THE GUARDIAN: UK to halt state financial assistance to India in 2015 and will make no new cash commitments before then, says minister
All financial assistance from the UK to India will end from 2015, the international development secretary, Justine Greening, has announced.
Britain is to make no new financial aid commitments to India, and will save about £200m by 2015.
Greening, who took responsibility for Britain's aid budget in September, said programmes already under way would be completed as planned but no new initiatives would be signed off.
British support for India will in future be limited to skills sharing in [area] areas such as trade and investment and health.
"After reviewing the programme and holding discussions with the government of India this week, we agree that now is the time to move to a relationship focusing on skills sharing rather than aid," Greening said.
"Having visited India, I have seen first-hand the tremendous progress being made. India is successfully developing and our own bilateral relationship has to keep up with 21st-century India. It's time to recognise India's changing place in the world. » | Press Association | Friday, November 09, 2012
Friday, March 23, 2012
US to Resume Military Aid to Egypt
The US will give $1.3bn in military aid to Egypt despite concerns that Cairo has not met conditions imposed last year that it should take concrete steps towards a more democratic form of government.
The Egyptian military's continued crackdown on non-violent protesters and Cairo's harassment of NGOs that promote civic engagement had led to calls for the aid to be withheld.
And critics say that in deciding to give Egypt the money, the US is putting its strategic interests ahead of human rights.
Al Jazeera's Rosiland Jordan reports.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Obama Earmarks $800m for Arab Spring Nations
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Annual US budget speech outlines plans for Middle East "incentive plan", but proposal must be approved by Congress.
United States President Barack Obama has announced plans to help Arab Spring countries with more than $800m in economic aid.
Most of the financial help for the Arab Spring countries, an estimated $770m, would go to establish a new "Middle East and North Africa Incentive Fund", the president said in his annual budget speech on Monday.
Obama said military aid to Egypt would be kept at the level of recent years, $1.3bn, despite a crisis triggered by an Egyptian probe targeting US democracy activists.
The proposals are part of Obama's budget request for fiscal year 2013, which begins on October 1. » | Agencies | Monday, February 13, 2012
Saturday, February 04, 2012
India Tells Britain: We Don't Want Your Aid
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: India’s Finance Minister has said that his country “does not require” British aid, describing it as “peanuts”.
Pranab Mukherjee and other Indian ministers tried to terminate Britain’s aid to their booming country last year - but relented after the British begged them to keep taking the money, The Sunday Telegraph can reveal.
The disclosure will fuel the rising controversy over Britain’s aid to India.
The country is the world’s top recipient of British bilateral aid, even though its economy has been growing at up to 10 per cent a year and is projected to become bigger than Britain’s within a decade.
Last week India rejected the British-built Typhoon jet as preferred candidate for a £6.3 billion warplane deal, despite the Development Secretary, Andrew Mitchell, saying that Britain’s aid to Delhi was partly “about seeking to sell Typhoon.”
Mr Mukherjee’s remarks, previously unreported outside India, were made during question time in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of parliament.
“We do not require the aid,” he said, according to the official transcript of the session.
“It is a peanut in our total development exercises [expenditure].” He said the Indian government wanted to “voluntarily” give it up. Read on and comment » | Andrew Gilligan | Saturday, February 04, 2012
Monday, October 31, 2011
Countries that Ban Homosexuality Risk Losing Aid, Warns David Cameron
THE GUARDIAN: Prime minister concedes 'deep prejudices' in some countries mean the problem will persist for years
Britain has threatened countries that ban homosexuality with losing aidpayments unless they reform, David Cameron has said.
But he conceded that "deep prejudices" in some countries meant the problem would persist for years.
The prime minister said he had raised the issue with leaders of some of the states involved when he attended the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Australia.
Britain was "putting the pressure on", he said. But it was not a problem that would be solved by the time Commonwealth leaders are next due to meet, in Sri Lanka in 2013.
Cameron warned Sri Lanka to improve its human rights record or face boycotts of the 2013 summit. He declined to discuss whether the UK could stay away but said he shared a "similar view" to that of the Canadian prime minister, Stephen Harper, who has said he will not attend.
Ending bans on homosexuality was one of the recommendations of a highly critical internal report on the future relevance of the Commonwealth, written by experts from across the member nations.
