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United Nations 2025 Global AIDS Update says if funding not replaced, Trump’s cuts may reverse ‘decades’ of progress on HIV/AIDS.

Unless funding is replaced, the halt to foreign aid by the administration of US President Donald Trump could reverse “decades of progress” on HIV, the United Nations warns in its annual report on HIV/AIDS.

The United States’ decision to make cuts to the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) could result in six million extra HIV infections and four million more AIDS-related deaths by 2029, according to the 2025 Global AIDS Update released on Thursday.

“HIV programmes in low- and middle-income countries have been rocked by sudden, major financial disruptions that threaten to reverse years of progress in the response to HIV,” the UNAIDS report said.

“Wars and conflict, widening economic inequalities, geopolitical shifts and climate change shocks – the likes of which are unprecedented in the global HIV response – are stoking instability and straining multilateral cooperation,” it added.

According to the report, people acquiring HIV and those dying from AIDS-related causes were at their lowest levels in “more than 30 years”.

However, by the end of 2024, the decline in numbers was “not sufficient” to end AIDS as a public threat by 2030.

Still, the report found that an estimated 1.3 million people acquired HIV in 2024, 40 percent less than in 2024.

In new infections, there was a 56 percent decline in sub-Saharan Africa, which is home to half of all people who “acquired HIV globally in 2024”.

“Five countries, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, were on track to achieve a 90 percent decline in new infections by 2030 compared with 2010,” the UN added.

However, the significance of Trump’s cut to the programme is immense, as the US was the largest donor of humanitarian assistance worldwide.

“The sudden withdrawal of the single biggest contributor to the global HIV response disrupted treatment and prevention programmes around the world,” the report said.

While many countries still have enough life-saving antiretroviral drugs and clinics that support those most vulnerable to the infection – including gay men, sex workers and teenage girls – the cut in funding has forced the facilities to close down and prevention programmes to peter out.

UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima told the Reuters news agency that “prevention was hit harder than treatment” by the cuts.

“Key populations were the worst affected … they depended on tailored services by community leaders, and those were the first to go,” Byanyima said.

However, even before Trump made the decision to scale back the support shortly after coming into office in January, donors, mainly European countries, were scaling back development assistance.

“They’ve told us that it has to do with defence spending,” she said, adding that figures showed “global health [spending] peaked and then it also started declining with the Ukraine war”.

PEPFAR was launched in 2003 by US President George W Bush, and is the biggest-ever commitment by any country focused on a single disease. UNAIDS called the programme a “lifeline” for countries with high HIV rates.

Deposed prime minister and others are indicted for crimes against humanity, with trial set for August.

Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has indicted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and two senior officials over alleged crimes against humanity linked to a deadly crackdown on protesters during last year’s July uprising.

The tribunal, led by Justice Golam Mortuza Mozumder and comprising justices Shafiul Alam Masud and Mohitul Enam Chowdhury, formally charged Hasina on Thursday.

Proceedings will begin on August 3 with opening statements, followed by the first witness testimony.

Hasina, who fled to India following a student-led uprising last August, had been facing several charges. Earlier this month, in a separate ruling, she was sentenced to six months in prison for contempt of court by the ICT. That had marked the first time she had received a formal sentence in any of the cases.

Chief Prosecutor Muhammad Tajul Islam said that the sentence delivered in absentia will take effect if Hasina is arrested or voluntarily returns to Bangladesh.

The two other accused on Thursday are former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah al-Mamun. While al-Mamun appeared before the court and remains in custody, both Hasina and Kamal have fled abroad.

The charges stem from Hasina’s now ousted government’s violent response to mass demonstrations, which critics say resulted in widespread human rights abuses and hundreds of deaths.

Hasina, who now lives in self-imposed exile in India after being deposed following a 15-year rule, has dismissed the tribunal as politically motivated.

HEARTBROKEN trainer Warren Greatrex has bravely opened up on the deaths of three young workers at his yard – remembering them all as ‘great lads’.

