Ukraine wakes to more violence as Russia’s invasion enters fifth year

© UNOCHA Many rural areas of Ukraine have been blasted by shelling and drone strikes. The country is also one of the most mined in the world, top UN aid officials warn.This article is published in association with United Nations. The full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops on 24 February 2022 shattered the peaceful aspirations of an entire continent, but war must never be the new normal, UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock said on Tuesday. “Four years ago, people in Europe woke up in another […]

From Local Barriers to Global Lessons: Practical Paths Toward Inclusive Healthcare

Zainatun Nawwariyah is a fifth-year medical student at the Faculty of Medicine, University of North Sumatera, who is passionate about advancing medicine through research, advocacy, and service.This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Ms. Zainatun Nawwariyah is a fifth-year medical student at the Faculty of Medicine, University of North Sumatera, who is passionate about advancing medicine through research, advocacy, and service. She is affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed […]

World News in Brief: UN humanitarian chief visits South Sudan, shelter fire risks in Gaza, West Bank violence

© UNICEF/Bullen Chol A grandmother takes care of her 17-month-old malnourished grandson in South Sudan.This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN Emergency Relief Coordinator arrived in South Sudan on Friday to visit one of the most under-reported humanitarian crises in the world, as clashes between government and opposition forces continue in Jonglei state.  Tom Fletcher will focus on the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the world’s youngest country and escalating protection risks for both civilians and aid workers.  […]

Ukraine’s women at breaking point after four years of war as attacks on energy, healthcare continue – UN humanitarians

Ukraine’s women at breaking point after four years of war as attacks on energy, healthcare continue – UN humanitariansThis article is published in association with United Nations. Four years into Russia’s full-scale invasion, millions in Ukraine struggle to keep the lights on and heat their homes, with the crisis taking a particular toll on women, humanitarians warned on Friday. Freshly back from a visit to the country UN Women’s Chief of Humanitarian Action Sofia […]

Fears of ethnic cleansing in Gaza and the West Bank: UN rights report

Fears of ethnic cleansing in Gaza and the West Bank: UN rights reportThis article is published in association with United Nations. Increased Israeli attacks and the forced transfer of Palestinians have sparked concern over ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said in a report issued on Thursday.  The report covers the period from 1 November 2024 to 31 October 2025 and is […]

Inclusive Healthcare Fails When We Design for the “Average Patient”

Samaya Rahimova  is a public health student at the Azerbaijan Medical University and an active member of SCOPH at AzermedsThis article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Ms. Samaya Rahimova , a public health student at the Azerbaijan Medical University and an active member of SCOPH at Azermeds. 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 […]

Epstein files: ‘No one is too wealthy or too powerful to be above the law’; rights experts demand accountability

IOM Women make up the majority of victims of human trafficking for sexual exploitation. (file photo)This article is published in association with United Nations. The large-scale disclosure of materials known as the “Epstein Files” has revealed “disturbing and credible evidence” of what independent human rights experts describe as a possible global criminal enterprise involving systematic sexual abuse, trafficking and exploitation of women and girls. In a statement on Monday, the independent […]

As conditions worsen in Ukraine, refugees struggle to return

© UNICEF/Dmytrii Bortkevych A young girl carries firewood for a warming stove at a house in the Kyiv region.This article is published in association with United Nations. As Ukraine prepares to enter the fifth year of the full-scale Russian invasion on 24 February, UN monitors say harm to civilians has “demonstrably worsened”, while energy attacks and freezing temperatures are making it harder for displaced families to return. “More people are killed and injured each […]

Gaza: Lifesaving aid operations continue despite restrictions

© UNICEF/Mohammed Nateel A young boy in Gaza City eats a plate of food.This article is published in association with United Nations. Humanitarians in the Gaza Strip continue to face impediments in their efforts to deliver lifesaving aid to the population.  The United Nations said that its teams attempted to coordinate eight humanitarian missions on Friday and five were fully facilitated.  The remaining three – which included a mission to reach a water treatment plant in Khan Younis – were denied […]

New recombinant mpox strain detected in UK and India, WHO urges continued monitoring

© CDC/Cynthia S. Goldsmith, Russell Regnery Mpox (previously known as monkeypox) is a viral disease caused by an orthopoxvirus called monkeypox virus (MPXV).This article is published in association with United Nations. The detection of a newly identified recombinant mpox virus containing genetic material from two known strains underscores the need for continued genomic surveillance, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday, as the overall global public health risk assessment remains unchanged. WHO confirmed that two cases […]

Inclusive Healthcare: Improving Accessibility and Care for Disabled Patients through Investment and Workforce Innovation

