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Thousands of pilgrims camped overnight outside Sri Lanka’s holiest Buddhist temple in anticipation of Friday’s display of a prized relic that will be shown to the public for the first time in 16 years.Around 10,000 police have been deployed to safeguard the Temple of the Tooth as it launches a 10-day exhibition of what Sri Lankan Buddhists believe to be Buddha’s left canine.Police said armed troops will reinforce security at the 16th-century temple in Kandy, which was targeted by Tamil separatists in a 1998 suicide attack that killed 16 people.”We expect about two million devotees to visit Kandy during the 10-day exhibition,” a police officer told AFP. “There will be airport-style security at the entrance,” he added, warning that bags and cameras would be prohibited.  Classes in Kandy have been cancelled as the schools have all been repurposed to house the large number of security forces sent to the city.Queues to enter the temple stretched over two kilometres (1.2 miles) before the exhibition was due to open on Friday afternoon, according to a live map updated by police.Over a million people were estimated to have visited the UNESCO-designated temple when the tooth relic was last displayed in March 2009.The 1998 bombing of the temple destroyed walls and windows, and in the process revealed 18-century murals that had been plastered over several times in the course of the site’s history. A section of the exposed murals is displayed in the temple’s tightly guarded museum, which says they date back to between 1707 and 1739, a period when Kandy was the seat of the monarchy that ruled over the island.

In central India’s dry forests, community trackers hunt for signs of elephants to feed into an alert system that is helping prevent some of the hundreds of fatal tramplings each year.Boots crunch on brittle leaves as Bhuvan Yadav, proudly wearing a T-shirt with his team’s title of “friends of the elephant”, looks for indicators ranging from tracks or dung, to sightings or simply the deep warning rumbles of a herd.”As soon as we get the exact location of the herd, we update it in the application,” Yadav said, as he and three other trackers trailed a herd deep in forests in Chhattisgarh state, preparing to enter the information into their mobile phone.The app, developed by Indian firm Kalpvaig, crunches the data and then triggers warnings to nearby villagers.There are fewer than 50,000 Asian elephants in the wild, according to the World Wildlife Fund. The majority are in India, with others in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.The usually shy animals are coming into increasing contact with humans because of rapidly expanding settlements and growing forest disturbance, including mining operations for coal, iron ore, and bauxite.Mine operations in particular have been blamed for pushing elephants into areas of Chhattisgarh where they had not been seen for decades.- ‘Line of defence’ -“We have to be quiet so that there is no confrontation,” said Yadav, trekking through forests surrounding the Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve.”We try and maintain a distance of 200 metres (220 yards) from the herd — so that there is room to run,” added Yadav, who is one of around 250 trackers employed by the state forestry department. Despite weighing up to six tonnes, an Asian elephant can cover several hundred metres in just 30 seconds, according to research published in the journal Nature.And as elephant habitats shrink, conflict between humans and wild elephants has grown — 629 people were killed by elephants across India in 2023-2024, according to parliamentary figures.Chhattisgarh accounted for 15 percent of India’s elephant-related human casualties in the last five years, despite being home to just one percent of the country’s wild elephants, government data show.Authorities say the government-funded alert system has slashed casualties.In the Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve area, elephants killed five people in 2022, a year before the app was launched.Among them was 50-year-old rice farmer Lakshmibai Gond, who was trampled while watching her fields in the state’s Gariaband district, her son Mohan Singh Gond said. “She was caught off-guard,” he told AFP. “The elephant ripped her skull apart.”Since the alarm system began in February 2023, just one elephant-related death has been recorded.”Villagers provide their mobile number and geo-tag locations,” said state forest official Varun Jain, who leads the initiative.”They get calls and text messages when an elephant is within five kilometres (three miles).”Announcements are also broadcast on loudspeakers in villages in key conflict zones as a “second line of defence”, he added. – ‘Such a clever creature’ -Residents say the warnings have saved lives, but they resent the animals.”When there is an announcement, we do not go to the forest to forage because we know anything can happen,” said community health worker Kantibai Yadav.”We suffer losses, because that is our main source of livelihood and they also damage our crops,” she added. “The government should not let wild elephants roam around like that.”Forest officials say they are trying to also “improve the habitat” so that elephants do not raid villages in search of food, Jain said. The app requires trackers to monitor the elusive animals over vast areas of thick bush, but Jain said the alert system was more effective than darting and fixing radio collars to the pachyderms.”An elephant is such a clever creature that it will remove that collar within two to three months,” Jain said.Radio collars would be usually fitted to the matriarch, because that helps track the rest of the herd who follow her.But the elephants that pose the most danger to humans are often rogue bulls, solitary male animals enraged during “musth”, a period of heightened sexual activity when testosterone levels soar.”Casualties you see in 80 percent of the cases are done by the loners,” he said.”The app is to ensure that there are no human casualties.” 

