4 h. ago Trump directs attorney general Pam Bondi to seek release of Epstein grand jury testimony – US politics live

Bondi replies to president’s Truth Social post to say she is ‘ready to move the court tomorrow to unseal the grand jury transcripts’Trump supporters burn Maga hats after he dismisses Epstein files furorDonald Trump has lashed out against his own supporters, calling them gullible “weaklings” for questioning the transparency of a secretive government inquiry into the late high-profile socialite and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.The US president is struggling to contain a political crisis within his usually loyal Make America Great Again (Maga) base over suspicion that the administration is hiding details of Epstein’s crimes to protect the rich elite Epstein associated with, which included Trump. Continue reading...

Politics

5 h. ago Trump directs attorney general Pam Bondi to release Epstein grand jury testimony – US politics live

Bondi replies to president’s Truth Social post to say she is ‘ready to move the court tomorrow to unseal the grand jury transcripts’Trump supporters burn Maga hats after he dismisses Epstein files furorDonald Trump has lashed out against his own supporters, calling them gullible “weaklings” for questioning the transparency of a secretive government inquiry into the late high-profile socialite and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.The US president is struggling to contain a political crisis within his usually loyal Make America Great Again (Maga) base over suspicion that the administration is hiding details of Epstein’s crimes to protect the rich elite Epstein associated with, which included Trump. Continue reading...

Politics

8 h. ago Unreleased Epstein files reportedly include bawdy letter from Trump – US politics live

Wall Street Journal reports US president wrote letter to mark Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003 – but Trump dismisses it as ‘fake thing’Trump supporters burn Maga hats after he dismisses Epstein files furorDonald Trump has lashed out against his own supporters, calling them gullible “weaklings” for questioning the transparency of a secretive government inquiry into the late high-profile socialite and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.The US president is struggling to contain a political crisis within his usually loyal Make America Great Again (Maga) base over suspicion that the administration is hiding details of Epstein’s crimes to protect the rich elite Epstein associated with, which included Trump. Continue reading...

Politics

13 h. ago White House says Trump won’t recommend special prosecutor in Epstein case and calls Democrats wanting transparency ‘asinine’ – live

White House press secretary doubles down on Trump’s partisan lines of attack about the Jeffrey Epstein case, which as cause turmoil among his Maga baseTrump supporters burn Maga hats after he dismisses Epstein files furorDonald Trump has lashed out against his own supporters, calling them gullible “weaklings” for questioning the transparency of a secretive government inquiry into the late high-profile socialite and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.The US president is struggling to contain a political crisis within his usually loyal Make America Great Again (Maga) base over suspicion that the administration is hiding details of Epstein’s crimes to protect the rich elite Epstein associated with, which included Trump. Continue reading...

Politics

15 h. ago The Latest: House prepares to advance cuts on public broadcasting and foreign aid

The House is expected to approve President Donald Trump’s request to claw back about $9 billion in already appropriated funding for public broadcasting and foreign aid

Politics

16 h. ago How the climate crisis and aid cuts could devastate global supplies of vanilla

Vanilla farmers in Madagascar, a country that supplies up to 80 per cent of the global crop each year, face a difficult future as the climate crisis and aid cuts bite, writes Nick Ferris

Events

24 h. ago US Senate passes aid and public broadcasting cuts in victory for Trump

Members vote 51 to 48 in favour of president’s request to slash $9bn in spending already approved by CongressThe US Senate has approved Donald Trump’s plan for billions of dollars in cuts to funding for foreign aid and public broadcasting, handing the Republican president another victory as he exerts control over Congress with little opposition.The Senate voted 51 to 48 in favour of Trump’s request to cut $9bn in spending already approved by Congress. Continue reading...

Politics

37 h. ago What are rescissions – and why does Trump want Congress to approve them?

The president is pushing for cuts in spending that Congress needs to approve to take effect – but what exactly are they?US politics live – latest updatesCongressional Republicans are pushing for passage of a rescissions package, legislation requested by Donald Trump that will claw back $9bn in funding intended for foreign aid programs and public broadcasting.The bill, which is part of the president’s campaign to slash government spending, passed the House last month, and is now being debated in the Senate. Continue reading...

Politics

62 h. ago Slashing of UK’s international aid more responsible than Trump’s overnight cuts, minister claims

Jenny Champman tells MPs that cuts to US global health funding are a ‘huge problem’ – but that the UK cannot fill the gap

Politics

4 d. ago Caught in the contest between China and the west, the Cook Islands asks where its future lies

After the Pacific nation struck deals with Beijing, New Zealand abruptly cut off millions of dollars in critical aid and fundingOn a remote stretch of land in the Cook Islands lies a second world war airstrip. Once used as a wartime supply route by American forces, the narrow runway is in dire need of resealing to allow larger tourist jets to land. Leaders on the northern island of Penrhyn have asked New Zealand, Australia and the US to help, but none have come through. Now, they hope China will step in and fund it.“That is the dream,” says Penrhyn’s executive director, Puna John Vano. “We want to maintain our traditional partners, but if not, we’re going to get assistance from elsewhere.”On the Cook Islands’ main island of Rarotonga, many people are angry over the damage caused to relations with New Zealand. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago US aid cuts halt HIV vaccine research in South Africa, with global impact

