The target for the replenishment is $13 billion over three years. “The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, announced today that Canada will host the Fifth Replenishment Conference of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in Montréal, Québec, on 16 September 2016. This conference will bring global health leaders together to further mobilize efforts to end the epidemics of three of the world’s most devastating diseases – AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria – by 2030. The Prime Minister also announced that Canada is pledging CAD785 million to the Global Fund for the next three years, a 20 per cent increase from its previous pledge three years ago. This investment will make a significant contribution to the ultimate goal of saving an additional 8 million lives and averting an additional 300 million new infections by 2019.” (Global Fund http://bit.ly/24He9mf)
Nigerian Middle Class, Squeezed…”For months, many Nigerians have endured painfully long lines for gasoline and power failures that last for days — with no fuel for backup generators. Scant power means water cuts for homes that rely on electricity to pump it. Everyday items are missing from stores, and those that remain cost more than usual. In this country of rampant inequality, the poor have long been desperate, and the rich are still able to buy their way out of problems. But the situation in Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, is having an outsize impact on the expanding middle class, which has become accustomed to air-conditioning, owning a car and going out for Domino’s pizza. Now, even a bottle of Perrier is too expensive for many.” (NYT http://nyti.ms/24HfRDY)
A Warning on Food Security in Zimbabwe…The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said on Monday up to 4.5 million people, half of Zimbabwe’s drought-stricken rural population, will need aid by next March as the agency seeks to plug a funding gap of $290 million for assistance. An El Nino-induced drought has hit southern Africa and cut the output of the staple maize crop. In March, the government said 4 million Zimbabweans required food aid, almost 30 percent of the national population. UNDP resident coordinator Bishow Parajuli told reporters the agency had raised $70 million since President Robert Mugabe’s government’s government made a plea for aid in February, leaving a $290 million funding gap.” (Reuters http://yhoo.it/24HixS6 )
The Panama Papers are Live…And searchable. (BBC http://bbc.in/24HeWU3)
Africa
Communities affected by HIV, tuberculosis and malaria must be involved at all levels of the response to these diseases, according to grassroots and civil society groups in Anglophone Africa. (AllAfrica http://bit.ly/1NoEqkY)
Mali’s security forces said they arrested a senior member of Islamist militant group Ansar Dine who trafficked weapons for attacks in Mali and over the border in Burkina Faso. (Reuters http://reut.rs/24HepBC)
Kenya’s decision to stop hosting refugees could have “devastating consequences” for hundreds of thousands of people, the UN warned Monday. (AFP http://yhoo.it/1NoCAjU)
Hundreds of immigrant learners attending public schools in South Africa’s Eastern Cape may soon find themselves turned away after a decision in March to require photo IDs for enrollment. (AllAfrica http://bit.ly/1NoD4GS)
MENA
Bahrain’s foreign ministry said Monday that an opposition activist who is in jail with her toddler will be released for “humanitarian” reasons. (AFP http://yhoo.it/1NoCxVe)
Egypt has pledged to use its influence as chair of the UN Security Council in May to defend the interests of the Palestinian people. (AFP http://yhoo.it/1NoCUiL)
The United States has announced a $50 million aid program for the Gaza Strip. (AP http://yhoo.it/1NoCE3f)
The Islamic State’s so-called ‘emir’ of Iraq’s volatile Anbar province was killed, along with a number of the group’s top provincial commanders, in a U.S. airstrike the Pentagon confirmed on Monday. (Washington Times http://bit.ly/24Hey85)
Yemen’s warring parties resumed face-to-face talks on Monday following a two-day interruption after mediation efforts and an appeal by the UN envoy. (AFP http://yhoo.it/1NoCMjj)
Asia
Police in Cambodia detained eight activists, including two Westerners, who wore black clothing in a peaceful protest Monday in support of human rights workers who were jailed last week. (AP http://yhoo.it/1NoENMg)
China has consistently demanded its companies operating abroad respect local laws, China’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday after hundreds of villagers in Myanmar protested against the resumption of operations at a Chinese-backed copper mine. (Reuters http://yhoo.it/1NoF3e7)
North Korea’s continued nuclear activities are of “great concern” to the region and beyond, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) told reporters. (Reuters http://yhoo.it/1NoEUaJ)
A top U.S. envoy began a two-day trip to Vietnam on Monday to gauge its progress in human rights. (Reuters http://yhoo.it/1NoF1TF)
The Americas
Panama on Monday slammed shut its border crossing with Colombia to Cuban migrants, becoming the third Central American country to halt access to an unrelenting exodus of Cubans trying to reach the United States. (AFP http://yhoo.it/1NoCrgr)
Haitian officials say at least four people have died over the weekend from sporadic rains that have drenched the Caribbean country and flooded homes. (AP http://yhoo.it/1NoDmNV)
The Panama Papers revealing offshore secrets of the wealthy is really the result of a behind-the-scenes fight of big global powers, Panama’s president said on Monday. (AFP http://yhoo.it/1NoCusJ)
The White House and Democrats are pressuring congressional Republicans to act on US President Obama’s demands for money to combat Zika, but even the onset of mosquito season that probably will spread the virus has failed to create a sense of urgency. (AP http://yhoo.it/1NoEP71)
…and the rest
Italian lawmakers on Monday began a final debate on a contentious gay civil unions bill which Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has pledged to push through this week with a confidence vote. (AFP http://yhoo.it/1NoCFnG)
A new UN plan to tackle the worst refugee crisis since World War II would aim to resettle at least 10 percent of refugees annually. (Yahoo! http://yhoo.it/1NoCPLZ)
Hundreds of economists urged world leaders Monday to end the era of tax havens, arguing they only benefit rich individuals and multinational corporations and serve to increase inequality. (AP http://yhoo.it/1NoEVeT)
Opinion
There’s a subtle bureaucratic shift underway as US government agencies implement the Paris Agreement. A Conversation with US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack (Global Dispatches Podcast http://bit.ly/1Okdq0G)
The private sector must be seen as an engine of development, not its enemy (Guardian http://bit.ly/1NoFeX0)
Time to reform the way we protect refugees? (IRIN http://bit.ly/1NoFftY)
South Africa: What Lies Behind Child Homicide in South Africa (The Conversation http://bit.ly/1NoCIjr)
How to Stop People Dying From Aid Shortages? Tackle Roots of Crises (Reuters http://bit.ly/1NoEMbd)
Confronting Mali’s New Jihadist Threat (NYT http://nyti.ms/24HepS9)
A grand but faulty vision for Iran’s water problems (Guardian http://bit.ly/1NoFjKm)