Hundreds of medical clinics shut in Afghanistan after US aid cut
Global News Podcast
BBC
4.3 • 8.2K Ratings
🗓️ 15 September 2025
⏱️ 27 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
BBC report finds tragic accounts of Afghan maternity deaths after US-backed clinics shut. More than 400 medical facilities closed down in the country after the Trump administration cut nearly all US aid earlier this year, in a drastic and abrupt move following the dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The Trump administration has justified withdrawing aid, saying there were "credible and longstanding concerns that funding was benefiting terrorist groups, including... the Taliban", who govern the country. Also, major anti government protests in Turkey, and who's won what at the Emmys? The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts. |
| 0:05.7 | This is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:11.9 | I'm Jean-Urudele, and at five hours GMT on Monday the 15th of September, these are our main stories. |
| 0:18.3 | The BBC goes to Afghanistan to look at what impact the Trump administration's |
| 0:22.5 | aid cuts have had on maternal deaths. Brazil's President Lula pushes back against Donald Trump's |
| 0:29.0 | tariffs, saying his country's democracy and sovereignty are non-negotiable. We'll tell you |
| 0:35.5 | which TV shows won big at this year's Emmy Awards. |
| 0:41.6 | Also in this podcast, if the ocean had not absorbed so much heat from 1970 to the present, |
| 0:47.4 | the land would be about 35 degrees Celsius warmer than it is now. This shows how important |
| 0:53.0 | the ocean is for the global climate in general. |
| 0:56.3 | Scientists warn that even the deepest seas are being affected by climate change with potentially |
| 1:02.3 | devastating consequences for us. |
| 1:09.5 | This year has seen USAID to Afghanistan all cut off, and it's having devastating consequences for people already struggling to survive in one of the poorest countries in the world. |
| 1:21.5 | In 2024, US funds made up nearly half of all aid coming into the country. But the Trump administration says it has evidence |
| 1:28.9 | that millions of dollars ended up in the hands of the Taliban. |
| 1:32.9 | So what now? |
| 1:34.3 | The BBC has had rare access to Afghanistan |
| 1:37.0 | and has gathered first-hand evidence |
| 1:39.7 | of the impact on maternal mortality |
| 1:42.6 | in the north-eastern province of Badakshan. |
| 1:46.2 | Yagita Lemoye reports. |
| 1:51.9 | Badakshan is one of Afghanistan's most picturesque provinces. |
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