Theme news

Sharjah – September 09, 2026 -- Sharjah has opened submissions for the 13th edition of its Sharjah Government Communication Award (SGCA), introducing a dedicated category for the "Best Use of AI in Government and Institutional Communication" for the first time.

Global entrants have until September 22, 2026 to submit projects

Organizations and individuals worldwide can submit communication initiatives before the deadline. The award will distribute more than 35 prizes across categories covering governments, international organizations, the private sector, individual achievement, innovative communication approaches, and jury and partner awards.

Stockholm and Oslo – September 09, 2026 -- Multiconsult ASA and Rejlers AB have agreed to merge into a combined pan-Nordic consultancy group with close to 8,000 employees and a market capitalisation of nearly SEK 8 billion.

Boards approve merger of equals with 54-46 ownership split

Under the joint cross-border merger plan adopted by both boards, each Multiconsult shareholder will receive 0.9725 Rejlers class B shares per share held, giving Multiconsult shareholders 54% and Rejlers shareholders 46% of the new entity. The combined company will be named Multiconsult Rejlers and will be dual listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and Euronext Oslo Børs.

Hong Kong – September 09, 2026 -- Fosun International Limited (HKEX: 00656) has had its Hang Seng Sustainability Rating upgraded from AA- to AA+, a record high for the Group, following the 2026 ratings review by Hang Seng Indexes Company Limited that took effect the same day.

Rating upgrade breaks three-year plateau at AA-

Fosun had held the AA- rating for three consecutive years before this year's jump to AA+. The Hang Seng Sustainability Rating covers approximately 500 Hong Kong-listed companies within the Hang Seng Composite Index and more than 1,300 A-share companies in the Hang Seng China A (Investable) Index, based on a framework developed by the Hong Kong Quality Assurance Agency assessing seven core indicators including corporate governance, environment and fair operating practices.

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – September 09, 2026 -- SEDCO Capital and Wahed Inc have agreed to launch a publicly offered, Shariah-compliant real estate investment suite targeting Makkah and Madinah, opening institutional-grade access to the Two Holy Cities' property market for retail investors worldwide.

Partnership pairs SAR 50 billion asset manager with New York fintech serving 500,000 investors

SEDCO Capital, a Jeddah-headquartered Shariah-compliant and ESG-led asset manager with more than SAR 50 billion in assets under management, will supply local real estate sourcing and asset-management expertise. Wahed, a global Islamic fintech licensed in nine countries with over $2 billion in assets under management and a 500,000-client base, will provide the digital distribution platform.

Paris – September 09, 2026 -- Segway Powersports has equipped former enduro world champion Mathias Bellino with its Super Villain SX20T off-road vehicle, marking his entry into the powersports brand's roster of riders.

Bellino brings a decorated enduro record to the partnership

Bellino won the World Junior Enduro Championship in 2012 and the E3 World Enduro Championship in 2015. He was also part of French teams that captured the ISDE Junior World Trophy three consecutive years, from 2011 to 2013.

A 2018 rally crash ended his professional riding career

In August 2018, during his first off-road rally, the Desafío Ruta 40 in Argentina, Bellino suffered a serious spinal injury while training for a planned Dakar Rally bid. The accident ended his career as a professional rider.

Hamburg – September 09, 2026 -- Germany's Faktenkontor agency group has rebranded as PER Group, restructuring its five subsidiaries around client-outcome delivery rather than traditional agency disciplines such as PR, data or technology.

PER Group replaces discipline-based units with client-outcome "Impact Architectures"

The group, ranked 12th in the Pfeffer-Ranking of German PR agencies, will no longer organize services by function. Instead, each client engagement starts with a defined business outcome -- visibility, trust, acceptance or growth -- before communication, data, insights and technology are combined into what the group calls an individual "Impact Architecture."

Berlin – September 09, 2026 -- Germany's TÜV testing organizations are building a joint certification framework for artificial intelligence systems, with market rollout targeted for late 2026, as new survey data shows 79 percent of German citizens fear uncalculable risks from AI.

Survey shows trust gap even among active AI users

According to the TÜV Association's 2025 AI study, a representative survey conducted around October 26, 2025, 79 percent of German citizens fear unpredictable AI risks. Among people who actively use AI applications, only 53 percent trust that the results and answers produced are correct.

