4 h. ago On the road with the minister tasked with defending Britain’s painful aid cuts to Ghana

Jenny Chapman is shown the impact of her government’s ever-diminishing assistance on her first trip since taking charge of developmentIt is mid-afternoon on an overcast day in a suburb of Accra, Ghana’s capital. A crowd, including two government ministers, a World Bank director, diplomats, NGO workers and camera-wielding media, has descended upon a classroom where pupils sit around tables playing with plastic bottle tops.This is a catch-up class for out-of-school children, aged between eight and 16, run by Ghana Education Outcomes Project that is almost entirely (85%) funded by the UK government. The resulting circus is because Jenny Chapman, the UK’s development minister, has come to see the impact of her government’s diminishing aid budget. Continue reading...

Politics

45 h. ago How Mpox revealed an epidemic of untreated HIV in Sierra Leone – as Trump’s aid cuts begin to bite

The impact of the US slashing foreign aid on the country’s Mpox response has likely been huge, activists on the ground tell Rachel Schraer

Politics

62 h. ago Conflict, aid cuts and equality backlash causing ‘stagnation and regression’ of women’s rights – UN

Report calls on governments to commit to renewed action at general assembly in New York, saying ‘a different path is still possible’Hard-won progress on women’s access to healthcare, rights and employment is being put at risk from global conflict, cuts to aid spending, and a backlash against gender equality, according to a UN equality watchdog.A woman’s chance of dying in pregnancy or childbirth is more than a third lower than it was 25 years ago, UN Women said in its annual report, while girls are more likely to complete school than ever before. It also found that rates of intimate partner violence were 2.5 times lower in countries that had introduced comprehensive measures on violence. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Voices: Cutting aid funding now could bring a dangerous resurgence in malaria

A resurgence in malaria would mean tens of thousands of young children dying, writes Gareth Jenkins, despite there being effective means of helping them

Politics

6 d. ago Trump’s US aid cuts could cause more than two million extra TB deaths in five years, study warns

America contributed at least 55 per cent of external funding for global TB programmes at the end of 2024, but losing this could result in an extra 10 million cases worldwide

Events

7 d. ago Global health fund battles Trump’s aid cuts by giving more to poorest nations

‘Parts of the world which are suffering... and the idea that we can leave those parts of the world to their own devices, is morally repugnant,’ says Global Fund chief

Politics

1 week ago Afghan earthquake survivors still waiting for help as aid cuts hit Taliban relief efforts

Villagers near epicentre of devastation in Kunar province say they have been left without adequate food, tents or medical help as harsh terrain and loss of foreign aid hamper responseIn the shattered houses of Wadeer village in Afghanistan’s Kunar province, survivors of Sunday’s devastating earthquake that has killed more than 2,200 people say they are still waiting for the most basic help: food and shelter.The 6.0-magnitude quake, which struck eastern Afghanistan – and has been followed by two further earthquakes including one overnight – also injured more than 3,600, according to Taliban officials. The district of Nurgal, in the west of Kunar province, where the village of Wadeer lies, was the epicentre of the devastation, with 1,000 people confirmed dead and 2,500 injured. More than 5,700 homes were destroyed. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago ‘All I have left is this cloth’: Afghan quake survivors still waiting for help as aid cuts hit Taliban relief efforts

Villagers near epicentre of devastation in Kunar province say they have been left without adequate food, tents or medical help as harsh terrain and loss of foreign aid hamper responseIn the shattered houses of Wadeer village in Afghanistan’s Kunar province, survivors of Sunday’s devastating earthquake that has killed more than 2,200 people say they are still waiting for the most basic help: food and shelter.The 6.0-magnitude quake, which struck eastern Afghanistan – and has been followed by two further earthquakes including one overnight – also injured more than 3,600, according to Taliban officials. The district of Nurgal, in the west of Kunar province, where the village of Wadeer lies, was the epicentre of the devastation, with 1,000 people confirmed dead and 2,500 injured. More than 5,700 homes were destroyed. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Judge orders Trump administration to release billions in foreign aid approved by Congress

