One Billion-Year-Old Fossil Could Be The Oldest Multicellular Animal

David Bressan
Contributor

 F0RBES

30/04/2021

Science
I deal with the rocky road to our modern understanding of earth


Bicellum brasieri n. g. n. sp. holotype specimen showing differentiated cell layers, a unique ... [+] STROTHER ET AL. 2021

A team of scientists, led by the University of Sheffield in the UK and Boston College in the U.S., has found a microfossil in the Scottish Highlands which contains two distinct cell types and could be the earliest multicellular animal ever recorded. The discovery sheds light on how and when solo cells began to cooperate with other cells to make a single, cohesive life-form.

The fossil was found at Loch Torridon in the Northwest Scottish Highlands in sediments deposited in a lake. Scientists were able to study the fossil due to its exceptional preservation, allowing them to analyze it at a cellular and subcellular level.

Dated to around a billion years ago, the microfossil shows evidence of two distinctly different types of cells, providing a link in the evolution between single-celled organisms and holozoans with cell differentiation and complex life-cycles. Holozoans are life-forms with complex multicellular tissues and include all modern animals. The fossil organism is still very simple, resembling a blob of cells with a diameter of just 5 to 20μm.

The fossil has been described and formally named Bicellum brasieri in a new research paper published in Current Biology. The name refers to the two cell types in the organism and the late Martin Brasier, a British paleontologist who dedicated his life to the study of Precambrian life-forms and who unfortunately was killed in a car crash in 2014.

Based on modern genetic research, biologists hypothesized that the first multicellular organisms evolved from single-celled organisms in the Precambrian about three to one billion years ago. The previously oldest fossils of multicellular organisms dated to about 600 million years ago and were found in marine sediments from the Doushantuo Formation in central Guizhou Province of South China. 

"The discovery of this new fossil suggests to us that the evolution of multicellular animals had occurred at least one billion years ago and that early events prior to the evolution of animals may have occurred in freshwater like lakes rather than the ocean," Professor Charles Wellman, one of the lead investigators of the research, from the University of Sheffield's Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, said.

Wellman continues: "The origins of complex multicellularity and the origin of animals are considered two of the most important events in the history of life on Earth, our discovery sheds new light on both of these. We have found a primitive spherical organism made up of an arrangement of two distinct cell types, the first step towards a complex multicellular structure, something which has never been described before in the fossil record." To work together, individual cells must form contact surfaces with neighboring cells. The fossil shows such Y-shaped junctions, suggesting the cells communicated together exchanging chemicals.

Professor Paul Strother, lead investigator of the research from Boston College, said: "Biologists have speculated that the origin of animals included the incorporation and repurposing of prior genes that had evolved earlier in unicellular organisms. What we see in Bicellum is an example of such a genetic system, involving cell-cell adhesion and cell differentiation that may have been incorporated into the animal genome half a billion years later."

The team hope to now examine the Torridonian deposits for more interesting fossils which could provide more insight into the evolution of multicellular organisms.

David Bressan
I'm a freelance geologist working mostly in the Eastern Alps. I graduated in 2007 with a project studying how permafrost, that´s frozen soil, is reacting to the more visible recent changes of the alpine environment. Studying therefore old maps, photographs and reports, I became interested in the history of geology and how early geologists figured out how earth works, blogging about it in my spare time. Living in one of the classic areas of early geological research, I combine field trips with the historic maps, figures and research done there. But geology is more than a historic or local science, as geological forces shaped and still influence history worldwide.

Thousands of barrels of suspected toxic DDT found dumped in California ocean

Extent of possible toxic waste site near Catalina Island ‘staggering’, says chief scientist on sea survey

01:03Scientists find huge suspected toxic dumpsite off California coast – video

Associated Press
Tue 27 Apr 2021 10.44 BS

Marine scientists say they have found what they believe to be as many as 25,000 barrels possibly containing DDT dumped off the southern California coast near Catalina Island, where a massive underwater toxic waste site dating back to the second world war has long been suspected.

