Latest news with #developing nations
New York Times
6 days ago
- Health
- New York Times
U.S. Quietly Drafts Plan to End Program That Saved Millions From AIDS
The federal program to combat H.I.V. in developing nations earned a reprieve last week when Congress voted to restore $400 million in funding. Still, officials at the State Department have been mapping out a plan to shut it down in the coming years. Planning documents for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, obtained by The New York Times, call for the organization to set a new course that focuses on 'transitioning' countries away from U.S. assistance, some in as little as two years. PEPFAR, as the program is called, would cease to exist as an initiative to provide medicines and services needed to treat and prevent the spread of H.I.V. in low-income countries. It would be replaced by 'bilateral relationships' with low-income countries focused on the detection of outbreaks that could threaten the United States and the creation of new markets for American drugs and technologies, according to the documents. 'With targeted investment, PEPFAR's H.I.V. control capabilities in these countries could be transformed into a platform for rapid detection and outbreak response to protect Americans from disease threats like Ebola,' the plan says. A State Department spokeswoman said the document had not been finalized. 'The referenced document is not reflective of the State Department's policy on PEPFAR and was never cleared by Department leadership,' she said. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Al Arabiya
18-07-2025
- Business
- Al Arabiya
Trump says BRICS would end quickly if they ever form in a meaningful way
US President Donald Trump on Friday repeated his threat to slap a 10 percent tariff on imports from members of the BRICS group of developing nations and said the group would end very quickly if they ever formed in a meaningful way. 'When I heard about this group from BRICS, six countries, basically, I hit them very, very hard. And if they ever really form in a meaningful way, it will end very quickly,' Trump said without naming the countries. 'We can never let anyone play games with us.' Trump also said he was committed to preserving the dollar's global status as a reserve currency and pledged to never allow the creation of a central bank digital currency in America. Trump announced the new tariff on July 6, saying it would apply to any countries aligning themselves with what he called the 'Anti-American policies' of the BRICS group. With forums such as the G7 and G20 groups of major economies hamstrung by divisions and the disruptive 'America First' approach of the US president, the BRICS group is presenting itself as a haven for multilateral diplomacy. Since issuing the threat, Trump has repeatedly claimed without evidence that the group was set up to hurt the United States and the dollar's role as the world's reserve currency. BRICS leaders have rejected the claim that the group is anti-American. Brazil in February nixed plans to push for a common currency during its presidency this year, but the group is advancing work on a cross-border payment system known as BRICS Pay that would facilitate trade and financial transactions in local currencies. The BRICS group expanded last year beyond Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa to include members such as Iran and Indonesia. Leaders at the group's summit in Brazil voiced indirect criticism of US military and trade policies. Trump has also taken aim at Brazil specifically, announcing a 50 percent tariff rate on its imports, starting in August, and launching a separate investigation into what Washington called Brazil's 'unfair' trading practices.
