This article is brought to you based on the strategic cooperation of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Sonia Hierzig, Project Manager – Banking, ShareAction Banks are exposed to a number of climate-related risks through the diverse range of sectors they finance. Across the world, they continue to fund high-carbon industries, thus enabling a range of […]Banks must take bold action to fight climate change. This is how they can do it
May 21, 2018 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you based on the strategic cooperation of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Sonia Hierzig, Project Manager – Banking, ShareAction Banks are exposed to a number of climate-related risks through the diverse range of sectors they finance. Across the world, they continue to fund high-carbon industries, thus enabling a range of […]Drugs cost too much. There is a better way to fund medical innovation
May 21, 2018 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you based on the strategic cooperation of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Rufus Pollock, Lead, iMed Project, and Founder and President of Open Knowledge Drugs are expensive. Very expensive, and becoming ever more so, it seems. Prices for new medicines have been steadily rising for the past few decades. It […]The dangers of data: why the numbers never tell the full story
May 21, 2018 by 1 Comment
This article is brought to you based on the strategic cooperation of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Kian Bakhtiari, Strategist, FortySix Every day, we generate 2.5 quintillion bytes of data. Organized and analysed correctly, this information has the power to create a better future for all. Big data can accurately detect earthquakes, floods and famines, […]The world has made spectacular progress in every measure of well-being. So why does almost no one know about it?
May 21, 2018 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you based on the strategic cooperation of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Steven Pinker, Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology, Harvard University This excerpt is from Steven Pinker’s new book “Enlightenment Now”. The book was chosen as May’s book for the World Economic Forum Book Club. Each month, a new book […]Is Germany closer to Russia than the West? Nord Stream II and Iran count more
May 21, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Last Friday, Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, rushed to Sochi, the Black Sea seaside Russian resort to meet Vladimir Putin. It was the first visit by a Western leader to meet him at home, after his fourth inauguration on 7 May as President of the vast country, this time for six more years. Looking through […]In Washington D.C., Guterres signs pact with World Bank, meets US President Trump
May 20, 2018 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. The United Nations and the World Bank Group on Friday signed an agreement to work closer together to help countries implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and achieve measurable results to transform their economies and societies. The agreement, known as the Strategic Partnership […]Force used against protestors in Gaza ‘wholly disproportionate’ says UN human rights chief
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This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. A special session of the UN Human Rights Council has ended with a resolution by Member States to investigate weeks of violence on the Israeli border with Gaza, which has claimed the lives of more than 100 people in the enclave and left thousands […]UN warns of ‘deteriorating climate’ for human rights defenders in Guatemala
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This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. It’s becoming increasingly dangerous to defend the rights of indigenous people in Guatemala, the United Nations human rights office warned on Friday, following the murder of three activists over the past 10 days. “We are concerned about what appears to be a deteriorating climate […]End ‘cycle of violence’ in Gaza, UN deputy chief tells forum on Palestine
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This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. The “cycle of violence” in Gaza serves no one and it must end, the United Nations deputy chief said on Thursday, calling on everyone with a stake in Middle East peace, to exercise utmost restraint to avoid further deaths, especially the lives of children. […]Celebrate love, strengthen partnerships to end AIDS epidemic by 2030 says UN agency
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This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. Marking the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, the United Nations is calling for strengthened partnerships to support lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people and their families. “Stigma, discrimination and social and physical violence against sexual and gender minorities prevents […]Emergency meeting called as Ebola spreads to Congolese city – UN health agency
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This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. The World Health Organization (WHO) is convening an emergency meeting on Friday to “consider the international risks” of the latest outbreak of the deadly disease Ebola, which has now moved to an urban area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). One new […]Cape Town’s crisis shows us the real cost of water
May 20, 2018 by 2 Comments
This article is brought to you based on the strategic cooperation of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Kalin Anev Janse, Secretary General, European Stability Mechanism (ESM) Sometime this summer, residents of Cape Town, South Africa, are expecting ‘Day Zero’ – the day when almost all the taps in the city will run dry. On that […]How digital is your country? Europe needs Digital Single Market to boost its digital performance
May 18, 2018 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today the European Commission is publishing the results of the 2018 Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) , a tool which monitors the performance of Member States in digital connectivity, digital skills online activity, the digitisation of businesses and digital public services. According to it, the […]EU to increase spending and improve delivery of education in emergencies and protracted crises
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This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament Education in emergencies helps millions of children in need across the world. The Commission has adopted a new policy framework today that aims to increase humanitarian funding for education in emergencies and crises to 10% of its overall humanitarian aid budget as of 2019. […]The global liberal order is in trouble – can it be salvaged, or will it be replaced?
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This article is brought to you based on the strategic cooperation of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Robert Muggah, Research Director, Igarapé Institute The global liberal order is coming unstuck. After a 70-year run, the future of liberal democracy, open markets and common security agreements hang in the balance. There are red flags just about […]Blockchain is facing a backlash. Can it survive?