Aytac Mammadova is a third-year Public Health student at Azerbaijan Medical UniversityThis 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 […]

Ukraine: UN aid convoy reaches frontlines in Dnipro

© UNICEF/Oleksii Filippov Workers secure plywood boards over the shattered windows of a residential building damaged by a missile strike in eastern Ukraine. (file)This article is published in association with United Nations. A UN humanitarian convoy reached frontline communities in Ukraine’s Dnipro region on Wednesday, delivering critical medical and hygiene supplies as fighting continues to take a heavy toll on civilians and infrastructure across the country. UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters that access to the town had been […]

UN warns civilians remain at risk as airstrikes continue across Gaza

© WFP/Maxime Le Lijour A child helps to pitch his family's tent after it collapsed during heavy rain in Gaza.This article is published in association with United Nations. Fresh airstrikes and shelling across the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours have put civilians at renewed risk and compounded months of hardship, the UN said on Tuesday, warning that humanitarian needs continue to outpace access and capacity. UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told journalists at the […]

West Bank: New Israeli measures further erode prospects for two-State solution

United Nations Palestinian families are being evicted from the Silwan neighborhood in East Jerusalem.This article is published in association with United Nations. UN Secretary-General António Guterres voiced grave concern on Monday over the reported decision by the Israeli security cabinet to authorize a series of administrative and enforcement measures in Areas A and B in the occupied West Bank.  The measures would make it easier for Jewish settlers to take over Palestinian […]

Guterres welcomes resumption of Iran-US talks

© Unsplash/Hosein Charbaghi A view of Tehran, Iran's capital city.This article is published in association with United Nations. UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday welcomed the resumption of talks between Iran and the United States.  The development follows weeks of tensions surrounding Iran’s nuclear programme and threats of a US military attack.  Delegations headed by US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Iran’s Foreign […]

Ukraine war keeps nuclear safety on a knife-edge, UN watchdog warns

© State Specialized Enterprise IAEA inspectors help ensure safety at Ukrainian nuclear power plants. .This article is published in association with United Nations. Attacks on Ukraine’s power system highlight how the ongoing war threatens the safety of the country’s nuclear facilities, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned on Friday.  Russian forces have been carrying out strikes on critical infrastructure amid freezing winter temperatures as their full-scale invasion approaches the […]

Disability-Inclusive Healthcare: Breaking Barriers to Equity

This article is published in association with United Nations.This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Ms. Mechoiteu Jijou Berny is a seventh-year medical student at Université des Montagnes in Bangangté, West Region of Cameroon. 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 […]

Most European Countries are not yet Prioritising European-Made Arms 

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by one of our passionate readers, Mr. Andrew Gardner, a strategic and international business consultant. The opinions expressed within reflect only the writer’s views and not necessarily The European Sting’s position on the issue.This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by one of our passionate readers, Mr. Andrew Gardner, a strategic and international business consultant. The opinions expressed within reflect only the writer’s views and not necessarily The European Sting’s position on the issue. In October 2025, the European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP) was approved by the European […]

UN chief warns of ‘grave moment’ as final US-Russia nuclear arms treaty expires

UN chief warns of ‘grave moment’ as final US-Russia nuclear arms treaty expiresUN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that the expiration of the New START treaty represents a “grave moment” for international peace and security, as binding limits on US and Russian strategic nuclear weapons fall away amid heightened global tensions. In a statement issued as the treaty expired at midnight GMT Thursday, he said the world […]

Ukraine: Civilians injured, miners killed, in separate Russian attacks

UN Ukraine A residential building in Ukraine shows signs of damage following overnight attacks.This article is published in association with United Nations. A fresh wave of Russian strikes overnight across Ukraine injured several people and left thousands “without heat in the heart of winter,” the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in the country said on Tuesday.  Matthias Schmale was “appalled” by the attacks in Dnipro, Kharkiv and Kyiv, noting that many more people in several […]

Gaza: Limited Rafah crossing reopening sparks hope – but also ‘massive trepidation’

UN News An injured child waits in the courtyard of Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis.This article is published in association with United Nations. The reopening of the Rafah crossing in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday after more than a year is being met with both optimism and fear, a senior official with the UN agency that assists the Palestinian people, UNRWA, has said.  The sole border point with Egypt is a […]

South Sudan: ‘All the conditions for a human catastrophe are present’

WFP Children in Fangak county, Jonglei State eat a cooked meal of sorghum. WFP provides food rations to food insecure families containing sorghum, oil, salt, peas and maize (January 2022).This article is published in association with United Nations. Military tensions in South Sudan are “rapidly expanding” between Government forces and opposition militia as fighting continues in restive Jonglei state. Briefing journalists based at UN Headquarters in New York on Friday, Anita Kiki Gbeho, Officer in Charge of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), said […]

World News in Brief: Syria ceasefire welcomed, ‘Olympic truce’, Ukraine’s freezing children

© UNICEF/Oleksii Fili Children's toys are covered in snow outside a residential building in Kyiv during prolonged winter power and heating outages.This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria has welcomed a ceasefire agreement between the Syrian Government and the mainly-Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), urging all parties to seize the moment to protect civilians and prevent further violations in the country’s northeast.  “We welcome efforts to bring stability […]

Access to Healthcare: is it too much to ask?

