Leaders launch fund to counter Trump's 'gag rule', and huge cuts to US aid likely

Nations pledge millions to mitigate Trump’s block on funding to family planning services worldwide, and outline US budget indicates big fall in aid spending
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World leaders at a conference in Brussels last week pledged millions to help plug the hole left by Trump’s “global gag rule”. Twenty countries aim to raise $600m (£490m) to compensate for Donald Trump’s ban on funding for NGOs that offer abortion services or advocacy in the developing world, even if they use their own funds to do so. The UK has so far failed to contribute, instead highlighting its existing commitments to family planning.
US spending on overseas aid is also expected to face huge reductions under Trump, as part of plans to increase defence funding by $54bn in his forthcoming budget. The US currently has the world’s most expansive overseas aid programme, with a proposed federal spend of $50.1bn (£40.3bn) for 2017 alone (pdf). But an outline budget suggests Trump will make good on a campaign pledge to “stop sending foreign aid to countries that hate us”.

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What you said

On Vidhi Doshi’s piece on the innovation that aims to reduce India’s 5m tonnes of annual plastic consumption, Mauryan wrote:

India needs technologists of this kind who serve India’s needs, focused on the issues that are affecting the population. The enormity of everything in India makes one wonder where to begin on any social task. I hope the government helps this young technologist with the necessary encouragement in every way so that it leads to a better life for all citizens over the long run.