LONDON (AP) — International governments and companies have pledged more than $4 billion to educate 175 million children around the world and prevent a generation’s chances being blighted by the coronavirus pandemic.
The commitments came Thursday at a conference in London hosted by Britain, Kenya and funding organization the Global Partnership for Education.
Former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who chairs the partnership, said the donations put it on track to meet its goal of raising $5 billion over the next five years,
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who addressed the conference alongside Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, has made girls’ education a flagship project of his Conservative government, and is pushing to get 40 million more girls in school around the world by 2026.
He told conference delegates that education was “the silver bullet … that can solve virtually every problem that afflicts humanity.”
Britain has pledged 430 million pounds ($600 million) to the Global Partnership for Education. But Johnson is facing criticism for slashing the U.K.’s international development budget from 0.7% of national income to 0.5%, cutting around 4 billion pounds ($5.6 billion) from projects that help the world’s most vulnerable.
The government says the cut is temporary and is necessary because of the economic blow caused by the pandemic.
Regulators authorized AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine for use in adults throughout the European Union on Friday, amid criticism the bloc is not moving fast enough to vaccinate its population.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A former FBI lawyer was sentenced to probation for altering an email that the Justice Department relied on during its surveillance of an aide to President Donald Trump during the Russia investigation.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Tony Evers lashed out Friday at rival Republicans who tried to repeal his statewide mask mandate, saying killing the order would be a ridiculous move comparable to abolishing speed limits.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — As some conservatives in South Carolina celebrated getting a bill that would ban almost all abortions in the state past a legislative barrier and likely becoming law, they said they are not finished trying to end all abortions.
A Moscow court on Friday put the brother and several allies of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny under house arrest for two months as authorities sought to stymie more protests over the jailing of the top Kremlin foe.