The Lambourn-based jumps trainer has had to be a father figure and counsellor for those rocked by the suicides of Michael Pitt, David Thompson and, most recently, Billy Moffatt.

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Pitt was just 19 and a promising amateur jockey when he took his own life in July 2021.

Greatrex, who had just moved to his Rhonehurst yard at the time, described the soul-crushing experience as ‘horrible’.

Just seven months later, in February 2022, popular stable lad Thompson, 25, was found dead.

The huge Chelsea fan, who was reported missing in the days prior, had written a letter saying the happiest days of his life had been working for Greatrex, who said the second death ‘hit me so hard’.

Then in May this year, Moffatt, who was in his early 20s, was found dead in his accommodation – the third death in just four years.

Greatrex, a Cheltenham Festival-winning trainer, admitted he ‘never thought’ he would have to go through such shock and pain.

He told Luck on Sunday on Racing TV the passing of all three and the devastating impact on those who worked alongside them every day was still ‘raw’.

And he said to know the lads you would have had absolutely no idea any were struggling to the extent they were.

Explaining the magnitude of the losses and how best he tried to deal with it, an emotional Greatrex said: “I am the trainer so when I have a member of staff I am like a father figure as well.

“Parents entrust you to look after their children.

“I do feel responsible and all I am, and have been worried about, is everyone else.

“I never thought I’d have a situation like this.

“Even now it’s tough to talk about – but in the situation all you are worried about is everyone else.

“None of those three lads you would have had any idea that they would do that.

“All three lads were really good young men. They were funny, good to be around.

“Billy was a larger-than-life Newcastle lad who touched a lot of people because he was great fun to be around.

“But there aren’t any signs.”

Greatrex also spoke about the stresses and strains of working in the sport and how charity Racing Welfare have helped.

He said while ‘no words can describe the devastation’ of the deaths, Racing Welfare were at his yard ‘within minutes’ to offer support to those coming to terms with the losses.

His words pleading for more to be done with alcohol and drugs in racing came just days after champion jockey Oisin Murphy was charged with drink-driving ahead of his appearance at Reading Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.

Greatrex continued: “I think when you’re surrounded by young people there will be times when there will be drinking, there will be drug use – that’s just the way of the world now unfortunately.

“Maybe there is a way that people can recognise it (drug use) and help people with what they can and can’t do, or at least guide them in the right direction.

“I always find when a member of staff comes into the yard I am responsible.

“But when they leave the yard I can’t keep an eye on them and have their back or look after them all the time.

“There will be times when members of staff come to speak to me or someone else senior like Tessa my wife, and of course we always do our best to help them.

“But when they leave the yard I am helpless.

“Still, I want them to be able to come to me.

“I am a father and when my children go anywhere, or to other yards, you want them to be looked after and navigated in the right direction.”

Greatrex will take part in a marathon hike in support of Racing Welfare on Sunday – donate to their cause HERE.

Eurostar passengers heading out of London St Pancras International have been advised to change their journey to a different travel date after severe delays in France

Eurostar passengers travelling today have been warned to cancel or postpone their trips as chaos erupted after two people were killed on the railway near Lille in France.

Those travelling between London St Pancras International and Gare Du Nord in Paris were delayed for hours in both directions yesterday, with some having their trains called altogether and others facing long delays, yesterday. The knock on effects of the delays is still affecting travellers today.

The French section is also facing more disruption today after cables were stolen and cut overnight in what the French authorities are calling a “a malicious act”.

Many affected passengers are stuck at the Eurostar terminal at London’s St Pancreas International, waiting with their luggage and jostling to find somewhere to sit among the crowds.

School children appear to be among those waiting as they head abroad for sporting competitions.

A Eurostar spokeswoman said on Tuesday: “Due to two persons struck by trains near Lille Europe, we’ve delays and cancellations to our services all evening. We apologise to everyone affected and advise changing your journey for a different travel date.”

And Eurostar confirmed: “All services between London, Brussels, and Paris are disrupted.”

