4 h. ago UK aid cuts take 40% from funds to counter Russian threat in western Balkans

Funding to tackle misinformation and cyber-attacks, and boost democracy, cut from £40m to £24mKeir Starmer’s raid on overseas aid has led to a 40% cut in funds for countering Russian aggression and misinformation in a region of Europe described by the prime minister as vital to the UK’s national security.British funding committed to bolstering the western Balkans, where Russia has been accused of sowing division and creating destabilisation, has been cut from £40m last year to £24m for 2025-26. Continue reading...

Events

23 h. ago Ghana accused of overlooking women in landmark fisheries bill

Climate change, overfishing, and aid cuts are all impacting Ghana’s fishing sector, writes Nick Ferris. A new bill designed to safeguard against these threats is accused of ignoring the work of women in the sector, who make up 60 per cent of the workforce

Politics

23 h. ago Ghana ‘overlooks marginalised women’ in landmark fisheries bill

Climate change, overfishing, and aid cuts are all impacting Ghana’s fishing sector, writes Nick Ferris. A new bill designed to safeguard against these threats is accused of ignoring the work of women in the sector, who make up 60 per cent of the workforce

Politics

47 h. ago Polish independence ‘under threat’ if EU cannot come to decision on giving Russian assets to Ukraine, says Poland’s Tusk – Europe live

Warning comes as EU leaders attempt to reduce the risks from Russian retaliation against Belgium, which holds most of the €210bn of frozen Russian assetsGermany’s chancellor Friedrich Merz confirms his support for the EU’s reparations loan, saying he sees “no better option.”He diplomatically acknowledges Belgium’s concerns, and says he hopes “we can address them together” to “send a signal of strength and resolve towards Russia.” Continue reading...

Events

48 h. ago Sierra Leone almost entirely axed from UK aid budget: ‘Lives of mothers and babies are at stake’

Sierra Leone, which has one of the world’s highest maternal mortality rates, is losing tens of millions in grants for maternal and newborn health

Politics

61 h. ago Defence spending is in chaos as Keir Starmer 'rips up military wish list'

Britain's defence spending plans were plunged into chaos on Wednesday night after the Prime Minister reportedly blocked a major investment boost.

Events

68 h. ago Poland to produce mines in bid to defend border from Russian threat

Millions of mines are set to be produced

Events

3 d. ago Kidnapped, married off, robbed of hope: US aid cuts contribute to exploitation of Rohingya children

Severe foreign aid cuts imposed this year by U.S. President Donald Trump, along with funding reductions from other countries, shuttered thousands of schools and youth training centers in camps for Rohingya in Bangladesh and crippled child protection programs

Events

3 d. ago Rohingya refugees face food shortages as aid cuts hit: ‘We go to sleep hungry... but I’m scared to go home’

The Rohingya that have fled violence and persecution in Myanmar face deteriorating conditions in the refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar as aid cuts leave supplies short. Lauren Crosby Medlicott reports

Events

4 d. ago AP photos spotlight a year of joy, triumph and resilience across Africa in 2025

In 2025, ordinary lives intertwined with extraordinary shifts across Africa's bustling cities and vast rural heartlands. The world’s youngest population found moments of joy, triumph and positive change even as it was dogged by challenges from election disputes to U.S. aid cuts.

Culture

4 d. ago MI6 chief says UK between peace and war and warns of growing Russian threat

Blaise Metreweli focused on the threat posed by an ‘aggressive, expansionist and revisionist’ Russia during a speech.

Events

4 d. ago New MI6 chief to warn of 'growing Russian threat' and UK must take new steps

There is set to be a firm warning by MI6 chief Blaise Metreweli, who will highlight the importance of the 'mastery of technology' in her first public speech since her appointment

Events

5 d. ago John Swinney hits out at reported UK Government cuts to Malawi aid

John Swinney has written to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper with his concerns.

Politics

5 d. ago ‘The frontline is everywhere’: new MI6 head to warn of growing Russian threat

Blaise Metreweli expected to say UK faces new ‘age of uncertainty’ in speech identifying Kremlin as key threatAssassination plots, sabotage, cyber-attacks and the manipulation of information by Russia and other hostile states mean that “the frontline is everywhere”, the new head of MI6 will warn on Monday.Blaise Metreweli, giving her first speech in the job, is expected to say the UK faces a new “age of uncertainty” where the rules of conflict are being rewritten, particularly in light of wider Kremlin aggression after the invasion of Ukraine. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Armed forces chief to warn ‘whole nation must step up’ amid Russian threat to Nato

Chief of the Defence Staff Sir Richard Knighton will warn the situation is ‘more dangerous than I have known during my career’.

Events

7 d. ago Aid cuts have caused large number of deaths around world, Bill Gates warns

The Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist says nobody wants to take responsibility for the ‘tragedy’ of funding being slashed by Donald Trump and other world leaders

Events

1 week ago Santa at war: ‘home’ town in Finland hosts Nato soldiers as Russian threat looms

Christmas tourists are noticing a growing military presence in Lapland, where Santa Park doubles as a bomb shelterBilled as the official home town of Santa Claus, or joulupukki as he is known in Finland, the city of Rovaniemi offers every imaginable Father Christmas-related experience – from a visit to his “office” on the Arctic Circle to reindeer sleigh rides. He even has his own branch of the Finnish design house Marimekko.But this Christmas season, in addition to the hundreds of thousands of tourists from around the world coming in search of Santa, Finnish Lapland’s snow-covered capital is becoming an increasingly popular destination for international military visitors. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago UN aid coordination agency cuts appeal for 2026 to $33B after lowest annual support in a decade

The U.N.’s humanitarian aid coordinator is downsizing its appeal for annual funding in 2026 after support this year — mostly from Western governments — plunged to the lowest level in a decade

Politics

2 w. ago WW3 threat as Russian minister declares 'war with Europe is inevitable'

As tensions rise between Russia and the West, one minister has declared that Europe is gearing up to take on Russia, and is "deliberately" preparing for war, a move the Kremlin says it is ready for

Politics

2 w. ago Foreign aid cuts will see extra 200,000 children under five die this year, damning Gates report warns

Report from the Gates Foundation says the death rate for under-fives will increase for the first time this century as cuts by Donald Trump and from nations across Europe begin to bite

Events