Peacekeepers step up support as families return to south Lebanon
This article is published in association with United Nations. With violence in south Lebanon significantly decreased since mid-June, UN peacekeepers there have returned to core functions such as protecting humanitarian aid and restoring critical infrastructure as families continue to return home. “The welcome reduction in violence allows our peacekeepers to do more of what we are […]
Commission greenlights Estonia’s fourth payment request for €135.5 million under NextGenerationEU
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, the European Commission positively assessed Estonia’s fourth payment request under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU. This payment request reflects significant progress across a wide range of reforms aimed at driving positive change for citizens and businesses in Estonia, […]
Commission takes action to ensure complete and timely transposition of EU directives
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission is taking action against several EU Member States that have failed to notify the Commission of measures they have adopted to transpose EU Directives into their national laws. The deadline to transpose these Directives has expired recently. The Commission is sending […]
EU Global Gateway strategy: EIB and BIIC strengthen strategic agricultural value chains for benefit of Benin and Europe
This article is published in association with European Investment Bank. The European Investment Bank (EIB), via its specialised arm for development and international partnerships – EIB Global – and the Banque internationale pour l’industrie et le commerce (BIIC) today announced the start of a strategic partnership aimed at strengthening financing for Beninese small and medium-sized enterprises […]
Commission approves €2 billion Hungarian capital injection into development bank Magyar Fejlesztési Bank
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a capital injection worth €2 billion (HUF 760 billion) by Hungary into the development bank Magyar Fejlesztési Bank (MFB). The measure will be funded by the Recovery and Resilience Facility (‘RRF’). The Hungarian measure […]
Commission greenlights Cyprus’s sixth payment request for €120 million under NextGenerationEU
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, the Commission positively assessed Cyprus’s sixth payment request under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU. The reforms and investments tied to this payment request will drive positive change for citizens and businesses in Cyprus, notably in the areas of health, […]
Parliament backs modernised EU-Mexico partnership and easier trade
This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. On Wednesday, MEPs gave their green light to two agreements paving the way for closer political ties and expanded trade between EU and Mexico. The EU-Mexico modernised global agreement (MGA) will replace the current framework, in place since 2000, promoting new opportunities for business, […]
Better enforcement of rules needed for a safer social media and online environment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. Companies should guarantee that the use of social media and the digital environment is safe, particularly for children and young people, MEPs say. To protect minors from the impact of social media, MEPs want EU legislation better enforced and implemented. In a report adopted […]
From NASA to the classroom: The engineer bringing AI to those left behind
This article is published in association with United Nations. Nia Jetter spent two decades building spacecraft and robots. Now she is trying to make sure the artificial intelligence revolution doesn’t leave anyone behind. Growing up in New Jersey, Ms. Jetter saved the quarters her grandfather gave her – not for sweets, but for batteries and light bulbs, so she […]
From saving sight to next-generation logistics: meet the 2026 EU Women Innovators
This article was published in association with the Horizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine. When Dr Katerina Spranger was a child, she came very close to losing her sight. “I had an accident and had to undergo emergency surgery,” she recalled. Precision is a key part of such procedures. Even a tiny error can […]
Teen scientists are tracking plastic pollution across Europe’s rivers
This article was published in association with the Horizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine. Along a small stream in Spain, groups of teenagers are at work. One hovers around a black tarpaulin covered in wet pieces of plastic. Another stands on a small bridge, fishing with a net. Others sort small pieces of plastic, […]From prosthetics to paper and AI: Europe’s innovation summit backs new tech
This article was published in association with the Horizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine. In a conference space at the edge of Brussels, networking reaches a crescendo as a DJ plays music in the background. On the floor, everyone is showcasing their work – from semiconductor chips to advanced renewable energy technologies and eco-friendly […]
Growing platelets on silk to keep blood supplies flowing
This article was published in association with the Horizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine. Every day, hospitals rely on platelet transfusions to stop bleeding, support cancer treatment and help patients recover from surgery and serious illness. Yet one of medicine’s most essential blood products is also among its most fragile. Unlike red blood cells, […]
