Statement by President von der Leyen with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Dear Mark, it is always a pleasure to welcome you. We meet today to discuss Russia’s attack in Leipzig. The German government has identified Russia as behind an attempt to attack cargo planes at Leipzig/Halle Airport. Had this attack succeeded, this would have resulted […]

AI dives into a sea of data, from plankton to pollution

This article was published in association with the Horizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine.This article was published in association with the Horizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine. When asked why Jean-Olivier Irisson, a scientist at Sorbonne Université in Paris, decided to dedicate his life to studying microscopic creatures in the sea, his answer was simple: “They are beautiful.” Beauty may not be the first thing that comes […]

Commission concludes eligibility checks for two European Citizens’ Initiatives on digital identity and age-verification, and on migration and asylum

EU must respond decisively to any form of coercion against EU member states 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 […]

Commission greenlights Cyprus’s sixth payment request for €120 million under NextGenerationEU

This article is published in association with European Investment Bank.This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, the Commission positively assessed Cyprus’s sixth payment request under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU. The reforms and investments tied to this payment request will drive positive change for citizens and businesses in Cyprus, notably in the areas of health, […]

Ukraine: Rescuers work to save trapped residents after wave of Russian attacks

© UNICEF Rescue workers attend the site of an overnight attack in Kyiv, UkraineThis article is published in association with United Nations. Aid agencies in Ukraine on Thursday rushed to respond to a massive uptick in deadly strikes by Russia, including one of the largest attacks on Kyiv to date. According to reports, at least 18 people died in the capital, where densely populated residential areas sustained significant damage […]

Commission strengthens Europol and Eurojust to step up the fight against cross-border crime and terrorism

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, the European Commission is proposing new measures to strengthen the EU’s response to an evolving criminal landscape. Crime is becoming more sophisticated, international and digital. To tackle serious crime effectively, police, customs, prosecutors and courts need to work closely together from the start […]

More strikes impact Lebanon hospitals as humanitarian situation deteriorates

This article is published in association with United Nations.This article is published in association with United Nations. The humanitarian situation in Lebanon is being pushed further into crisis as hostilities continue between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants – and essential services and healthcare are targeted. A reported strike near Hiram Hospital in the region around Tyre injured 10 staff members and caused structural damage […]

Commission proposes tech sovereignty package to strengthen Europe’s digital autonomy and resilience

EU supports digital connectivity with simpler and harmonised rules in Digital Networks ActThis article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission today presented the European Technological Sovereignty Package, a set of measures to strengthen Europe’s capacity in semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), cloud and open source. Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen said: “We cannot afford to depend on others for the technologies that keep […]

Read-out of the College orientation debate on EU-China relations*

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. oday’s orientation debate gave the College of Commissioners an opportunity to take stock of EU-China relations — covering both the opportunities they present and the challenges they pose. The Commission’s overarching approach remains de-risking, not decoupling. China is a critical partner, and engagement and […]

Ebola epidemic spreading rapidly and outpacing containment efforts

© WHO Supplies to bolster the response against the Ebola outbreak in Ituri province arrive in the town of Bunia.This article is published in association with United Nations. There are more than 900 suspected cases of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and 220 suspected deaths, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Ghebreyesus, said on Monday. The latest outbreak of the deadly disease, which WHO has declared […]

Russia’s unfounded allegations: EP leaders express full solidarity with the Baltic states 

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament.This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. Statement of the European Parliament’s Conference of Presidents in response to Russia’s allegations against Latvia as well as Estonia and Lithuania. The Conference of Presidents strongly rejects the recent unfounded and dangerous allegations made by the Russian Federation against Latvia as well as Estonia […]

30,000 people flee fresh violence in Haiti as hunger crisis deepens

©WFP/Odelyn Joseph People who have fled their homes carry possessions through the streets of Port-au-Prince.This article is published in association with United Nations. Around 30,000 people have had to flee their homes in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas following a new wave of violent attacks and atrocities perpetrated by armed gangs over the past ten days. Much of the violence has been concentrated in Cité Soleil, an impoverished […]

