United States to Cut Health Funding to 18 Countries 59% by 2030 31/08/2026 Kerry Cullinan The United States plans to cut its health funding to 18 countries by 59% of pre-2025 levels by 2030, according to a Public Citizen analysis of the bilateral agreements the US has signed with these countries. The bilateral Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) were signed as part of the ‘America First Global Health Strategy’ adopted by […] Continue reading -> Clashing Convictions of Taliban and the West is Costing Afghan Lives 31/08/2026 Mukesh Kapila Two sets of dogmas contend in Afghanistan: those of the Taliban and the West. Neither side pays the real price for their beliefs. Ordinary Afghans do with their lives. Some aid agencies labour quietly to bring help and hope through a dozen practical ways that bypass competing doctrines. They deserve support. In March last year, […] Continue reading -> South Africa Grapples With The Promise and Price of Injectable Lenacapavir to Prevent HIV 30/08/2026 Kerry Cullinan The antiretroviral medicine lenacapavir, delivered via injection every six months, is almost completely effective in preventing HIV. But it is expensive at present, and millions will need to be initiated on it every year to make a dent on HIV transmission in South Africa. CAPE TOWN – South Africa has the biggest population of people […] Continue reading -> India’s Flagship Air Pollution Programme Is Failing 28/08/2026 Chetan Bhattacharji BENGALURU – India’s flagship air pollution action plan, the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), has mostly failed to deliver, according to research presented at the eighth India Clean Air Summit. Officials, scientists, and other experts highlighted the 2019 program’s severe shortcomings and red-flagged critical gaps. An “NCAP 2.0′ has been widely expected, but the central […] Continue reading -> Historic Meta Settlement Mandates Safer Social Media for Youth 27/08/2026 Editorial team Following a landmark agreement in the United States on Wednesday, social media giant Meta agreed to pay up to $18 billion to US states. This historic settlement obliges the company to make Instagram and Facebook safer for children. Scientific research – including a landmark report by an expert panel commissioned by the European Commission – […] Continue reading -> The Next Global Health Architecture Must Deliver More Than Reform 27/08/2026 David Reddy After months of speculation, prospective candidates in the race to become the next Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) are now emerging. At the same time, member states have launched a process to review the global health architecture, with the aim of clarifying roles, strengthening coordination, and aligning financing more closely with national, regional, […] Continue reading -> Four DRC Health Zones Mark 42 Days With No New Ebola Infections 27/08/2026 Kerry Cullinan Four of the 58 health zones in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) affected by the Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak have had no new cases in the past 42 days, while five others have been case-free for at least three weeks. “The message is that it is definitely possible in that environment to break the transmission,” […] Continue reading -> New TB vaccines are moving closer. Is Africa ready? 27/08/2026 Stephen Mutinda Mule African scientists, institutions and communities are helping advance the development of new TB vaccines. Governments must now work together to prepare national systems, secure fair pricing and ensure scientific progress leads to timely and equitable access. When I visited the University of Cape Town Lung Institute and the South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative (SATVI) in […] Continue reading -> Germany Plans More Cuts to Global Health Funding, But Policymakers Push Back on 2027 Draft Budget 26/08/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen Under Germany’s tightly constrained draft budget proposal for 2027, the government is set to reduce global health funding substantially. While mandatory assessed contributions to the World Health Organization (WHO) will rise slightly, flexible budgets for pandemic preparedness are planned to be cut by 15.3%. As part of a broader budget overhaul, the German government is […] Continue reading -> Most Gaza Palestinians Living in Dangerous, Unsanitary and Unhealthy Shelters 25/08/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Nearly a year after Israel and Hamas agreed to a US-brokered cease-fire, some 94% of Gaza’s 2.1 million Palestinian residents lack adequate shelters with 84% facing severe constraints in heating, cooling, cooking, lighting and hygiene and nearly 60% facing “critical” or “catastrophic” shelter needs. This according to a new analysis by the Global Shelter Cluster, […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Clashing Convictions of Taliban and the West is Costing Afghan Lives 31/08/2026 Mukesh Kapila Two sets of dogmas contend in Afghanistan: those of the Taliban and the West. Neither side pays the real price for their beliefs. Ordinary Afghans do with their lives. Some aid agencies labour quietly to bring help and hope through a dozen practical ways that bypass competing doctrines. They deserve support. In March last year, […] Continue reading -> South Africa Grapples With The Promise and Price of Injectable Lenacapavir to Prevent HIV 30/08/2026 Kerry Cullinan The antiretroviral medicine lenacapavir, delivered via injection every six months, is almost