Essay: USAID – The best of bipartisan and faithful work now nearly lost
Former Biden administration USAID official, ADAM NICHOLAS PHILLIPS, in an article first published on Religion News Service, says it is perplexing to hear Vice President JD Vance champion faith-based aid initiatives while, at the same time, funds for efforts like these are literally being turned off…
Hamas names hostages to be freed after accusing Israel of breaching ceasefire
Cairo, Egypt/Jerusalem Reuters Hamas on Friday announced the names of three Israeli hostages to be released on Saturday in exchange for Palestinian prisoners after a delay that underlined the obstacles hanging over a fragile deal meant to end the war in Gaza. Ohad Ben Ami and Eli Sharabi, both taken hostage from Kibbutz Be’eri during […]
Palestinians appeal for help with short-term shelter in Gaza
Cairo, Egypt/Ramallah, West Bank Reuters With fighting in Gaza paused, Palestinians are appealing for billions of dollars in emergency aid – from heavy machinery to clear rubble to tents and caravans to house people made homeless by Israeli bombardment. One official from the Palestinian Authority estimated immediate funding needs of $US6.5 billion for temporary housing […]
UN chief demands evacuation of 2,500 Gaza children at “imminent risk” of death
United Nations Reuters United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday demanded that 2,500 children be immediately evacuated from Gaza for medical treatment after meeting with US doctors who said the children were at imminent risk of death in the coming weeks. The four doctors had all volunteered in Gaza during the 15-month-long war between Israel […]
Essay: How non-profits abroad can fill gaps when the US Government cuts off foreign aid
In an article first published on The Conversation, SUSAN APPE, a scholar of foreign aid, looks at the disruption to US aid and how locally based organisations can respond and adapt…
Hundreds of USAID internal contractors put on leave, terminated amid US freeze on global aid
Washington DC, US Reuters Hundreds of internal contractors working for the US Agency for International Development are being put on unpaid leave and some are being terminated after US President Donald Trump imposed a sweeping freeze on US foreign aid worldwide. The furloughs come even as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued overnight an […]
Joy turns to despair as Gaza returnees struggle to settle in enclave’s north
Cairo, Egypt/Gaza Reuters The joy of thousands of Palestinian families who made it back home in north Gaza after a ceasefire with Israel is turning to despair as the cold reality of uninhabitable, bombed-out homes and dire shortages of basic supplies sets in. Many have begun complaining about a lack of running water that forces […]
Jordan launches air corridor for life-saving medicines into Gaza
Near Kissufim, Gaza Strip Reuters Jordan’s air force launched on Tuesday the biggest air bridge so far to bring urgent medical supplies to Gaza under a US-sponsored deal to step up deliveries following a ceasefire, officials said. The operation involves 16 helicopter flights a day that will at first deliver at least 160 tonnes of […]
Trump’s freeze on US aid rings alarm bells from Thailand to Ukraine
Berlin, Germany/Bangkok, Thailand/London, UK Reuters Field hospitals in Thai refugee camps, landmine clearance in war zones, and drugs to treat millions suffering from diseases such as HIV are among the programs facing the chop as President Donald Trump contemplates massive cuts to US foreign aid. Trump last week paused development assistance from the US Agency […]
UN chief Guterres calls for more exemptions to US aid pause
United Nations Reuters United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for the United States to consider additional exemptions to a 90-day pause on its foreign assistance to “ensure continued delivery of critical development and humanitarian activities”. Just hours after taking office a week ago, US President Donald Trump announced the pause so foreign aid […]