Peacekeepers step up support as families return to south Lebanon
This article is published in association with United Nations. With violence in south Lebanon significantly decreased since mid-June, UN peacekeepers there have returned to core functions such as protecting humanitarian aid and restoring critical infrastructure as families continue to return home. “The welcome reduction in violence allows our peacekeepers to do more of what we are […]
Gulf crisis: Guterres calls for de-escalation, warns against return to full-on war
This article is published in association with United Nations. UN Secretary-General António Guterres voiced deep concern on Wednesday over the continuing military escalation in the Middle East amid ongoing strikes by the United States and Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz. The fighting has broken an interim truce established under a Memorandum of Understanding signed by […]
World Cup football’s other goal: Helping young people talk about mental health
This article is published in association with United Nations. When Dr. Sahira Al Nahari founded Shifā Art, a Saudi Arabia-based organization using art to create conversations around mental health, she noticed that men attending her therapeutic art workshops often felt uncomfortable opening up about their feelings. At these workshops, however, men often begin by sketching football […]
‘This is a fire’: DRC Ebola outbreak is fastest-growing ever, warns WHO
This article is published in association with United Nations. Infections of the Bundibugyo species of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have reached record highs and a majority of new cases are coming from “unknown chains of transmission”, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday. Why this matters Speaking to reporters […]
World News in Brief: Aid deliveries to Gaza restricted, UN prepares El Nino response, El Salvador eliminates disease
This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) is calling for greater humanitarian access to Gaza, warning that restrictions on aid deliveries, ongoing violence and funding shortages are severely limiting its ability to reach people in need. Tweet URL Reporting from a recent aid convoy mission, WFP Country Director for Palestine […]
Peak heat in Europe just broke historic 1970s records
This article is published in association with United Nations. This year marks the hottest June recorded for Western Europe and the second warmest globally, according to the latest report from a climate tracking service released on Thursday. “Heatwaves like this are what we expect to see in a changing climate,” said John Kennedy, head of climate […]
UN chief urges Iran and US to ‘urgently resume negotiations’ as Gulf strikes escalate
This article is published in association with United Nations. Renewed strikes and counterstrikes between Iran and the United States in the Gulf region have raised fears of a return to all‑out war, with Washington denying Tehran’s claim that it had closed the crucial Strait of Hormuz on Sunday. The US said it had struck around 140 […]
Peak heat in Europe just broke historic 1970s records
This article is published in association with United Nations. This year marks the hottest June recorded for Western Europe and the second warmest globally, according to the latest report from a climate tracking service released on Thursday. “Heatwaves like this are what we expect to see in a changing climate,” said John Kennedy, head of climate […]
Diplomats go virtual to witness Gaza displacement site up close
This article is published in association with United Nations. Representatives from 12 countries carried out a “virtual diplomatic field visit” to a displacement site in the Gaza Strip and heard from some of the residents about their pressing needs, the United Nations said on Thursday. The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), Ramiz Alakbarov, and his […]
Commission seeks feedback on commitments offered by Sanofi over possible anticompetitive conduct regarding the promotion of a flu vaccine for vulnerable patients
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission invites comments on commitments offered by Sanofi to address competition concerns regarding a communication campaign that has possibly disparaged the only rival flu vaccine recommended for vulnerable patients with risk factors. The Commission’s investigation Sanofi, headquartered in France, is a multinational […]
US-Iran war: Renewed attacks in Strait of Hormuz prompts another global energy alert
This article is published in association with United Nations. Renewed attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz unsettled energy markets on Wednesday and prompted calls from the UN maritime agency, IMO, for “maximum restraint and de-escalation”. Amid reports that three merchant vessels were hit along with Iranian targets, IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez condemned “reckless attacks” […]
When AI hurts people, who’s to blame? Global experts grapple with accountability
This article is published in association with United Nations. Who is legally responsible when Artificial Intelligence causes harm? The issue took centre stage on Tuesday – day two of the first ever UN summit on AI governance, where leading experts warned of mounting evidence of human rights violations linked to the revolutionary technology. “Across 11 Global […]
