Economic collapse pushes highly educated Gazans into the ‘survival economy’
This article is published in association with United Nations. Young Palestinians in Gaza with university-level educations are setting aside dreams of putting their hard-won skills into practice and doing whatever they can to survive. Abdullah al-Khawaja, an electrical engineering graduate displaced from Rafah to Khan Younis, now stands behind a small spice stall, having lost the […]
EIB and Commerzbank launch new cooperation for €2 billion in grid investments in Europe
This article is published in association with European Investment Bank. The EIB and Commerzbank signed a new cooperation agreement at Hannover Messe that will enable investments of up to €2 billion in electricity grids in Germany and other EU Member States. The cooperation will address key financing bottlenecks for grid expansion and upgrades, which are crucial for integrating […]
EU long-term budget: MEPs want a 10% increase to support EU priorities
This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. On Wednesday MEPs endorsed their negotiating position on the 2028-2034 EU budget, including a breakdown of the amounts they want to allocate to each EU funding programme. The 2028-2034 EU budget (the multiannual financial framework – MFF) should be set at 1.27% of EU […]
Commission issues €9 billion in its fourth syndicated transaction of 2026
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission has raised €9 billion of EU-Bonds in its 4th syndicated transaction for 2026. The dual-tranche transaction concerned a €3 billion tap of the 3-year EU-Bond, maturing on 12 July 2029, and a €6 billion new 20-year EU-Bond, maturing on 12 October […]
Development finance gap risks reversing decades of progress
This article is published in association with United Nations. Global fragmentation, deepening geopolitical tensions and conflicts are putting decades of development progress at risk, the UN warned in a report published on Thursday – calling for stepping up investment to meet internationally agreed goals. The 2026 Financing for Sustainable Development Report assesses progress on the Sevilla Commitment, a 2025 […]
Development finance gap risks reversing decades of progress
This article is published in association with United Nations. Global fragmentation, deepening geopolitical tensions and conflicts are putting decades of development progress at risk, the UN warned in a report published on Thursday – calling for stepping up investment to meet internationally agreed goals. The 2026 Financing for Sustainable Development Report assesses progress on the Sevilla Commitment, a […]
The EU’s electricity grids must be strong, smart and secure
This article is brought to you in association with the European Economic and Social Committee. At its March plenary session, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) stressed that the EU needed more decentralised energy and better coordination on electricity grids. Networks should be rapidly digitalised and be aligned with national energy and climate plans. The […]
EIB Group confirms support for EUR 2.4 billion energy resilience and deep tech innovation at Hannover Messe
This article is published in association with European Investment Bank. Hannover, 20 April 2026 – The EIB Group today confirmed more than EUR 2.4 billion of new financing for energy resilience and cutting-edge innovation, announced at Hannover Messe as part of Europe’s response to rising geopolitical tensions, energy security concerns and global competition in strategic technologies. […]
Second meeting of Special Panel to advise President von der Leyen on child online safety
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, the Special Panel on child online safety advising President von der Leyen on child online safety, convened for a second meeting. Today’s meeting focused on current EU rules and initiatives to protect minors online, shared by experts advising Member States, as well as international approaches, such as Australia’s social […]
Putting humans at the centre: UN AI panel begins work on global impact study
This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN’s Independent International Scientific Panel on AI – the first global body of its kind – is gearing up for its inaugural in-person summit. Tasked with navigating the volatile intersection of innovation and ethics, this group of world-leading experts is launching a landmark study into the […]
New era for space dawns as Artemis astronauts return
This article is published in association with United Nations. After a 10-day journey around the far side of the Moon, the four astronauts on NASA’s Artemis II mission are set to splash down in the Pacific Ocean late on Friday. The historic mission, which set a record during its lunar flyby for how far humans have […]
MEPs support digital vehicle registration documents to cut red tape
This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. The Transport Committee has backed digital vehicle registration certificates and compulsory sharing of mileage data and inspection results, to cut red tape and combat fraud. On Wednesday, MEPs on the Transport and Tourism Committee (TRAN) adopted their position on the revision of the EU […]
Latvia to receive EIB guidance on unlocking stronger tech innovation
This article is published in association with European Investment Bank. The European Investment Bank (EIB) will advise Latvia on accelerating the development of high-growth business sectors. Through this new cooperation with the Ministry of Economics and the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA), the EIB will help the country create the conditions for more competitive […]
Economic collapse pushes highly educated Gazans into the ‘survival economy’
This article is published in association with United Nations. Young Palestinians in Gaza with university-level educations are setting aside dreams of putting their hard-won skills into practice and doing whatever they can to survive. Abdullah al-Khawaja, an electrical engineering graduate displaced from Rafah to Khan Younis, now stands behind a small spice stall, having lost the […]
World News in Brief: AI diagnostics, humanitarian deal for DR Congo, rights abuse allegations in Belarus, Ukraine children bear heaviest burden
