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Trump threatens to permanently freeze US funding to WHO
US President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to permanently cut off the nation’s funding to the World Health Organisation (WHO) if the body does not commit to what he called “substantive improvements within the next 30 days”.
In a letter to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, a copy of which was published by Trump on Twitter, the president added that he could reconsider the US membership in the organisation.
The threat came as the world continues to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, which has infected more than 4.8 million people globally and killed over 318,000.
The United States alone has reported more than 1.5 million infections and over 90,000 deaths as of 4:03 pm (2003 GMT), according to a count by Johns Hopkins University. Both figures are far higher than those in any other country or region.
Trump announced in mid-April that his administration would halt US funding to the WHO, a roundly-criticised move that many experts have said was trying to shift blames and would be counterproductive to addressing the public health crisis.
Former US Vice President Joe Biden said Monday that time had been wasted in the US response.
“It’s heartbreaking to think how much fear, how much loss, how much agony could have been avoided if the president hadn’t wasted so much time and taken responsibility,” Biden told a virtual event. “We got denials, delays, distraction.”
Based in Geneva, Switzerland, the WHO is a specialised agency of the United Nations for international public health, which has played a crucial role in coordinating the global fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
During the ongoing World Health Assembly, many world leaders have strongly defended the WHO and voiced their support for the organisation to continue its leading in the coronavirus battle.
Robert Redfield, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), praised the WHO in April.
“WHO has been a long-term and still is a great partner for us. We’re going to continue to do all we can together to try to limit this,” Redfield said. “We’ve worked together to fight health crises all around the world. We continue to do that.” -Xinhua
A 30-year-old man has been sentenced to 25 years imprisonment with hard labour by the Bekwai Circuit Court for his role in a 2022 robbery at a mining site at Manso Akwasiso in the Ashanti South Region.
The convict, Dominic Ofori, also known as Fanta, was arrested on 16th February 2026 after years on the run. He pleaded guilty before the Bekwai Circuit Court to robbery contrary to Section 149 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 Act 29, and was accordingly sentenced to 25 years imprisonment with hard labour.
On March 20, 2022, the Manso Adubia District Police received intelligence that a group of armed men from Manso Abodom were planning to attack a mining site at Manso Akwasiso to rob the owner of gold concentrate. Acting on the information, police mounted a coordinated operation and laid an ambush at the site.
At about 5:30 pm the same day, four-armed men arrived at the site, fired indiscriminately, and robbed the miners of their gold concentrate. The police team on surveillance intervened, resulting in an exchange of gunfire.
Three of the suspects, Abu Abubakar, Musah Latif, and Gideon Takyi, sustained gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead on arrival at St Martins Catholic Hospital at Agroyesum. Dominic Ofori escaped at the time but was later arrested and put before the court.
The Ashanti South Regional Police Command has assured the public of its continued commitment to combating violent crimes and bringing offenders to justice.
The Ashanti Regional Police Command has arrested 45-year-old Isaac Boafo, also known as “Duabo King,” for allegedly publishing false news intended to cause fear and panic.
Police said the arrest follows a viral TikTok video in which Boafo claimed that four officers at the Central Police Station in Kumasi engaged in inappropriate conduct with commercial sex workers during night patrols in Asafo.
Officers from the Police Intelligence Directorate (Ashanti Region) apprehended Boafo after receiving intelligence about the video.
During questioning, he admitted to creating the video to attract views and engagement online, and acknowledged that he could not prove the allegations.
Boafo also admitted making comments about the President of the Republic for content purposes and could not defend those statements.
He has been formally charged and is in detention as investigations continue.
The Ashanti Regional Police have warned the public against publishing or sharing false information on social media, noting that such acts can cause fear, panic, and damage reputations.
They said anyone found engaging in similar conduct will face legal action.
By: Jacob Aggrey