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Mr. Frank Shao is a Tanzanian medical student. He 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 the topic, nor The European Sting’s one.This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Mr. Khalil Al Bilani is a 5th-year medical student at Saint George’s University of Beirut. He 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 […]

Potential turning point for Gaza as peace plan enters second phase: UN envoy

UN Photo/Manuel Elías Ramiz Alakbarov (on screen), Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, briefs the Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East.This article is published in association with United Nations. The start of a second phase of a stabilisation plan for Gaza offers a potential turning point for the war-ravaged enclave, a senior UN official told the Security Council on Wednesday. Ramiz Alakbarov warned that risks of violence escalating again remain high, while the situation in the […]

Gaza ceasefire improves aid access, but children still face deadly conditions

This article is published in association with United Nations.The fragile ceasefire in the Gaza Strip is making a difference to the lives of over a million children, and improving overall access to food – but more aid still needs to enter.  That’s the assessment of two senior officials from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP), speaking on Monday to journalists in New York following a […]

A new blow for UNRWA as headquarters in East Jerusalem ‘set on fire’

© UNRWA Destruction at UNRWA headquarters in East Jerusalem after Israeli authorities sent in bulldozers on 20 January. This article is published in association with United Nations. The head of embattled UN relief agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, has condemned reports that its headquarters in East Jerusalem have been set alight deliberately. It comes after Israeli authorities […]

‘Cycle of attacks must end’: Lead UN official in Ukraine

© UNHCR/Yevheniia Kozun This cinema in Saltivka, Kharkiv, was hit during an earlier strike (file Jan 2026).This article is published in association with United Nations. The senior UN official in Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, has issued a condemnation of the massive overnight Russian drone and missile strike on several major Ukrainian cities, killing and injuring civilians, and knocking out energy infrastructure amid sub-zero temperatures. The attacks on some of Ukraine’s most important population […]

US withdrawal from WHO ‘risks global safety’, agency says in detailed rebuttal

WHO/P. Virot The flag of the UN World Health Organization (WHO) flies at its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.This article is published in association with United Nations. The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a detailed statement regretting the United States decision to leave the UN agency, and declaring that it will leave both the US and the world less safe as a result. The statement, released on Saturday, also includes a rebuttal of […]

Keeping people warm amid hostilities and harsh winter weather in Ukraine

© UNOCHA/Ximena Borrazas Kateryna and her two children warm up at a heating point and use rhe available electricity to charge their devices.This article is published in association with United Nations. As people in war-torn Ukraine face the coldest winter in more than a decade, authorities and humanitarians are working to help them stay warm, particularly the most vulnerable residents.  Russian forces continue to attack Ukraine’s energy grid, leaving families without electricity and heating as temperatures plummet to -20° Celsius.  Since 2022, the Government has established so-called “Invincibility Points” – located in tents or public […]

Gaza: War crimes probe pledges to continue work for justice and accountability

UN News A UN emergency shelter set up amid the ruins of Gaza.This article is published in association with United Nations. As President Trump launched the international Board of Peace plan for Gaza on Thursday, top independent rights experts tasked by the UN Human Rights Council with investigating grave abuses linked to the Hamas-Israel war pledged to continue their work seeking justice and accountability for all. “The Board […]

Cold kills another infant in Gaza as West Bank displacement intensifies

© WFP/Maxime Le Lijour Children wait for a hot meal at a kitchen in Khan Younis, Gaza, supported by the World Food Programme.This article is published in association with United Nations. Another child in the Gaza Strip has died from hypothermia as winter weather continues to whip the enclave, the UN said on Wednesday, citing information from the health authorities.  The baby girl – just three months old – was found frozen to death on Tuesday morning at her home in […]

Critical medicines: EU measures to boost competitiveness and tackle shortages 

Critical medicines: EU measures to boost competitiveness and tackle shortages This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. On Tuesday, Parliament adopted proposals to enhance the availability and supply of essential medicines in the EU. The report, adopted with 503 votes in favour, 57 against and 108 abstentions, aims to ensure a high level of public health protection for EU citizens by […]
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