23 h. ago Tighter borders and aid cuts could risk greater instability, UN migration chief warns

The head of the United Nations’ migration agency has warned that tightening borders while cutting development aid could further worsen instability in crisis-hit countries

Events

33 h. ago Lobbyists linked to Donald Trump paid millions by world’s poorest countries

Somalia, DR Congo and Yemen among states forced to sign deals and barter their minerals for aid or military supportSome of the world’s poorest countries have started paying millions to lobbyists linked to Donald Trump to try to offset US cuts to foreign aid, an investigation reveals.Somalia, Haiti and Yemen are among 11 countries to sign significant lobbying deals with figures tied directly to the US president after he slashed US foreign humanitarian assistance. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Early years teachers to get £4,500 bonus to work in nurseries in poorer areas

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson unveiled plans to fund tax-free payments for specialist teachers to end patchy provision and ensure every child has the chance to succeed

Economics

8 d. ago Some education grants in limbo were used for ‘leftwing agenda,’ Trump administration says

The Trump administration has accused states and schools of using federal education grants to help fund “a radical leftwing agenda.”

Politics

1 week ago EU may allow carbon credits from developing countries to count towards climate goals

Exclusive: Green groups furious at plans to let member states buy controversial carbon offsets from abroadEuropean member states may be allowed to count controversial carbon credits from developing countries towards their climate targets, the European climate commissioner has said as states meet for a crucial decision on the issue.The EU will discuss on Wednesday its target for slashing carbon dioxide by 2040, with an expected cut of 90% compared with 1990 levels, in line with the bloc’s overarching target of reaching net zero by mid-century. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago The global south needs more than tinkering at a conference: debt forgiveness is the only fair way | Kenneth Mohammed

Next week, a UN summit in Seville will discuss the future of financing the world’s poorer nations. It should first concede that the old methods have failedIt is 2025, and the architecture of economic power remains grossly tilted against the nations of the global south. Nowhere is this imbalance more acute – and more enduring – than in the debilitating impact of sovereign debt.From the vast countries of Africa to the scattered but strategically vital small island developing states (Sids) of the Caribbean and the Pacific, debt has become a modern form of bondage – the chains that restrict growth, sovereignty and the basic human dignity of nations struggling to define their own path to development. Continue reading...

Politics

2 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

2 w. ago Foreign Office issues warning for visitors to Spain, Turkey, Greece and Cyprus

The Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office has issued warnings about extreme heat in four countries

Events

3 w. ago Developing countries ‘need more debt relief’ to fund education and health

Research warns poorer governments prioritising debt payments over essential development spendingDeveloping countries need a fresh round of debt relief, to prevent money urgently needed for health and education being diverted to creditors, according to a major new report commissioned by the late Pope Francis.The Jubilee report, produced by a panel of experts chaired by Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz, argues for debt restructuring, along the lines of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries initiative (HIPC). Continue reading...

Economics