This article is published in association with United Nations. Developing countries are being priced out of the affordable finance they desperately need for sustainable development, with sovereign credit ratings often overstating risk and overlooking long-term economic potential, the UN said on Monday. A credit rating is an assessment of how likely a borrower, such as a government, is to […]Developing countries are being priced out, in struggle for affordable finance
March 31, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Developing countries are being priced out of the affordable finance they desperately need for sustainable development, with sovereign credit ratings often overstating risk and overlooking long-term economic potential, the UN said on Monday. A credit rating is an assessment of how likely a borrower, such as a government, is to […]World News in Brief: Ukraine drone attacks, Afghan rights, Zero-Waste Day
March 31, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. A night of drone attacks reportedly killed two people and injured 12 in the Ukrainian port city of Odesa, as a maternity hospital and three educational facilities were also damaged. In a night of further terror for civilians, on 28 March, a drone strike hit the Odesa […]The Years Ahead in Global Health: Perspectives of the Next Generation
March 31, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by NGOUEDOH NKEMZI HELMA STACEY and SAMA CHLOE NYOH, second year medical students at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Buea, Cameroon. They are affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to […]Airstrike on funeral underscores rising civilian toll in Sudan
March 31, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Fears are mounting for civilians caught up in Sudan’s deadly war between rival militaries as attacks intensify and humanitarian access shrinks, following a deadly airstrike on a funeral gathering in West Kordofan. Seven people were killed and dozens injured when an airstrike hit a funeral gathering in […]The image from Gaza that still haunts me: Palestine relief agency chief
March 31, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Asking the softly spoken, veteran humanitarian worker Philippe Lazzarini how he feels as he comes to the end of his second term as the head of the UN agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, is perhaps an unfair question. “No doubt that I have mixed feelings today,” he says. […]Commission allocates €21.5 million in emergency support to farmers in Bulgaria, Estonia and Hungary
March 31, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, Member States endorsed the Commission’s proposal to mobilise €21.5 million from the agricultural reserve to support farmers in Bulgaria (BG), Estonia (EE) and Hungary (HU) affected by adverse weather events during the 2025 growing season. They will respectively receive €7,4 million (BG), €3,3 […]Commission publishes guidance to support implementation of new packaging rules, for a more sustainable and competitive EU packaging sector
March 31, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, the European Commission published guidelines on the implementation of thePackaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) to facilitate the uniform application of the new packaging rules across the EU and simplify compliance for economic actors and Member States. The full application of this law […]Commission adopts €1.5 billion work programme to boost European and Ukrainian defence industry
March 31, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission approved today a €1.5 billion work programme under the European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP) to enhance and modernise Europe’s defence industry, boost production capacity and secure technological advancement and resilience. EDIP tackles pressing challenges in European defence and security by boosting […]UN condemns killing of two more peacekeepers in Lebanon
March 31, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The United Nations has condemned two consecutive days of deadly attacks on peacekeepers serving with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), amid rising hostilities between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants. Two Indonesian peacekeepers were killed on Monday, and two more were injured, in an explosion that hit a UNIFIL logistics convoy, destroying […]Syria: UN Commission documents grave violations in July 2025 escalation in Sweida
March 30, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. More than 1,700 people were killed and nearly 200,000 more displaced in the July 2025 massacres in Sweida, Syria, UN human rights investigators said on Friday in a report that called for greater action towards accountability. The UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria documented widespread violations mainly against the Druze and Bedouin communities, including executions, torture, gender-based violence and the burning of homes. […]Middle East war: UN initiatives support mediation efforts, ‘lifesaving’ fertiliser shipments
March 30, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Just hours after war broke out in the Middle East last month, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned the Security Council that the fighting risked “igniting a chain of events that no one can control in the most volatile region of the world.” The humanitarian fallout continues to deepen […]UN peacekeeper killed, another seriously injured, in southern Lebanon
March 30, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for accountability after a peacekeeper was killed in Lebanon on Sunday amid hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. The blue helmet from Indonesia was deployed with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which reported that a projectile exploded at its position near Adchit Al […]Italy: Florence and EIB join forces for new affordable housing plan
March 30, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with European Investment Bank. The Municipality of Florence and the European Investment Bank (EIB) are strengthening their cooperation to address the growing challenge of access to housing. With funding from the InvestEU Advisory Hub, EIB Advisory experts will provide technical assistance for the definition of the new municipal affordable housing […]Commission approves €144 million French State aid to support HyforSeeds in the production of hydrogen
March 30, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €144 million French measure to support HyforSeeds to produce renewable and low-carbon hydrogen for the fertiliser sector. The measure will contribute to achieving the targets of the EU Hydrogen Strategy and the Renewable Energy Directive for the […]Commission approves €500 million Luxembourgish cleantech manufacturing capacity State aid scheme
March 30, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission has approved a €500 million Luxembourgish scheme to support strategic investments that add clean technology (cleantech) manufacturing capacity, in line with the objectives of the Clean Industrial Deal. This measure will contribute to the transition towards a net-zero economy. The scheme was approved […]Commission takes action to ensure complete and timely transposition of EU directives
March 30, 2026 by Leave a Comment
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 […]Commission responds to cyber-attack on its Europa web platform
March 30, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. On 24 March, the European Commission discovered a cyber-attack, which affected its cloud infrastructure hosting the Commission’s web presence on the Europa.eu platform. Immediate steps were taken to contain the attack. The Commission’s swift response ensured the incident was contained and risk mitigation measures […]Middle East war: Attacks on vital healthcare, evacuation strike fears
