Friday briefing: ​What do the cuts in aid mean for the fight against Ebola in the DRC?

The Red Cross and other traditional agencies are doing their best to fight Ebola despite massive cuts in aid. Photograph: Badru Katumba/AFP/Getty Images View image in fullscreen The Red Cross and other traditional agencies are doing their best to fight Ebola despite massive cuts in aid. Photograph: Badru Katumba/AFP/Getty Images Friday briefing: ​What do the cuts in aid mean for the fight against Ebola in the DRC? In today’s newsletter: As the virus spreads across borders, health workers warn that weakened global support is making a prolonged crisis more likely Ebola is spreading rapidly in parts of east Africa. The deadly disease, which kills around half of those it infects, is suspected to have claimed the lives of at least 240 people since the outbreak began in Ituri province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo earlier this month. Public health officials are scrambling to contain the virus in one of the toughest environments: Ituri province, the centre of the crisis , is a mining hub where thousands of people work in close proximity every day, and a conflict zone, with ongoing fighting between rebel groups. Medical facilities are modest, while waves of displaced people are being forced into overcrowded camps to escape fighting , making it even harder to control transmission. The virus has already spread to other regions in eastern DRC and the Ugandan capital Kampala. It is also the first major Ebola outbreak since the US, UK and other western countries made brutal cuts to humanitarian aid, which began with Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s gutting of USAID. The rapid response infrastructure from previous Ebola outbreaks has been stripped back so much of it is barely fit for purpose, hampering efforts to save lives, warn experts. For today on First Edition, I spoke with Dr Papys Lame , the Ebola outbreak response coordinator in Ituri for the NGO Alima, and Selena Victor , senior director of policy and advocacy for Mercy Corps about efforts to contain the outbreak. But first, the headlines. Five big stories UK news | Britain risks a financial hit worth £125bn a year after a rise in the number of young people not in employment or education to more than 1 million. US-Israel-Iran | Donald Trump has circulated a draft peace agreement for the war with Iran among allies including Israel as both sides try to prevent fresh breaches of the ceasefire escalating out of control. UK politics | Andy Burnham has rolled back from his previous calls for ministers to scrap a restriction on immigrants claiming benefits as the Makerfield byelection places greater scrutiny on him. Ukraine | A Russian drone that was part of an overnight attack on Ukraine crashed into an apartment building in eastern Romania , injuring two people, authorities said, in what an official statement condemned as an “irresponsible escalation” by Moscow. Climate crisis | Abandoning net zero and drilling for more oil and gas would be a massive setback for the UK and would not help the economy,