Humanitarian sector in crisis as USAID cuts force NGOs to prioritise needs
06:02
From the show
One of US President Donald Trump's first acts on his return to the White House was to suspend the activities of USAID, the United States Agency for International Development. The freeze has brought thousands of humanitarian programmes to an abrupt halt and the results have already been deadly. How are French NGOs managing to continue their work in this context? In DR Congo and France, our reporters Elena Volochine and Aurélie Bazzara-Kibangula met those bearing the brunt of these decisions.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
Trump claims Obama 'coup' as Epstein questions mount
The accusations, delivered in the Oval Office, followed a surprise announcement that Trump's Department of Justice would question an imprisoned, key former assistant to Epstein. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement on X that disgraced British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, serving a 20-year sentence for her role in Epstein's alleged pedophile scheme, would be queried for new information. "No lead is off-limits," Blanche said. However, the show of transparency appeared to be part of a concerted effort by the White House and Trump's allies to quell speculation about the convicted sex offender, who was long rumored to be a pedophile pimp to the powerful and who committed suicide in his prison cell in 2019. While meeting with the Philippines' president in the White House, Trump dismissed the Epstein case as "a witch hunt." "The witch hunt that you should be talking about is, they caught President Obama, absolutely cold," he said, launching into a meandering series of unsubstantiated accusations around Obama trying to "steal" the 2016 election, when Trump defeated Hillary Clinton. "Obama was leading a coup," Trump said. An Obama spokesman called the claim "outrageous." The coup accusation centers on claims that fly in the face of multiple high-level official probes by the US government. However, it resonates with Trump's far-right base -- in part thanks to blanket coverage by the popular Fox News network. Trump's attacks on Obama are "part of a larger strategy of distraction, but they also serve another function: to cast the president as a victim of Democratic treachery," said Todd Belt, at GW University's Graduate School of Political Management. Obama's spokesman echoed this, saying Trump engaged in a "ridiculous and weak attempt at distraction." In another ploy to bury the Epstein controversy, Speaker Mike Johnson, a key Trump Republican loyalist, said he would shut down the House of Representatives until September. This was to avoid what he called "political games" over attempts by mostly Democrats to force votes on exposing more about the Epstein case. Entangled in conspiracy theory Epstein was awaiting trial on trafficking charges when he was found hanged in his New York cell. Authorities declared it a suicide but the death super-charged fears, especially on the far-right, that a "deep state" cover-up is in place to prevent the names of Epstein's clients from being made known. Trump's attempts to stop Epstein speculation clash with the fact that his own supporters are the ones who have most pushed conspiracy theories -- and believed that Trump would resolve the mysteries. They were outraged when Trump's FBI and Justice Department said on July 7 that the death was confirmed a suicide and that Epstein never blackmailed prominent figures or even had a client list. Trump tried numerous measures to placate his base, including ordering Attorney General Pam Bondi to try to obtain release of grand jury testimony in Epstein's aborted New York case. But the issue flamed up again last week when The Wall Street Journal reported that it had seen a birthday greeting penned in 2003 by Trump to Epstein on his 50th birthday. The letter reportedly featured a hand-drawn naked woman, with Trump's signature forming her pubic hair, and reference to their shared "wonderful secret." Trump insists he did not send the letter and has filed a lawsuit against the Journal. Trump has never been accused of wrongdoing but was close friends with Epstein for years and was photographed attending parties with him. Among the other celebrities with connections to Epstein was Britain's Prince Andrew, who settled a US civil case in February 2022 brought by Virginia Giuffre, who claimed he sexually assaulted her when she was 17. Giuffre committed suicide at her home in Australia in April. Maxwell is the only former Epstein associate who has been convicted. She is appealing her sentence before the Supreme Court. David Oscar Markus, Maxwell's lawyer, confirmed on X that he was in discussions about her meeting with government representatives.
France 24
4 hours ago
- France 24
Interpol lifts red notice for anti-whaling campaigner Paul Watson
Interpol had issued the notice against Watson, known for radical tactics including confrontations with whaling ships at sea, at the request of Japan, but has now decided the measure was "disproportionate", lawyer William Julie said. A spokesperson for Interpol confirmed to AFP that the Commission for the Control of Interpol's Files (CCF) had deleted the red notice. Watson, a 74-year-old Canadian-American, was arrested and detained in Greenland in July, 2024 on a 2012 Japanese warrant, which accused him of causing damage to a whaling ship and injuring a whaler. He was released in December after Denmark refused the Japanese extradition request over the 2010 clash with whalers. On December 20, he returned to France, where his children attend school, following a high-profile campaign in his support. "The decision to delete Mr Watson's red notice was made by the CCF -- an independent body tasked to ensure that the processing of personal data by Interpol is in compliance with its constitution and rules," the Interpol spokesperson said. "This is not a judgement on the merits of the case, or the events that occurred in 2010, but a decision based on Interpol's rules on the processing of data," the spokesperson added. "The CCF decision was made in light of new facts, including the refusal by the Kingdom of Denmark to extradite Mr Watson. This is in line with normal procedures." In a statement, Julie said that the CCF considered that the red notice "did not meet Interpol's standards, citing the disproportionate nature of the charges, Mr. Watson's supposed only indirect involvement (which is contested), the considerable passage of time since the alleged facts, Denmark's refusal to extradite him, and the fact that several other countries declined to act on Japan's arrest or extradition requests." He also said that the Commission pointed to the existence of "political elements" around the case. "Regarding potential motivations, the CCF remarked that the disproportionate nature of the red notice 'tends to highlight the strategic character of the case and its symbolic importance beyond its intrinsic criminal characteristics or pure law-enforcement interest'. "The Commission suggested this may indicate the presence of political elements supporting the case –- a point it makes subtly but significantly," Jolie said in the statement. gd-mla-jh-as/bc © 2025 AFP
France 24
4 hours ago
- France 24
Brazil: Bolsonaro flashes ankle monitor as judge threatens imprisonment
00:56 22/07/2025 "Colbert stays, Trump must go": End of the Late Show shakes New York fans 22/07/2025 Ukraine-Russia talks overshadowed by child deportations and renewed strikes 22/07/2025 Trump escalates war on the press 22/07/2025 France sounds alarm over Gaza press and hunger crisis 22/07/2025 Duplomb Law: Feeding France, but at what cost? 22/07/2025 Tour de France: The science of feeding the peloton 22/07/2025 The shadow lives of millions of Pakistanis, stateless in their own country 22/07/2025 'Coldplaygate': CEO's resignation sparks debate on workplace affairs 22/07/2025 Gaza: 'It's impossible to get food' says a resident to FRANCE 24
