The upheaval caused by the Covid-19 pandemic can sometimes obscure the reality that we live in a time of unprecedented medical advances, many of them the result of countries working together. Sharing research and expertise, co-ordinating responses to natural disasters, supplying poorer countries with life-saving medical aid and the development of a Covid vaccine in record time are all examples of how co-operation has delivered real progress in fighting disease and helping people to live longer, healthier lives.
It wasn’t always like this. Today is the 75th anniversary of the World Health Organisation’s foundation, and it can be difficult to imagine what much of the globe looked like 75 years ago. Much of continental Europe was still in ruins three years after the Second World War ended. Deadly diseases such as smallpox and polio were rife and the average life expectancy in Asia and Africa was 41 and 36 years, respectively.
The WHO, which inherited the assets, staff, infrastructure and experience of its League of Nations and International Office of Public Hygiene predecessors, has many achievements to be proud of. It began a mass immunisation drive against tuberculosis in 1950, helped to bring down deaths from measles by 68 per cent by 2007 and has fought for decades against malaria. From the introduction of the world’s first disease-tracking service to the eradication of smallpox in 1980, it has repeatedly proved the benefits to be gained by encouraging countries to work together on health.
But it has had its critics, too. In 2020, a briefing presented to the European Parliament accused the WHO of a “delayed response to the West African Ebola epidemic of 2014, which may have cost thousands of lives”. It went on to claim that “its failures, both in the Covid-19 pandemic and in previous health crises, highlight long-standing problems: the agency is weak, underfunded and its complex organisational structure can get in the way of effective action”.
The WHO’s performance in the coronavirus pandemic also attracted criticism. Accusing it of following a political agenda during the crisis, then US president Donald Trump pulled America – and its considerable funding – out of the organisation. Calls for reform have been a constant throughout the WHO’s existence, but such criticism can be misplaced. Like the UN, the WHO cannot compel its 194 member states to take particular courses of action. During the Covid pandemic, WHO members – for better or worse – made their own policy decisions on lockdowns, quarantine rules and facemasks.
If criticism – justified or not – is a constant for the WHO, then so is the global pace of change when it comes to health. It is arguable that the organisation’s position as the pre-eminent body for worldwide health co-ordination has been affected as more private companies, public-private partnerships and influential individuals get involved in medicine.
There is an irony to this. The push for the first international health organisation after the First World War did not come from government but from a private individual – Henry Pomeroy Davison, chairman of the War Council of the American Red Cross. His work eventually led to the foundation of the League of Red Cross Societies in May 1919.
In helping to eradicate some of the world’s worst diseases, thereby saving countless lives, the WHO has proved its worth. But it will need to be nimble to maintain its position as a co-ordinator and a policy leader in a world where medical technology is developing as rapidly as its health challenges – particularly those caused by climate change. Seventy-five years promoting health and fighting illness is quite an achievement, but much more work remains to be done.
Day 1, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Dimuth Karunaratne had batted with plenty of pluck, and no little skill, in getting to within seven runs of a first-day century. Then, while he ran what he thought was a comfortable single to mid-on, his batting partner Dinesh Chandimal opted to stay at home. The opener was run out by the length of the pitch.
Stat of the day - 1 One six was hit on Day 1. The boundary was only breached 18 times in total over the course of the 90 overs. When it did arrive, the lone six was a thing of beauty, as Niroshan Dickwella effortlessly clipped Mohammed Amir over the square-leg boundary.
The verdict Three wickets down at lunch, on a featherbed wicket having won the toss, and Sri Lanka’s fragile confidence must have been waning. Then Karunaratne and Chandimal's alliance of precisely 100 gave them a foothold in the match. Dickwella’s free-spirited strokeplay meant the Sri Lankans were handily placed at 227 for four at the close.
ODI FIXTURE SCHEDULE
First ODI, October 22
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Second ODI, October 25
Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune
Third ODI, October 29
Venue TBC
Pakistan T20 series squad
Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Fakhar Zaman, Ahmed Shahzad, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Mohammed Hafeez, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Mohammed Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Amir Yamin, Mohammed Amir (subject to fitness clearance), Rumman Raees, Usman Shinwari, Umar Amin
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
FIXTURES
All kick-off times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday
Sevilla v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Athletic Bilbao v Real Sociedad (7.15pm)
Eibar v Valencia (9.30pm)
Atletico Madrid v Alaves (11.45pm)
Sunday
Girona v Getafe (3pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7.15pm)
Las Palmas v Espanyol (9.30pm)
Barcelona v Deportivo la Coruna (11.45pm)
Monday
Malaga v Real Betis (midnight)
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
LIKELY TEAMS
South Africa
Faf du Plessis (captain), Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Quinton de Kock (wkt), Vernon Philander, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Morne Morkel, Lungi Ngidi.
India (from)
Virat Kohli (captain), Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik (wkt), Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
The Word for Woman is Wilderness
Abi Andrews, Serpent’s Tail
The Light of the Moon
Director: Jessica M Thompson
Starring: Stephanie Beatriz, Michael Stahl-David
Three stars
RESULTS - ELITE MEN
1. Henri Schoeman (RSA) 57:03
2. Mario Mola (ESP) 57:09
3. Vincent Luis (FRA) 57:25
4. Leo Bergere (FRA)57:34
5. Jacob Birtwhistle (AUS) 57:40
6. Joao Silva (POR) 57:45
7. Jonathan Brownlee (GBR) 57:56
8. Adrien Briffod (SUI) 57:57
9. Gustav Iden (NOR) 57:58
10. Richard Murray (RSA) 57:59
Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W. W. Norton & Company
2019 ASIA CUP POTS
Pot 1
UAE, Iran, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia
Pot 2
China, Syria, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Qatar, Thailand
Pot 3
Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Palestine, Oman, India, Vietnam
Pot 4
North Korea, Philippines, Bahrain, Jordan, Yemen, Turkmenistan
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Adele: The Stories Behind The Songs
Caroline Sullivan
Carlton Books
The biog
DOB: 25/12/92
Marital status: Single
Education: Post-graduate diploma in UAE Diplomacy and External Affairs at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy in Abu Dhabi
Hobbies: I love fencing, I used to fence at the MK Fencing Academy but I want to start again. I also love reading and writing
Lifelong goal: My dream is to be a state minister
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Women & Power: A Manifesto
Mary Beard
Profile Books and London Review of Books
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
RESULT
Uruguay 3 Russia 0
Uruguay: Suárez (10'), Cheryshev (23' og), Cavani (90')
Russia: Smolnikov (Red card: 36')
Man of the match: Diego Godin (Uruguay)
The specs: 2018 BMW X2 and X3
Price, as tested: Dh255,150 (X2); Dh383,250 (X3)
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged inline four-cylinder (X2); 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline six-cylinder (X3)
Power 192hp @ 5,000rpm (X2); 355hp @ 5,500rpm (X3)
Torque: 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (X2); 500Nm @ 1,520rpm (X3)
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic (X2); Eight-speed automatic (X3)
Fuel consumption, combined: 5.7L / 100km (X2); 8.3L / 100km (X3)
The Vines - In Miracle Land
Two stars
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'Falling%20for%20Christmas'
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Racecard
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THE%20JERSEYS
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RESULTS
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UAE%20SQUAD
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if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.
The%20specs
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