The 27,345 “barrel-like’” images were captured by researchers at the University of California San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography. They mapped more than 36,000 acres of seafloor between Santa Catalina Island and the Los Angeles coast in a region previously found to contain high levels of the toxic chemical in sediments and in the ecosystem.

Historical shipping logs show that industrial companies in southern California used the basin as a dumping ground until 1972, when the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act, also known as the Ocean Dumping Act, was enacted.
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Resting deep in the ocean, the exact location and extent of the dumping was not known until now.

The territory covered was “staggering”, said Eric Terrill, chief scientist of the expedition and director of the Marine Physical Laboratory at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Underwater drones using sonar technology captured high-resolution images of barrels resting 900 metres (3,000ft) below the surface all along the steep seafloor that was surveyed. They also were seen beyond the dumpsite limits.

“It really was a surprise to everybody who’s worked with the data and who sailed at sea,” he told reporters on Monday.

The survey provides “a wide-area map” of the barrels, though it would be up to others to confirm through sediment sampling that the containers held DDT, Terrill said. It is estimated between 320 and 640 tonnes of DDT were dumped in the area, 12 miles from Los Angeles, and 8 miles from Catalina Island.

The long-term impact on marine life and humans was still unknown, said Scripps chemical oceanographer and professor of geosciences Lihini Aluwihare, who in 2015 co-authored a study that found high amounts of DDT and other man-made chemicals in the blubber of bottlenose dolphins that died of natural causes.

“These results also raise questions about the continued exposure and potential impacts on marine mammal health, especially in light of how DDT has been shown to have multi-generational impacts in humans,” said Aluwihare, who was not part of the survey expedition.

Diana Aga, a chemistry professor at University at Buffalo who is not affiliated with the study, said the findings were shocking if the barrels were proven to contain the toxic chemical. “That’s a lot of DDT at the bottom of the ocean,” she said.

If the barrels had not leaked, they could be moved to a place where disposal was safer, Aga said. If they leaked, scientists could take samples from the water, sediment and other marine life to gauge the damage.

Researchers on the research vessel Sally Ride deploy an autonomous underwater vehicle near Santa Catalina Island. Photograph: AP

Scientists conducted the survey from 10-24 March following a Los Angeles Times report last year about evidence that DDT was dumped into the ocean.


Regulators missing pollution’s effect on marine life, study finds

Terrill said: “Unfortunately, the basin offshore Los Angeles had been a dumping ground for industrial waste for several decades, beginning in the 1930s. We found an extensive debris field in the wide area survey.”

Scientists started the search where University of California Santa Barbara professor David Valentine had discovered concentrated accumulations of DDT in the sediments and spotted 60 barrels about a decade ago.

High levels of DDT have been detected in the area’s marine mammals, and the chemical has been linked to cancer in sea lions.

Scripps researchers say they hope their survey will support clean-up efforts. The expedition on the Sally Ride research vessel included a team of 31 scientists, engineers, and crew conducting 24-hour operations and two autonomous underwater vehicles.

25,000 barrels of toxic DDT found dumped in ocean off California

The insecticide is listed as a possible carcinogen.

By Alexandra Kelley | April 27, 2021

Story at a glance

• New research identified more than 27,000 possible barrels of DDT in ocean sediment.
• DDT was widely used as an insecticide up until the 1970s.
• Large-scale industrial dumping took place in ocean waters.

New research from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in California identified a potential dump site for the chemical dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT).

Mapping more than 36,000 acres of seafloor between Santa Catalina Island and the Los Angeles coast, scientists found more than 27,000 individual targets that likely had an excess of 100,000 debris objects on the seafloor.

This area was previously known to have abnormally high levels of DDT in its sediments. DDT was commonly used as a pesticide up until regulatory agencies began restricting its use in the 1970s. 