French rail company SNCF said: “SNCF Réseau has been the victim of a major act of malicious intent in Lille.

“More than 600m of cable was stolen or cut south of Lille Europe station. The impacts are mainly on high-speed train traffic, departing from and arriving at Lille Europe and Lille Flandres.

“TGV trains are being diverted as much as possible to the conventional line, but the line’s capacity is limited and repairs are expected to take part of the day.”

The spokesman said around fifteen cable workers and specialist staff had been sent to the scene. Last February, 13 cables totalling several hundred meters were stolen from SNCF property in Lille, causing significant disruption to the network for an entire day.

Iran has launched a new wave of ballistic missiles against Israel soon after loud explosions were heard in its capital Tehran, as the two countries continue to trade heavy fire for a third consecutive day and as US President Donald Trump hints both at peace coming “soon” and at the possibility of the United States joining the conflict.

On Sunday, residents in Tehran reported shuddering blasts in different areas in the heart of the city. Reports say missiles struck in Niavaran and Tajrish, in the capital’s north, and around the Valiasr and Hafte Tir squares in the city centre.

Other cities attacked by Israel included Shiraz and Isfahan, where a military base of the Defence Ministry was hit. The Israeli army said it struck an aerial refuelling aircraft at Mashhad Airport in eastern Iran, describing it as its longest-range attack since launching operations against Iran last week.

Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi said, “Iran has not experienced a war to this extent since the Iran-Iraq War ended in 1988. There were similar Israeli strikes last year, of course, but nothing compared to what’s been happening since Friday.”

“The government said earlier today that metro stations, schools and mosques are going to be ready to host people. But parts of these facilities, including mosques and schools, do not seem safe enough to be used as a sort of shelter,” he added.

Iranian officials say at least 138 people have been killed in Israel’s onslaught since Friday, including 60 on Saturday, half of them children, when a missile brought down a 14-storey apartment block in Tehran. There were no reports as yet of casualties from Sunday’s attacks.

In Israel, authorities said on Sunday that several missiles were launched from Iran, most of which were intercepted.

Rescue workers were searching for survivors in the rubble from the previous night’s wave of Iranian strikes. The hardest hit area was the town of Bat Yam, where more than 60 buildings were damaged. “Iran will pay a heavy price for the murder of civilians, women and children,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said from a balcony overlooking blown-out apartments in Bat Yam, a city just south of Tel Aviv.

Overnight, Iran struck the port city of Haifa and neighbouring Tamra, where at least four women were killed. Since the start of the conflict on Thursday, at least 13 people have been killed and 380 have been wounded in Israel.

Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh, reporting from Amman, Jordan, said, “The damage from Iranian attacks is certainly extensive and unprecedented. This is the first time that Israel has confronted a state with a formidable army in the region, certainly the first time since 1973 [against Egypt]”.

“To the north, in Haifa, oil and gas pipelines were damaged, but activities continue at the oil refineries”, she added.

Israel launched its operation with a surprise attack on Friday that killed several members of the Iranian military’s top echelon, killed several nuclear scientists, and damaged the country’s nuclear sites. Since then, Israel’s attacks have been broadening in their scope, hitting residential areas and Iran’s civilian and energy sectors and raising the stakes for the global economy and the functioning of the Iranian state.

Diplomacy

As both parties continue to pound each other with strikes, hopes for a diplomatic solution seem distant for now, though they will no doubt be high on the agenda of the Group of Seven summit beginning Monday in Canada.

Speaking at a press conference in Tehran on Sunday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran does not seek to expand the conflict to neighbouring countries unless forced to.

Araghchi reaffirmed Iran’s opposition to nuclear weapons but defended its right to peaceful nuclear development. He said Iran had been ready to offer assurances in the now-cancelled sixth round of US talks, which could have led to an agreement, though Israel derailed the diplomatic progress.

The US and Iran have held five rounds of talks since April to try to find a path to a new nuclear deal that would replace a 2015 accord that Trump abandoned during his first term in office.

