International
Top figures in Covid fight leaving in WHO shake-up
| By AFP |
Two of the World Health Organization’s most senior figures in the fight against Covid-19 are quitting next week, according to a letter from the WHO chief seen by AFP on Tuesday.
Indian paediatrician and clinical scientist Soumya Swaminathan is leaving her post as the WHO’s chief scientist, while Mariangela Simao of Brazil is departing as the UN health agency’s assistant director-general for access to medicines and health products.
The pair were among the top WHO officials leading global efforts to coordinate the response to the pandemic since Covid-19 was first detected in China in late 2019.
They have been part of the WHO’s public-facing team in the search for vaccines, tests and treatments to combat the pandemic.
The departures were announced in a letter to colleagues written by WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as part of a shake-up of his top team following his re-election for a second five-year term in May.
“I would like to express my abiding appreciation and respect to members of my senior leadership team whose appointments with WHO are coming to an end on November 30,” Tedros said in the letter.
“These distinguished individuals have my deepest gratitude for their commitment and contribution to the organisation over the last five years.”
Swaminathan and her team worked to keep up with and communicate the constantly-evolving science around Covid-19.
Simao often took the lead in explaining the search for vaccines and the WHO approval process for Covid jabs.
Also heading for the out door are former French health minister Agnes Buzyn, Tedros’s multilateral affairs envoy; and former British government minister Jane Ellison, who is leaving as executive director for external affairs and governance.
“The team has… helped steer WHO through a global pandemic that ravaged the health and well-being of the entire world and had a profound and ongoing impact on global public health,” Tedros said.
“Thanks to their leadership and expertise, these departing members of the senior leadership team made a truly positive difference, and their legacy is a strengthened and more agile, equitable, and resilient WHO.”
No announcements have yet been made on fresh appointments.
International
Police investigate deaths of Rob Reiner and wife as apparent homicide
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is investigating the deaths of Hollywood actor and filmmaker Rob Reinerand his wife as an “apparent homicide,” amid a wave of tributes to the director of classics such as When Harry Met Sally.
According to U.S. media reports on Sunday, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner were found dead at their Los Angeles mansion with what appeared to be stab wounds.
Several political figures shared messages of condolence following the reported deaths of the director of A Few Good Menand his wife.
While the LAPD did not officially confirm the identities of the victims, it stated that homicide detectives were dispatched to the Reiner residence.
“At this time, no additional details are available and the investigation into an apparent homicide is ongoing,” the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement posted on social media.
LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton told reporters that no arrests have been made and that no individuals are currently being questioned as suspects.
“I’m not going to confirm whether anyone is being questioned at this moment or not. We are going to try to speak with as many family members as we can,” Hamilton said.
CNN reported that a family spokesperson confirmed the deaths of Reiner and his wife.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, former U.S. President Barack Obama, and former Vice President Kamala Harrisissued statements expressing their condolences.
International
U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
The United States and Mexico have reached an agreement to comply with current water obligations affecting U.S. farmers and ranchers and for Mexico to cover its water deficit to Texas under the 1944 Water Treaty, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement.
The department уточified that the agreement applies to both the current cycle and the water deficit from the previous cycle.
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump accused Mexico of failing to comply with the water-sharing treaty between the two countries, which requires the United States to deliver 1.85 billion cubic meters of water from the Colorado River, while Mexico must supply 432 million cubic meters from the Rio Grande.
Mexico is behind on its commitments. According to Washington, the country has accumulated a deficit of more than one billion cubic meters of water over the past five years.
“This violation is severely harming our beautiful crops and our livestock in Texas,” Trump wrote on Monday.
The Department of Agriculture said on Friday that Mexico had agreed to supply 250 million cubic meters of water starting next week and to work toward closing the shortfall.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, quoted in the statement, said Mexico delivered more water in a single year than it had over the previous four years combined.
Trump has said that if Mexico continues to fall short of its obligations, the United States reserves the right to impose 5% tariffs on imported Mexican products.
Mexico’s Deputy Foreign Minister for North America, Roberto Velasco, said that a severe drought in 2022 and 2023prevented the country from meeting its commitments.
International
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
Several people were shot on Saturday in an attack on the campus of Brown University, in the northeastern United States, local police reported.
“Shelter in place and avoid the area until further notice,” the Providence Police Department urged in a post on X. Brown University is located in Providence, the capital of the state of Rhode Island.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that he had been briefed on the situation and that the FBI was on the scene.
At 5:52 p.m. local time (11:52 p.m. GMT), Brown University said the situation was still “ongoing” and instructed students to remain sheltered until further notice.
After initially stating that the suspect had been taken into custody, Trump later posted a second message clarifying that local police had walked back that information. “The suspect has NOT been apprehended,” the U.S. president said.
Police investigate deaths of Rob Reiner and wife as apparent homicide
OAS urges swift recount in Honduras as election results remain uncertain
Panama seizes over three tons of drugs hidden in Caribbean port container
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
International5 days agoWashington declares State of Emergency as atmospheric river brings severe flooding
-
International5 days agoU.S. to require five-year social media history from tourists under Visa Waiver Program
-
Central America4 days agoHonduras election crisis deepens as CNE president denounces intimidation attempts
-
Central America5 days ago
OAS and EU urge honduran political actors to respect vote results and avoid unrest
-
International4 days agoCuba battles out-of-control dengue and chikungunya epidemic as death toll rises to 44
-
International4 days agoColombia says it would not reject Maduro asylum request as regional tensions escalate
-
International2 days agoSeveral people shot in attack on Brown University campus
-
International11 hours agoPolice investigate deaths of Rob Reiner and wife as apparent homicide
-
International4 days agoEcuador on track for record violence as homicides hit highest level in Latin America again
-
International5 days agoSix ecuadorian soldiers jailed pending trial for alleged extrajudicial execution
-
Central America23 hours agoPanama seizes over three tons of drugs hidden in Caribbean port container
-
Central America11 hours agoOAS urges swift recount in Honduras as election results remain uncertain
-
International2 days agoU.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty