The UK’s Local Climate Bond (LCB) market has secured a significant £16 million boost from two private investors, marking a pivotal step in empowering local authorities to fund net-zero initiatives. On 7 May 2025, the Green Finance Institute (GFI) announced that the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and Unity Trust Bank have committed £1 million and £15 […]
Continue Reading
Russian journalist Ekaterina Barabash has arrived in Paris after a perilous escape from Moscow, where she faced up to 10 years in prison for social media posts critical of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Assisted by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Barabash dismantled her electronic monitoring bracelet and traveled clandestinely over 2,800 kilometers to evade authorities. RSF […]
Continue Reading
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) has returned to the U.S. investment-grade bond market for the first time since 2023, issuing a multi-tranche debt offering estimated between $5 billion and $6 billion. The move aims to finance share buybacks, dividend payments, and acquisitions, as well as to offset an anticipated $900 million increase in costs due to […]
Continue Reading
On May 9, 2025, Poland and France signed a landmark treaty in Nancy, France, aimed at enhancing bilateral cooperation in defence, nuclear energy, and broader strategic interests. This agreement underscores a growing trend among European nations to bolster regional security amid concerns over the United States’ commitment to Europe’s defence under President Donald Trump’s administration. […]
Continue Reading
In its latest Global Trade Update, released this week, UNCTAD describes copper as “the new strategic raw material” at the heart of the rapidly electrifying and digitising global economy. But with demand set to rise more than 40 per cent by 2040, copper supply is under severe strain – posing a critical bottleneck for […]
Continue ReadingDG CLIMA leads the European Commission’s efforts to fight climate change, developing and implementing legislation to help the EU reach its 2030 climate target and, ultimately, climate neutrality by mid-century. Achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in the EU by 2050 requires easy, timely and reliable access to a large range of Earth observation data. These […]
Continue Reading
The landmark decision, announced on Thursday, also considered the harm caused to succeeding generations. “Forced displacement is permanent in nature until the victims benefit from a safe and dignified return to their place of habitual residence or are voluntarily resettled elsewhere,” said Committee member Hélène Tigroudja. Conflict, displacement and violations The Committee found that the […]
Continue Reading
Sudan’s ongoing civil war has escalated, with the Sudanese army battling drone attacks from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Port Sudan. For six consecutive days, military units have repelled drone assaults targeting vital infrastructure, including the Flamingo naval base and oil depots. The RSF’s drones first struck between Sunday and Wednesday, damaging the […]
Continue Reading
The EU has dropped its share of Russian gas imports from 45% to 19%, thanks to the REPowerEU Plan, launched in May 2022 to reduce the EU’s dependency on Russian energy. However, the EU saw a rebound in Russian gas imports in 2024. The European Commission has therefore presented a roadmap to ensure the EU […]
Continue Reading
Nigeria has completed the repayment of a $3.4 billion emergency loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which was provided in April 2020 to mitigate the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent decline in oil prices . The loan was disbursed under the IMF’s Rapid Financing Instrument, aimed at addressing urgent balance […]
Continue Reading