Scientific literature suggests that long-term exposure to DDT can possibly result in cancer. Other effects include vomiting, tremors and shakiness, and seizures. 

Still, build up from decades of industrial dumping linger, harming the surrounding flora and fauna. New research from Scripps confirms the presence of harmful chemical compounds at the bottom of the sea. 

"Unfortunately, the basin offshore Los Angeles had been a dumping ground for industrial waste for several decades, beginning in the 1930s. We found an extensive debris field in the wide area survey," said Eric Terrill, chief scientist of the expedition and director of the Marine Physical Laboratory at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. "Now that we've mapped this area at very high resolution, we are hopeful the data will inform the development of strategies to address potential impacts from the dumping."

The targets identified on the seafloor that are likely barrels of DDT gave off stronger levels of brightness when surveyed with Scripps's underwater technology. 

Patterns began to emerge while researchers scanned for DDT-laced sludge, which offer clues as to how the chemicals were dumped offshore.

"There are several distinct track-line patterns in the surveyed area, suggesting that the dumping was repeatedly done from an underway platform such as a moving ship or barge. Some of those lines are as long as 11 miles and approach state waters," Terrill said. 

Newly tracked barrels extend further than researchers previously expected.

The identification of continued large volumes of DDT sediments prompts new questions.

"How this vast quantity of DDT in sediments has been transformed by seafloor communities over time, and the pathways by which DDT and its degraded products enter the water column food web are questions that remain to be explored," added Scripps chemical oceanographer and professor of geosciences Lihini Aluwihare. 

USA 

HANFORD LEAKS

Underground tank leaking radioactive chemical waste

Tori B. Powell CBS NEWS

30/04/2021


An underground radioactive chemical storage tank in southeast Washington state is leaking gallons of nuclear waste, the Washington State Department of Ecology, which is overseeing the site's cleanup, reported Thursday.

 Courtesy U.S. Department of Energy Hanford's B Tank Farm, in April 2021

The 75-year-old tank B-109 at Hanford Nuclear Reservation is estimated to be leaking 3.5 gallons of waste a day into the ground, which equates to nearly 1,300 gallons per year.

"This highlights the critical need for resources to address Hanford's aging tanks, which will continue to fail and leak over time," Washington DOE Director Laura Watson said in a statement.

B-109 holds 123,000 gallons of waste and is reportedly leaking into an area where an estimated 200,000 gallons have already leaked from other tanks at the site. Since March of 2019, an estimated 1,700 gallons of waste have apparently leaked from B-109 and the Washington state DOE has been tracking it for over a year.

Randy Bradbury, the Washington DOE communications manager, told CBS News that his department recognized that B-109's liquid level was decreasing more than a year ago, but that they weren't sure what was causing it. The Washington DOE were notified Thursday, however, that the tank was indeed leaking.

Hanford Nuclear Reservation, was constructed during World War II to make plutonium for nuclear weapons, includes tanks that contain various mixed waste materials made of both radioactive components and some of the "most dangerous waste created over four decades," the Washington DOE reported. In the past, more than 67 tanks at the reservation have been suspected to be leaking or have actually leaked.

An environmental impact statement from the National Environmental Policy Act said that "numerous geologic problems with the Hanford Reservation have been pointed out."


"Leaving the waste in the ground is just not acceptable," the statement read. "There is not enough information to take a chance on leaving any radioactive waste in the ground."

And controlling a tank leak is what Bradbury said will take years to address.

"They're all very well into the ground," Bradbury said. "This isn't something that's going to happen next week or next month."

But Watson said that as of now "the leak poses no immediate increased risk to workers or the public, but it adds to the ongoing environmental threat at Hanford."

Bradbury said that the department's main concern is preventing the waste from reaching the Columbia River, which is only 10 miles away from B-109.

"It will just basically sit around in the soil but in fact, it does migrate and some of it has migrated," he said.

Local organizations have called on legislators to address the site's repeated tank leaks.

