new-energy mobility.

Design Recognition from Turin

Turin is widely recognized for its automotive design heritage and industrial roots, with renowned design houses such as Pininfarina and Italdesign having longstanding ties to the city.

Organized by Salone Auto Torino, the TADA celebrates innovation in automotive design, aesthetic expression, and future mobility. Entries are evaluated by an international jury based on key aspects including creativity, functionality, and overall design expression.

The award also highlights the importance of integrating design with functionality, user experience, and the evolving needs of future mobility-areas reflected in the V27’s interior concept.

An ‘Interstellar Cockpit’ Designed Around the User

At the heart of the V27’s award-winning interior is its ‘Interstellar Cockpit’ design philosophy. Rather than focusing solely on the rugged characteristics traditionally associated with boxy SUVs, the V27 combines its commanding driving position, expansive visibility, and practical proportions with a more open and refined cabin environment.

Clean lines, a restrained layout, and premium materials create a cabin designed to balance comfort and functionality. This approach reflects iCAUR’s ‘Future-Classic’ design language, bringing together distinctive SUV character with modern expectations for premium mobility.

The V27’s interior is designed to provide a sense of openness and calm across different driving situations, from daily commutes and family journeys to long-distance road trips. Its ‘Interstellar Porthole’ dual panoramic sunroof allows more natural light into the cabin, enhancing the feeling of space and openness.

The laminated glass is designed to block 99.9% of ultraviolet rays, helping provide a more comfortable environment for occupants during extended journeys.

Intelligent Technology with AIMOGA

The V27’s design is complemented by iCAUR’s approach to intelligent mobility, including AIMOGA, which forms part of the brand’s vision for a more intuitive and connected vehicle experience.

AIMOGA represents iCAUR’s exploration of intelligent interaction between users and their vehicles, bringing technology closer to everyday mobility. Its integration into the brand’s broader vehicle ecosystem supports iCAUR’s goal of creating experiences that go beyond conventional automotive functionality.

This intelligent approach works alongside the V27’s digital interface and cabin technology. The vehicle features a 15.4-inch 2.5K HD central control screen powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chip, placing key functions such as navigation, infotainment, and climate control within easy reach.

By bringing together intelligent technology and thoughtful interior design, the V27 demonstrates how iCAUR aims to make technology an integrated part of the driving experience rather than simply an added feature.

Designed for Everyday Versatility

Beyond its technology and styling, the V27’s cabin places emphasis on practical details designed around everyday use.

Eco-friendly soft-touch materials are used throughout the interior, while 49 storage compartments provide flexible space for personal belongings. The rear seats can also fold completely flat, adding versatility for passengers, luggage, and other cargo.

Together, these details reflect iCAUR’s approach to premium design-where visual appeal is combined with comfort, functionality, technology, and usability.

Continuing iCAUR’s Global Design Journey

The V27’s TADA recognition adds to the growing list of international design accolades for iCAUR’s V Series.

Earlier this year, the iCAUR V23 received recognition at the Red Dot Award: Design Concept 2026, highlighting its distinctive boxy design.

From the V23 to the V27, iCAUR continues to develop its ‘Future-Classic’ design language by combining a distinctive SUV silhouette with contemporary design, intelligent technology, and user-focused functionality.

The latest recognition further reflects iCAUR’s efforts to establish a distinctive global design identity as the brand expands its presence in international markets.

As iCAUR moves forward, the brand remains focused on bringing together Future-Classic design, intelligent technology, and a sustainable mobility ecosystem, with the aim of delivering distinctive new-energy mobility experiences to users around the world.

Across the internet space, child safety remains a priority among the tech giants.

This time, Apple launched an update that will help parents monitor and control their child’s phone screen and experience.

In its latest patch for iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27, the Screen Time update for Apple products now includes an easy-to-use and intuitive interface tool that aims to create a safer and regulated digital experience, according to a blog post by Apple.

‘These updates give parents more flexibility to manage the content their children see, who they can communicate with, and when they have access to apps,’ the blog reads.

The features were previewed in June and were launched in September. It includes: simpler setup experience with essential apps; parents permission for browsing, blocking gore contents with Expanded Communication Safety; adjusting their screen time with Time Allowances; and a redesigned Screen Time that allows the parents to make changes in one tap.

This new rollout has been a part of Apple’s initiative to create a safer environment for children within their ecosystem.

To access this, a parent is required to set up a child account. In doing so, they can freely use the new initiative remotely. It is required for children 13 below, but also available up to 18 years old.

To do so, you may: visit Settings and tap Family; tap the Add Member button; tap Create Child Account; and sign in to the Child Account on their device.

Apart from the aforementioned safety protocols inside the app, parents can also manage when their child can access certain apps.

For example, they can schedule which app they can use on a certain part of the day, especially during school days and homework hours. They can also pause device access during meals to promote a healthy family relationship.

This latest initiative from Apple was guided by online safety and health experts, including the American Academy of Pediatrics.