International
2023, year of achievements, “avoidable suffering” – WHO chief

The Director General of World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, has described 2023 as a year of achievements and “avoidable suffering.”
Reflecting on 2023, which also marked the UN agency’s 75th anniversary, Ghebreyesus highlighted key achievements and set out objectives for the coming year.
The WHO chief said the outing year saw significant milestones and challenges in global public health but also immense and avoidable suffering.
“In May, I declared an end to COVID-19 as a public health emergency of international concern.
“This marked a turning point for the world following three years of crisis, pain, and loss for people everywhere. I am glad to see that life has returned to normal,” he said in a video message on Tuesday.
Ghebreyesus also pointed to other achievements, such as the end of the Mpox outbreak as a global health emergency and the approval of new vaccines for dengue, meningitis, and malaria, which threaten millions worldwide, mainly the most vulnerable.
“Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, and Belize achieved malaria-free status, and progress was made in eliminating some tropical diseases in various countries, including sleeping sickness in Ghana, trachoma in Benin, Mali, and Iraq, and lymphatic filariasis in Bangladesh and Lao.
“The path to eradicating another vaccine-preventable disease—polio—has reached its last mile. Thirty more countries introduced the HPV vaccine, advancing our goal to eliminate cervical cancer,” he said.
“2023 also saw increased attention to the health impacts of the climate crisis,” he added.
According to him, health issues featured prominently on the agenda of the COP28 conference in Dubai, where a global declaration on climate and health was issued, emphasising the intersection of environmental and public health challenges.
Additionally, in September, Heads of State at the United Nations General Assembly committed to advancing universal health coverage, ending tuberculosis, and protecting the world from future pandemics.
“Each of these achievements, and many more, demonstrated the power of science, solutions, and solidarity to protect and promote health,” he said.
Ghebreyesus also acknowledged the “immense and avoidable suffering and threats to health” over the past year.
He said the barbaric attacks by Hamas on Israel on October 7 left around 1,300 people dead and over 200 taken hostage, while reports of gender-based violence and mistreatment of hostages were deplorable.
The devastating attack on Gaza that followed has killed more than 20,000 people—mainly women and children—and injured over 53,000, he said.
The WHO chief expressed deep concern over the impact on healthcare infrastructure, noting that “as of December 22, only nine of 36 health facilities in Gaza were partially functional, with only four offering the most basic of services in the north.”
He once again called for an immediate ceasefire.
The global landscape was also marked by conflict and insecurity in countries such as Sudan, Ukraine, Ethiopia, and Myanmar.
“Without peace, there is no health, and without health, there can be no peace,” Ghebreyesus said.
He noted that, in addition to conflict-related challenges, issues like poverty and lack of access to clean water and hygiene contributed to the spread of infectious diseases. The resurgence of cholera, with over 40 outbreaks worldwide, raised particular concern.
Looking to 2024, the WHO chief highlighted the opportunity to address gaps in global pandemic preparedness.
He said governments were currently negotiating the first-ever global agreement aimed at enhancing collaboration, cooperation, and equity in responding to pandemics of the future.
“The Pandemic Accord and plans to strengthen the International Health Regulations represent monumental actions by governments to create a safer and healthier world,” Ghebreyesus said.
The WHO Director-General concluded his message by expressing gratitude to health workers, partners, and colleagues, underscoring the shared journey to achieve health for all. (NAN)
International
U.K.–India set to boost bilateral trade by over $34 billion a year
The FTA, which slashes duties on goods including textiles, alcohol and automobiles, was signed Thursday in the presence of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his UK counterpart, Keir Starmer.

•Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his UK counterpart, Keir Starmer.
U.K. and India’s bilateral trade is set to get a more than $34 billion annual boost over the long term following their free trade agreement, with the countries’ leaders calling it a “historic” deal.
CNBC reported that the FTA, which slashes duties on goods including textiles, alcohol and automobiles, was signed on Thursday in the presence of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his UK counterpart, Keir Starmer.
Both sides had finalized the trade pact in May after three years of intense negotiations — marked by thorny issues such as visas, tariff reduction and tax breaks.
Talks gained momentum and both governments accelerated to seal the deal as U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threats sent the world in disarray.
The agreement between the world’s fifth and sixth largest economies is expected to boost their bilateral trade by 25.5 billion pounds per year by 2040.
Trade in goods and services stood at over 40 billion pounds in 2024.
The deal offers “huge benefits to both of our countries,” boosting wages, raising living standards and bringing down prices for consumers, Starmer said.
India’s Modi lauded the agreement as “a blueprint for our shared prosperity,” highlighting how Indian goods including textiles, jewelry, agricultural products and engineering items would benefit from a better access to the U.K. market.
International
Russian missing plane found in Forest – No Survivors
Amur’s regional governor Vasily Orlov said five children were among those on board and declared three days of mourning.

Russian officials say 48 people were killed when an Angara Airlines plane went down in a dense forest in the far-eastern Amur region.
The Antonov An-24 plane, carrying 42 passengers and six crew, had left Blagoveshchensk close to the Chinese border and vanished from radar screens as it approached Tynda airport, officials said.
A Russian civil aviation helicopter then spotted burning fuselage from the plane on a remote hillside about 16km (10 miles) from Tynda.
Amur’s regional governor Vasily Orlov said five children were among those on board and declared three days of mourning.
Orlov said that according to preliminary data, there were 43 passengers, including five children, and six crew members on board the plane operated by a Siberian airline.
International
EU ready to hit US with 21-billion-euro tariff list
He said the goal should be “zero tariffs” and an open market among Canada, the United States, Mexico and Europe.

MILAN (Reuters) -The European Union has already prepared a list of tariffs worth 21 billion euros ($24.52 billion) on U.S. goods if the two sides fail to reach a trade deal, Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in a newspaper interview on Monday.
President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened to impose a 30% tariff on imports from Mexico and the EU starting on Aug. 1, after weeks of negotiations with major U.S. trading partners failed to reach a comprehensive deal.
Tajani also told daily Il Messaggero that to help the euro zone economy the European Central Bank should consider a new “quantitative easing” bond-buying-programme, and more interest rate cuts.
The European Union said on Sunday it would extend its suspension of countermeasures to U.S. tariffs until early August and continue to press for a negotiated settlement.
Tajani said the 21-billion-euro package of tariffs the EU has already prepared could be followed by a second set if a deal with the U.S proves impossible.
He added, however, that he was confident that progress could be made in negotiations.
“Tariffs hurt every one, starting with the United States,” he said. “If stock markets fall that puts at risk the pensions and the savings of the Americans.”
He said the goal should be “zero tariffs” and an open market among Canada, the United States, Mexico and Europe.
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