"This new leak of B-109 puts a spotlight on the need for Congress and the Energy Department to act immediately to increase funding for cleanup and design and build new tanks, as soon as possible," the Hanford Challenge, a nonprofit advocacy organization, released in a statement Thursday. "Hanford needs new tanks now."

The group has gathered nearly 2,000 signatures on a petition addressed to the U.S. Secretary of Energy to build new tanks at the reservation

Cargo bikes for cleaner air in Bogota

In Bogota, air pollution contributes to thousands of deaths each year. Ditching trucks for electric cargo bikes could radically cut fine particulate matter.

Watch video 05:41 Colombia: Tackling congestion in Bogota

Dirty, outdated and soon to be gone from the streets of Bogota? The Colombian capital is clogged with trucks and people's health is suffering. One of the world's most congested cities, Bogota has repeatedly had to declare an environmental emergency and Mayor Claudia López is looking for cleaner alternatives to inner-city goods transport.

Heavy goods vehicles alone are responsible for around 40% of fine particulate pollution in Bogota. But with BiciCargo, these polluting vehicles are left at the city gates and goods transferred to electric cargo bikes for delivery. Even though it takes several bikes to carry the load of a single truck, the founders of the pilot project say it saves time as well as emissions.

Totally gridlocked: Bogota is considered one of the most congested cities in the world

Project goal: The BiciCarga initiative aims to save 16 metric tons of particulate matter each day by switching trucks for electric cargo bikes.

Project partners: The BiciCarga pilot project is coordinated by theBogotá transport commission, which is responsible for implementing, evaluating and potentially expanding the project. As an initiative to decarbonize the transport sector, BiciCarga receives support from the World Bank Group.

Funding: Professional and technical assistance from the World Bank Group valued at US$300,000.

Project duration: The BiciCarga pilot project runs from May 2020 to June 2021.

A film by Nicole Frölich

SPACE RACE 2.0

China launches key part of its permanent space station

Issued on: 29/04/2021 - 
Text by: FRANCE 24

China launched an unmanned module on Thursday containing living quarters for three crew on a permanent space station that it plans to complete by the end of 2022, marking another major advance for the country’s space exploration.





The module, named "Tianhe", or "Heavenly Harmony", was launched on the Long March 5B, China's largest carrier rocket, from the Wenchang Space Launch Centre on the southern island of Hainan.

Tianhe is one of three main components of what would be China's first self-developed space station, rivalling the only other station in service – the International Space Station (ISS).

The ISS is backed by major countries including the United States, Russia and Japan. China was barred from participating in the ISS due to US objections over the Chinese programme’s secretive nature and close military ties.

>> 3, 2, 1… Thomas Pesquet blasts off, back to the ISS


Tianhe will form the main living quarters for three crew members in the Chinese space station, which will have a life span of at least 10 years.

The Tianhe launch was the first of 11 missions needed to complete the space station, which will orbit Earth at an altitude of 340 to 450 kilometres (211-280 miles).

In the later missions, China will launch the two other core modules, four manned spacecraft and four cargo spacecraft.

Mars and lunar rovers

The space programme is a source of huge national pride, and Premier Li Keqiang and other top civilian and military leaders watched the launch live from the control center in Beijing.

A message of congratulations from state leader and head of the ruling Communist Party Xi Jinping was also read to staff at the Wenchang Launch Center.

The launch furthers the “three-step” strategy of building up China's manned space programme and marks “an important leading project for constructing a powerful country in science and technology and aerospace," Xi's message said.

Thursday's launch comes as China is also forging ahead with crewless missions, particularly in lunar exploration. It has landed a rover on the little-explored far side of the moon.

A Chinese probe carrying a rover is also due to set down on Mars sometime around the middle of next month, making China only the second country to successfully accomplish that after the US.

China has prioritised space exploration in recent years, with the aim of becoming a major space power by 2030.

