This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, the European Commission positively assessed France’s fifth and final payment request for €6.1 billion under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU. With this request, France has implemented all the reforms and investments linked to its recovery and resilience plan […]Commission greenlights France’s final payment request of €6.1 billion under NextGenerationEU
September 30, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, the European Commission positively assessed France’s fifth and final payment request for €6.1 billion under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU. With this request, France has implemented all the reforms and investments linked to its recovery and resilience plan […]Clean your plate – to reduce food loss and waste
September 30, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Food waste is helping to fuel global warming, one half-eaten sandwich at a time. In fact, throwing out lunchtime leftovers or wilted lettuce only adds to the mountain of discarded food decomposing in landfills that produces the powerful greenhouse gas methane, accounting for some eight to 10 […]Israeli leader at UN: ‘We’re going to win. We have no other choice’
September 25, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used his address to the UN General Assembly to defend Israel’s strikes against Iran as a matter of national survival and described the violence in the West Bank as the work of a few “juvenile delinquents” and rejected accusations of genocide in Gaza […]EU launches first €43 million Team Gaza projects to help restore essential services
September 24, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, the first flagship early recovery projects under the EU-led Team Gaza Initiative were signed by Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šuica in the margins of the UN General Assembly High-Level Week in New York. The projects, together worth a total of €43 million, will help restore essential water and solid […]Gender equality woefully off track, new UN report reveals
September 18, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. At the current rate of progress, gender equality would take 171 years to achieve, a new UN report finds as institutions built to advance gains are being defunded and demobilised. Strikingly, not a single indicator on the Sustainable Development Goal for gender equality (SDG 5) is on track to be met […]Who should set the rules for AI? The UN is pushing for a safer digital future
September 17, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Artificial intelligence (AI) is advancing rapidly, raising questions about how societies and governments can capture its benefits while managing risks that often extend beyond national borders. Those concerns intensified after a former researcher at the AI company Anthropic warned on 8 September that AI could pose an existential […]Six UN staff killed in Gaza school strike; Lebanon violations mount
September 15, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Israeli strikes killed six UN workers and civilians at a school sheltering displaced families in Gaza as needs grow, according to the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA. At least 220 agency staff have been killed in Gaza since the Hamas-Israel war began in October 2023. UNRWA Acting […]Flood-ravaged Nepal calls for climate justice
September 10, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Nepal’s call for financial compensation following recent deadly floods underlines the need to help countries that contribute the least to climate change – but are increasingly grappling with its most lethal consequences, the top UN official in the country said on Wednesday. Key points “The devastation Nepal […]UN chief demands Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon amid Nabatieh escalation
September 9, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The Secretary-General has condemned mounting civilian casualties in southern Lebanon and called on Israel to withdraw its forces from Lebanese territory, as fighting intensifies in and around Nabatieh. Key points In a statement issued by his Spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, the Secretary-General said he was “deeply concerned” by […]Hunting down the last cases of sleeping sickness
September 2, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article was published in association with the Horizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine. Sleeping sickness has been all but eradicated, but a couple of hundred cases still continue to appear across the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) – the second-largest country in Africa. Missing even a few could allow the disease to flare […]Raising alarm over new illegal Israeli outposts, UN condemns attacks, incitement against Palestinians
August 21, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Reports of new illegal Israeli outposts in the occupied West Bank raised alarms at UN Headquarters on Wednesday while the UN rights office called on Israel to condemn its national security minister’s words that incite “violence amounting to atrocity crimes” against Palestinians. Key points “The Secretary-General is […]Russian missiles kill 17 more in Ukraine as Guterres calls for ceasefire
August 21, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Russian ballistic missile strikes killed 17 people and injured more than 40 in and around the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Thursday, local authorities reported. Tweet URL UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the attacks, which significantly damaged homes and represents the latest in frequent Russian attacks on populated […]Singapore: Independent rights experts urge immediate end to ‘unlawful use’ of death penalty
August 19, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Independent UN Human Rights Council-appointed experts on Tuesday condemned the execution of at least 16 people in Singapore for drug-related offences this year and urged the country to end its “continued and unlawful use of capital punishment.” According to the experts – who receive no salary for their work […]The Healer’s Paradox: Why Our Hospitals Need a Dose of Their Own Medicine
August 12, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Ms. Ourania Dimopoulou, a 3rd year medical student at the University of Patras, Greece. 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 […]Aiforia lands EU financing to develop AI-powered cancer detection
August 7, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with European Investment Bank. TheEuropean Investment Bank (EIB)has signed a €20 million venture debt financing agreement with Finnish life-science technology innovator Aiforia. The funding will support the further development of the company’s AI powered platform, designed to support pathologists in digital tissue analysis (digital pathology), notably for the detection of […]Commission concludes eligibility checks for two European Citizens’ Initiatives on digital identity and age-verification, and on migration and asylum
