International

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

Published

3 years ago

December 27, 2023

509 Views

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 75^th 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

JUST IN: Four Pilots Die After Mid-Air Collision of Military Planes in Philippine

Published

2 days ago

October 24, 2026

Charles Flames

23 Views

Four Philippine Air Force pilots died Friday after two SF-260 trainer aircraft collided mid-air during a training flight and crashed at Fernando Air Base in Lipa City, Batangas, south of Manila, the air force confirmed Saturday.

The accident occurred at about 3:51 p.m. local time on October 23, 2026. Both single-propeller planes went down within the base perimeter. No other casualties were reported on the ground.

Philippine Air Force spokesman Colonel Alvin Capinguian (also referred to as Alvin Jay Capinguian) said the aircraft were involved in a training flight. Officials with knowledge of the incident, speaking anonymously, and local reports confirmed the planes collided while flying at low altitude. Some accounts noted they were part of a larger formation or flyby rehearsal, with other aircraft landing safely.

The air force described it as an “aviation accident” and said an investigation is underway to determine the cause. As a precaution, the entire fleet of SF-260 aircraft has been temporarily grounded. The air force is coordinating assistance with the families of the deceased and asked the public to respect their privacy. One of the pilots was later identified in some reports as 1st Lt. Angeleo Adrian Peñaflor.

The SF-260 is a light Italian-designed trainer used by the Philippine Air Force. The incident is the latest fatal crash involving the type; two pilots were killed in a similar SF-260 training accident in Benguet province in May.

International

“Mother of all bombs,” Trump Plans To Hit Iran

The 21,600-pound airburst weapon is designed to affect surface targets over a wide area and has so far not been deployed by the U.S. in previous strikes on targets inside Iran. It was used in Afghanistan in 2017 during the previous Trump administration.

Published

2 weeks ago

October 15, 2026

OCHEFA

107 Views

The U.S. military is considering use of the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) bomb if it resumes strikes inside Iran, CNN reported Thursday, citing U.S. officials.

Trump said Oct. 8 that he would not resume U.S. strikes on Iran before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, while attacks on shipping near the Strait of Hormuz and deadly Houthi strikes in Saudi Arabia have raised regional tensions.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Tehran will combine military capabilities and negotiations to press its demands.

International

Child marriage in southern Germany: Over 350 cases recorded, some brides as young as 11

The most recent entries in the overview relate to 2026. They include, among other things, marriages of 16- and 17-year-old girls to adult men.

Published

2 weeks ago

October 13, 2026

OCHEFA

100 Views

• Child marriage / UNICEF

In the southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg, a total of 358 so-called child marriages have been officially recorded since 2012.

Euro News reported that only eight of these forced marriages have so far been legally annulled.

According to authorities, the other 350 cases were brought to an end in other ways.

This alarming finding comes from a response by the Baden-Württemberg state government to a minor inquiry submitted by AfD state parliament members Nikolaos Boutakoglou and Emely Knorr.

The Tübingen regional authority is responsible for recording the data, the answer came from the Ministry of the Interior.

The eight final annulments took place between 2018 and 2024. Among the documented cases was the marriage of an 11-year-old girl from Iraq to a 17-year-old Iraqi, which was annulled in 2020.

As early as 2018, the marriage of a 14-year-old Afghan girl to a 30-year-old man had been ended.

In 2024 two further annulments were added: they concerned a 16-year-old German girl and a 25-year-old Pakistani man and a 16-year-old Syrian girl and a 27-year-old man from the same country.State parliament member Nikolaos Boutakoglou wrote on Facebook that the issue was “really awful” but was being treated as a taboo.

According to its own account, the ministry deals exclusively with such marriages entered into abroad.

Since summer 2017, the Act to Combat Child Marriages has been in force in Germany.

In 2024, the Bundestag adopted new rules to protect minors in marriages concluded abroad.

Hundreds of cases without state intervention

The significantly higher number of cases concluded in other ways raises questions about how these marriages continued.

For the period from 2015 to 2026, the regional authority lists a total of 350 proceedings under the heading “other disposals.”But what became of the other child marriages?

The state government cites, among other things, the death of a spouse, reaching adulthood, a decision not to seek annulment or a new marriage concluded abroad.

In these cases, there was therefore no legally binding annulment.

For 2023, the records include the case of a 12-year-old Afghan girl who was married to a 21-year-old Afghan man. Girls aged 13 and 14 also appear several times in the statistics.

The most recent entries in the overview relate to 2026. They include, among other things, marriages of 16- and 17-year-old girls to adult men.

The statistics record the age of the spouses at the time of marriage and their respective nationalities.