Araghchi also said Israel’s attacks on his country could not have materialised without the agreement and support of the US.

“We have well-documented and solid evidence of the support provided by American forces in the region and their bases for the military attacks of the Zionist regime”.

He said Trump has publicly and explicitly confirmed he knew about the attacks, that they could not have happened without US weapons and equipment, and that more attacks are coming. “Therefore, the US, in our opinion, is a partner in these attacks and must accept its responsibility.”

Talking to Fox News, Netanyahu seemed to clearly confirm that, saying he informed Trump ahead of launching the attacks.

He described the cooperation with the Trump administration as “unprecedented”, adding that the Israeli intelligence shares “every bit of information” with Washington. Netanyahu projected that regime change in Iran could be a result of Israel’s attacks.

Trump has denied any involvement and warned Tehran not to widen its retaliation to include US targets, but also didn’t rule out more direct US involvement beyond the vast arsenal and intelligence the US provides to Israel.

“If we are attacked in any way, shape or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the U.S. Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before,” the US president said in a message on Truth Social.

He also claimed peace could be reached “soon”, suggesting that many diplomatic meetings were taking place.

“We can easily get a deal done between Iran and Israel, and end this bloody conflict,” he said.

Trump has repeatedly said Iran could end the war by agreeing to tough restrictions on its nuclear programme, which Iran says is for peaceful purposes but Western countries say could be used to make a bomb.

Trump told ABC he would be “open” to Russian President Vladimir Putin being a mediator. “He is ready. He called me about it. We had a long talk about it”.

The US president’s words were a first hint at Washington’s diplomatic involvement in the ongoing conflict. In recent days, the US has ratcheted down its diplomatic presence in countries in the region, anticipating that air strikes on Iranian military sites would be taking place.

Authorities in the city of San Diego say that heavy fog had created low-visibility conditions at time of crash.

Authorities in the city of San Diego, California, have said that several people are dead after a small, private plane crashed into a military housing complex.

On Thursday, Assistant San Diego Fire Chief Dan Eddy said that the plane had capacity for between eight and 10 people, but it is not clear how many people were on board during the crash.

“I can’t quite put words to describe what the scene looks like, but with the jet fuel going down the street, and everything on fire all at once, it was pretty horrific to see,” San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said.

The incident took place in the early hours of Thursday morning, just before 4am Pacific time (11:00 GMT) in the United States.

The crash left a trail of charred vehicles and damaged houses in the Tierrasanta neighbourhood of San Diego, located in the southernmost region of California. Downed power lines were observed near the scene, as emergency responders struggled to contain the fire.

Residents of the neighbourhood were evacuated, and police say that two schools located near the site have been closed for the day. Authorities also asked people to avoid the area while emergency crews are at work.

The San Diego Police Department said in a social media post that “multiple fatalities” had been confirmed from the crash and that one person remains hospitalised, with two others treated and released.

The plane, which officials say was en route from the Midwest, caused damage to several homes and vehicles in the neighbourhood but did not cause any injuries to residents.

“It was definitely horrifying for sure, but sometimes, you’ve just got to drop your head and get to safety,” said Christopher Moore, who lives one street over from the site of the crash.

Eddy, the assistant fire chief, said that heavy fog had severely diminished visibility at the time of the crash.

“You could barely see in front of you,” he said.

UPDATE: Multiple fatalities confirmed in crash near Sculpin St & Santo Rd. 1 person hospitalized, 2 treated & released. Evacuations + road closures remain. Area expected closed all day as FAA investigates. Call 619-531-2000 if you find debris or jet fuel.

— San Diego Police Department (@SanDiegoPD) May 22, 2025

Authorities have yet to share details about the make and model of the plane, but the flight tracking website Flight Aware says that a Cessna Citation II jet was scheduled to arrive at the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive airport in San Diego at 3:47am after departing from the Colonel James Jabara Airport in Wichita, Kansas.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has said that the National Transportation Safety Board will oversee an investigation into the incident.