Latest news with #GlobalProgramme
TAG 91.1
11-06-2025
- Science
- TAG 91.1
UAE astronomers detect exoplanets orbiting distant stars
UAE astronomers have reportedly detected the existence of exoplanets orbiting stars far beyond our solar system, the Abu-Dhabi based International Astronomy Centre announced. Al Khatem Astronomical Observatory, located deep in the Abu Dhabi desert, analysed subtle changed in the brightness of stars to detect the transit of planets in front of them - a technique used to discover exoplanets - in cooperation with the NASA Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission. His Excellency Eng. Khalfan Al Nuaimi, Chairman of the International Astronomy Center, said the detection of these planets is based on preliminary data provided by the TESS telescope, and is being verified on Earth through a global network of specialised observatories. Eng. Mohammed Shawkat Awda, Director of the International Astronomy Center, said that the Al Khatim Observatory officially joined the TESS Follow-Up Observing Program (TFOP) program in June 2024, after completing a rigorous training program conducted by international experts, followed by a successful practical test to observe one of the candidate planets. He explained that since joining, it has conducted a series of nighttime observations, each lasting between four and seven hours, focusing on 12 stars suspected of having planets. He noted that using its main telescope, it was able to transform the status of 10 of these stars from "candidate planets" to "confirmed planets," an achievement that demonstrates the precision of the observatory's research. Official documents from the Global Programme indicate that the Khatem Observatory achieved these results independently, reflecting the efficiency of its equipment and the accuracy of the observations it provides, especially in light of the environmental challenges facing ground-based observations. Awda emphasized that this contribution represents an important scientific step for the UAE in the field of space exploration, placing it in a leading position in the search for planets that may be habitable, or providing new insights into the formation and evolution of planets in distant galaxies.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Bill Gates reportedly warned Trump his foundation won't be able to fund global health gaps if the administration keeps making major cuts
Foundations are no replacement for government funding, some philanthropists are arguing. Bill Gates has reportedly warned the Trump administration the Gates Foundation will be unable to fill the gaps left by the dissolution of the U.S. Agency for International Development, which distributed $43.8 billion in aid in fiscal 2023. Bill Gates has reportedly warned President Donald Trump's administration that his philanthropic endeavors are no replacement for the U.S. government's funding of global health care efforts. The Microsoft cofounder turned billionaire philanthropist is petitioning the Trump administration to continue funding worldwide health programs Reuters reported, citing two anonymous sources. Gates has met with legislators and the National Security Council about his concerns. The Trump administration effectively dissolved the U.S. Agency for International Development, the body responsible for mass public health campaigns, including carrying out mass measles vaccination efforts. Last month, the administration dissolved 90% of the agency's foreign aid contracts and put the majority of its workers on leave, firing 1,600 others. USAID distributed $43.8 billion in aid in fiscal 2023, according to Pew Research. 'President Trump will support polices [sic] that bolster our public health, cut programs that do not align with the agenda that the American people gave him a mandate in November to implement, and keep programs that put America First,' White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly told Fortune in a statement. Public health experts fear the White House's USAID scrapping could have devastating global consequences, such as a rise in global malaria cases and deaths and the spread of HIV and tuberculosis (TB). 'Without immediate action, hard-won progress in the fight against TB is at risk,' Dr. Tereza Kasaeva, director of the WHO's Global Programme on TB and Lung Health, said in a statement earlier this month. The Gates Foundation, founded by Bill Gates and ex-wife Melinda French Gates in 2000, has a nearly $9 billion budget for 2025 and has funded malaria vaccine testing and the Gavi Alliance's childhood immunization efforts. The foundation did not respond to Fortune's request for comment but told Reuters in a statement, 'Bill was recently in Washington, D.C., meeting with decision makers to discuss the lifesaving impact of U.S. international assistance and the need for a strategic plan to protect the world's most vulnerable while safeguarding America's health and security.' Trump's mission to curb global foreign aid would increase pressure on private organizations to pick up the slack, something philanthropic groups seem unwilling to do. Gates met with Trump at the White House in early February, calling on the administration to continue funding USAID. The Gates Foundation has made it clear that no private philanthropic effort would be able to replace government-funded foreign aid. 'There is no foundation—or group of foundations—that can provide the funding, workforce capacity, expertise, or leadership that the United States has historically provided to combat and control deadly diseases and address hunger and poverty around the world,' Rob Nabors, the North America director for the Gates Foundation, told media outlets earlier this month. The Novo Nordisk Foundation, one of the wealthiest charities in the world, likewise shied away from committing additional funding to foreign aid and will continue to focus on addressing non-communicable diseases like heart disease and diabetes. 'Of course, more people are contacting us…We don't have plans of stepping in, of filling gaps,' Flemming Konradsen, the Novo Nordisk Foundation's scientific director of global health, said in a February interview with Reuters. These foundations are turning away from taking on the government's role in global health care aid because they aren't designed to do so, according to Jesse Lecy, associate professor of data science and nonprofit studies at Arizona State University. 'The capital needed to sustain an initiative dwarfs the levels of capital needed for pilot programs that can establish the efficacy of new approaches,' he told Fortune in an email. 'Scaling viable solutions requires partnerships.' Philanthropic efforts are most effective when they invest in early research or pilot initiatives that are more risky, but less expensive. Then, nonprofits can build out and sustain successful projects in the long term, Lecy argued. Scaling nonprofits' projects is something far more expensive than what foundations have resources for. 'What people misunderstand about foundations is that they are the venture capital arm of philanthropy, not the long-term capital that sustains programming,' he said. This story was originally featured on
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
USAID cuts put tuberculosis response in peril, WHO says
(Reuters) -The Trump administration's decision to pause U.S. foreign aid would undo progress made in containing tuberculosis (TB) infections across low- and middle-income countries, putting the lives of millions at risk, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday. "Without immediate action, hard-won progress in the fight against TB is at risk. Our collective response must be swift, strategic, and fully resourced to protect the most vulnerable and maintain momentum toward ending TB," said Tereza Kasaeva, director of WHO's Global Programme on TB and Lung Health. Critical international aid, particularly from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), helped avert about 3.65 million deaths last year alone from the deadly disease, according to the agency. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. The U.S. has historically contributed about one quarter of the total international donor funding for TB programs, which amounts to about $200 million to $250 million annually in bilateral funding, the WHO said. Additionally, the USAID has also halted all its funded trials, severely impeding progress in TB research. The funding disruptions put 18 of the highest TB-burden countries at risk, with the African region being the most affected followed by the South-East Asian and Western Pacific regions. These regions depend on 89% of the expected U.S. funding for TB care, the agency said. The funding withdrawals are already pulling apart essential services in these countries, including testing and monitoring systems, drug supply chains and thousands of health workers facing layoffs. In a move that could ease concerns, the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to let the Trump administration withhold payment to foreign aid organizations for services already rendered to the government.