Occupied Palestinian Territory: Aid restrictions in Gaza, ‘senseless’ infant deaths in the West Bank
This article is published in association with United Nations. Ongoing restrictions and closures of border crossings continue to hamper delivery of critical supplies into the Gaza Strip, amid mounting concern for children there and in the West Bank, the United Nations said on Monday. UN teams in Gaza continued to collect food and fuel from the Kerem […]
Heat, Flood, Fire: The Climate Crisis and the Body
This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Ms. Sadia Khalid, a Scientist-Physician (MBBS, MD) at Tallinn University of Technologye. She is affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on […]
Civilian dangers multiply as drones transform Ukraine’s battlefield
This article is published in association with United Nations. As drones reshape the battlefield in Ukraine, they are also creating new and increasingly complex dangers for civilians, threatening recovery efforts, agriculture and global food security long after the fighting ends. “The battlespace has become a lot deeper, a lot wider and a lot more lethal,” Paul […]
Venezuela’s earthquake-hit hospitals pushed to the brink as disease risk grows
This article is published in association with United Nations. A week after earthquakes tore through northern Venezuela, hospitals in La Guaira are buckling under the weight of the disaster – and the risk of disease outbreaks in shelters is rising fast. An assessment by the UN-backed Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) found that all eight health […]
Venezuela earthquake disaster: needs ‘skyrocketing’, say relief agencies
This article is published in association with United Nations. In Venezuela, a rescue operation in La Guaira has succeeded in getting a toddler out alive from under the rubble, six days since the double-earthquake disaster. The miraculous story of the three-year-old’s rescue in the worst-hit northern region came as tens of thousands of people remained without […]
Despite record $100 million shortfall, Palestine relief agency still ‘a critical platform’ for Gaza recovery
This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN agency serving 5.9 million Palestine refugees, UNRWA, continues to strive to deliver on its mandate while facing an unprecedented $100 million budget shortfall, a gap it hopes to narrow during Tuesday’s pledging conference at UN Headquarters. Operating primarily on voluntary donations since its inception in the […]
UN details humanitarian toll of strikes on Ukrainian power industry
This article is published in association with United Nations. Missile and drone attacks killed at least a dozen civilians in Russia and Ukraine over the weekend as both countries continue to launch long-range drone strikes. Tweet URL Ukrainian authorities reported eight civilians killed and 35 others wounded in Russian attacks on the city of Dnipro on […]
Venezuela earthquakes leave 680,000 children in need of assistance: UNICEF
This article is published in association with United Nations. Some 680,000 children are among the 1.8 million people in need of humanitarian assistance following the earthquakes that struck Venezuela on 24 June, the UN child rights agency UNICEF reported on Sunday as rescue efforts continue. Damage to hospitals, schools, and water systems is exacerbating the situation for affected families, […]Europe heatwave breaks records as UN agencies ramp up health warnings
This article is published in association with United Nations. Climate and Environment As a record-breaking heatwave grips large parts of Europe, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), national weather services and partners are mobilising heat-health action plans for millions of people facing dangerous temperatures. The extreme heat is also impacting economic activities, infrastructure, agriculture and ecosystems, the UN weather […]
Stranded Hormuz seafarers begin mass evacuation operation
This article is published in association with United Nations. As the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO) released more details of its plan to evacuate more than 11,000 seafarers stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, one mariner caught up in the emergency has described the ever-present fear of coming under attack. “You don’t know when the war […]World News in Brief: UN launches Hormuz evacuation plan, UNICEF youth champion killed in Gaza, Lebanon ceasefire ‘largely holding’
This article is published in association with United Nations. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) will begin implementing an evacuation plan for more than 11,000 seafarers stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, the UN agency announced on Tuesday. The development follows months of hardship and distress for thousands of innocent seafarers and comes on the heels of […]
Climate crisis: UN chief lays out solutions blueprint for clean energy transition
This article is published in association with United Nations. As a deadly heatwave continued to grip Europe on Tuesday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued an impassioned appeal for more ambitious global action on climate change caused by fossil fuels, to prevent irreversible damage. In a major keynote speech at London Climate Action Week, the UN chief […]
