While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Feb 17, 2025
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Demonstrators disrupt a House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing on the funding freeze.
PHOTO: HAIYUN JIANG/NYTIMES
Trump’s aid freeze could cause millions more AIDS deaths: UN agency
President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend US overseas funding could result in millions more deaths from AIDS, the head of the UN’s programme for the illness warned on Feb 16.
The United States is the world’s largest provider of official development assistance, with most funds directed through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Trump froze the bulk of US foreign assistance for three months on returning to office in January, leaving global humanitarians scrambling to deal with the fallout.
Vatican says ‘stable’ Pope Francis watched Sunday mass on hospital TV
Pope Francis followed Feb 16 mass and his traditional Angelus weekly prayer on television in a Rome hospital where the 88-year-old pontiff is being treated for bronchitis.
The Argentine pope was admitted to Gemelli hospital on Feb 14 for the latest respiratory infection, influenza or bronchitis, he has caught in recent winters.
The Vatican said Feb 16 that the pope was in a “stable” condition and his treatment would continue.
Rubio says ‘nothing finalised’ for Russia talks
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio played down expectations on Feb 16 of any breakthrough at upcoming talks with Russian officials on ending the war in Ukraine.
President Donald Trump had repeatedly insisted he would end the conflict in a single day if he returned to the White House, but Rubio stressed it would “not be easy” to resolve such a long-running, bloody and complex conflict.
“A process towards peace is not a one meeting thing,” he said in an interview with the CBS network on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
Tottenham beat Man Utd in battle of Premier League strugglers
Tottenham won the battle of the Premier League’s underachievers 1-0 on Feb 16 to inflict another dismal result on Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim.
James Maddison scored the only goal on 13 minutes as Spurs moved above United in the table into 12th thanks to a third win over the Red Devils this season.
Victory eased the pressure on under-fire Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou after exiting both domestic cup competitions this month to go with their lowly league position.
‘This one is big’: Slot salutes Liverpool spirit in win over Wolves
Arne Slot hailed Liverpool’s fighting spirit as the “fatigued” Premier League leaders survived a tense 2-1 win against Wolves on Feb 16.
Slot’s side moved seven points clear of second-placed Arsenal thanks to Luis Diaz’s early opener and a Mohamed Salah penalty before the interval at Anfield.
It wasn’t easy for Liverpool despite that strong start as fourth-bottom Wolves hit back impressively.