Bridging the Autism Diagnosis Gap in Africa: A Call for Early Screening and Inclusive Care

Lumndizeque Mc Prince Ngomjon is a second-year medical student at the University of Buea, CameroonThis article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Mr. Lumndizeque Mc Prince Ngomjon, a second-year medical student at the University of Buea, Cameroon. 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 […]

WHO sounds alarm over nicotine pouches targeting young people

This article is published in association with United Nations.This article is published in association with United Nations. Brightly coloured nicotine pouches promoted through social media influencers, music festivals and youth-oriented advertising are driving a rapid rise in nicotine use among young people worldwide, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Friday. In a new report, the UN health agency described the “deceptive tactics” manufacturers […]

Lebanon war leaves families foraging for food despite ceasefire

© UNICEF/Fouad Choufany Children play in the courtyard between tents at a community shelter in Beirut, Lebanon.This article is published in association with United Nations. The fragile ceasefire in Lebanon hasn’t prevented “ongoing killing and displacement”, with villages in the south of the country rendered completely unrecognizable after Israeli strikes, aid teams reported on Friday. According to the Lebanese authorities, more than 2,700 people have been killed since 2 March amid clashes […]

Middle East: Fighting and displacement in Lebanon; call for ‘sustained access’ in Gaza

© UNICEF/Diego Ibarra Sánchez A boy walks across the rubble of buildings destroyed in a conflict in southern Lebanon. (file)This article is published in association with United Nations. Lebanon’s fragile ceasefire is being tested by renewed violence and rising humanitarian needs amid continuing civilians displacement, services under pressure and aid cuts. Over the weekend, the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) observed intensive activity by Israeli forces, including extensive airstrikes near several villages, continued naval […]

Renewables rising, Part 1: How four countries are reshaping energy security

UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe The Hellisheidi geothermal power plant in southwestern Iceland.This article is published in association with United Nations. The ongoing insecurity in the Middle East, where a large proportion of the world’s oil and gas is extracted, is forcing many countries to focus on how they can ensure access to cheap and reliable energy supplies primarily through the use of renewable power sources. Why it […]

EIB Group confirms support for EUR 2.4 billion energy resilience and deep tech innovation at Hannover Messe

This article is published in association with European Investment Bank.This article is published in association with European Investment Bank. Hannover, 20 April 2026 – The EIB Group today confirmed more than EUR 2.4 billion of new financing for energy resilience and cutting-edge innovation, announced at Hannover Messe as part of Europe’s response to rising geopolitical tensions, energy security concerns and global competition in strategic technologies. […]

Spain: EIB and ICF sign €50 million loan to strengthen social infrastructure in Catalonia

This article is published in association with European Investment Bank.This article is published in association with European Investment Bank. The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Institut Català de Finances (ICF), the public development bank of the Government of Catalonia, have signed a €50 million loan to strengthen social infrastructure in Catalonia. The agreement will support the construction, acquisition and refurbishment of care homes, day centres […]

In Haiti’s storm-hit south, food vouchers restore choice and dignity for families

© WFP/Sylvain Barral Families in southeastern Haiti receives food assistance through a voucher system at a local store.This article is published in association with United Nations. Standing outside a colourfully painted building in southeastern Haiti, at the entrance to a bustling shop called Gods Will Depot where bags of food are stacked to the ceiling, Ketia surveys the large pile of groceries she has selected for her family: a big sack of flour, […]

‘Worrying reports’ continue of abductions and disappearances in Syria

This article is published in association with United Nations. Nearly 100 people in Syria have been abducted or forcibly disappeared since January, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Friday, calling for greater accountability from the authorities. “Eleven months after the fall of the former government in Syria, we continue to receive worrying reports about dozens […]

Commission welcomes political agreement on the European Defence Industry Programme

