Associated Press: US foundations gave $5.4 billion last year to global causes; Gates Foundation a major source
U.S. charitable foundations gave money to international causes at record levels in 2007 and their contributions are likely to increase again this year, says a report by the New York-based Foundation Center. Donations totaled about $5.4 billion last year with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation accounting for more than half the increase in between 2002 and 2006.

AllAfrica: World Bank Launches Phase Two Malaria Programme
The World Bank has launched phase 11 of its Malaria Boost Program in Africa at the cost of $1.1 billion. Nigeria and Democratic Republic of Congo are key countries that would benefit from the new programs. Ray Chambers, United Nations Special Envoy for Malaria, welcomed the new commitment from the world bank, saying the launch of phase 11 of the World Bank Booster Program is a major step towards ending deaths from malaria, especially in high-burden countries in Africa. He called for universal coverage for all prevention and treatment of malaria by 2010.

Washington Post: Zimbabwe’s Cholera Crosses Borders
Zimbabwe’s government declared a national emergency Thursday because of the cholera epidemic ravaging its population. Zimbabwe’s humanitarian and economic crises are so dire that millions have fled the nation, where sewage and health-care systems are nearly defunct and food is scarce. Cholera, which is spread through contaminated water and food, has become a symbol of the regional spillover of Zimbabwe’s devastation.

-Chandler Smith