[UK grid to spend £20.9bn to achieve net zero emissions] The UK power network operator will have a £20.9bn budget to expand the grid to connect millions of electric vehicles, smart systems and small renewable energy projects over the next five years. The budget will be used for service, maintenance, upgrades and repairs by six UK distribution network companies from April 2023, and has been approved by regulator Ofgem. The plan, which includes tree-cutting, flood protection and other energy security measures, aims to improve the resilience of the UK's 800,000km of overhead and underground transmission lines to deal with more severe weather events in the future. Editor/Xing Wentao

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• 2026.08.21 16:02
• [China and Chad sign development cooperation agreement]
• On August 20, 2026, Ambassador to Chad Wang Xining and Chad's Minister of State and Minister of Finance, Budget, Economy, Planning and International Cooperation Ngilan signed a development cooperation agreement on behalf of both governments. Counsellor Dan Yuanpeng from the embassy attended. Ambassador Wang stated that the signing of this agreement aims to implement the important consensus between the two heads of state through practical measures, and will provide assistance for the construction and improvement of infrastructure and people's livelihoods in Chad. China is willing to continue to work with Chad to share development experience, deepen practical cooperation in various fields, and benefit the people of both countries through the docking of development plans. Enjilan expressed gratitude to China for its long-term strong support for the economic development of Chad. Chad is willing to work closely with China to promote the implementation and effectiveness of the agreement as soon as possible, and realize the development vision of various fields in Chad as soon as possible.Editor/Gong Ziwei

• 2026.08.21 16:00
• [JD releases robot strategy to form industry alliance]
• At the 2026 World Robot Conference, JD.com announced a new strategy for robotics, planning to invest billions of resources over five years, build 80 robot bases, and collect millions of real scene data over two years. JD has formed a robot parts industry development alliance with several leading companies in the industry chain, laying out the industry from three dimensions: supply chain, service, and technology. Empowering upstream and downstream enterprises with supply chain advantages, establishing a full lifecycle robot service system, and unifying robot battery standards. At the same time, relying on massive real-world data, building AI technology barriers, seizing opportunities for the development of embodied intelligent robot industry, and improving the robot industry ecosystem.Editor/Gong Ziwei