"We are not just talking about it. We are also saying that British aid should have more strings attached," Cameron said on BBC1's Andrew Marr Show in an interview recorded at the summit in Perth.
"This is an issue where we are pushing for movement, we are prepared to put some money behind what we believe. But I'm afraid that you can't expect countries to change overnight. » | Press Association | Sunday, October 30, 2011
We'll Cut Your Aid If You Persecute Gays, Britain Warns African Nations
MAIL ONLINE: Poor African countries which persecute homosexuals will have their aid slashed by the Government in a bid by David Cameron to take his gay rights crusade to the Third World.
International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell has already cut aid to Malawi by £19 million after two gay men were sentenced to 14 years hard labour.
And he has warned the country's leaders to scrap plans to introduce draconian new anti-lesbian laws.
Mr Mitchell, one of Mr Cameron's closest allies, is also threatening to impose further aid 'fines' against Uganda and Ghana for hardline anti-gay and lesbian measures.
The policy was disclosed after Mr Cameron defended his decision to legalise gay weddings when he addressed last week's Conservative Party conference.
Now he wants to persuade those countries where homosexuality is still taboo to follow his lead – and he is ready to reduce aid to some of the world's poorest people to do so.
The cut in aid to Malawi came after two gay men were convicted last year under the country's rigidly imposed ban on homosexuality. » | Simon Walters | Saturday, October 08, 2011
Saturday, October 01, 2011
Palestinians Accuse US of 'Collective Punishment' after $200m in Aid Is Cut Off
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Palestinian Authority has claimed its people are victims of "collective punishment" after accusing the United States of blocking $200million in aid in response to President Mahmoud Abbas's application for UN statehood.
The freeze on funds, which has been unpublicised, was reportedly put in place in August, ahead of Mr Abbas's planned bid at the UN on September 20. The funds were said to have been allocated earlier in the financial year which ends today.
"It is another kind of collective punishment which is going to harm the needs of the public without making any positive contribution," Palestinian Authority spokesman Ghassan Khatib told The Independent.
He told the newspaper: "It is ironic to be punished for going to the United Nations".
The Obama administration is reportedly negotiating with Congressional leaders over unlocking the aid. The White House has reportedly also urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to help keep aid flowing to the Palestinians. » | Telegraph’s Foreign Staff | Saturday, October 01, 2011
Britain Gives £355M to Educate Girls in Asia and Africa
DAILY EXPRESS: NICK Clegg triggered fresh outrage at Britain’s spiralling overseas aid budget by pledging £355million of taxpayers’ cash to educate girls in poor countries.
He announced the huge handout at theLib Dem conference yesterday amid warnings of swingeing austerity for ¬families at home.
The Deputy Prime Minister’s promise of cash for countries including South Sudan, Nigeria and Bangladesh also came as it emerged that a literacy drive in British schools is to be axed. » | Macer Hall | Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Wednesday, April 06, 2011
Le Portugal demande l’aide financière de la Commission européenne
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Le Portugal a demandé mercredi à bénéficier d’une assistance financière de l’Union européenne, a annoncé le président de la Commission européenne José Manuel Barroso dans un communiqué.
"Le Premier ministre du Portugal José Socrates a informé ce jour (mercredi) le président de la Commission européenne José Manuel Barroso de son intention de demander l’activation des mécanismes de soutien financier" de l’UE, a précisé la Commission.
"Le président de la Commission a assuré que cette demande serait examinée le plus rapidement possible (...) et s’est dit confiant dans les capacités du Portugal de surmonter ses difficultés actuelles avec la solidarité de ses partenaires", a ajouté la commission. Peu auparavant, le Premier ministre portugais José Socrates avait annoncé lors d’une allocution télévisée que le gouvernement portugais avait "décidé aujourd’hui même d’adresser une demande d’assistance financière à la Commission européenne". » | AFP | Mercredi 06 Avril 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
Séisme - La France prête à venir en aide au Japon
LE POINT: Nicolas Sarkozy a écrit au Premier ministre nippon pour lui faire part de son émotion face au violent séisme qui a frappé l'archipel.
