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Vietnam just abandoned its policy limiting families to two children. China now says, “Three is best.” The Russian government is targeting child-free lifestyles. And the White House is mulling baby bonuses. Many countries are trying to reverse record low birthrates, but a new report from the United Nations Population Fund contends that governments are operating … Read more
Dozens of people were killed in South Africa, including several children whose school bus was swept away by flash floods, as unusually heavy rain, snow and wind pummeled parts of the country’s Eastern Cape Province this week. A slow-moving storm raged over the largely rural province on Monday and Tuesday, drowning homes and leaving thousands … Read more
She became famous for her funny, irreverent videos on TikTok about a topic that most people avoid thinking about. Taking a razor blade to a rose and slicing into its soft petals, she recounted to millions of viewers her experience with genital cutting at age 6. She was held down by her aunt in Somalia, … Read more
The Trump administration’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill” could make the United States the most expensive of the Group of 7 countries from which to send money, dealing another blow to poor nations already reeling from recent aid cuts. As part of the bill, the U.S. government would take a cut of all remittances sent to … Read more
Five members of a United Nations convoy carrying humanitarian supplies to an embattled city in southwestern Sudan were killed in an attack that injured other aid personnel and burned many of the trucks, the organization said this week. The attack occurred late Monday when a convoy of 15 trucks from the United Nations’ World Food … Read more
The Trump administration’s proposed budget for the coming fiscal year eliminates funding for programs that provide lifesaving vaccines around the world, including immunizations for polio. The budget proposal, submitted to Congress last week, proposes to eliminate the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s global health unit, effectively shutting down its $230 million immunization program: $180 … Read more
President Trump on Wednesday signed a travel ban on 12 countries, primarily in Africa and the Middle East, reviving an effort from his first term to prevent large numbers of immigrants and visitors from entering the United States. The ban, which goes into effect on Monday, bars travel to the United States by citizens of … Read more
Former President Edgar Lungu of Zambia died on Thursday at a medical center in South Africa, where he was receiving treatment, his political party, the Patriotic Front, and his daughter announced. He was 68. In a video posted on the party’s Facebook page, Tasila Lungu Mwansa said her father “had been under medical supervision in … Read more
Why Trump Is Trying to Send Deportees to South Sudan
When Africans woke up to the news this week that seven of the 12 countries on President Trump’s new travel ban list were African nations, the response, for many, was a mix of resignation and anger. Resignation because several African nations were previously banned during Mr. Trump’s first term, including Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country. … Read more