By 2045, it hopes to establish a programme operating thousands of space flights a year and carrying tens of thousands of tonnes of cargo and passengers.

(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS, AP)

Poland clinches 'historic' deal to phase out coal by 2049

The deal marks the first time the powerful coal mining sector has agreed to reduce its presence. With this pledge, Poland can meet EU climate goals by 2050.



Poland depends on coal for 70% of its energy needs


Poland's government and unions signed an agreement with the coal mining industry on Wednesday, to phase out coal production by 2049.

Industry representatives agreed to shut all coal mines by the target date, with severance payments for workers in the Silesia coal basin.

The agreement marks the first time that the powerful coal mining sector has agreed to reduce its presence.

A statement made by the state assets ministry, which negotiated on behalf of the government, praised the move as a "historic agreement."
Unions want 'alternative jobs'

The subsidies set aside for coal miners would represent a large burden on the state budget, and could possibly be in violation of EU regulations for subsidies to dying industries.

Dominik Kolorz, head of a local branch of the Solidarity union, was quoted by Gazeta Wyborcza as saying "It is hard to be satisfied when you are liquidating such an important industry."

Watch video 04:57 Big energy sues Netherlands over coal phase-out

"We did what we needed to do, which was to assist the workers," Kolorz said, adding, "It's not like everything ends today. We have a lot of work to do to create alternative jobs."

Government and union representatives signed the agreement on Wednesday in Katowice, a city in the coal-mining heartland of Silesia, in southern Poland, state news agency PAP reported. The action clears the way for the plan to the European Commission for approval. The final signing is expected in May.
Polish coal loses edge at home

Coal sector employment has traditionally been a politically sensitive issue in Poland. The country depends on coal for around 70% of its energy needs, although it is planning to reduce this to 11% by 2040. From there, the EU member would need to phase its use out entirely before the bloc-wide deadline of 2050.

Environmentalists have said that the 2049 deadline is still not early enough.

VIDEO 02:53 Coal pollution: Black snow falls over Russia

The coal sector is in decline in much of the world, as renewable and other energy sources come down in price and societies increasingly reject the damaging environmental impact of burning fossil fuels. Poland's coal has also become increasingly uncompetitive, often piling up unused as the country imports cheaper coal from Russia and other countries.

lc/dj (AP, AFP

COMMODIFICATION

New Zealand Rugby agrees £202m deal with US private equity firm

NZR outgoing chairman Brent Impey: "We are thrilled that our Provincial Unions... have recognised the importance of private equity in driving commercial revenue and enabling investment to ensure rugby thrives and survives into the future"

By Reuters

Last Updated: 29/04/21 

The deal with US private equity firm Silver Lake includes the All Blacks

New Zealand's 26 provincial unions have unanimously approved the sale of a 12.5 per cent stake in the commercial arm of New Zealand Rugby (NZR), including the All Blacks, to U.S. private equity firm Silver Lake.

The NZ$387.5m (£202m) deal, which values NZR's commercial rights at $2.23bn (£1.6bn) still needs to be approved by the New Zealand Rugby Players' Association (NZRPA), who have expressed reservations about the deal.

The equity deal would mean that for the first time in more than 115 years, the All Blacks would not be wholly owned by New Zealanders.

"We are thrilled that our Provincial Unions ... have recognised the importance of private equity in driving commercial revenue and enabling investment to ensure rugby thrives and survives into the future," said NZR's outgoing chairman Brent Impey.

"Today's vote for Silver Lake represents a transformational opportunity for our game and one we must grasp."

NZR, who also announced an operating loss of NZ$18.7m (£9.8m) at Thursday's annual general meeting, has promised grassroots rugby a cash windfall if the Silver Lake deal goes through.

The NZRPA, backed by All Blacks captain Sam Cane, had written to NZR in January saying they would block the sale, citing concerns over a loss of control and the risk of "cultural misappropriation", according to New Zealand media.

