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Devastating effects of these cuts are ...: Bill Gates alarms again on USAID funding that Elon Musk slammed him for

Devastating effects of these cuts are ...: Bill Gates alarms again on USAID funding that Elon Musk slammed him for

Time of India13-07-2025
Microsoft co-founder
Bill Gates
has once again raised alarms about the "devastating effects" of
USAID
funding cuts. In a recent post on X, the tech billionaire asserted that it's not too late to reinstate the
international aid
that US President Donald Trump ordered to reduce. The latest warning comes after Tesla CEO
Elon Musk
recently criticised the tech billionaire regarding these very concerns about
USAID funding cuts
, which Gates has been warning about for some time now. In his latest post on X, Gates wrote:
'The devastating effects of these cuts are entirely preventable—and it's not too late to reverse them.'
Gates was responding to a post quoting an unnamed aid worker in Africa who highlighted critical shortages in medical supplies — including missing shipments of
HIV medication
for children, expiring stock, a lack of oxygen tubes for newborns, and limited treatment for sexually transmitted diseases.
Soon after sharing this post, Gates even shared a video of himself talking about how cutting the aid will affect the supply of vaccines that have reduced the number of child deaths.
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Gates wrote:
'Thanks to vaccines, fewer children are dying from preventable diseases around the world. Cutting funding for them would reverse that progress and put millions of children in danger.'
What Elon Musk said about Bill Gates' USAID cuts warning
Earlier this month, Gates also criticised the USAID cuts by sharing a thread of facts that claimed that health aid cuts by the US government 'will cost lives.' This prompted a response from the world's richest person.
When a X user replied to Gates' post, suggesting he should
"make up for the difference"
given his personal wealth, Musk agreed with
"Exactly."
Musk further commented,
"The real reason Bill Gates is unhappy is that HIS organisation isn't getting billions in US taxpayer money anymore.'
All this comes after US President Donald Trump's administration had placed staff members at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) on administrative leave in February, with the independent agency's last day being June 30.
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'Thrown to the wolves': American moves family to Russia to 'escape wokeness' — finds himself at the frontline fighting Ukraine war
'Thrown to the wolves': American moves family to Russia to 'escape wokeness' — finds himself at the frontline fighting Ukraine war

Time of India

time42 minutes ago

  • Time of India

'Thrown to the wolves': American moves family to Russia to 'escape wokeness' — finds himself at the frontline fighting Ukraine war

(Photo: X) An American man who left US in search of traditional values has ended up on the front lines of Russia's war in Ukraine. Derek Huffman moved with his wife and three daughters from Texas to a village outside Moscow earlier this year, reports New York Post. Huffman hoped to raise his family away from what he described as the 'wokeness' and 'LGBTQ indoctrination' of the US education system. However, he now finds himself near the front lines, despite initially being promised a non-combat role. Huffman had joined the Russian military to secure fast-tracked citizenship. Huffman's wife, DeAnna, said in a YouTube video that he was misled during the recruitment process. The video is now deleted from social media. 'He feels like he's being thrown to the wolves right now, and he's kind of having to lean on faith, and that's what we're all doing,' she said. She added that he had no military experience and was trained in Russian, which he barely understands. 'Unfortunately, when you're taught in a different language, and you don't understand the language, how are you really getting taught? You're not,' she said. The family had moved to Istra, about 25 miles from Moscow, under Russia's 'shared values' visa scheme. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 15 most beautiful women in the world Undo The family was among only two known to have relocated to the so-called 'American village,' a settlement created by US expat and blogger Tim Kirby to attract Westerners tired of liberal norms. What was the final straw that made the Huffmans leave US? Their decision to move followed an incident at their daughter's school in the US. 'The final straw was when we found out my daughter Sophia learnt about lesbians from a girl in her class. She didn't fully understand it, but for us, that was enough to realise something had to change,' Huffman was quoted as saying by Russia Today. The family was later featured in several Russian state-affiliated media outlets, where Huffman said he wanted to earn respect through military service. 'The point of this act for me is to earn a place here in Russia. If I risk myself for our new country, no one will say that I am not a part of it. Unlike migrants in America who come there just like that, do not assimilate, and at the same time want free handouts,' he said. Despite these intentions, DeAnna now claims that her husband was offered roles such as a welder or war correspondent but was instead rushed through training and sent to the battlefield. She also said the family has yet to receive any of the promised military wages. Father's Day video message In June, Huffman appeared in a Father's Day video message wearing camouflage. 'I miss you all more than you can imagine,' he told his family. 'Just know I will do whatever it takes to be safe and to come home to you. Take care of each other.' A Telegram group titled 'Save that little girls' was recently linked to the family's deleted channel, calling on the US government to intervene. 'It's been just a few months since our family made the big move from America to Russia, and while we've had amazing adventures, this journey has also brought deep challenges,' DeAnna said. 'Being alone in a new country, raising kids, and trying to stay strong has tested me in ways I never imagined.'