July 22, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, the European Commission concluded the eligibility checks for the registration requests of two European Citizens’ Initiatives (ECIs) entitled: ‘Stop Killing The Internet: No Digital ID & No Age Verification‘ and ‘Save Europe Act‘. The Commission registered the initiative ‘Stop Killing The Internet: No […]US-Iran war: UN chief calls for new diplomatic push following attacks on civilian areas
July 20, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN Secretary-General remains deeply concerned by the continuing deadly military escalation between Iran and the United States, his spokesperson said on Friday as attacks destroyed key civilian and military infrastructure across the Gulf region. “He is particularly concerned about attacks on civilian infrastructure in Iran and […]Commission approves €300 million Irish State aid scheme for temporary electricity price relief for energy-intensive companies
July 16, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission has approved a €300 million Irish scheme to provide temporary electricity price relief for energy-intensive companies in line with the objectives of the Clean Industrial Deal. Through the condition to reinvest a significant share of the aid received in decarbonisation measures, […]Commission approves €2 billion Hungarian capital injection into development bank Magyar Fejlesztési Bank
July 14, 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 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 […]When partisan interest conflicts with the public good
July 13, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by one of our passionate readers, Mr. Antonio Cristóbal Luque Ambrosiani. The opinions expressed within reflect only the writer’s views and not necessarily The European Sting’s position on the issue. Our European society is founded on the principle of the separation of powers, which ensures that those who […]Commission preliminarily finds the addictive design of Instagram and Facebook in breach of the Digital Services Act
July 13, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, the European Commission preliminarily found Meta in breach of the Digital Services Act for the addictive design of Instagram and Facebook. The investigation focuses on features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications, and the platforms’ highly personalised recommender systems. Risk assessment The […]Peak heat in Europe just broke historic 1970s records
July 10, 2026 by Leave a Comment
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 […]MEPs debate Irish Presidency priorities with Taoiseach Micheál Martin
July 7, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. On Tuesday, Micheál Martin set out Ireland’s priorities: to enhance EU competitiveness, values, and security, under the banner of “strength with unity”. Welcoming Ireland’s Taoiseach, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said, “We are entering a critical six months for our continent. With the Irish […]Global push for AI governance amid warnings of ‘catastrophic harm’
July 6, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Can artificial intelligence benefit all of humanity – safely, fairly and without causing “catastrophic harm”? That is the question at the heart of a major UN summit opening in Geneva on Monday. Governments, tech companies, academics and civil society will spend two days at the Global Dialogue […]AI explained: Why the world needs to act now
July 1, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Artificial intelligence (AI) is moving faster than governments can keep up. Just a few years ago, it could answer questions or generate text. Today, it can write computer code, analyse vast amounts of data, create realistic images and videos, help scientists discover new medicines and increasingly act […]World News in Brief: Aid convoy attacked in South Sudan, Ebola threatens livelihoods, UN deplores death penalty
July 1, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Five humanitarian workers have been killed after a clearly marked aid convoy was ambushed in Jonglei State, South Sudan. The convoy, operated by the John Dau Foundation, was transporting humanitarian staff returning from an Action Against Hunger training exercise when it came under attack on Monday along […]Quake latest: Food grows scarcer for thousands of Venezuelan families
July 1, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The deadly Venezuela quakes have deepened hardship for families who already needed support and left others without homes, income or regular access to food. Before the disaster, the World Food Programme (WFP) was already assisting around 500,000 people through school meals and community support. Now, the agency […]Climate Change and Women’s Health: The Invisible Inequality Defining Global Health
June 19, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Ms. Lívia Maria, a medical student in Brazil with a strong academic interest in global health. 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 […]Deal on air passenger rights: MEPs secure improved traveller protection
June 16, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. MEPs have secured an air passenger rules deal that maintains compensation for three-hour delays, ensures faster reimbursement, fee-free child seating and flight price transparency. On Monday evening, a provisional agreement on a review of air passenger rights rules reached by Parliament and Council negotiators […]Countries urged to ‘go further, faster’ and deliver on climate commitments
June 9, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The United Nations climate chief called on Monday for countries to step up action to implement existing commitments, warning that fossil fuel dependency is deepening economic instability and exposing vulnerable communities to worsening climate impacts. Simon Stiell addressed the opening of the UN June Climate Meetings in Bonn, Germany – an important step ahead of […]Faith, fear and trust: Inside DR Congo’s fight against Ebola
June 8, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. In a village in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), health workers arrived a few days ago to help bury a person who had died from Ebola. Instead, they were threatened, told armed rebels would be called if they stayed, and forced to leave. The family […]Five things you need to know about ocean plastics
June 8, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. From surgical gloves to water bottles, shopping bags and chewing gum, every part of our daily lives includes plastic. They epitomise convenience – their durability makes our dependence on them inextricable, but it also stifles the environment. Once plastics are released into the marine environment, large pieces choke wildlife […]EIB partners with Ireland to drive Electric Vehicle Charging Revolution
June 5, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with European Investment Bank. The European Investment Bank (EIB) will work with the Department of Transport and Transport Infrastructure Ireland to supercharge Ireland’s public electric vehicle (EV) charging rollout, partnering with Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland (ZEVI) to design and deliver a nationwide network that will put a charging point within […]