NZRPA chief executive Rob Nichol said on Thursday the union had put negotiations with NZR on hold "for a few weeks".

"Between us, we need to resolve what the collective [agreement] will look like beyond this year in order for the players to respond to NZR's request for approval of the proposed Silver Lake transaction," he said.

Impey said it was disappointing the players' union had not consented to the deal.


New Zealand captain Sam Cane is among those who have raised concerns about the deal

"The game has to change, and Silver Lakes capital injection would allow us to re-imagine rugby and invest in the areas of the community game that need it most," he added.

"The players are a critical part of this journey ... We hope the NZRPA will realise the significance of the opportunity in front of us and will continue to work toward an agreement in coming weeks."

Silver Lake, mostly invests in technology companies and has over $79bn (£57bn) in assets under management.

In 2019, it paid $500m on a 10 per cent stake in the City Football Group, which owns Manchester City and other teams around the world.

UK

NatWest Group sees profits jump 82% as bad debt provisions cut

ALL CAPITALI$M IS STATE CAPITALI$M

HOLLY WILLIAMS,

 PA DEPUTY CITY EDITOR

29 April 2021




NatWest Group posted an 82% surge in first-quarter profits as it joined rivals Lloyds and HSBC in cutting reserves for debts that may turn sour due to the pandemic.

The taxpayer-backed group, which is 59.8% owned by the Government, reported pre-tax operating profits of £946 million for the first three months of 2021 against £519 million a year earlier.

It released £102 million of cash put aside for loans that may not be repaid as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

A year earlier, it put by £802 million for loan losses and took a mammoth hit of £3.2 billion for these provisions over 2020 as a whole.

Profits across the sector are surging as banks begin to cut their reserves for loan losses thanks to a brighter UK economic outlook due to the vaccination programme and lifting of lockdown restrictions.

HSBC said on Tuesday that it has released 435 million US dollars (£313 million) of loan loss reserves, with Lloyds Banking Group also cutting its provisions by a net £323 million on Wednesday.

But NatWest – rebranded from Royal Bank of Scotland last year – has not changed its outlook for the full year as it remains cautious amid ongoing economic uncertainty and with Covid-19 business loans becoming due for repayment.

Chief executive Alison Rose said: “Defaults remain low as a result of the UK Government support schemes and there are reasons for optimism with the vaccine programmes progressing at pace and restrictions being eased.

“However, there is continuing uncertainty for our economy and for many of our customers as a result of Covid-19.”

The group saw gross new mortgage lending soar to £9.6 billion, up from £8.4 billion in the previous three months, as it benefited from the housing market boom spurred on by the stamp duty holiday.

Retail bank customer deposits also surged by £7.3 billion, or 4.2%, to £179.1 million since the end of 2020 as spending slumped and savings increased in lockdown.

The first-quarter figures mark a significant improvement on last year, when the group slumped to a £351 million loss against operating profits of £4.2 billion in 2019.

But the group is facing a court case next month after the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) launched criminal proceedings in March against the bank for alleged failures under money-laundering rules.

The City watchdog claims that NatWest’s systems and controls failed to properly monitor and scrutinise suspicious activity, which took place between November 11 2011 and October 19 2016.

The case is due to be heard at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on May 26.

Aside from the boost from the loan provision release, NatWest’s figures showed first-quarter income falling 15.9% year on year to £2.7 billion as lower stock market volatility saw a slowdown in its NatWest Markets investment banking arm.

Costs across the group fell £72 million as it continued overhauling the group, with a 5.7% drop in its workforce over the year.

Ms Rose said the shift towards digital banking was continuing at pace, with 61% of retail customers only using online services,up from 50% a year ago.

The group continues to keep it branch network “under review”, she added.

Shares in NatWest dropped 3% after the figures.

Nicholas Hyett, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “Overall these are not bad results per se, they just don’t contain much to get excited about.”

