9 h. ago The Guardian view on global aid cuts: a malaria resurgence could be the canary in the coalmine | Editorial

The consequences of Donald Trump’s decision to scrap USAID, and other countries’ decisions to reduce funding, are playing out in deadly fashionMalaria is a pandemic disease that hits the voiceless hardest: most of those who fall ill and die are small children and pregnant women in Africa. It is the leading infectious killer of the continent, responsible for nearly 600,000 deaths a year. Cases are rising and there is an urgent need for more funding, yet western donor countries are instead cutting back on aid. We still hear brave talk about eliminating malaria. But an expert report now warns of a potential resurgence that could add almost a million more deaths to the annual toll by the end of the decade.Most of the money to fight the mosquito-borne disease – 59% – comes through the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Its executive director, Peter Sands, said last week at the World Health Summit in Berlin that of the three killers, the one that kept him awake...

Politics

15 h. ago Private donors gave more than $125M to keep foreign aid programs going after US cuts

Efforts to back fill some of the cuts to U.S. foreign aid by the Trump administration raised over $125 million in eight months

Economics

22 h. ago ‘Not a luxury, a necessity‘: how aid cuts to birth control harm Senegal’s women

‘The women here are warriors,’ says a midwife in Joal, and contraception is key to their health and life chances. But now UK and US aid cuts threaten to undo years of progressThe fishing quay on the beach at Joal is usually so crowded with women dealing with the day’s catch that you can barely glimpse the sea. But today it is quiet, just an expanse of broken shells and plastic bags that leads down to the water’s edge.Last night, as is increasingly common here on Senegal’s coast, there was a storm and heavy rain so the men could not go to sea safely in their open wooden fishing boats, known as pirogues. Many houses were flooded, so women stayed at home for the day, baling out bedrooms and dealing with the aftermath. Times are tough. Continue reading...

Politics

27 h. ago Australia ‘increasingly alone’ in countering China’s influence in Pacific, aid report shows

US aid cuts hurt Washington’s standing as China recasts itself as a ‘steady’ alternative partner, Lowy Institute report findsAustralia is “increasingly alone” in countering Beijing’s influence in the Pacific and remains the largest foreign aid donor to the region as the US and other western partners cut funding, a new report shows.The 2025 Lowy Institute Pacific Aid Map, released late on Sunday, tracks official development finance (ODF) from 2008 to 2023. It finds ODF to the Pacific fell by 16% in 2023 to US$3.6bn, marking a second consecutive year of record decline in development support. Continue reading...

Politics

31 h. ago Dire warning aid cuts are stopping vulnerable nations from preparing for climate disaster

The climate negotiator for Malawi tells Nick Ferris that the slashing of funding, plus the failure to agree a financial target to help poorer countries adapt to climate change, is already having a stark impact

Events

61 h. ago 'Woke' producers cut 'deaf, dumb and blind' line from The Who's Pinball Wizard in Live Aid West End musical

Fans have now accused the show's producers of 'wokery at its worst' and said people 'should boycott the show if the lyrics aren't reinstated'.

Politics

3 d. ago When trains are pricier than planes, there’s a heavy social, financial and environmental cost

In this week’s newsletter: Whether it’s a holiday or work trip, railway travellers find themselves burdened by astronomical prices – and the environment is left footing the bill• Don’t get Down to Earth delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereIf I want to get from Barcelona to London, I face what should be a simple choice: either I take the plane, and pump out about 280kg of pollution that heats the planet, or the train, and spew just 8kg.That is not the calculation travellers are presented with, nor is it the one they care about most. Because while the plane ticket would cost €15, an analysis from Greenpeace found this summer, the train ticket would cost a galling €389.Climate disasters in first half of 2025 costliest ever on record, research showsGlobal use of coal hit record high in 2024Overconsumption and ruin: before and after images visualise how tech could harm our planet Continue reading...

