Category: International

Climate action key to affordable housing, but buildings decarbonisation stalls

Buildings’ operational emissions increased by 1 per cent to 9.9 GtCO₂ in 2024 Globally, buildings are becoming more energy efficient, but progress is too slow to meet climate goals USD 5.9 trillion in investment in energy efficiency is needed by 2030 Decarbonisation of the buildings and construction sector has slowed, leaving it both a major emissions source and increasingly vulnerable to climate impacts and energy price shocks, according to a new report from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC). The tenth edition…

Apple legend Steve Wozniak makes history again: Actually gets applause talking about AI at commencement speech

By Joshua Wolens,First  Published,22 May,2026 If you’re set to give a university commencement address in the near future—and I know some of you are—here’s a PC Gamer tip: don’t hype up AI. Turns out modern grads just don’t want to hear your paeans to LLMs, whether you’re the real estate exec who got heckles for calling AI “the next industrial revolution” or ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who drew loud boos when he sang hosannahs to how AI is surely going to transform every aspect of our lives. Instead, you should probably try to be…

31st IRENA Council Ushers New Era of Global Energy Transition

More than 300 delegates to discuss the expanding role of renewables in powering energy security, resilience and digital economies. The thirty-first Council meeting of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has started in the United Arab Emirates(UAE) in a hybrid format according to an official statement issued in Abu Dhabi,Thursday Over 300 government representatives,the statement said, are attending the meeting at IRENA Headquarters in Abu Dhabi, both in person and virtually. Over the course of two days,it said, the Council will review progress on the Agency’s work and discuss collective…

Australia’s First-ever Islamic Bank Launch on Course

Story: Mohammed A. Abu Islamic Money Australia Pty Ltd’s Chief Executive Officer, Dean Gillespie,promoters of the country’s first-ever fully fledged Islamic bank has assured potential customers in the country and potential investors worldwide that everything is still on course. In a February  official progress update,Mr.Gellespie assured, his company was  continuing to work on launching Australia’s first-ever Islamic bank and we are hoping to launch home finance soon in 2026.  We’re aiming to launch the full bank in 2027. Meeting the Minimum Capital Requirement  “We always knew when starting this business…

Russia To Expand Islamic Banking Services

First Published,May 19, 2026 Russia is to expand a pilot Islamic banking program as demand for Sharia-compliant financial products continues to grow, according to the country’s largest lender, Sber. Islamic banking follows Sharia principles that prohibit interest-based lending and speculative transactions. Instead, it relies on mechanisms such as leasing, installment sales, profit-sharing arrangements, and asset-backed financing. It also restricts financing for sectors such as gambling, alcohol, tobacco, and weapons production. Russia launched the pilot initiative in 2023 in four predominantly Muslim regions, including the Republic of Tatarstan, and later extended…

LSEG Islamic Investment Review 2025 Launched in London

Story: Mohammed A. Abu The London Stock Exchange Group(LSEG) Data & Analytics, has announced in London,Teusday, the launch of its latest report “LSEG Islamic Investment Review 2025: 50 Years of Exponential Growth”. The report provides a comprehensive, data‑driven assessment of global Islamic investment markets, examining developments across sukuk, Shariah‑compliant equities and Islamic funds at a time of heightened macroeconomic uncertainty and market volatility. Offering a detailed snapshot of market size, growth and structural evolution in 2025, the report highlights the continued expansion and resilience of Islamic investment markets despite tighter…

Physicists Observe Strange Quantum Rotation Effect That Defies Intuition

By Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendor, First Published,17th May,2026 Researchers discovered that atomic rotations inside a crystal can unexpectedly flip direction while still obeying the laws of angular momentum conservation. An international team of researchers, including scientists from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, has directly observed for the first time how angular momentum moves and remains conserved inside a crystal lattice. By using powerful terahertz laser pulses, the team was able to precisely manipulate these motions and discovered an unexpected effect: during the transfer process, the direction of…

New Stroke Study Challenges Decades-Old Medical Beliefs

Lacunar stroke may arise from damage in the brain’s small blood vessels rather than fatty plaque in larger arteries, pointing researchers toward new treatment strategies. Scientists have found new evidence that calls into question a long-standing explanation for a common form of stroke, and it may help clarify why standard prevention treatments often fall short. The study suggests that fatty deposits in arteries are unlikely to be the cause of lacunar ischemic stroke, a type that makes up about one quarter of all ischemic strokes, which are strokes caused by…

How biodiversity markets shape nature recovery

First Published,11 May 2026 Land, Society and Governance Blog 3 minute read  Mattia Troiano,Research Assistant, Dr Mark Hirons Senior Researcher   Biodiversity markets are increasingly being used in conservation policy, but we still don’t fully understand how their design shapes who gets involved and what actually happens for nature on the ground. A new open-access article in Environmental Policy and Governance by Mattia Troiano, a researcher at the ECI, and colleagues looks at this question through England’s Biodiversity Net Gain system, based on interviews and participatory mapping work in Oxfordshire. Rather…

About Digital Education and Child Wellbeing…..Seychelles First Lady Speaks Out

The First Lady, of Seychelles,Veronique Herminie joined 45 other First Spouses at the inaugural “Fostering the Future Together” Global Coalition Summit in Washington DC held from 24th to 25th March 2026, at the US Department of State and the White House respectively on the personal invitation of U.S. First Lady Melania Trump. The coalition is focused on advancing children’s wellbeing through education, innovation and responsible use of technology. In her intervention at the opening day of the summit, First Lady Veronique Herminie stressed the importance of education to ensure that…