This article is published in association with United Nations. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has once again called for a global ban on lethal autonomous weapon systems – machines capable of taking human lives without human oversight – describing them as “politically unacceptable” and “morally repugnant.” “There is no place for lethal autonomous weapon systems in our […]‘Politically unacceptable, morally repugnant’: UN chief calls for global ban on ‘killer robots’
May 16, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has once again called for a global ban on lethal autonomous weapon systems – machines capable of taking human lives without human oversight – describing them as “politically unacceptable” and “morally repugnant.” “There is no place for lethal autonomous weapon systems in our […]MEPs back new tariffs on Russian and Belarusian agricultural goods
May 16, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. The International Trade Committee has approved a 50% increase in tariffs on certain Russian and Belarusian agricultural goods to further reduce EU dependency. MEPs in the International Trade Committee have backed a Commission proposal to increase EU tariffs by 50% on those agricultural products […]EU will give €120 million in humanitarian aid to Latin America and the Caribbean in 2025
May 16, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission will provide €120 million in humanitarian aid to several Latin American and Caribbean countries this year to help the region’s most vulnerable, in view of the recent natural disasters and armed conflicts. Part of this aid will also bolster disaster preparedness, […]Sudden escalation of trade tensions sends shockwaves through global economy
May 16, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Amid escalating trade tensions and growing policy uncertainties, the global economy stands at a fragile turning point, according to a new report on Thursday from the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). Tariff-driven price pressures are adding to inflation risks, leaving trade-dependent economies particularly […]8 million teens in world’s wealthiest countries functionally illiterate: UNICEF
May 15, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Children in many of the world’s wealthiest countries saw marked declines in their academic performance, mental wellbeing, and physical health as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report published by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Wednesday. Comparing data from 2018 and 2022, UNICEF found that the […]World News in Brief: Sudan refugees, aid for Syrian returnees, MERS alert in Saudi Arabia, Venezuela urged to end secret detentions
May 15, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. More than 40,000 Sudanese have fled to eastern Chad in the past month to escape intensifying violence in Darfur. The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, reported on Wednesday that most of the new arrivals are women and children. Many have come from Zamzam camp and the city of El […]EIB and the Luxembourg Space Agency join forces to enhance solutions for European Space for Finance
May 15, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with European Investment Bank.Commission preliminarily finds TikTok’s ad repository in breach of the Digital Services Act
May 15, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, the Commission has informed TikTok of its preliminary view that the company does not fulfil the Digital Services Act (DSA)‘s obligation to publish an advertisement repository. Such an advertising repository is critical for researchers and civil society to detect scam advertisements, hybrid threat […]UN aid office denounces attacks on Gaza hospital
May 15, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, underlined the need to protect civilians and healthcare facilities in the Gaza Strip in a renewed appeal on Wednesday. OCHA reported that hostilities intensified overnight, with an attack by Israeli forces on the European Gaza Hospital in Khan Younis which killed […]European Commission issues €7 billion in its 5th syndicated transaction of 2025
May 15, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission has today raised €7 billion of EU-Bonds in its 5th syndicated transaction for 2025. The single-tranche transaction concerned a new €7 billion EU-Bond maturing on 12 October 2045. The new 20-year bond was priced 99.190%, with a re-offer yield of 3.809%, […]Commission simplifies Common Agricultural Policy to support farmers and enhance competitiveness
May 15, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. To simplify the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and boost farmers’ competitiveness, the European Commission is presenting today a large package of measures targeting the administrative burden, controls, implementation, crisis response and investment needs of the sector. The changes could save up to €1.58 billion […]AI Needs More Abundant Power Supplies to Keep Driving Economic Growth
May 14, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with IMF. Artificial intelligence is an emerging source of productivity and economic growth that’s also reshaping employment and investment. AI has the potentialto raise the average pace of annual global economic growth according to scenarios in our recent analysis, included in the IMF’s April 2025 World Economic Outlook. AI, however, needs […]‘Stop the 21st century atrocity’ in Gaza, Fletcher urges UN Security Council
May 14, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. No aid has entered Gaza for more than 10 weeks and every single one of the 2.1 million people there faces famine conditions, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said on Tuesday in a briefing to the Security Council in New York. Mr. Fletcher began his […]Gaza: Guterres hails hostage release, renews ceasefire call
May 13, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. UN Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the release of a hostage held in in Gaza on Monday and renewed his call for a permanent ceasefire and greater humanitarian access to the war-torn enclave. Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old American-Israeli national and soldier with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), had […]Combatting gender bias in healthcare
May 13, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Mr. Mohamed Reda Aassab, an 18-year-old medical student from Casablanca, Morocco. 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 […]Commission amends State aid rules to provide public access to justice in environmental matters
May 13, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission has adopted today amendments to its State aid rules to provide public access to justice in environmental matters in relation to EU State aid decisions. For that purpose, the Commission revised rules which allow non-governmental organisations (‘NGOs’) to request a Commission […]‘She cries in her sleep’: Deeper crisis looms beneath devastation from Myanmar quake