Le président Nicolas Sarkozy a affirmé, vendredi, "le soutien et la solidarité" de la France au Japon, touché par un très fort séisme, se disant prêt à "répondre à toutes les éventuelles sollicitations que le Japon voudrait lui adresser pour faire face à cette tragédie". Continuez à lire et ajouter un commentaire >>> Source AFP | Vendredi 11 Mars 2011
Clinton Offers Aid to Pakistan: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announces $500 million in new aid projects for Pakistan
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
Obama’s New Spending Spree* in Gaza
THE TIMES: President Obama pledged $400 million (£274m) in aid to Gaza and the West Bank today, calling on Israel to reconsider its “unsustainable” blockade on the Hamas-run territory.
Mr Obama’s comments, coming after a high profile meeting with the Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, were the clearest sign yet that Washington is reconsidering its prior support for the blockade following Israel’s deadly commando raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship.
MrObama called the flotilla raid a “tragedy” saying that a “better approach” was needed than the three-year-long blockade on Gaza and its rulers in Hamas.
“It’s important that we get all the facts,” Mr Obama said, of the raid in which nine Turkish civilians, one with US citizenship, were killed. “What we also know is that the situation in Gaza is unsustainable.”
He credited the new aid package, most of it earmarked for the rebuilding of Gaza’s wrecked infrastructure to the “advocacy and guidance” of Mr Abbas, a clear attempt to bolster the West Bank leader in the face of rising Hamas support in the wake of the attack and growing disillusionment over the progress of the United States backed peace process. Obama pledges $400m in aid for Gaza... Read on and comment >>> Catherine Philp, Washington | Wednesday, June 09, 2010
*Where is all this money coming from, Mr. President? Don't you understand the gravity of the deficit that America is already running? – Mark
Friday, June 04, 2010
Goods Forbidden from Gaza
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
In Morocco, a Crackdown on Christian Aid Workers
TIME: March 8 is not a day that Chris Broadbent will soon forget. The preceding weekend, gendarmes entered the Village of Hope, a Christian-run orphanage in Morocco's Atlas Mountains where Broadbent, a New Zealand native, worked as a human resources manager, and began questioning children and staff. At first, he and the other foreign workers were assured that the interrogation was routine. But as it dragged on, the questions turned to subjects like 'How do you pray?' and the police began searching homes on the compound for children's Bibles. On Monday morning, after being held in a separate room from the orphanage's 33 children, Broadbent and his 15 colleagues were summarily deported from Morocco, accused of illegally proselytizing for their faith.
"Most of the couples were there as foster parents and had raised these children since infancy," Broadbent says. "When they were told that their parents had to leave, it was chaos — the kids were running after any adult they could find, and just holding on. It was the most devastating thing I've ever seen."
The Village of Hope deportations are part of what appears to be a widespread crackdown on Christian aid workers in Morocco. An estimated 40 foreigners — including Dutch, British, American and Korean citizens — have been deported this month, including Broadbent and his colleagues. Among them were an Egyptian Catholic priest in the northern city of Larache and a Korean-born Protestant pastor in Marrakesh who was arrested as he led services in his church. And this past week, authorities searched an orphanage founded by American missionaries in the town of Azrou called The Children's Haven. Salim Sefiane, a Moroccan who was raised at the orphanage and is still in touch with workers there, said the officials interrogated the orphanage staff and asked children as young as 8 years old to demonstrate how they pray. No action has been taken yet against the orphanage's workers, Sefiane said.
The large-scale deportations came as a surprise in a nation that is among the most liberal of Muslim countries. Although trying to convert Muslims to other faiths is illegal, Morocco tolerates the presence of other religions and is home to a number of churches and synagogues. "There are several things about this that are really striking," says Spanish journalist Ignacio Cembrero, who has written several books about the country. "There have been occasional deportations of people accused of proselytizing before, but never so many at once, and they've never expelled a Catholic before. And for the police to enter a church on Sunday, during services, to arrest people? Absolutely unprecedented." >>> Lisa Abend | Sunday, March 21, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Haiti Earthquake Appeal: YOUR HELP Is Needed
BRITISH RED CROSS: A devastating earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale struck Haiti on 12 January 2010, killing hundreds and affecting thousands more. Please give what you can today to help thousands of people in desperate need of humanitarian assistance. Donate Now! >>>
Donation Hotline: 0845 053 5353 (24 hours)
AMERICAN RED CROSS: Washington – The American Red Cross is sending money, supplies and staff to Haiti to support relief efforts there after yesterday’s earthquake, which caused catastrophic damage and loss of life.