Europeans perceive growing threat to their security and trust EU to do more in this field, according to latest EurobarometerThis article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission welcomes the political agreement reached today between the European Parliament and the Council on the European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP), a key instrument to support common procurement and industrial ramp-up, as well as to implement the Defence Readiness Roadmap 2030 and […]

DR Congo: UN envoy points to ‘real hope’ for ceasefire and peace in the east

This article is published in association with United Nations. There is now “real hope” for a ceasefire which would pave the way for a lasting and definitive settlement of the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region of Africa, Huang Xia, told the Security […]

The EU’s Entry/Exit System progressively starts operations on 12 October 2025

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. From 12 October, Member States will start introducing Europe’s new digital border system, the Entry/Exit System (EES), across their external borders. As of this date, Member States will start electronically registering the data of non-EU nationals crossing the EU’s external borders for short stays […]

UN backs Abbas video address after US visa refusal

This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN General Assembly on Friday adopted a resolution allowing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to address next week’s high-level debate by pre-recorded video after the United States refused to issue visas for Palestine’s delegation. The resolution was passed with 145 in favour, five against (Israel, Nauru, Palau, […]

Ahead of high-stakes General Assembly week, Guterres urges world leaders to ‘get serious – and deliver’

This article is published in association with United Nations. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged world leaders to “get serious – and deliver” as they begin arriving in New York for the high-level week of the 80th General Assembly. Speaking at a press conference at the UN Headquarters on Tuesday in New York, he warned that […]

Israeli strike in Doha marks ‘alarming escalation’, warns top UN official, in call to uphold diplomatic norms

This article is published in association with United Nations. The Security Council on Thursday heard from the UN’s top political affairs official on Israel’s deadly airstrike in Doha – an “alarming escalation” condemned as a violation of sovereignty that threatens ongoing ceasefire and hostage negotiations in Gaza. Rosemary DiCarlo described Tuesday’s strike in a residential area […]

Guterres strongly condemns terror attack in Jerusalem

This article is published in association with United Nations. Two Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a bus stop in Jerusalem on Monday, killing at least six people and leaving others wounded, some in a serious condition, according to Israeli authorities. UN Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned the terror attack, his Spokesperson said in a statement. “He […]

World News in Brief: Afghanistan quake update, Guterres in Papua New Guinea, Ebola returns to DR Congo, UN condemns attack on peacekeepers in South Sudan

This article is published in association with United Nations. As the death toll from the Afghanistan earthquake disaster jumped to more than 2,200 on Thursday, UN agencies continued to help, while calling for funding to help build sturdier housing to withstand future shocks. Since the initial earthquake on Sunday in eastern Nangarhar province, landslides and several […]

Gaza: Looming offensive and restrictions on humanitarians

This article is published in association with United Nations. Hostilities between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza are intensifying as a devastating ground offensive looms, creating a limited opportunity for humanitarians to bring in shelter items, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, reported on Tuesday.  In the past 24 hours in Gaza, there have […]

Syria: UNICEF calls for safe access to children in Sweida as needs mount

This article is published in association with United Nations. Humanitarians must be able to reach families affected by the “deeply alarming” recent violence in Syria’s Sweida region who need food and other basics to survive, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Wednesday.  Deadly sectarian clashes erupted in the southern governorate, also known as As-Sweida, in […]

From crisis to cultivation: Haiti’s farmers build resilience one seed at a time

This article is published in association with United Nations. For years, low-quality seeds have been a concern in Haiti, with continual climate shocks and political insecurity adding to the existing challenges that farmers face in their attempts to grow food.  Instead of having seeds which sprout reliably, farmers contend with batches which may grow only 40 […]

Ukraine: Ongoing Russian strikes continue alarming civilian casualty trend

This article is published in association with United Nations. Civilian deaths and injuries in the first five months of 2025 were nearly 50 per cent higher than the same period last year, UN rights experts tasked with monitoring abuses in war-torn Ukraine said on Wednesday in their latest report. The toll includes 1,389 casualties in April (221 […]
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