43 h. ago More than 60 charities demand UK reverse ‘shameful’ aid cuts that will expose women and girls to abuse

Exclusive: Cuts to spending will leave at least a million women and children at increased risk of violence, charities say

Events

64 h. ago South Africa says its budget can't cover for the deep US cuts in foreign aid

South Africa's finance minister says the country doesn’t have the funds to cover the over $430 million shortfall caused by the Trump administration’s cuts in foreign aid

Politics

65 h. ago Cutting aid for girls’ education isn’t just wrong – it’s economically illiterate | Larry Elliott

This slash-and-burn approach is indefensible and would have been anathema to previous Labour governmentsAsk any one of the 187 female Labour MPs whether they would have made it to the House of Commons without an education and you would probably get short shrift. Most would wax lyrical about their school days and the teachers who taught and inspired them.Yet the government of which those women make up almost half the total number of MPs is now targeting spending on “education and gender” for cuts in the overseas aid budget. It is beyond depressing.Larry Elliott is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Economics

65 h. ago Voices: This is the beginning of the end of international aid. What will the new world look like?

Donald Trump's attack on aid has been a long time coming, argue Heba Aly and Nilima Gulrajani. Now is the time to create a response fit for the 21st century

Politics

3 d. ago ‘Difficult choices’: aid cuts threaten effort to reduce maternal deaths in Nigeria

Staff at a UN-run clinic in country’s north-east worry about growing funding gaps amid dismantling of USAID At a UN-run antenatal clinic in a camp for people displaced by Boko Haram, the colours stand out like the bellies of the pregnant women. Abayas in neon green, dark brown and shades of yellow graze against the purple and white uniforms of nurses attending to them in the beige-orange halls of the maternal healthcare facility.Within the clinic in Maiduguri in north-east Nigeria, midwives and nurses are handing out free emergency home delivery kits, “dignity kits” for sexual abuse survivors and reusable sanitary pads to curb exploitation of young girls who cannot afford them. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago Delay in improving NHS maternity care ‘costs lives of hundreds of babies a year’

Baby charities’ report shows that high rates of stillbirth and neonatal death are not reducing quickly enoughA delay in improving NHS maternity care is costing the lives of hundreds of babies a year, analysis shows.At least 2,500 fewer babies would have died since 2018 if hospitals had managed to reduce the number of of stillbirths and neonatal and maternal deaths in England, as the government falls behind on its commitment to halve the rate of those three events. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Gemma Chan says UK aid cuts cannot be borne by ‘most vulnerable children’

The actress and Unicef ambassador signed a letter calling on the Government to ensure that 25% of aid budget is spent on work for children.

Politics

7 d. ago UK aid cuts will decimate the fight against malnutrition – leaving millions at risk across Africa

Support to developing countries to be slashed by nearly 90 per cent, Save the Children tell Nick Ferris, just as climate change is putting food systems under ever greater strain

Economics

7 d. ago Almost 300m people at risk of death through starvation – report

Aid cuts, conflict, climate and economic shocks contribute to sixth consecutive rise in numbers facing ‘high levels of food insecurity’Acute food insecurity continues to rise at an alarming rate, with almost 300 million people at risk of death through starvation, new analysis reveals.Escalating conflict and cuts to humanitarian aid along with climate and economic shocks forced an additional 13.7 million people into chronic food insecurity last year. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago AP PHOTOS: Children die as USAID aid cuts snap a lifeline for the world's most malnourished

For years, the U.S. Agency for International Development had been the backbone of the humanitarian response in northeastern Nigeria, helping non-government organizations provide food, shelter and healthcare to millions of people. But this year, the Trump administration cut more than 90% of USAID’s foreign aid contracts and $60 billion in overall assistance around the world.

Events

8 d. ago Children die as USAID aid cuts snap a lifeline for the world's most malnourished

Infant twins suffered from malnutrition in Nigeria

Events

8 d. ago South Africa says Trump's aid cuts stripped more than 8,000 health workers from its HIV program

The Trump administration’s dismantling of USAID has put more than 8,000 health workers in South Africa’s national HIV program out of work

Politics

9 d. ago Having risked my life in war zones for the BBC, I know this: cuts to the World Service will be disastrous | Martin Bell

In an age of disinformation, our broadcaster is trusted to find and tell the truth. Now more than ever we need itMartin Bell is a Unicef ambassador and a former BBC war reporterIn a short space of time, the British government has made two decisions that will negatively affect the lives and livelihoods of millions of people around the world. The first was the severe cut in foreign aid announced in March. The second was the similarly severe reduction in Foreign Office support for the BBC World Service. And these from a supposedly progressive government. It doesn’t seem progressive to me, but cheap and reactionary.I have double interest to declare. I am a long-term BBC loyalist who served the corporation for more than 30 years in the unquiet corners of the world, from Vietnam to Bosnia and from Belfast to Angola. My loyalty survived even such daft editorial decisions as to give an interview with Prince Harry precedence over real news. (That was little more than 10 days ago.) I have als...

Events

1 week ago UK cuts to international aid will have huge impact, minister admits

Development minister claims there is an ‘absolute crisis’ in public support for international aid

Politics

1 week ago How Trump’s aid cuts are inflicting double the pain on LGBT+ people

Uganda has some of the harshest anti-gay laws in the world – with same-sex couples facing up to life imprisonment. Rachel Schraer speaks to Ugandans who have run out of HIV medication and finds out how already vulnerable communities are coping

Politics

1 week ago Labour to defend aid cuts, claiming UK’s days as ‘a global charity’ are over

Development minister will tell MPs that Britain will share ‘incredible expertise’ instead of fundingThe days of viewing the UK as “a global charity” are over, the new development minister, Jenny Chapman, will tell MPs, in remarks that are likely to prove a controversial defence of the large-scale aid cuts she is about to oversee.Lady Chapman replaced Anneliese Dodds in February after Dodds refused to back Keir Starmer’s decision to cut the UK aid budget from 0.5% of gross national income (GNI) to 0.3% in 2027. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago To keep millions alive after aid cuts, pull climate and other funding in richer nations, group says

Leading aid organizations are triaging aid after countries led by the U.S. funnel less money to foreign assistance

Society

2 w. ago Trump’s aid cuts leave countries unable to fight back against famine

More than 4.5 million people in Somalia are expected to suffer from hunger and food shortages before the end of June. The US president’s axing of aid leaves the country with precious few resources to respond. Nick Ferris reports

Politics

2 w. ago Jess Wright makes heartbreaking confession about struggle with postnatal depression

Jessica Wright has shared her experience with postnatal depression following the birth of son Presley in May 2022 in a bid to reduce the stigma around maternal mental health

Politics

2 w. ago ‘If I had to choose, I’d prefer the earthquake’: the 2015 disaster left Nepal in ruins, now record rains wreak fresh havoc

Despite attempts to build resilience by improving infrastructure and first response, extreme weather events and US aid cuts have left many feeling vulnerableWhen the monsoon rains came last September, they swept away most of the village of Panauti, in the foothills of the Nepali Himalayas. The Roshi River overflowed after the unprecedented rainfall, triggering landslides and destroying most of the roads and bridges.Peering through the thick blanket of relentless rain “felt like waiting for morning to arrive so we could see the world again”, says Bishnu Humagain. “We lost everything – our home, our agriculture, and all of our belongings.” Continue reading...

Events