This article is published in association with United Nations. Forests cover more than 40 per cent of Belarus. At the same time, the country recorded twice as many forest fires last year compared to the year before. Ahead of the International Day of Forests, observed on 21 March, deputy resident representative of the UN Development Programme […]Forests are more than a resource: How Belarus protects its vital ecosystem
March 23, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Forests cover more than 40 per cent of Belarus. At the same time, the country recorded twice as many forest fires last year compared to the year before. Ahead of the International Day of Forests, observed on 21 March, deputy resident representative of the UN Development Programme […]World News in Brief: Yemen appeal, Middle East war roils Somalia, needs grow in Colombia
March 19, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. UN aid teams in Yemen on Wednesday warned that the situation in the war-torn nation remains dire in a call for $2 billion in aid to deliver lifesaving assistance for 12 million people. This number includes women and children and comes after more than a decade of […]World News in Brief: Deadly drone attacks in Sudan, violence against women in the spotlight, more clashes in DR Congo
March 13, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. UN human rights chief Volker Türk said on Thursday he was appalled by the devastating impact on civilians of increasing drone attacks in Sudan, amid reports that more than 200 civilians have been killed by drones since 4 March alone, in the Kordofan region and White Nile […]Time for EU legislation to define rape based on absence of consent, say MEPs
February 26, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. The Commission should, MEPs say, propose EU legislation establishing a common definition of rape based on the concept of freely given, informed and revocable consent. The report, endorsed on Wednesday by the Committees on Civil Liberties and Women’s Rights with 75 votes for, 27 […]Parliament approves €90 billion Ukraine support loan package
February 11, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. MEPs voted in favour of three pieces of legislation to make a €90 billion EU loan available for Ukraine as it faces Russia’s continued war of aggression. On Wednesday Parliament adopted a package of proposals aimed at supporting Ukraine with a €90 billion EU […]Concerns persist over herbicide spraying reports on Blue Line between Lebanon and Israel
February 9, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN reiterated concerns on Friday over reports that Israeli forces sprayed a highly toxic herbicide over areas north of the Blue Line separating Lebanon from Israel on 1 February. The development poses a “serious humanitarian risk” to civilians living there, maintained the Office of the High […]Cyprus Presidency debriefs European Parliament committees on priorities
January 30, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. Ministers are holding a series of meetings in parliamentary committees to present the priorities of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council. Cyprus holds the presidency of the Council until the end of June 2026. This text will be updated regularly as the hearings take […]Gaza ceasefire improves aid access, but children still face deadly conditions
January 28, 2026 by Leave a Comment
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 […]Debate on Europe’s future in a time of uncertainty
January 13, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Economic and Social Committee. At a time of growing geopolitical, economic and social uncertainty, the EESC’s Consultative Commission on Industrial Change (CCMI) is opening the year with a high-level debate on how Europe can strengthen its autonomy, resilience and preparedness. The event will feature a […]Global economy shows signs of steady but subdued growth
January 9, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The global economy has shown resilience amid turbulence during the past year, including shifting trade policies – yet growth remains subdued and far below pre-pandemic levels, the UN said in a landmark report published on Thursday. The World Economic Situation and Prospects 2026 predicts that global economic output will grow by 2.7 […]Tackling Antibiotics resistance across humans, animals and the environment
January 5, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article was exclusively written for European Sting by Ms. NGOUEDOH NKEMZI HELMA STACEY, a second year medical student at the Faculty of health sciences in the University of Buea. 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 […]Gaza aid lifelines under strain as winter worsens
January 3, 2026 by Leave a Comment
Humanitarian partners in the Gaza Strip are struggling to reach hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people as winter storms batter damaged homes and temporary shelters. Since the fragile October ceasefire began as phase one of the US-led peace plan, thousands of tents and hundreds of thousands of tarpaulins have been distributed. Yet partners estimate that […]Record 2026 EU funding boosts agri-food promotion as Commission launches new food campaign
December 18, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The Commission will allocate €205 million in 2026 to co-fund promotion activities for sustainable and high-quality EU agri-food products within the European Union and globally. That’s according the 2026 promotion policy work programme adopted this week, marking the highest allocation ever dedicated to enhancing […]UN seeks $1 billion for ‘first-responder fund’ in emergencies
December 10, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Humanitarian Aid Countries rallied at UN Headquarters on Tuesday to shore up a key humanitarian fund that provides timely assistance for millions worldwide when conflict and climate-related disasters strike. Since 2006, the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has allocated nearly $10 billion in more than 110 countries through rapid and strategic financing that […]Sudan: Kordofan cannot become ‘another El Fasher,’ Türk warns
December 5, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. UN human rights chief Volker Türk on Thursday warned that Sudan risks “another El Fasher” as fierce fighting spreads across the Kordofan region, raising fears of a fresh wave of atrocities. The once allied Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been locked […]Commission greenlights Finland’s third payment request for €244.9 million under NextGenerationEU
November 13, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, the European Commission positively assessed Finland’s third payment request of €244.9 million in grants under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU. Following its assessment of the payment request, the Commission found that Finland has satisfactorily completed 16 milestones and 6 targets set out in the Council Implementing Decision for the third instalment. The reforms and […]From Bytes to Bedside: AI in Healthcare
November 10, 2025 by 1 Comment
This article was exclusively written for European Sting by Ms. Suhana Hussain is a recent medical graduate from Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, Jaipur, India. 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 […]EU aims to advance global clean transition and implementation of the Paris Agreement at UN’s COP30
November 6, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. At the COP30 UN Climate Change Conference in Belém, Brazil, from 10-21 November, the European Union will reaffirm its strong commitment to climate action. The EU is dedicated to paving the way toward a global transition that is clean, fair, and resilient. This transition […]EIB invests €20 million in Amethis Europe Expansion Fund to support European SMEs growing in Africa
November 3, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with European Investment Bank. The European Investment Bank (EIB) signed a €20 million investment in the Amethis Europe Expansion Fund, a new private equity vehicle designed to support European small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) expanding their business in Africa, as well as in Europe and the Middle East. The initiative […]Commission proposes targeted measures to ensure the timely implementation of EU Deforestation Regulation
October 21, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The Commission is today proposing targeted solutions to support companies, global stakeholders, third countries and Member States to ensure a smooth implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) [will be uploaded shortly]. With today’s proposal, the Commission wants to make sure that the IT system is […]What happens when Afghan women and girls go offline?
