funding

Nicolas Sarkozy faces retrial over alleged Libyan financing of 2007 campaign Ex-French president appeals five-year sentence; hearing at Paris Appeal Court runs to June 3 Standfirst: A lower court in September convicted Sarkozy of criminal conspiracy in a scheme prosecutors say sought funding from Muammar Gaddafi’s Libya. He served 20 days in jail after the ruling and denies wrongdoing. Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy returned to court for a retrial at the Paris Appeal Court over allegations he sought Libyan financing…

WFP warns Somalia food aid could halt by April without new funds, putting millions at risk The U.N. World Food Program warned Friday that its life-saving food and nutrition assistance in Somalia could grind to a halt as early as April unless fresh funding arrives, threatening to push millions deeper into hunger after years of failed rains and conflict. The agency said an estimated 4.4 million people in Somalia face crisis-level food insecurity, with nearly 1 million already enduring severe hunger. A sharp drop in…

MOGADISHU — The United Kingdom has announced £6 million in additional humanitarian funding to help drought-affected communities in Somalia, as escalating climate pressures deepen food insecurity across the country. The pledge came during the first official visit to Somalia by the UK Minister for International Development and Africa, Baroness Jenny Chapman. Chapman held high-level talks in Mogadishu with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and senior officials, and met humanitarian and security partners. She outlined the UK’s…

Analysis: The UN’s budget math has turned existential The United Nations is navigating its most acute cash crunch in decades. In a letter to the 193 member states, Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the organisation faces “the very real prospect of financial collapse,” with cash potentially running out as early as July. Senior UN officials now acknowledge that shuttering the Secretariat’s Manhattan headquarters this summer is a “distinct possibility.” This is not rhetorical brinkmanship. It is the cumulative…

The U.S. government entered a partial shutdown after a budget deadline passed without House action on a 2026 spending plan, but disruption is expected to be limited with the chamber set to return Monday to take up a Senate-backed deal. The lapse follows a breakdown in negotiations driven by Democratic fury over two recent fatal shootings of U.S. citizens by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, which derailed talks over new money for the Department of Homeland Security. Senate leaders responded by splitting off DHS…

Trump administration freezes $185 million in Minnesota childcare funds, orders audits of Somali American immigration cases MINNEAPOLIS — The administration of President Donald Trump has suspended federal childcare funding to Minnesota and ordered audits of immigration cases involving Somali Americans, escalating a fraud crackdown that critics say disproportionately targets immigrant communities in the state with the nation’s largest Somali population. The Department of Health and Human Services froze $185 million in…

Trump administration freezes Minnesota childcare funds, orders Somali citizenship audits MINNEAPOLIS — The Trump administration has frozen $185 million in federal childcare funding to Minnesota and ordered audits of immigration cases involving Somali Americans, escalating a fraud crackdown that state leaders and advocates say risks unfairly targeting a single immigrant community. The Department of Health and Human Services announced the funding freeze Tuesday, citing viral allegations by conservative YouTuber Nick Shirley…

African Union council assesses Somalia security mission and funding challenges ADDIS ABABA — The African Union’s Peace and Security Council (PSC) convened a special session Thursday to review the evolving situation in Somalia and assess the operations of the African Union Mission for Support and Stabilization in Somalia (AUSSOM), with a sharp focus on the mission’s funding pressures and next steps. Officials briefed the PSC on recent political developments in Somalia, the financial strain facing AUSSOM and potential…

EU leaders face a decisive choice on how to finance Ukraine’s war effort at a crunch summit this week, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urging capitals to agree a plan to tap frozen Russian assets. “There is no more important act of European defense than supporting Ukraine’s defense. The next days will be a crucial step for securing this, it is up to us to choose how we fund Ukraine’s fight,” von der Leyen told lawmakers ahead of the meeting, underscoring the pressure on leaders to unlock long-term…

Somalia, AU and UN issue urgent donor appeal to sustain Somali Security Forces support MOGADISHU — Somalia’s federal government, the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), and the United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) on Tuesday launched an urgent appeal for new donor contributions to keep critical support flowing to Somali Security Forces. The call came during a Somali Security Forces (SSF) Trust Fund event in Mogadishu attended by Somalia’s National Security Advisor, the U.N.…