Foreign aid: UK cuts its pledge to UN family planning by 85%

IMAGE COPYRIGHTSHEENA ARIYAPALA/DFID/FLICKR

The UK government has been accused of going back on its promises by cutting 85% of aid funding pledged to the United Nations global family planning programme.

The UN Population Fund says the UK had pledged £154m for its projects but now says it will get around £23m this year.

Advocates for family planning say it improves the rights of women and girls around the world.

The government said Covid meant tough but necessary decisions were needed.

A spokesperson for the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) said temporary reductions in aid spending were vital as the pandemic had badly affected public finances.

The government announced last year it would cut UK aid spending from 0.7% of national income to 0.5% - which amounts to a reduction of more than £4bn. It has yet to confirm which programmes will be affected.

Some MPs defended the cuts at the time as being backed by the public, with some politicians arguing that domestic spending should come first during the pandemic.

Family planning includes the provision of contraceptives and maternal health care for millions of women in some of the world's poorest countries.

The UN Population Fund - known as UNFPA - said the UK decision would be "devastating for women and girls and their families across the world".

UNFPA executive director Dr Natalia Kanem said it "deeply regrets the decision of our longstanding partner and advocate to step away from its commitments at a time when inequalities are deepening and international solidarity is needed more than ever".

She estimated the £130m lost would have helped prevent about 250,000 maternal and child deaths, 14.6 million unintended pregnancies and 4.3 million unsafe abortions.

MSI Reproductive Choices, an organisation that provides contraception and safe abortion services around the world, is set to be affected by the cuts. In 2020 it received an estimated $8.5m (£6m) worth of commodities from the UNFPA.

"Over the last 10 years, we have seen the difference that the UK's leadership on this issue has made to millions of women around the world. The cuts will do untold harm to the progress made on preventing women dying from pregnancy related causes and jeopardise the government's commitments on girls' education and increasing resilience to the climate crisis," CEO Simon Cooke said.

Bekky Ashmore, an adviser with the charity Plan International UK, said the cuts would "devastate the lives of so many women and girls, often in the poorest and most marginalised communities around the world".

Manuelle Hurwitz, from the International Planned Parenthood Federation, said the cuts were "shameful".

"Globally, 217 million women want to avoid pregnancy but do not have access to modern contraceptives. With the funding withdrawal, this number will undoubtedly increase," she said, adding that the cuts would also force more girls out of school and contribute to an increase in maternal deaths and unsafe abortions.

'Basic right'

Ministers have previously said the UK was "world-leading" and "at the forefront of global efforts to promote sexual and reproductive health and rights for women and girls living in the world's poorest countries".

The former Department for International Development - which became part of an enlarged Foreign Office last year - described family planning projects as helping to break the "cycle of poverty" for many women.

Announcing a five-year funding plan worth £600m in 2019, former International Development Secretary Alok Sharma said the package would "help give millions of women and girls control over their bodies, so they can choose if, when and how many children they want".

"That is a basic right that every woman and girl deserves," he said.

IMAGE COPYRIGHTSHEENA ARIYAPALA/DFID/FLICK

UK aid has supported family planning and women's health services around the world

Former international development minister Baroness Sugg, who resigned last year over the aid cuts, told the BBC that reducing support for family planning would "mean that women in 40 of the world's poorest countries will not have access to the voluntary contraception that will prevent millions of unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions".

Tory MP Caroline Nokes, who chairs the Women's and Equalities select committee, said the cuts were "really regressive" and "a big mistake".

She told the BBC News Channel the UK needed to maintain its commitment to the poorest and "shouldn't be balancing our books on their backs", adding that MPs did not get to vote on the changes to the aid budget.

The Labour MP Sarah Champion, who chairs the International Development select committee, said she was "appalled and ashamed", describing the decision as "incredibly short sighted".

An FCDO spokesperson said: "The UK is a world leader on international development. In 2020 we were the third biggest aid donor globally, spending £14.5bn.