South Africa has played a historic, global role in scientific research, from COVID-19 vaccines to HIV

Politics

2 w. ago UNAids chief ‘shaken and disgusted’ by US cuts that will mean millions more deaths

Winnie Byanyima tells the Guardian she considered resigning when Donald Trump cancelled Pepfar fundingThe head of the global agency tackling Aids says she expects HIV rates to soar and deaths to multiply in the next four years as a direct impact of the “seismic” US cuts to aid spending.Winnie Byanyima, the executive director of UNAids, said that if the funding permanently disappeared, the world faced an additional 6 million HIV infections and 4 million Aids-related deaths by 2029. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago The Guardian view on Trump’s aid cuts and development: the global majority deserve justice, not charity | Editorial

Funding is plummeting as needs grow, with the closure of USAID, the slashing of UK and European aid budgets, and the obstruction of debt reform and cancellationWhen one door closes, you would hope that another opens. As USAID was formally shut down on Monday, a once-in-a-decade development financing conference was kicking off in Seville. But while initially intended to move the world closer to its ambitious 2030 sustainable development goals, it now looks more like an attempt to prevent a reversal of the progress already made.A study published in the Lancet predicted that Donald Trump’s aid cuts could claim more than 14 million lives by 2030, a third of them among children. For many poor countries, the scale of the shock would be similar to that of a major war, the authors found. More than four-fifths of the US agency’s programmes have been cut, with surviving projects folded into the state department. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Tree chopped in half in 'petty' bird poo row still attracts 'tourists' four years on

EXCLUSIVE: The tragic tale of the half-cut Fir made global headlines four years ago, but photos often reappear on the internet, fuelling a steady stream of rubberneckers to the 'tourist attraction'

Politics

2 w. ago Voices: Global aid is about more than money and charity – it helps us all

The world has done extraordinary things when we’ve had a vision to match our resources, writes David McNair

Politics

3 w. ago Scientists criticise cut in UK funding for global vaccination group

Five-year £1.25bn pledge to Gavi is 40% cut in real terms, which experts say will cost lives in developing countriesThe UK has cut its funding to a leading global vaccination group by a quarter, a move that experts say will directly lead to the avoidable deaths of many thousands of children in developing countries.The Foreign Office billed the £1.25bn commitment over five years to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (Gavi) as a major boost to the group’s work as well as to the UK’s status as a developer of vaccines. A series of aid agencies praised the decision. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Dating app Bumble to lay off hundreds of staff amid turnaround bid

Company is cutting 30% of its global workforce as part of an effort to return to a ‘start-up mentality’Dating app Bumble announced plans to lay off almost a third of its workforce as part of a bid to return to a “start-up mentality” as it fights to revive growth.The Austin, Texas-based company is cutting about 240 roles, or 30% of its global staff, amid a turnaround effort. Its stock has tumbled since the firm went public in 2021. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago How did Spain come to be the only nation holding firm on its aid spending? | Ana Carbajosa

By refusing to slash funding to poorer nations, Spain became an outlier in the new world disorder. Next week it hosts a UN summit in Seville to prove itSpain swims against the tide. At a time when much of Europe is grappling with economic crises, caving in to populist anti-aid narratives and slashing development budgets, the country is increasing its financial support for the global south. Instead of planning future aid cuts, Spain has put ambitious goals for 2030 into law.Moreover, at a time when much of the world is looking inward and retreating from multilateralism, Spain will host a UN summit in Seville this month, the first of its kind in the global north. Dozens of heads of government, state and multilateral organisations will discuss how to finance development in a post-aid world, suffocated by military spending and unpayable debt in dozens of countries, particularly those in Africa. For the Spanish government, the forthcoming Seville summit is a clear political statement. Co...

Economics

3 w. ago How did Spain come to be one of the few nations holding firm on aid spending? | Ana Carbajosa

By refusing to slash funding to poorer nations, Spain became an outlier in the new world disorder. Next week it hosts a UN summit in Seville to prove itSpain swims against the tide. At a time when much of Europe is grappling with economic crises, caving in to populist anti-aid narratives and slashing development budgets, the country is increasing its financial support for the global south. Instead of planning future aid cuts, Spain has put ambitious goals for 2030 into law.Moreover, at a time when much of the world is looking inward and retreating from multilateralism, Spain will host a UN summit in Seville this month, the first of its kind in the global north. Dozens of heads of government, state and multilateral organisations will discuss how to finance development in a post-aid world, suffocated by military spending and unpayable debt in dozens of countries, particularly those in Africa. For the Spanish government, the forthcoming Seville summit is a clear political statement. Co...

Economics

3 w. ago 1920s London Mansion With an Art Deco Refresh Gets a Major Price Cut

1920s London Mansion With an Art Deco Refresh Gets a Major Price Cut  Mansion Global

Politics