According to reports, as many as three million people may have been affected by the quake, which collapsed government buildings and caused major damage to hospitals in the area.
The Red Cross is contributing an initial $1 million from the International Response Fund to support the relief operation, and has opened its warehouse in Panama to provide tarps, mosquito nets and cooking sets for approximately 5,000 families. Donate Now! >>>
SCHWEIZERISCHES ROTES KREUZ: Nothilfe für Erdbeben Haiti Helfen Sie den Opfern: Nach dem schweren Erdbeben wird in Haiti eine Katastrophe befürchtet. Über die Zahl der Opfer und das Ausmass der Schäden herrscht noch Unklarheit. Das Rote Kreuz steht im Rettungseinsatz.Hier spenden >>>
AKTION DEUTSCHLAND HILFT: Aktion Deutschland Hilft ist das Bündnis renommierter deutscher Hilfsorganisationen. Gemeinsam helfen wir den Opfern des schweren Erdbebens in Haiti. Erdbeben Haiti: Sicher online spenden. Sicher Online spenden hier >>>
COMITÉ INTERNATIONAL DE LA CROIX-ROUGE: Haïti : le CICR contribue aux efforts déployés pour venir en aide aux victimes du séisme: Genève (CICR) – Le Comité international de la Croix-Rouge (CICR) coopère avec ses partenaires du Mouvement international de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge pour venir en aide aux victimes du tremblement de terre qui a frappé Haïti. L'institution mobilise des ressources humaines et matérielles pour faire face à cette catastrophe. [Source] Faire un don ici >>>
Sunday, September 27, 2009
GOP Lawmakers Push for Cancellation of U.S. Funds to Qaddafi Foundations
FOX NEWS: The State Department notified lawmakers earlier this month of its intent to disburse $2.5 million in economic aid to Libya, including $400,000 for Muammar al-Qaddafi's foundations.
GOP lawmakers are calling on the Obama administration to cancel $400,000 in economic aid to foundations run by Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi following his rambling diatribe at the United Nations this week and the hero's welcome he gave to the Lockerbie bomber last month.
The State Department notified lawmakers earlier this month of its intent to disburse $2.5 million in economic aid to Libya, including $400,000 for Qaddafi's foundations. Of the $400,000 half will go to a foundation run by the leader's son, Saif, and the other half to one run by his daughter, Aisha.
Florida Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtien, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton requesting the cancellation of the entire $2.5 million of economic aid.
Ros-Lehtien argued that Congress' goal of providing money to promote democracy and human rights in Libya has been undermined by the administration's decision to funnel the resources through the Qaddafi family.
"How could this assistance effectively promote democracy when entrusted to the dictator's family?" she wrote in the letter.
The White House deferred questions to the National Security Council, which could not be reached on Saturday. Neither could the State Department. >>> | Saturday, February 26, 2009
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
More US Taxpayers’ Money to Go Up in Smoke as $80m is Pledged to the Palestinian Government
President Bush comes over as an old man with old ideas. If it ain’t working, throw money at it, and in any case by giving money in aid, America can buy ‘friendship’, or so he seems to think. Mr Bush, I’ve got news for you: You won’t win these people’s friendship no matter how much you give them in aid. They will still despise Westerners for the “infidels” they are.
So why don’t you do the American voters a favour and use that money for the much-needed health care of poor Americans who cannot afford any? Now that might buy the Republican Party votes at the next election!
TIMESONLINE: President Bush yesterday launched a fresh effort to kick start the Middle East peace process by backing his old ally, Tony Blair, with promises of American diplomatic and financial support.
President Bush pledged an extra $80 million (£40 million) of US aid to the Palestinian Government of Mahmoud Abbas, as well as announcing plans for an international peace conference involving Israel and its Arab neighbours this autumn.
“We are showing the Palestinian people that a commitment to peace leads to the generous support of the United States,” said Mr Bush. “The Palestinian people must decide that they want a future of decency and hope, not a future of terror and death.” Choose peace and hope or terror and death, Bush tells Palestinians (more) By Tom Baldwin in Washington and James Hider in Jerusalem