"The seismic impact of the pandemic on the UK economy has forced us to take tough but necessary decisions, including temporarily reducing the overall amount we spend on aid. We will still spend more than £10bn this year to fight poverty, tackle climate change and improve global health.

"We are working through what this means for individual programmes. Decisions will be announced in due course."

Asked about the cuts, the prime minister said the government had always been clear that it intended to return to spending 0.7% of national income on aid when it was "fiscally prudent to do so".

Earlier this week, the BBC obtained an internal FCDO memo that said funding for global water, sanitation and hygiene bilateral projects would be cut by more than 80%, prompting criticism from a leading charity.

UK's aid cuts for clean water projects criticised

Charity warns UK aid to see 63% cut in funding

UK's foreign aid spending cut by £2.9bn

Covid surge in India at level ‘never imagined’, says doctor with family in Delhi

Dr Meenal Viz, a Luton-based doctor with family members in India, said the country is facing a ‘humanitarian crisis’.

Dr Meenal Viz

By Emily Chudy
EVENING STANDARD UK

4/28/2021



The surge in Covid-19 cases in India will soon create a “humanitarian crisis”, a doctor who has family members in Delhi fears.

The country of nearly 1.4 billion has seen a dramatic spike in infections and deaths in recent weeks, overwhelming the national health system and leaving some dying without access to beds or oxygen.

Dr Meenal Viz, a Luton-based doctor, said that the next few weeks could see people “dying at numbers we probably have never imagined”.

Dr Viz, 28, described Delhi, where several family members including her aunt, uncle and cousin have been infected with Covid-19, as one of the country’s “worst-hit places at the moment”

“For a good part of the year, I’ve been trying to stay in touch with my family and especially my elderly grandmother, who hasn’t left the house in a year because she’s so terrified of what could potentially come her way.

“Last year we had lots of relatives who’ve been unwell with Covid; one of them had to actually get admitted into hospital, but luckily that was at a time where there wasn’t so much of a shortage of oxygen or ICU beds.

“I knew a year ago that there was going to be a point, whether a variant would come along, or once everyone could travel, that this would actually be quite deadly to the population in terms of the number of ICU beds, number of respirators… it would be catastrophic.”

HEALTH Coronavirus

She added: “One of my biggest worries is that it took some time for our leaders to put India on the red list for travel.

“I’m not sure why exactly that happened, but the worry is that if that comes here, all the hard work that we put in in the last year in lockdown and isolation and getting vaccinated might not be as fruitful as we’d hoped it would be.”

Dr Viz highlighted the need to deliver the vaccine to developing countries and work together to “help communities and societies”.

“I was reading a few days ago that a lot of companies don’t want to sell the patent in developing countries, because of the business side of things, but it’s actually our duty now as doctors and as scientists,” she told PA.

“We’re not just here to take care of patients, we’re here to help communities and societies come back from this really tragic year.

“There’s a damage that can’t be undone. We really need to think of the next few months, and I feel like a lot of leaders have failed to do that.”

Along with several other healthcare workers, Dr Viz works for Team Halo, a UN-backed initiative that has seen doctors and scientists volunteer to make TikTok videos addressing vaccine hesitancy.

Dr Punam Krishan, a Glasgow GP who is also part of the initiative, said: “My heart is breaking for what’s happening in India. It feels frighteningly close to home that anything can change at any time.

“We are so fortunate to have vaccines available.

“The situation in India highlights just how critical the continued take-up is as the vaccine rollout starts to reach younger generations here.”

The surge in India’s Covid-19 cases was described as “beyond heartbreaking” by Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus director-general of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Dr Maria van Kerkhove, of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, warned: “This can happen in any country if we let our guard down… The situation can grow if we allow it to and that is why it is important that every single person on the planet knows they have a role to play.”

The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has said the first of nine plane-loads of life-saving kit, including ventilators and oxygen concentrators, would arrive in New Delhi early on Tuesday, with further consignments due to be dispatched later this week.