11 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

18 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

25 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

30 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

34 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

63 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

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

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 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

8 d. ago Scramble to shore up ceasefire as Israel hits Gaza with deadly raids

IDF says attack followed Hamas forces firing at its troops, but both sides say they are committed to ceasefireMiddle East crisis – live updatesIsrael launched waves of lethal airstrikes on Sunday and cut off all aid into Gaza “until further notice” after a reported attack by Hamas, in escalations that marked the most serious threat so far to the increasingly fragile ceasefire in the devastated territory.Two Israeli soldiers, including an officer, were killed in the Hamas attack. Palestinian officials said dozens died in the retaliatory airstrikes. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago How the west can stop the global south being strangled by debt | Heather Stewart

Labour would do well to remember its manifesto promise to revive Britain’s global leadership on developmentWith borrowing costs rising and western governments including the UK cutting their aid budgets, unsustainable debts are driving a development crisis across the global south.In the latest evidence, Ethiopia last week faced the threat of being sued by its creditors in the English courts, after long-running negotiations about restructuring $1bn (£740m) of its debt collapsed. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Trump’s aid cuts reverse decades of HIV progress in tiny African nation

With the single stroke of Trump’s pen, much of a system credited with saving hundreds of thousands of lives was dismantled

Politics

1 week ago This tiny nation was winning in its fight against HIV. Then Trump cut foreign aid

With the single stroke of Trump’s pen, much of a system credited with saving hundreds of thousands of lives was dismantled

Politics

1 week ago UK and allies failing women as push for military spending sparks aid cuts, Oxfam says

Military spending rose by $1.5 trillion in 84 countries in 2024 as aid for gender equality fell, a report by Oxfam says

Events

1 week ago Gaza ceasefire live: Israel says one of the bodies handed over by Hamas is not a hostage amid reports vital aid crossing to reopen

Israel previously said the flow of aid would be cut by half and Rafah crossing would not open as planned due to delay in returning bodies of hostagesIsrael limits aid into Gaza in dispute over hostages’ remainsThe Israeli military said on Wednesday that one of the bodies handed over by Hamas the previous day as part of the ceasefire deal is not that of one of the hostages who was held in Gaza. Four bodies were handed over by Hamas on Tuesday to ease pressure on the fragile ceasefire, after the first four on Monday – when the last 20 living hostages were released. The military said that “following the completion of examinations at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, the fourth body handed over to Israel by Hamas does not match any of the hostages”.In the north of the territory, as Israeli forces withdrew from Gaza City, the Hamas government’s black-masked armed police resumed street patrols, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).Our message is clear: There will be no place for ...

Events

1 week ago Gaza latest: Israel says body returned by Hamas is not a hostage after closing Rafah Crossing to aid

Hamas returns four more bodies of deceased hostages after Israel threatens aid cuts

Politics

1 week ago Gaza latest: Israel will not open Rafah crossing in dispute over hostage bodies

Hamas returns four more bodies of deceased hostages after Israel threatens aid cuts

Events