Death Sentence: The real cost of Trump’s aid cuts on HIV

In his first hours as US president, Donald Trump signed an order freezing most foreign aid for 90 days — this included funding to PEPFAR, the global HIV programme credited with saving millions of lives. Although a waiver was later issued, experts say the fallout has been fatal. The Independent’s Bel Trew travelled to Uganda and Zimbabwe, where people are dying because they can’t access medication and pregnant women fear infecting their babies. The world had been on track to end the AIDS pandemic by 2030 – instead the death toll is set to triple by the decade’s end. Speaking to The Independent, Trump defended the decision and accused European countries of failing to contribute to the global HIV response.