4 h. ago Emergency fundraisers offer a lifeline to groups who've lost foreign aid

Several nonprofit groups launched fundraising campaigns last week to help organizations who have lost funding because of the Trump administration’s freeze on foreign assistance

Politics

7 h. ago ‘Like being on the Titanic’: US aid workers dread bleak future after Trump cuts

Trump’s order to stop work on aid projects around the globe has left dedicated staff shocked and demoralisedIn a village in Lesotho, a small country in southern Africa, Sasha teaches hundreds of children at a local primary school. A significant part of her work as an education volunteer at the US Peace Corps is to educate her students about HIV prevention. Almost a quarter of Lesotho’s 2.3 million population lives with HIV, giving it the second-highest level of HIV infection in the world.At the beginning of February, Donald Trump halted virtually all US foreign aid. The 90-day pause left many agencies scrambling to follow the new guidance, affecting programs such as the one Sasha works for. In Lesotho, she and other volunteers work to mitigate the effects of HIV/Aids stigma through grant-funded programs like a soccer camp. All of that stopped. Continue reading...

Politics

7 h. ago ‘Like being on the Titanic’: US aid workers fear there is no future in helping others

Trump’s order to stop work on aid projects around the globe has left dedicated staff shocked and demoralisedUS politics live – latest updatesIn a village in Lesotho, a small country in southern Africa, Sasha teaches hundreds of children at a local primary school. A significant part of her work as an education volunteer at the US Peace Corps is to educate her students about HIV prevention. Almost a quarter of Lesotho’s 2.3 million population lives with HIV, giving it the second-highest level of HIV infection in the world.At the beginning of February, Donald Trump halted virtually all US foreign aid. The 90-day pause left many agencies scrambling to follow the new guidance, affecting programs such as the one Sasha works for. In Lesotho, she and other volunteers work to mitigate the effects of HIV/Aids stigma through grant-funded programs like a soccer camp. All of that stopped. Continue reading...

Politics

7 h. ago A Bangladesh 'shrimp health' study, a Porsche deal for Albanian prisons and 'inclusion' in the DRC: How foreign aid is spent amid Labour row over using cash for defence instead

Sir Keir said defence spending would rise to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027 in the wake of the Trump administration's decision to leave Europe to fend for itself and move closer to Russia .

Economics

7 h. ago Starmer’s cuts are a huge mistake – foreign aid is an investment, not an expense | Halima Begum

At the height of the cold war, the west advanced its soft power through aid and development spending. If we cut that now, who will fill the vacuum?Halima Begum is the chief executive of Oxfam GBThe savagely deep cuts that Keir Starmer has announced to the international aid budget make a mockery of the pledge his party made to the British people in its manifesto. Then, it promised to restore development spending at the level of 0.7% of gross national income “as soon as fiscal circumstances allow”. On Tuesday the prime minister stood in front of parliament and announced that he will cut it from 0.5% to 0.3% of GDP. In the same manifesto, Labour made a commitment to “rebuild Britain’s reputation on international development with a new approach based on genuine respect and partnership with the global south”. This week, the government turned its back on it.Of course, I understand the argument that defence spending has to be increased, but cutting our aid budget still further when governm...

Politics

9 h. ago UK politics live: Labour deny Trump is reason for Starmer’s defence spending boost

UK will increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent by 2027

Politics

10 h. ago Keir Starmer says 'dangerous new era' forced decision for 'biggest rise' in defence spending since the Cold War

The Prime Minister said ‘extremely difficult and painful choices’ would be needed to reach the spending goal, including a cut to foreign aid

Events

11 h. ago UK politics live: Reeves urges Europe to ‘step up’ defence spending as PM vows 2.5% commitment

UK will increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent by 2027

Politics

12 h. ago Why Trump, not Starmer, is to blame for UK cutting foreign aid to boost defence spending

The peace dividend of ‘Pax Americana’ is over and the UK and other European countries have no choice but to rearm

Politics

19 h. ago Keir Starmer warns Britain is entering an 'era of hard power' over foreign aid

EXCLUSIVE: The Prime Minister announced the Government will meet its manifesto pledge to raise the military budget to 2.5 per cent of GDP two years early.

Events

22 h. ago UK foreign aid: How much is spent and who receives it as Starmer slashes budget

UK foreign aid will be slashed from 0.5 to 0.3 per cent of GDP to fund an increase in defence spending

Economics

23 h. ago Judge gives Trump administration two days to unfreeze funds for US foreign aid

A federal judge has given the Trump administration less than two days to release billions of dollars in blocked funding for U.S. foreign aid

Politics

23 h. ago Keir Starmer bows to Trump pressure and increases UK defence spending by slashing foreign aid

PM brands Russia a ‘menace in our waters’ and says UK must stand by Ukraine to achieve lasting peace to avoid threats to economic instability

Politics

23 h. ago This is a hard choice. We believe in foreign aid – but we have to make cuts. We must keep the UK safe | David Lammy

Putin’s Russia is a threat to all Europe, including the UK. Vital aid work will be hit as we spend more on defence, but we must deal with the world as it isThere are moments in history when everything turns, but the extent of change is not perceived until later when the fog has cleared. These are hinge points that require clear leadership and bold action. In the late 1940s, my Labour predecessor and hero Ernie Bevin, alongside Clement Attlee, saw through the fog when they led Britain into Nato and the UN, and secured the development of Britain’s nuclear deterrent. In the 1960s, Harold Wilson saw through the paranoia of the cold war, refusing Lyndon Johnson’s request to send British troops to Vietnam. In the 1990s, Tony Blair understood that unless we stopped the president of Serbia, Slobodan Milošević, there would be no peace in the Balkans.Three years into Vladimir Putin’s brutal war, this is again a hinge point for Britain. Keir Starmer’s commitment to dramatically raise defence s...

Politics

24 h. ago Watch: Starmer defends cutting foreign aid budget to boost defence spending

Watch as Sir Keir Starmer holds a press conference on Tuesday, 25 February, after announcing he will slash the foreign aid budget to hike defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP to counter “tyrants” like Vladimir Putin.

Economics

24 h. ago Keir Starmer says 'dangerous new era' forced decision for 'biggest rise' in defence spending since Cold War

The Prime Minister said ‘extremely difficult and painful choices’ would be needed to reach the spending goal, including a cut to foreign aid

Events

24 h. ago Starmer slams accusation he is ‘Farage in disguise’ over defence spending increase

Sir Keir Starmer dismissed an accusation he is "Nigel Farage in disguise" over his plans to slash the foreign aid budget to hike defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP to counter “tyrants” like Vladimir Putin.

Politics

25 h. ago Keir Starmer addresses nation after slashing aid budget to fund 'biggest sustained rise' in defence spending since Cold War

The Prime Minister said ‘extremely difficult and painful choices’ would be needed to reach the spending goal, including the cut to foreign aid

Economics

25 h. ago Watch live: Starmer defends cutting foreign aid budget to boost defence spending

Watch live as Sir Keir Starmer holds a press conference on Tuesday, 25 February, after announcing he will slash the foreign aid budget to hike defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP to counter “tyrants” like Vladimir Putin.

Economics

25 h. ago What is Keir Starmer’s plan to increase UK defence spending and is it affordable?

Keir Starmer has outlined plans to slash foreign aid in order to hike Britain’s defence spending, The Independent looks at what has been said about the move

Politics