March 30, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Almost one month since Israeli and US airstrikes on Iran began, sparking a wider regional war, UN agencies and partners on Friday highlighted the terror among civilians fleeing bombardment, with “no safe space” to go. In a rare piece of good news, though, the UN World Health […]Croatia: Zagreb utility to get EIB advice on revamping municipal operations as capital seeks climate neutrality
March 27, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with European Investment Bank. The European Investment Bank (EIB) will advise Croatian utility Zagrebački holding, which provides the capital Zagreb with services ranging from water and energy supply to building and park maintenance through a host of subsidiaries, on upgrading operations. Under a new advisory agreement, the EIB will work […]France: DMS Group – the EIB grants a financing line of €20 million
March 27, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with European Investment Bank. Diagnostic Medical Systems (DMS Group), a specialist in high-performance medical imaging systems for digital radiology and bone densitometry, announces that it has obtained financing of €20 million from the European Investment Bank (EIB), with the support of the European Union as part of the InvestEU programme. “This […]Ukraine: danger is only increasing, warns UN human rights office
March 27, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. More than four years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the “danger is only increasing”, particularly from attack drones, a top UN human rights official warned on Thursday. “During the first two months of this year, 60 per cent of all civilian casualties were in frontline regions […]DR Congo: violence intensifies as UN mission pledges continued support
March 27, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The security and political situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains “extremely tense”, a senior UN official told the Security Council on Thursday. Despite the volatility, the UN peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO, remains committed to delivering on its mandate, as regional efforts to restore peace continue. […]Commission preliminarily finds PornHub, Stripchat, XNXX and XVideos in breach of the Digital Services Act for allowing minors to access their services
March 27, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission preliminarily found Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX and XVideos in breach of the Digital Services Act (DSA) for failing to protect minors from being exposed to pornographic content on their services. Risk assessment The Commission’s preliminary findings indicate that Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX and XVideos did not diligently identify and assess the risks that their platforms pose to minors accessing their services. Even where risks were identified, Pornhub, Stripchat, […]Commission welcomes historic agreement to reform EU Customs Union
March 27, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The Commission welcomes today’s agreement between the European Parliament and the Council, delivering a landmark reform of the EU Customs Union. The most ambitious reform of EU customs rules since 1968 introduces new measures for e-commerce and launches a modern, data-driven customs architecture that simplifies procedures and enhances efficiency. With these vital upgrades in […]Commission investigates Snapchat’s compliance with child protection rules under the Digital Services Act
March 27, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission has opened formal proceedings to investigate if Snapchat is ensuring a high level of safety, privacy and security for children online, in compliance with the Digital Services Act (DSA). Snapchat may have breached the DSA by exposing minors to grooming attempts […]Persian Gulf crisis impacting food security, FAO warns
March 27, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The intensifying conflict in the Persian Gulf “has triggered one of the most rapid and severe disruptions to global commodity flows in recent times,” the Chief Economist with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Thursday. The crisis is affecting agricultural production and food security worldwide, with impacts […]EIB Group powers up flagship investment instruments to boost Europe’s tech leadership and defence capabilities
March 26, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with European Investment Bank. The Boards of Directors of the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group endorsed the scaling up of successful financing instruments to strengthen Europe’s technological leadership and defence capabilities. The significant expansion of the successful European Tech Champions Initiative (ETCI) will crowd in institutional investors, in addition to public resources […]Sweden: EIB loan to help Stockholm cut wastewater pollution and protect the Baltic Sea
March 26, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with European Investment Bank. The European Investment Bank (EIB) is lending the City of Stockholm 5 billion Swedish kronor (around €470 million euro) to finance the city’s largest environmental investment in decades. The project involves closing the Bromma treatment plant and routing all the city’s wastewater to a significantly expanded […]UN resolution urges reparations for slavery’s ‘historical wrongs’
March 26, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Applause erupted in the UN General Assembly Hall on Wednesday as Member States adopted a resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade the gravest crime against humanity. The resolution spearheaded by Ghana received 123 votes in favour. Three countries – Argentina, Israel and the United States – voted against and 52 abstained. “Today, we come together in solemn solidarity […]World News in Brief: 273 million out of school, deadly attacks on Ukraine, migratory species in danger
March 26, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The number of children and young people out of school worldwide has climbed for the seventh consecutive year, reaching 273 million, according to a new report from the UN education agency, UNESCO. The 2026 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report finds that one in six school-age children are excluded from education, […]Future EU Customs Authority to be headquartered in Lille, France
March 26, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. On Wednesday, the Parliament and the Council decided to establish the future EU Customs Authority in Lille, France. In line with the agreed procedure, the Parliament and the Council first selected a shortlist of two top locations each on Wednesday morning. After that, the two […]Commission launches new strategy to tackle rising wildfire threat
March 26, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. As wildfires are getting larger, more frequent, and more destructive, the European Commission is presenting a new integrated approach to wildfire risk management. The strategy covers prevention, preparedness, response and recovery. This holistic approach will enhance Europe’s resilience against the growing threat of wildfires and […]€34.6 billion in cohesion policy funds reallocated to address EU’s strategic priorities
March 26, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Member States have successfully reprogrammed €34.6 billion in their 2021-2027 cohesion policy funds towards the EU’s most urgent strategic priorities. These include boosting competitiveness, enhancing defence and civil preparedness, promoting affordable and sustainable housing, improving water resilience, and advancing energy connectivity. This shift in […]