October 21, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Nearly 70,000 women in Afghanistan tune in to Radio Femme – an all-female-run online and traditionally broadcast radio station which brings education and awareness of rights to women and girls across the province. At a time when women were already banned from attending schools and universities, Radio Femme has […]UN faces ‘race to bankruptcy’ as Guterres unveils sharply reduced 2026 budget
October 20, 2025 by 1 Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The United Nations faces a “race to bankruptcy” unless Member States pay their dues in full and on time, Secretary-General António Guterres warned on Friday, presenting a sharply reduced $3.238 billion regular budget for 2026. The revised proposal marks a significant drop from his original ask for […]Commission welcomes political agreement on a reinforced role for Europol in the fight against migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings
September 26, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission welcomes the provisional political agreement reached today between the European Parliament and the Council to reinforce Europol’s role and inter-agency cooperation in the fight against migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings. This regulation was proposed by the Commission in November […]Commission proposes suspension of trade concessions with Israel and sanctions on extremist ministers of the Israeli government and violent settlers
September 18, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Following the announcement of President von der Leyen in her State of the Union address, the European Commission presented today its proposal to the Council to suspend certain trade-related provisions of the Association Agreement between the EU and Israel (“the Agreement”) as well as […]Youth are the future: A promise or a formality?
September 17, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Mr. Amine Rais, a Moroccan 22 year old medical student at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Casablanca. 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 […]Ukraine: prioritise EU reforms and open negotiation clusters say MEPs
September 11, 2025 by 1 Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. Parliament encourages the Ukrainian government to keep up the pace on implementing EU-related reforms, and reaffirms the EU’s commitment to a just and lasting peace. The report by the Foreign Affairs Committee, which reviews Ukraine’s EU accession preparations against the backdrop of Russia’s ongoing […]Sudan: Guterres calls for ceasefire in El Fasher, deplores ‘relentless’ militia attacks
September 1, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN Secretary-General appealed on Friday for an immediate ceasefire in and around the besieged Sudanese city of El Fasher, where hundreds of thousands of civilians have been trapped for over a year. António Guterres said he was “appalled by the relentless attacks” by the Rapid Support […]Hunger and disease in Gaza will only worsen from ‘man-made’ famine: WHO
August 28, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday issued a new warning over the deadly impacts of the ongoing Israeli blockade of Gaza on people there now suffering starvation. In an online alert, the UN agency said that disease and hunger will only increase, unless all Israeli […]Syria: Political transition on ‘a knife-edge’ amid military skirmishes
August 22, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN Special Envoy for Syria briefed the Security Council on Thursday, saying that amid a strained ceasefire and military skirmishes in Syria, the political transition “remains on a knife’s edge”. Geir Pedersen told ambassadors that in Sweida governate, where sectarian violence in July also spurred conflict in the capital Damascus, […]More online travel agencies commit to refund within 14 days for cancelled flights, following a dialogue with the Commission and consumer authorities
July 31, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Following a dialogue with the European Commission and the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Network of national consumer authorities, Expedia and Lastminute.com have committed to better inform consumers of their rights and ensure they receive ticket refunds within 14 days in case of a flight […]Commission preliminarily finds Temu in breach of the Digital Services Act in relation to illegal products on its platform
July 29, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, the Commission preliminarily found Temu in breach of the obligation under the Digital Services Act (DSA) to properly assess the risks of illegal products being disseminated on its marketplace. Evidence showed that there is a high risk for consumers in the EU to […]Commission approves Brasserie Nationale’s acquisition of Boissons Heintz, subject to conditions
July 18, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation (‘EUMR’), the proposed acquisition of sole control of Boissons Heintz S.à.r.l. (‘Boissons Heintz‘) by Munhowen S.A. (‘Munhowen’), a wholly owned subsidiary of Brasserie Nationale S.A. (‘Brasserie Nationale‘). The approval is conditional upon full compliance […]EU and Papua New Guinea enhance port infrastructure and water service
July 15, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with European Investment Bank. The European Union and Papua New Guinea (PNG) deepened their partnership, advancing key projects in port and water infrastructure. Both are part of the Global Gateway — EU’s strategy to deliver sustainable, high-quality infrastructure worldwide. The projects will modernise Rabaul port and expand access to safe […]