Munich – September 09, 2026 -- Sky Labs presented new clinical data at ESC Congress 2026 showing its ring-shaped blood pressure monitor, CART, achieves an approximately 80% data-usability rate in continuous 24-hour monitoring of patients with atrial fibrillation, addressing a measurement gap left by traditional cuff-based devices in patients with irregular pulse or severe blood pressure fluctuations.

Chonnam University trial confirms 24-hour monitoring feasibility in atrial fibrillation patients

Professor Ki-Hong Lee of Chonnam National University Hospital reported that CART enabled precise observation of nocturnal blood pressure dipping patterns in atrial fibrillation patients, with a data-usability rate near 80% across continuous 24-hour recordings.

Bristol, England – September 09, 2026 -- Zellis, the UK and Ireland's leading provider of HR, Workforce Management, Payroll and benefits solutions, has confirmed futurist and bestselling author Ravin Jesuthasan, CFA, FRSA, as headline speaker for its flagship Zellis Connect 2026 event, set for 23 September 2026 at Kings Place, London.

Jesuthasan will map a practical roadmap for AI-driven workforce change

Jesuthasan, global leader of Mercer's Transformation Services business, will address HR, workforce and pay professionals on the operating models replacing traditional organisational structures, the rise of future skills, and the governance needed to integrate AI and digital agents into daily operations. Zellis frames the session as action-oriented, aimed at giving attendees concrete steps against a backdrop of rising labour costs and accelerating workplace AI adoption.

Sharjah – September 09, 2026 -- The Sharjah Government has opened global applications for the 13th edition of the Sharjah Government Communication Award, with a submission deadline of September 22, 2026, and a new focus on artificial intelligence in public messaging.

Award expands to more than 35 categories spanning public and private sectors

The program, run by the Sharjah Government Media Bureau, covers entries from government bodies, international organizations and private companies, alongside individual achievement and smart communication competitions. Jury and partner awards round out the more than 35 categories on offer this cycle.

Nottingham – September 09, 2026 -- Isomab Ltd has published a systematic review showing no increased cancer or retinopathy risk from pro-angiogenic therapies for coronary artery disease, removing a two-decade safety barrier that has constrained development across the field.

Review of 636 patients finds malignancy rates below population norms

The analysis covered 11 clinical studies conducted between 2002 and 2024, spanning 636 patients with angina or peripheral artery disease -- 441 receiving pro-angiogenic therapy and 195 on placebo -- with follow-up periods ranging from two to 12 years. Mean malignancy incidence was 0.84 per 100 patient-years for the treatment group versus 0.72 for placebo, both figures falling below the age-matched population rate of 1.0 per 100 patient-years. Retinal events were rare in both cohorts and also below population benchmarks.

Shenzhen – September 09, 2026 -- INFiLED completed a new digital wayfinding installation at Shenzhen North Railway Station in June 2026, deploying its GeminiLED Series at key passenger circulation points as the company expands LED display deployment across China's rail network.

Dual-sided display targets converging passenger flows at major interchange

Shenzhen North combines high-speed rail with three metro lines, generating passenger flows that converge, divide and change direction throughout the hub. INFiLED's GeminiLED Series addresses this with a dual-sided structure that integrates two independently controlled display faces within a single suspended unit, allowing content to address passengers approaching from opposite directions simultaneously. The unit carries a 25.5 mm ultra-slim profile, a design constraint aimed at operating stations where structural loading, available space and short installation windows limit refurbishment work.

Hong Kong – September 09, 2026 -- Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. (HKEX: 2318; SSE: 601318) has been upgraded from A to A+ in the 2026 Hang Seng Sustainability Rating, marking the third consecutive annual improvement for the insurer. The upgrade places Ping An's A-shares in the top 10% of both the broader A-share universe and financial-sector peers, while its H-shares rank in the top 20% of Hong Kong-listed companies and top 10% of financials.

Munich – September 09, 2026 -- Sky Labs unveiled new clinical data at ESC Congress 2026 showing its ring-shaped blood pressure monitor CART achieved an 80% data evaluability rate in 24-hour monitoring of patients with atrial fibrillation (AFib), addressing a gap where conventional cuffs struggle with irregular pulses.