completely effective in preventing HIV. But it is expensive at present, and millions will need to be initiated on it every year to make a dent on HIV transmission in South Africa. CAPE TOWN – South Africa has the biggest population of people […] Continue reading -> India’s Flagship Air Pollution Programme Is Failing 28/08/2026 Chetan Bhattacharji BENGALURU – India’s flagship air pollution action plan, the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), has mostly failed to deliver, according to research presented at the eighth India Clean Air Summit. Officials, scientists, and other experts highlighted the 2019 program’s severe shortcomings and red-flagged critical gaps. An “NCAP 2.0′ has been widely expected, but the central […] Continue reading -> Historic Meta Settlement Mandates Safer Social Media for Youth 27/08/2026 Editorial team Following a landmark agreement in the United States on Wednesday, social media giant Meta agreed to pay up to $18 billion to US states. This historic settlement obliges the company to make Instagram and Facebook safer for children. Scientific research – including a landmark report by an expert panel commissioned by the European Commission – […] Continue reading -> The Next Global Health Architecture Must Deliver More Than Reform 27/08/2026 David Reddy After months of speculation, prospective candidates in the race to become the next Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) are now emerging. At the same time, member states have launched a process to review the global health architecture, with the aim of clarifying roles, strengthening coordination, and aligning financing more closely with national, regional, […] Continue reading -> Four DRC Health Zones Mark 42 Days With No New Ebola Infections 27/08/2026 Kerry Cullinan Four of the 58 health zones in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) affected by the Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak have had no new cases in the past 42 days, while five others have been case-free for at least three weeks. “The message is that it is definitely possible in that environment to break the transmission,” […] Continue reading -> New TB vaccines are moving closer. Is Africa ready? 27/08/2026 Stephen Mutinda Mule African scientists, institutions and communities are helping advance the development of new TB vaccines. Governments must now work together to prepare national systems, secure fair pricing and ensure scientific progress leads to timely and equitable access. When I visited the University of Cape Town Lung Institute and the South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative (SATVI) in […] Continue reading -> Germany Plans More Cuts to Global Health Funding, But Policymakers Push Back on 2027 Draft Budget 26/08/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen Under Germany’s tightly constrained draft budget proposal for 2027, the government is set to reduce global health funding substantially. While mandatory assessed contributions to the World Health Organization (WHO) will rise slightly, flexible budgets for pandemic preparedness are planned to be cut by 15.3%. As part of a broader budget overhaul, the German government is […] Continue reading -> Most Gaza Palestinians Living in Dangerous, Unsanitary and Unhealthy Shelters 25/08/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Nearly a year after Israel and Hamas agreed to a US-brokered cease-fire, some 94% of Gaza’s 2.1 million Palestinian residents lack adequate shelters with 84% facing severe constraints in heating, cooling, cooking, lighting and hygiene and nearly 60% facing “critical” or “catastrophic” shelter needs. This according to a new analysis by the Global Shelter Cluster, […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
South Africa Grapples With The Promise and Price of Injectable Lenacapavir to Prevent HIV 30/08/2026 Kerry Cullinan The antiretroviral medicine lenacapavir, delivered via injection every six months, is almost completely effective in preventing HIV. But it is expensive at present, and millions will need to be initiated on it every year to make a dent on HIV transmission in South Africa. CAPE TOWN – South Africa has the biggest population of people […] Continue reading -> India’s Flagship Air Pollution Programme Is Failing 28/08/2026 Chetan Bhattacharji BENGALURU – India’s flagship air pollution action plan, the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), has mostly failed to deliver, according to research presented at the eighth India Clean Air Summit. Officials, scientists, and other experts highlighted the 2019 program’s severe shortcomings and red-flagged critical gaps. An “NCAP 2.0′ has been widely expected, but the central […] Continue reading -> Historic Meta Settlement Mandates Safer Social Media for Youth 27/08/2026 Editorial team Following a landmark agreement in the United States on Wednesday, social media giant Meta agreed to pay up to $18 billion to US states. This historic settlement obliges the company to make Instagram and Facebook safer for children. Scientific research – including a landmark report by an expert panel commissioned by the European Commission – […] Continue reading -> The Next Global Health Architecture Must Deliver More Than Reform 27/08/2026 David Reddy After months of speculation, prospective candidates in the race to become the next Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) are now emerging. At the same time, member states have launched a process to review the global health architecture, with the aim of clarifying roles, strengthening coordination, and aligning financing more closely with national, regional, […] Continue reading -> Four DRC Health Zones Mark 42 Days With No New Ebola Infections 27/08/2026 Kerry Cullinan Four of the 58 health zones in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) affected by the Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak have had no new cases in the past 42 days, while five others have been case-free for at least three weeks. “The message is that it is definitely possible in that environment to break the transmission,” […] Continue reading -> New TB vaccines are moving closer. Is Africa ready? 