Microsoft hack hits hundreds of firms, agencies as damage spreads
Microsoft hack hits hundreds of firms, agencies as damage spreads

Business Standard

timean hour ago

  • Business Standard

Microsoft hack hits hundreds of firms, agencies as damage spreads

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The National Institutes of Health was also impacted through the SharePoint flaws, according to a person familiar with the matter. Andrew Nixon, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, said, 'The Department and its security teams are actively engaged in monitoring, identifying, and mitigating all risks to our IT systems posed by the Microsoft SharePoint vulnerability.' 'At present, we have no indication that any information was breached as a result of this vulnerability,' he said, adding that the department is collaborating with Microsoft and the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. The Washington Post previously reported that NIH was breached. And South Africa's National Treasury said it was seeking help from Microsoft after discovering malware on its network, but added that its systems and websites were operating normally. The hacks are among the latest major breaches that Microsoft has blamed, at least in part, on China and come amid heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing over global security and trade. The US has repeatedly criticised China for campaigns that have allegedly stolen government and corporate secrets over a period spanning decades. The real number of victims from the SharePoint exploits 'might be much higher as there can be many more hidden ways to compromise servers that do not leave traces,' Eye Security's co-owner Vaisha Bernard said in an email to Bloomberg News. 'This is still developing, and other opportunistic adversaries continue to exploit vulnerable servers.' The organisations compromised in the SharePoint breaches include many working in government, education and technology services, Bernard said. There were smaller numbers of victims in countries across Europe, Asia, the Middle East and South America. 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'Obviously things like that will be on the agenda with my Chinese counterparts,' he said. The security flaws allow hackers to access SharePoint servers and steal keys that can let them impersonate users or services, potentially enabling deep access into compromised networks to steal confidential data. Microsoft has issued patches to fix the vulnerabilities, but researchers cautioned that hackers may have already got a foothold into many servers. Microsoft on Tuesday accused Chinese state-sponsored hackers known as Linen Typhoon and Violet Typhoon of being behind the attacks. Another hacking group based in China, which Microsoft calls Storm-2603, also exploited them, according to the company. The Redmond, Washington company has repeatedly blamed China for major cyberattacks. In 2021, an alleged Chinese operation compromised tens of thousands of Microsoft Exchange servers. In 2023, another alleged Chinese attack on Microsoft Exchange compromised senior US officials' email accounts. A US government review later accused Microsoft of a 'cascade of security failures' over the 2023 incident. Eugenio Benincasa, a researcher at ETH Zurich's Center for Security Studies who specializes in analyzing Chinese cyberattacks, said members of the groups identified by Microsoft had previously been indicted in the US for their alleged involvement in hacking campaigns targeting US organizations. They are well known for their 'extensive espionage,' he said. It's likely that the SharePoint breaches are being carried out by proxy groups that work with the government rather than Chinese government agencies directly carrying out the hacking, according to Benincasa. Private hacking companies in the country sometimes participate in 'hacker for hire' operations, he added. 'Now that at least three groups have reportedly exploited the same vulnerability, it's plausible more could follow,' he said. 'Cybersecurity is a common challenge faced by all countries and should be addressed jointly through dialogue and cooperation,' said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun. 'China opposes and fights hacking activities in accordance with the law. At the same time, we oppose smears and attacks against China under the excuse of cybersecurity issues.' According to Microsoft, the hacking group Linen Typhoon was first identified in 2012, and is focused on stealing intellectual property, primarily targeting organizations related to government, defense, strategic planning, and human rights. Violet Typhoon, first observed in 2015, was 'dedicated to espionage' and primarily targeted former government and military personnel, non-governmental organizations, as well as media and education sectors in the US, Europe, and East Asia. The hackers have also used the SharePoint flaws to break into systems belonging to the US Education Department, Florida's Department of Revenue and the Rhode Island General Assembly, Bloomberg previously reported. Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear power safety for the Union of Concerned Scientists, said that while the National Nuclear Security Administration possesses some of the most restricted and dangerous information in the world, the networks where classified information are stored are isolated from the internet. 'So even if those networks were compromised, I'm not sure how such information could have been transmitted to the adversaries,' Lyman said in an email. 'But there are other categories of information that are sensitive but unclassified, that may be treated with less care and might have been exposed. This includes some information related to nuclear materials and even nuclear weapons.'

US tech giants welcome Donald Trump's new AI plan
US tech giants welcome Donald Trump's new AI plan

Hindustan Times

timean hour ago

  • Hindustan Times

US tech giants welcome Donald Trump's new AI plan

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