Economics

5 d. ago Storm Benjamin: Met Office issues dire warning for 70mph gales and 90mm of rain

The Met Office said today's unpleasant weather is associated with Storm Benjamin and disruption is likely, particularly across the Southeast of England and the East of England

Events

5 d. ago DC residents should brace for the National Guard to be in the city until summer 2026, military official says

Interim commanding general of the DC National Guard asked military officials to prepare their team for winter as they anticipate staying longer

Events

5 d. ago Climate disasters in first half of 2025 costliest ever on record, research shows

LA wildfires and storms this year cost $101bn, new study by non-profit resurrecting work axed by Trump saysThe first half of 2025 was the costliest on record for major disasters in the US, driven by huge wildfires in Los Angeles and storms that battered much of the rest of the country, according to a climate non-profit that has resurrected work axed by Donald Trump’s administration that tracked the biggest disasters.In the first six months of this year, 14 separate weather-related disasters that each caused at least $1bn in damage hit the US, the Climate Central group has calculated. In total, these events cost $101bn in damages – lost homes, businesses, highways and other infrastructure – a toll higher than any other first half of a year since records on this began in 1980. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Flooding and droughts drove them from their homes. Now they’re seeking a safe haven in New York

Data analysis found higher than average migration growth to the US from areas in Guatemala, Bangladesh and Senegal hit by repeated climate disastersThis article was produced in partnership between Columbia Journalism Investigations and Documented.Mohamed* sat cross-legged on the carpet before Friday afternoon prayers at a mosque in the South Bronx in New York City and shared memories of his crops. Continue reading...

Events

6 d. ago PHOTO ESSAY: Lesotho faces deep uncertainty after tariff threats and foreign aid cuts

In the wake of massive U.S. cuts in foreign aid as well as tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration, the small southern African country of Lesotho faces deep uncertainty over its fight to end the HIV epidemic and its economy.

Events

6 d. ago Real risk of famine in Somalia due to aid cuts: ‘We don’t know where support will come from’

Exclusive: The number of people in ‘food emergency’ has tripled over the course of the year in Somalia’s South West State, with the the state’s humanitarian minister predicting a ‘food catastrophe’ next year

Events

6 d. ago Don’t use AI to tell you how to vote in election, says Dutch watchdog

Data protection authority says chatbots are ‘clearly biased’, as Netherlands prepares for national pollDutch election: key players and main issuesEurope live – latest updatesAI chatbots are “unreliable and clearly biased” when offering voting advice, the Dutch data protection authority (AP) has said, warning of a threat to democracy eight days before national elections.The four chatbots tested by the AP “often end up with the same two parties, regardless of the user’s question or command”, the authority said in a report ahead of the 29 October election. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Boris Johnson gives Covid Inquiry evidence on decisions he made as PM

The former Prime Minister Boris Johnson will face questions from the Covid-19 Inquiry about late lockdowns and a lack of national preparation for remote learning

Politics

7 d. ago Cuts to world’s biggest malaria fund risk a million more deaths – including 750,000 children

The Global Fund pays for more than half of the world’s malaria treatment and prevention

Events

7 d. ago Gaza and Sudan show why detecting famine cannot just be left to AI

As aid cuts threaten humanitarian monitoring, experts at FEWS NET – seen as the gold standard tool in famine detection – tell Nick Ferris why AI-based models should not replace hunger monitoring systems

Politics

7 d. ago Stark plea for UK not to cut aid funding to fight biggest killer infections

Polling finds two-thirds of Brits believe the UK should increase or maintain its support for the Global Fund in battle against HIV, TB and Malaria

Events

8 d. ago American men suddenly have a devastatingly low sperm count. Now experts know why

A dire warning about the state of the nation's fertility was issued last week.

Politics

8 d. ago Keir Starmer pressed not to slash UK contribution to global aid fund

Polling finds majority consider £1bn funding for Aids, TB and malaria vaccines a UK success storyPressure is mounting on Keir Starmer not to cut the UK’s contribution to the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria after polling found 62% of Britons believe the government should maintain or increase its support.The prime minister must decide this year whether to maintain the UK contribution at £1bn or implement a cut in line with recent reductions to the aid budget. A cut of 20% has been rumoured. Continue reading...

Politics