27/08/2026 Stephen Mutinda Mule African scientists, institutions and communities are helping advance the development of new TB vaccines. Governments must now work together to prepare national systems, secure fair pricing and ensure scientific progress leads to timely and equitable access. When I visited the University of Cape Town Lung Institute and the South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative (SATVI) in […] Continue reading -> Germany Plans More Cuts to Global Health Funding, But Policymakers Push Back on 2027 Draft Budget 26/08/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen Under Germany’s tightly constrained draft budget proposal for 2027, the government is set to reduce global health funding substantially. While mandatory assessed contributions to the World Health Organization (WHO) will rise slightly, flexible budgets for pandemic preparedness are planned to be cut by 15.3%. As part of a broader budget overhaul, the German government is […] Continue reading -> Most Gaza Palestinians Living in Dangerous, Unsanitary and Unhealthy Shelters 25/08/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Nearly a year after Israel and Hamas agreed to a US-brokered cease-fire, some 94% of Gaza’s 2.1 million Palestinian residents lack adequate shelters with 84% facing severe constraints in heating, cooling, cooking, lighting and hygiene and nearly 60% facing “critical” or “catastrophic” shelter needs. This according to a new analysis by the Global Shelter Cluster, […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
India’s Flagship Air Pollution Programme Is Failing 28/08/2026 Chetan Bhattacharji BENGALURU – India’s flagship air pollution action plan, the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), has mostly failed to deliver, according to research presented at the eighth India Clean Air Summit. Officials, scientists, and other experts highlighted the 2019 program’s severe shortcomings and red-flagged critical gaps. An “NCAP 2.0′ has been widely expected, but the central […] Continue reading -> Historic Meta Settlement Mandates Safer Social Media for Youth 27/08/2026 Editorial team Following a landmark agreement in the United States on Wednesday, social media giant Meta agreed to pay up to $18 billion to US states. This historic settlement obliges the company to make Instagram and Facebook safer for children. Scientific research – including a landmark report by an expert panel commissioned by the European Commission – […] Continue reading -> The Next Global Health Architecture Must Deliver More Than Reform 27/08/2026 David Reddy After months of speculation, prospective candidates in the race to become the next Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) are now emerging. At the same time, member states have launched a process to review the global health architecture, with the aim of clarifying roles, strengthening coordination, and aligning financing more closely with national, regional, […] Continue reading -> Four DRC Health Zones Mark 42 Days With No New Ebola Infections 27/08/2026 Kerry Cullinan Four of the 58 health zones in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) affected by the Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak have had no new cases in the past 42 days, while five others have been case-free for at least three weeks. “The message is that it is definitely possible in that environment to break the transmission,” […] Continue reading -> New TB vaccines are moving closer. Is Africa ready? 27/08/2026 Stephen Mutinda Mule African scientists, institutions and communities are helping advance the development of new TB vaccines. Governments must now work together to prepare national systems, secure fair pricing and ensure scientific progress leads to timely and equitable access. When I visited the University of Cape Town Lung Institute and the South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative (SATVI) in […] Continue reading -> Germany Plans More Cuts to Global Health Funding, But Policymakers Push Back on 2027 Draft Budget 26/08/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen Under Germany’s tightly constrained draft budget proposal for 2027, the government is set to reduce global health funding substantially. While mandatory assessed contributions to the World Health Organization (WHO) will rise slightly, flexible budgets for pandemic preparedness are planned to be cut by 15.3%. As part of a broader budget overhaul, the German government is […] Continue reading -> Most Gaza Palestinians Living in Dangerous, Unsanitary and Unhealthy Shelters 25/08/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Nearly a year after Israel and Hamas agreed to a US-brokered cease-fire, some 94% of Gaza’s 2.1 million Palestinian residents lack adequate shelters with 84% facing severe constraints in heating, cooling, cooking, lighting and hygiene and nearly 