The U.S. State Department clarified on Saturday that the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)—the world’s largest HIV initiative—is exempt from the 90-day pause on foreign aid ordered by President Donald Trump.
Shortly after taking office on January 20, Trump halted all foreign aid contributions for review under his "America First" policy. While emergency food aid was granted an exemption earlier, the lack of clarity left aid organizations uncertain about which programs could continue.
The State Department's Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy issued a formal memo confirming that PEPFAR remains operational, allowing for:
HIV care and treatment, including testing and counseling
Prevention and treatment of infections such as tuberculosis (TB)
Laboratory services and medicine supply chains
Mother-to-child HIV transmission prevention
The memo stated that all other activities not explicitly mentioned require express approval.
PEPFAR directly supports over 20 million people living with HIV worldwide, accounting for two-thirds of all those receiving treatment.
Meanwhile, the wider foreign aid freeze remains in place. As of Tuesday, all U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) payments were suspended, marking the first halt in funding since October 1.
Additionally, sources indicate that the Trump administration is considering placing USAID under direct State Department control, a move that would significantly reshape U.S. foreign aid policy.
Ali Akbar Velayati, senior advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has acknowledged that Iran’s previous military exercises near ...
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Rwanda and Tanzania signed two key agreements in Kigali on Saturday to enhance cooperation in agriculture and port logistics....
Ali Akbar Velayati, senior advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has acknowledged that Iran’s previous military exercises near its northwestern borders were deliberately aimed at countering the proposed “Zangezur Corridor” initiative.
Türkiye sees the Balkans not only as a strategic priority but also as a region closely linked through shared cultural and human ties, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a phone conversation to discuss the ongoing conflict in Gaza and diplomatic efforts aimed at achieving a two-state solution.
Scientists studying a distant planet may have found the strongest evidence yet of life beyond Earth. Gases linked to living organisms were detected on K2-18b, a discovery that could bring us closer to answering one of humanity’s oldest questions.
The world’s biggest dance music festival faces an unexpected setback as a fire destroys its main stage, prompting a last-minute response from organisers determined to keep the party alive in Boom, Belgium.
Australian researchers have created a groundbreaking “biological AI” platform that could revolutionise drug discovery by rapidly evolving molecules within mammalian cells.
Australian researchers have pioneered a low-cost and scalable plasma-based method to produce ammonia gas directly from air, offering a green alternative to the traditional fossil fuel-dependent Haber-Bosch process.
A series of earthquakes have struck Guatemala on Tuesday afternoon, leading authorities to advise residents to evacuate from buildings as a precaution against possible aftershocks.
'Superman' continued to dominate the summer box office, pulling in another $57.25 million in its second weekend, as theatres welcome a wave of blockbuster competition following a challenging few years for the film industry.
Honduras has brought back mask mandates as COVID-19 cases and a new variant surge nationwide.
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday that the world could be on the brink of another chikungunya epidemic, similar to the 2005 outbreak, unless swift measures are implemented to control its spread.
Every Sunday evening at Chicago’s North Avenue Beach, the sound of collective shouting echoes across Lake Michigan – not from protestors, but from Scream Club Chicago, a group gathering to relieve stress by screaming into the open air.
A major study warns that antibiotic-resistant superbugs could kill millions each year while shrinking the global economy by almost $2 trillion annually by 2050, a crisis driven in part by international aid cuts that undermine resistance efforts.
The United States has rejected a global pandemic treaty adopted by the World Health Organization (WHO), saying it threatens national sovereignty and lacks clear language.
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