Trump had told Mike Johnson that he would not spend $4.9bn in congressionally approved foreign aidUS politics live – latest updatesThe Trump administration must release billions of dollars in foreign aid approved by Congress, including money that Donald Trump said last week he will not be spending, a federal judge has ordered.US District Judge Amir Ali in Washington ruled on Wednesday that the move by the Republican administration was probably illegal and issued a preliminary injunction ordering the release of $11.5bn that is set to expire at the end of the month. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Trump’s aid cuts leave countries across Africa running out of crucial contraception

Exclusive: At least three countries are already out of some contraceptive methods – with more set to follow suit – leaving women vulnerable to high risk pregnancies and unsafe abortions, writes Rachel Schraer

Politics

2 w. ago Trump’s aid cuts in east Africa led to unwanted abortion and babies being born with HIV – report

Doctors, nurses, patients and other experts describe the loss of decades of progress in beating the virus in 100 days after Pepfar was disruptedAid cuts in east Africa have led to cases of babies being born with HIV because mothers could not get medication, a rise in life-threatening infections, and at least one woman having an unwanted abortion, according to interviews with medical staff, patients and experts.A report by Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) sets out dozens of examples of the impact of disruption to Pepfar – the president’s emergency plan for aids relief – in Tanzania and Uganda. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Jack McConnell criticises Keir Starmer's judgement on foreign aid cuts

SUNDAY MAIL EXCLUSIVE: The former First Minister spoke as he prepares to help 200 schoolgirls in Malawi with scholarship project.

Events

2 w. ago Four African countries to ‘run out of supplies to fight malnutrition’ within 3 months due to global aid cuts

Exclusive: The ‘unthinkable’ losses put the lives of millions of children at risk, says Save the Children

Politics

2 w. ago Four African countries to ‘run out of emergency food supplies’ within three months due to global aid cuts

Exclusive: The ‘unthinkable’ losses put the lives of millions of malnourished children at risk

Politics

2 w. ago Trump cuts off aid groups from helping undocumented immigrants during disasters

New rules for disaster relief funding could prevent undocumented immigrants from life-saving support

Events

3 w. ago Malawi set to run out of TB drugs in a month after US, UK and others cut aid

Gains in cutting deaths from tuberculosis at risk as health officials warn clinics forced to ration drugs and testingMalawi is facing a critical shortage of tuberculosis drugs, with health officials warning that stocks will run out by the end of September.It comes just months after the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that the country had successfully reduced tuberculosis (TB) cases by 40% over the past decade. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Australians now ‘more open’ to overseas aid – especially those aware of Trump’s brutal cuts

29 per cent of people says Australia spent too much on aid, compared with 40 per cent last year, survey says

Politics

3 w. ago Botswana declares public health emergency over medical shortages as Trump aid cuts hit

The diamond-rich country has faced mounting debt while losing two-thirds of its support for its from the US

Politics

3 w. ago Botswana’s president declares health emergency over supply shortages

Duma Boko announces urgent funding package for medicines to be distributed with military oversightBotswana’s president has declared a public health emergency due to shortages of essential medicines and equipment, as a downturn in the global diamond market and US aid cuts take a toll on the country’s finances.The announcement came after the Ministry of Health suspended non-urgent surgeries on 4 August, stating that the country was short of medicines to treat hypertension, diabetes, cancer, asthma and eye conditions, as well as supplies including bandages and sutures and those for sexual and reproductive health. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago ‘Debilitating consequences’ in Uganda after USAID cuts – photo essay

The hollowing out of USAID has far-reaching impacts in northern UgandaIn northern Uganda, the unfolding consequences of US funding cuts to international humanitarian aid are palpable. Thousands of families have been living in refugee camps along the border with South Sudan for almost a decade, and newcomers are reported every day as the never-ending conflict within the country intensifies.Uganda has long been a crossroads of migration, shaped by historical and contemporary population movements. Today, it hosts over 1.9 million refugees and asylum seekers – one of the largest refugee populations in the world. Persistent violence in South Sudan and the eruption of armed conflict in Sudan have displaced millions. As both countries spiral further into instability, Uganda remains one of the few safe havens in the region. Continue reading...

Culture