May 12, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. An estimated 3,800 people have died as a result of the devastating earthquakes that struck Myanmar on 28 March. Six weeks on, the situation in Myanmar remains dire, with whole communities still traumatised and vulnerable. “I hate earthquakes. Earthquakes took my mother and my aunt away,” five-year-old Khin Yadanar told the UN […]UN warns copper shortage risks slowing global energy and technology shift
May 12, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. A looming global copper shortage could stall the world’s transition to clean energy and digital technologies unless smarter trade and investment strategies are adopted, the UN’s trade and development body, UNCTAD, has warned. In its latest Global Trade Update, released this week, UNCTAD describes copper as “the new strategic raw material” […]Gaza: UN agencies reject Israeli plan to use aid as ‘bait’
May 12, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Israel’s plan to take control of relief assistance in Gaza would put civilian lives in danger and cause mass displacement while using aid as “bait”, UN humanitarians said on Friday. UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) spokesperson James Elder insisted that the Israeli proposal to create a handful of […]Spain: EIB Group and Cetelem join forces to provide €200 million financing for energy efficiency investments to households
May 9, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with European Investment Bank. The EIB Group, composed by the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Investment Fund (EIF), has signed a €93 million synthetic securitisation agreement with Cetelem, BNP Paribas Personal Finance commercial brand in Spain, targeting 100% green projects that support energy efficiency in the country. The operation will […]Portugal: EIB provides €400 million loan to Santander to boost financing for SMEs and mid-caps and the agricultural sector
May 9, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with European Investment Bank. The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Santander have signed a €400 million financing operation to boost investment in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-caps, as well as to support the agricultural sector in Portugal. The operation aims to improve access to finance for companies operating in […]France: EIB and Groupe BPCE sign an agreement to provide €200 million in support for French agricultural businesses
May 9, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with European Investment Bank. The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the BPCE banking group have signed an agreement to mobilise €200 million in loans for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-caps in the French farming and bioeconomy sectors. This is the first operation that the EIB has signed in France […]Commission seeks feedback on the review of EU merger guidelines
May 9, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission has launched today a public consultationto seek feedback on its ongoing review of the EU merger guidelines. The merger guidelines describe the framework that the Commission applies when assessing the competitive impact of mergers on markets. The review process will focus […]Statement by President von der Leyen and President Costa on the election of Pope Leo XIV as head of the Catholic Church
May 9, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. We sincerely congratulate His Holiness Leo XIV on his election as Pope and head of the Catholic Church. Millions of Europeans draw daily inspiration from the Church’s enduring commitment to peace, human dignity, and mutual understanding among nations. We are confident that Pope Leo […]Commission approves €5 billion French scheme to facilitate the export of wines and spirits to the US
May 9, 2025 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 €5 billion French re-insurance scheme for export credit to the United States (‘US’). The scheme will be in place from 8 May 2025 to 8 July 2025 and will allow exporters of wines […]50 year anniversary of China-EU relations: why the EU should care much more
May 9, 2025 by Leave a Comment
2025 marks 50 years of official diplomatic relations between the European Union and China and the Chinese Mission organized this week in Brussels a large reception to celebrate and meet the European counterparts. The event coincided with the positive news that China lifted the 2021 sanctions against MEPs, an act of reciprocation on the EU’s […]Port Sudan: Aid officials call for greater protection as drone attacks continue
May 8, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN has renewed its call to end the brutal conflict in Sudan after a surge in drone strikes, including in Port Sudan — the vital hub and lifeline for humanitarian aid. The escalation is occurring as war grinds on between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and […]Commission consults on possible countermeasures and readies WTO litigation in response to US tariffs
May 8, 2025 by 1 Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission has launched a public consultation on a list of US imports which could become subject to EU countermeasures, if ongoing EU-US negotiations do not result in a mutually beneficial outcome and the removal of the US tariffs. The list put to […]DR Congo aid operation reaches Beni with food supplies for thousands
May 8, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. A UN food convoy has successfully delivered vital supplies to support tens of thousands of displaced people affected by escalating violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), according to humanitarian teams on the ground. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said that trucks packed with […]Absent faces, destroyed homes – young students paint the pain of Gaza
May 8, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Students displaced by the war in Gaza have been channeling their anguish into art in psychosocial support sessions provided by the UN agency that assists Palestine refugees, UNRWA. Their paintings and drawings range from a portrait of an esteemed Palestinian poet and family members killed in conflict, […]Commission decides to refer GREECE to the Court of Justice of the European Union for non-compliance with car taxation and registration rules
May 8, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, the European Commission decided to refer Greece to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to amend its rules on car registration and taxation. The Greek registration tax, imposed on all vehicles, is higher for certain categories of second-hand vehicles […]May infringements package: key decisions
May 8, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Overview by policy area In its regular package of infringement decisions, the European Commission takes legal action against Member States that fail to comply with their obligations under EU law. These decisions, covering various EU policy areas, aim to ensure the proper application of […]EU and Singapore sign landmark digital trade agreement
May 8, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Union and Singapore have taken a significant step forward in their bilateral trade relations with the signing of a landmark Digital Trade Agreement (DTA). Signed by Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš Šefčovič and Singapore Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations Grace Fu […]