60% facing “critical” or “catastrophic” shelter needs. This according to a new analysis by the Global Shelter Cluster, […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Historic Meta Settlement Mandates Safer Social Media for Youth 27/08/2026 Editorial team Following a landmark agreement in the United States on Wednesday, social media giant Meta agreed to pay up to $18 billion to US states. This historic settlement obliges the company to make Instagram and Facebook safer for children. Scientific research – including a landmark report by an expert panel commissioned by the European Commission – […] Continue reading -> The Next Global Health Architecture Must Deliver More Than Reform 27/08/2026 David Reddy After months of speculation, prospective candidates in the race to become the next Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) are now emerging. At the same time, member states have launched a process to review the global health architecture, with the aim of clarifying roles, strengthening coordination, and aligning financing more closely with national, regional, […] Continue reading -> Four DRC Health Zones Mark 42 Days With No New Ebola Infections 27/08/2026 Kerry Cullinan Four of the 58 health zones in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) affected by the Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak have had no new cases in the past 42 days, while five others have been case-free for at least three weeks. “The message is that it is definitely possible in that environment to break the transmission,” […] Continue reading -> New TB vaccines are moving closer. Is Africa ready? 27/08/2026 Stephen Mutinda Mule African scientists, institutions and communities are helping advance the development of new TB vaccines. Governments must now work together to prepare national systems, secure fair pricing and ensure scientific progress leads to timely and equitable access. When I visited the University of Cape Town Lung Institute and the South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative (SATVI) in […] Continue reading -> Germany Plans More Cuts to Global Health Funding, But Policymakers Push Back on 2027 Draft Budget 26/08/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen Under Germany’s tightly constrained draft budget proposal for 2027, the government is set to reduce global health funding substantially. While mandatory assessed contributions to the World Health Organization (WHO) will rise slightly, flexible budgets for pandemic preparedness are planned to be cut by 15.3%. As part of a broader budget overhaul, the German government is […] Continue reading -> Most Gaza Palestinians Living in Dangerous, Unsanitary and Unhealthy Shelters 25/08/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Nearly a year after Israel and Hamas agreed to a US-brokered cease-fire, some 94% of Gaza’s 2.1 million Palestinian residents lack adequate shelters with 84% facing severe constraints in heating, cooling, cooking, lighting and hygiene and nearly 60% facing “critical” or “catastrophic” shelter needs. This according to a new analysis by the Global Shelter Cluster, […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
The Next Global Health Architecture Must Deliver More Than Reform 27/08/2026 David Reddy After months of speculation, prospective candidates in the race to become the next Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) are now emerging. At the same time, member states have launched a process to review the global health architecture, with the aim of clarifying roles, strengthening coordination, and aligning financing more closely with national, regional, […] Continue reading -> Four DRC Health Zones Mark 42 Days With No New Ebola Infections 27/08/2026 Kerry Cullinan Four of the 58 health zones in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) affected by the Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak have had no new cases in the past 42 days, while five others have been case-free for at least three weeks. “The message is that it is definitely possible in that environment to break the transmission,” […] Continue reading -> New TB vaccines are moving closer. Is Africa ready? 27/08/2026 Stephen Mutinda Mule African scientists, institutions and communities are helping advance the development of new TB vaccines. Governments must now work together to prepare national systems, secure fair pricing and ensure scientific progress leads to timely and equitable access. When I visited the University of Cape Town Lung Institute and the South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative (SATVI) in […] Continue reading -> Germany Plans More Cuts to Global Health Funding, But Policymakers Push Back on 2027 Draft Budget 26/08/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen Under Germany’s tightly constrained draft budget proposal for 2027, the government is set to reduce global health funding substantially. While mandatory assessed contributions to the World Health Organization (WHO) will rise slightly, flexible budgets for pandemic preparedness are planned to be cut by 15.3%. As part of a broader budget overhaul, the German government is […] Continue reading -> Most Gaza Palestinians Living in Dangerous, Unsanitary and Unhealthy Shelters 25/08/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Nearly a year after Israel and Hamas agreed to a US-brokered cease-fire, some 94% of Gaza’s 2.1 million Palestinian residents lack adequate shelters with 84% facing severe constraints in heating, cooling, cooking, lighting and hygiene and nearly 60% facing “critical” or “catastrophic” shelter needs. This according to a new analysis by the Global Shelter Cluster, […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Four DRC Health Zones Mark 42 Days With No New Ebola Infections 27/08/2026 Kerry Cullinan Four of the 58 health zones in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) affected by the Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak have had no new cases in the past 42 days, while five others have been case-free for at least three weeks. “The message is that it is definitely possible in that environment to break the transmission,” […] Continue reading -> New TB vaccines are moving closer. Is Africa ready? 