This article is published in association with United Nations. New data shows that nearly three in four countries in Europe now use Artificial Intelligence in their health services to make a diagnosis. According to the UN World Health Organization (WHO) joint report with the European Union, 74% of countries in the bloc use AI tools in medical […]
Time running out on development goals as finance dries up, UN warns
This article is published in association with United Nations. Rising conflicts, the climate crisis and shrinking development finance are putting growing pressure on the poorest and most vulnerable countries – pushing development goals further off track. The warning comes in the Financing for Sustainable Development Report 2026 (FSDR), a new UN report launched on Monday, which finds […]
World News in Brief: Myanmar amnesty, rising needs in Afghanistan, another power loss at Ukraine nuclear plant
This article is published in association with United Nations. Authorities in Myanmar released the country’s ousted president from prison on Friday, along with some 4,000 other people, as part of an amnesty to mark the traditional New Year festival. President Win Myint had been in jail since February 2021 when the military overthrew Myanmar’s democratically elected […]
The Epstein files: Rights experts demand accountability, call for probe into trafficking allegations
This article is published in association with United Nations. UN independent human rights experts called on Thursday for justice and accountability for young women and girls who were trafficked systematically as part of allegations contained in the so-called Epstein files. The Human Rights Council-appointed experts also issued a general warning over the “continuing violence of patriarchal power systems” revealed […]
Middle East conflict chokes end of supply chain as lights go out in the Pacific
This article is published in association with United Nations. For Pacific Island countries, the Middle East crisis is not a distant geopolitical event. It is already showing up in higher fuel prices, electricity uncertainty and fears that communities sitting at the far end of global supply chains could be pushed into deeper economic insecurity. “We are […]
‘Time for diplomacy over escalation’ in Middle East war: Guterres
This article is published in association with United Nations. As the war in the Middle East continues, the United Nations Secretary-General issued a passionate call for “serious negotiations” between the US and Iran to resume, warning that respect for international law “is being trampled” underfoot. Addressing journalists at UN Headquarters in New York outside the Security […]
‘Clock is ticking’: Hormuz disruption raises fears of global food crisis
This article is published in association with United Nations. The clock is ticking for global food systems as disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz threaten to choke off the flow of fuel and crucial fertilizers needed for the next planting season – also raising the risk of higher food prices and a new wave of inflation. […]
Lebanon airstrike casualties ‘still under the rubble’ as ambulances, hospitals face new threats
This article is published in association with United Nations. With Lebanon still reeling from Israel’s devastating airstrikes on 8 April, UN humanitarians reported new fears of attacks on ambulances and looming food shortages in the south of the country on Friday. Speaking from Beirut, where he witnessed Wednesday’s attacks first-hand, the World Health Organization (WHO)’s representative […]
Lebanon: Health system overwhelmed following a ‘horrific’ day of Israeli strikes
This article is published in association with United Nations. The scale and speed of destruction from the wave of airstrikes in Lebanon which began just hours after the US-Iran ceasefire announcement, has left the country’s already strained health system struggling to cope, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO Representative in Lebanon Dr. Abdinasir Abubakar […]
Iran ceasefire raises hopes for reopening key Strait of Hormuz
This article is published in association with United Nations. The announcement of a shaky two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran, will it is hoped, lead to the opening of the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which one fifth of the world’s oil and gas passes. The strait has become a global […]
Global Health Priorities for the Year Ahead: Why the Next Generation Must Lead
This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Mr. Sharif Mohammed Sadat, a medical student from Bangladesh and serves as the Regional Director for Asia-Pacific of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA). He is affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this […]
World News in Brief: ‘Skyrocketing’ needs outpace Sudan funding, Ukraine strikes update, global water security
This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN is significantly scaling up its presence in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, to expand life-saving operations as the conflict between rival militaries approaches its third year. UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Denise Brown has returned to the city with a core team, marking a renewed commitment […]
MIDDLE EAST LIVE 6 April: Strikes persist across region as humanitarian needs rise
This article is published in association with United Nations. Strikes and counter-strikes continue across the Middle East, with dozens of casualties reported over the weekend in Lebanon following Israeli strikes targeting the south and the capital, Beirut. Meanwhile, humanitarian needs are rising, critical infrastructure remains under strain, and the wider economic and global impacts of the […]
UN nuclear agency chief ‘deeply concerned’ by reports of latest attack on Iran power plant
This article is published in association with United Nations. Reports of yet another projectile strike near the Bushehr nuclear power plant prompted Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), to register his deep concern on Saturday. The IAEA was informed of the strike – the fourth such incident in recent weeks – by […]
Guterres warns of ‘wider war’ as Middle East conflict enters second month
The Middle East crisis has lurched into its second month, prompting UN Secretary-General António Guterres to issue a stark warning on Thursday morning that the world is “on the edge of a wider war” with catastrophic global implications. Speaking to the press outside the Security Council in New York, the UN chief painted a grim picture of the rapidly […]