CART shows high concordance with standard ambulatory monitoring in severe heart failure patients

Professor In-Cheol Kim of Keimyung University Dongsan Hospital reported that CART, tested against conventional 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) in heart failure patients with a mean ejection fraction of 29%, showed high concordance and fully met European Society of Hypertension (ESH) error-margin criteria.

Munich – September 09, 2026 -- Sky Labs presented new clinical trial data for its ring-based blood pressure monitor, CART, at the ESC Congress 2026 in Munich on September 7, showing an 80% data evaluability rate in continuous monitoring of atrial fibrillation (AFib) patients and high correlation with standard ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) in severe heart failure cases.

CART achieves 80% evaluability rate in 24-hour monitoring of atrial fibrillation patients

Professor Ki-Hong Lee of Chonnam National University Hospital reported that CART's ring-based 24-hour monitoring achieved approximately 80% data evaluability in AFib patients, enabling continuous tracking of nocturnal blood pressure dipping patterns that irregular pulse rates typically disrupt for cuff-based devices.

Da Nang – September 09, 2026 -- Sungrow has launched its next-generation MGTL Series three-phase hybrid inverters across Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America, targeting homes and businesses seeking integrated solar-plus-storage systems.

New series spans 10 kW to 25 kW for residential and commercial use

The MGTL Series combines solar generation and energy storage into a single system, supporting a power range of 10 kW to 25 kW. Sungrow positions the launch as a tool to help users maximize solar utilization, strengthen backup resilience, and simplify installation across multiple regions.

Stockholm – September 09, 2026 -- Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson repurchased Class B shares between August 31 and September 4, 2026, lifting its treasury stock holding to 105,668,676 Class B shares.

Ericsson executes buybacks under a SEK 15 billion program launched in April 2026

The transactions form part of a share buyback program of up to SEK 15,000,000,000 that Ericsson announced on April 16, 2026. The program runs from April 23, 2026, through March 31, 2027, at the latest, and is being carried out on Nasdaq Stockholm by Goldman Sachs Bank Europe SE on Ericsson's behalf.

Board plans to propose cancellation of repurchased shares at 2027 AGM

Ericsson's Board of Directors intends to propose to the 2027 Annual General Meeting that the repurchased shares be cancelled, except for those retained to fulfil obligations under the company's share-related incentive programs.

Bochum – – September 09, 2026 -- GLS Bank board member Aysel Osmanoglu has issued a public statement following an unexpectedly strong result for the far-right AfD in Saxony-Anhalt's state election, warning that the outcome puts fundamental societal achievements and democracy itself at risk.

GLS Bank says an AfD-led state government would pressure its civil-society client base

Osmanoglu, who sits on the board of the Bochum-based socio-ecological GLS Gemeinschaftsbank, said the bank counts many organizations from civil society among its customers and that an AfD-led regional administration would place these clients under direct pressure.

Executive links open, diverse society to a resilient economic future

"The free and diverse society is the foundation for a good life and a future-proof economy," Osmanoglu said, arguing that democratic values and economic viability are directly connected rather than separate policy tracks.

Wiesbaden – September 09, 2026 -- Germany's industrial production dropped 1.1% month-on-month in July 2026 on a seasonally and calendar-adjusted basis, according to preliminary data from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). Output was 1.6% lower than in July 2025 on a calendar-adjusted basis. June 2026 figures were revised down to flat growth (0.0%) from a preliminary +0.2%, leaving output 0.5% below the prior-year month.

Automotive output collapses 9.2% on production pause

The July decline was driven primarily by the automotive industry, where output fell 9.2% versus June on a seasonally and calendar-adjusted basis. The German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) attributed the drop to a multi-week production halt.

Berlin – September 09, 2026 -- Grundig, the European premium home appliance brand owned by Beko, unveiled a new product lineup at IFA 2026, marking a fresh phase in its strategic licensing partnership with Chinese manufacturer Changhong.

Changhong gains brand license for select Grundig categories and markets

The IFA showcase followed Beko's decision to grant Changhong a license to use the Grundig brand for specific product categories and markets. The arrangement pairs Changhong's research, manufacturing and supply-chain capabilities with Grundig's European heritage and existing market presence, with both companies stating the goal is to expand Grundig's reach across Europe and other international markets.