27/08/2026 Stephen Mutinda Mule African scientists, institutions and communities are helping advance the development of new TB vaccines. Governments must now work together to prepare national systems, secure fair pricing and ensure scientific progress leads to timely and equitable access. When I visited the University of Cape Town Lung Institute and the South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative (SATVI) in […] Continue reading -> Germany Plans More Cuts to Global Health Funding, But Policymakers Push Back on 2027 Draft Budget 26/08/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen Under Germany’s tightly constrained draft budget proposal for 2027, the government is set to reduce global health funding substantially. While mandatory assessed contributions to the World Health Organization (WHO) will rise slightly, flexible budgets for pandemic preparedness are planned to be cut by 15.3%. As part of a broader budget overhaul, the German government is […] Continue reading -> Most Gaza Palestinians Living in Dangerous, Unsanitary and Unhealthy Shelters 25/08/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Nearly a year after Israel and Hamas agreed to a US-brokered cease-fire, some 94% of Gaza’s 2.1 million Palestinian residents lack adequate shelters with 84% facing severe constraints in heating, cooling, cooking, lighting and hygiene and nearly 60% facing “critical” or “catastrophic” shelter needs. This according to a new analysis by the Global Shelter Cluster, […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
New TB vaccines are moving closer. Is Africa ready? 27/08/2026 Stephen Mutinda Mule African scientists, institutions and communities are helping advance the development of new TB vaccines. Governments must now work together to prepare national systems, secure fair pricing and ensure scientific progress leads to timely and equitable access. When I visited the University of Cape Town Lung Institute and the South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative (SATVI) in […] Continue reading -> Germany Plans More Cuts to Global Health Funding, But Policymakers Push Back on 2027 Draft Budget 26/08/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen Under Germany’s tightly constrained draft budget proposal for 2027, the government is set to reduce global health funding substantially. While mandatory assessed contributions to the World Health Organization (WHO) will rise slightly, flexible budgets for pandemic preparedness are planned to be cut by 15.3%. As part of a broader budget overhaul, the German government is […] Continue reading -> Most Gaza Palestinians Living in Dangerous, Unsanitary and Unhealthy Shelters 25/08/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Nearly a year after Israel and Hamas agreed to a US-brokered cease-fire, some 94% of Gaza’s 2.1 million Palestinian residents lack adequate shelters with 84% facing severe constraints in heating, cooling, cooking, lighting and hygiene and nearly 60% facing “critical” or “catastrophic” shelter needs. This according to a new analysis by the Global Shelter Cluster, […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Germany Plans More Cuts to Global Health Funding, But Policymakers Push Back on 2027 Draft Budget 26/08/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen Under Germany’s tightly constrained draft budget proposal for 2027, the government is set to reduce global health funding substantially. While mandatory assessed contributions to the World Health Organization (WHO) will rise slightly, flexible budgets for pandemic preparedness are planned to be cut by 15.3%. As part of a broader budget overhaul, the German government is […] Continue reading -> Most Gaza Palestinians Living in Dangerous, Unsanitary and Unhealthy Shelters 25/08/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Nearly a year after Israel and Hamas agreed to a US-brokered cease-fire, some 94% of Gaza’s 2.1 million Palestinian residents lack adequate shelters with 84% facing severe constraints in heating, cooling, cooking, lighting and hygiene and nearly 60% facing “critical” or “catastrophic” shelter needs. This according to a new analysis by the Global Shelter Cluster, […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Most Gaza Palestinians Living in Dangerous, Unsanitary and Unhealthy Shelters 25/08/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Nearly a year after Israel and Hamas agreed to a US-brokered cease-fire, some 94% of Gaza’s 2.1 million Palestinian residents lack adequate shelters with 84% facing severe constraints in heating, cooling, cooking, lighting and hygiene and nearly 60% facing “critical” or “catastrophic” shelter needs. This according to a new analysis by the Global Shelter Cluster, […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts