US President Donald Trump: "The WHO failed in this basic duty and must be held accountable." Photo: ReutersUS President Donald Trump has halted funding to the World Health Organisation over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, drawing condemnation from infectious disease experts as the global death toll continued to mount. Trump, who has reacted angrily to criticism of his administration's response to the worst epidemic in a century, has become increasingly hostile towards the WHO. The Geneva-based organisation had promoted China's "disinformation" about the virus that likely led to a wider outbreak than otherwise would have occurred, Trump said. "The WHO failed in this basic duty and must be held accountable," Trump told a White House news conference on Tuesday.

Source: Otago Daily Times April 15, 2020 04:52 UTC