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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
Search and rescue operations are ongoing following a structural collapse at the Experimental D/A School in Accra Newtown.
The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) confirmed that emergency teams were deployed to the scene to assist victims who may be trapped under the debris.
In an update, the service indicated that personnel from the Ghana Police Service, the National Ambulance Service and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) are workin7g together to manage the situation and rescue affected persons.
It noted that the area has been cordoned off by the police to prevent members of the public from entering the scene and interfering with the operation.
According to the GNFS, the coordinated effort is aimed at ensuring that all trapped victims are safely rescued as quickly as possible.
The service advised residents and the general public to stay away from the area to allow emergency teams to carry out their work without obstruction.
The service added that further updates will be provided as the situation develops.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The New Times Corporation (NTC), publishers of The Ghanaian Times and The Spectator, on Wednesday held a staff get-together to commemorate the Ghana Month celebration.
The event was also to strengthen teamwork and bonding. It was attended by management members and staff from various departments.
The staff were engaged in activities such as apple eating, musical chairs competition, pick and act, and other interesting games.
Speaking at the gathering, the Chairperson of the Corporation’s Interim Management Committee (IMC), Dr (Mrs) Charity Binka, emphasised the importance of unity and collaboration in achieving organisational goals. She urged the staff to put aside their differences, work together, and also create a positive working environment.
In a welcome address, the Editor of The Spectator, Mrs Georgina Naa-Maku Quaitoo, urged the staff to have fun as “we climax the Ghana Month celebration with this get-together.”
The Acting Editor of The Ghanaian Times, Mr David Adadevoh, commended the staff for coming out in their numbers to join in the celebration and called for unity to transform the fortunes of the Corporation.
By Linda Abrefi Wadie
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