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This article is brought to you based on the strategic cooperation of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Jem Bendell, Founding Director, The Institute for Leadership and Sustainability Not so long ago, the internet was hailed as the solution to humanity’s ills. It would shine a light on all corners of the globe, bringing new knowledge […]EU-Western Balkans summit in Sofia
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This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Main results The EU-Western Balkans summit took place in Sofia, Bulgaria, on 17 May. It brought together: heads of state or government from EU member states leaders from the 6 Western Balkans partners: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Kosovo* […]Europe on the Move: Commission completes its agenda for safe, clean and connected mobility
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This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The Juncker Commission is undertaking the third and final set of actions to modernise Europe’s transport system. In his State of the Union address of September 2017, President Juncker set out a goal for the EU and its industries to become a world leader in […]Robot inventors are on the rise. But are they welcomed by the patent system?
May 18, 2018 by 2 Comments
This article is brought to you based on the strategic cooperation of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Kay Firth-Butterfield, Head, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, World Economic Forum LLC & Yoon Chae, Prior Fellow, World Economic Forum Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution; Intellectual Property Associate, Baker McKenzie. Artificial Intelligence is now capable of performing tasks that […]Why CEOs need to become activists in sustainability
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This article is brought to you based on the strategic cooperation of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Clarissa Watson, Head of Marketing, Alto Data Analytics As the world becomes increasingly politically polarized and some governments abandon sustainable initiatives, like US President Donald Trump’s announcement to pull out of the Paris Agreement in 2017, consumers are […]Environment Committee MEPs vote to upgrade EU civil protection capacity
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This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament Upgrades to the EU civil defence mechanism, which was tested to its limits by deadly forest fires, storms and floods in 2017, were approved in committee on Thursday. The aim is to help member states to respond faster and more effectively to natural and […]Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: “Am I a real Boy?”
May 18, 2018 by 1 Comment
This article was exclusively written for the Sting by Mr Ahmed Rafay Afzal, a medical student from King Edward Medical University, Lahore, Pakistan, currently pursuing a career in United States. He is affiliated to the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA). However, the opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s […]Economic growth ‘exceeds expectations’ but trade tensions are rising: UN report
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This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. Global economic growth is exceeding expectations this year but heightened geopolitical tension and uncertainty over international trade could thwart progress, according to a new United Nations report. The global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is due to expand by more than 3 per cent this year and next, […]Have central banks missed the exit train?
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This article is brought to you based on the strategic cooperation of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Alberto Gallo, Portfolio Manager and Head of Macro Strategies, Algebris Investments After a decade of stimulus, central bankers have pledged to end loose monetary policy. Their attempts are failing. The Federal Reserve has been raising interest rates, pushing […]Judges urge Security Council to serve interests of all UN Member States
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This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. The Security Council should act on behalf of the entire United Nations membership rather than prioritizing their own national interests, or those of close allies, international court judges said on Thursday, as the 15-member body debated how to effectively counter numerous threats to world […]Syria: Civilians bear brunt of unilateral sanctions, exacerbating ‘unparalleled suffering, destruction,’ says UN expert
May 18, 2018 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. Syrian civilians are frequently being denied live-saving humanitarian support – an unintended consequence of unilateral sanctions, that are exacerbating an already dire situation, according to a United Nations rights expert. “I am deeply concerned in the way that sanctions are being implemented,” Idriss Jazairy, […]Air quality: Commission takes action to protect citizens from air pollution
May 18, 2018 by 1 Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The Commission is standing up for Europeans’ need to breathe clean air. The Commission is providing national, regional and local actors with practical help to improve air quality in Europe, and stepping up its enforcement against 7 Member States who have breached agreed EU rules […]These companies can recycle nearly anything, from cigarette butts to fax machines
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This article is brought to you based on the strategic cooperation of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Peter Beech, World Economic Forum writer Human beings are filling the world with waste. Every year, we dump 2.1 billion tons of rubbish into the ecosystem. Eight million tons of that slips quietly into our oceans. Despite the […]How Europe beat the financial crisis – and the risks it still faces
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This article is brought to you based on the strategic cooperation of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Kalin Anev Janse, Secretary General, European Stability Mechanism (ESM) Ten years after the financial crisis, what is the most important news for me, coming from the other side of the channel? It is that Europe is booming – […]How secure is blockchain?
May 17, 2018 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you based on the strategic cooperation of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Lotte Schou-Zibell, Chief, Finance Sector Group, Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department, Asian Development Bank & Nigel Phair, Director, Centre for Internet Safety , University of Canberra. Blockchain technology is transforming the way we do business by allowing […]Technology is delivering better access to financial services. Here’s how
May 17, 2018 by 1 Comment
This article is brought to you based on the strategic cooperation of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Philippe Le Houérou, Chief Executive Officer, International Finance Corporation (IFC) & Dan Schulman, President and Chief Executive Officer, PayPal. Digital technology is spurring financial inclusion around the world, enabling millions more people and businesses to join the global […]Around 2.5 billion more people will be living in cities by 2050, projects new UN report
May 17, 2018 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. Owing to both demographic shifts and overall population growth, that means that around 2.5 billion people could be added to urban areas by the middle of the century, predicts the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). Many countries will face challenges in […]Syria: UN-backed watchdog says chemical weapon ‘likely used’ in February attack
May 17, 2018 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. Deadly chlorine gas was likely used in an attack that took place in a Syrian town in rebel-held Idlib last February, said the United Nations-backed chemical weapons watchdog on Wednesday. The report, released Tuesday by the fact-finding mission of the Organisation for the Prohibition of […]