Pakistan’s Mahrang Baloch has risen to become the young face of a decades-old movement against rights abuses since she discovered her father’s tortured body when she was a teenager.The 32-year-old, who was arrested last month, is now one of the country’s most recognisable protest leaders representing the ethnic Baloch minority. “Our father made the decision for us when he dedicated himself to Baloch rights. And after him, we all embraced his philosophy and committed ourselves to this struggle,” Mahrang wrote to her family from the cell where she is being held in the provincial capital Quetta.She was charged in March with terrorism, sedition and murder, according to the police charge sheet seen by AFP.Balochistan province, a sparsely populated, rugged region that borders Iran and Afghanistan, is the poorest in the country despite being rich in untapped hydrocarbons and minerals.Security forces are fighting a decades-long insurgency by Baloch separatist militants, led by the Balochistan Liberation Army, which accuses authorities and outsiders, including Chinese investors, of exploiting the region.Rights groups say the violence has been countered with a severe crackdown by authorities that has swept up innocent people. According to Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, an NGO, 18,000 people have disappeared in the province since 2000, figures disputed by the authorities.Mahrang founded the Baloch Unity Committee (BYC) after her brother disappeared for four months in 2018 to mobilise the relatives of victims of alleged extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, and other arbitrary arrests.”Mahrang is the child of resistance against brutal state oppression,” former senator Afrasiab Khattak told AFP.A spokesperson for the Balochistan government told AFP that “activists are making claims without any grounds” about rights abuses and enforced disappearances.-‘Mahrang replaced our father’ -Mahrang first began campaigning after the disappearance of her father, defying tribal tradition in a region where less than one in three women can read and write to leave home and demand answers from the authorities.”We could see her blocking the roads crying and pleading for her father, even when there was a police vehicle coming, she was still standing bravely in front of every obstacle,” said Naseem Baloch, president of the Baloch National Movement, who has been in exile in Europe since 2011.The bullet-riddled body of Mahrang’s father was finally identified one July night in 2011, scarred by torture and wearing the same clothes he was kidnapped in.”My brother fainted when he saw him,” her 26-year-old sister Nadia told AFP.”Mahrang then replaced our father: she helped our mother feed us with her medical scholarships and continued her fight for the Baluchi cause.”Not only did she carry on the struggle, she radically changed the Baloch movement, according to her classmates.”Before, everyone was afraid to speak to the media, but Mahrang led the way and succeeded in having her brother released, so now families dare to denounce these kidnappings,” Naseem Baloch said.Above all, Mahrang and Nadia Baloch did not hesitate to voice their accusations that the security services were behind her brother’s kidnapping.Mahrang broke taboos as a student, too. She led protests against her Quetta university after staff were caught secretly filming women on campus to blackmail them.- International recognition -With a father killed, a brother kidnapped and a childhood spent in poverty, Mahrang’s story resonates with families in rural Balochistan.”People identify with Mahrang because she carries their pain,” her sister said.Mohammad Gul, a 55-year-old relative, said: “Baloch people see her as a ray of hope — a true leader challenging those who are responsible.”Baloch armed groups demand independence, sometimes with spectacular attacks such as a deadly train hostage-taking in March, but the BYC advocates non-violence and a negotiated solution within the framework of the federal state.Mahrang gained international attention after leading a “Long Baloch March” of more than 1,600 kilometres (1,000 miles) from Balochistan to the national capital Islamabad to denounce the alleged extrajudicial execution of a young Baloch man. Her activism earned her a place among Time Magazine’s 100 Most Promising People of 2024 — an award she was unable to receive because authorities prevented her from leaving the country.Her marches are attended by thousands, almost exclusively women, who stage days-long sit-ins. “They are less likely to be beaten, arrested, or kidnapped,” explained Ayesha Siddiqa, a political scientist now based in London.However, many women protesters have been imprisoned in recent weeks.Mahrang has already “prepared the family” to continue the fight, said her sister Nadia.”Perhaps one day, she will be kidnapped or killed,” she said. 

Time for the daily staff meeting at Sri Lanka’s Hotel Amba Yaalu where woman manager Jeewanthi Adhikari jokes: “This won’t look very serious, there are only girls around the table.”The hotel, on the shores of Lake Kandalama in the green hills of central Sri Lanka, opened in January with a unique selling point — its staff are exclusively women.It is a first in the country, designed to promote women in a tourism sector where men hold up to 90 percent of hotel jobs.”The chairman wanted to start a new hotel with a new concept,” said Adhikari.She explained how the idea sprouted from twin blows that hammered the island’s tourism industry — first Covid-19, then the 2022 financial crisis and subsequent political unrest that toppled the president.”It has been really a bad time,” the 42-year-old said, noting that when there were employment vacancies, only men got the job. “We wanted to give opportunity and attract more women.”Owner Chandra Wickramasinghe, president of the Thema Collection group which runs 14 hotels, said he wanted to showcase what women can do if given the chance.”Unfortunately, in Sri Lanka in the hotels, there is no gender equality,” he said.The blame rests on a mix of factors — lack of training, a culture where women are seen first and foremost as mothers, and very low wages which lead to the perception that women may as well stay at home.”In our men’s society, when it comes to women working in hotels, it’s one nice girl in the reception and housekeepers to clean,” he said. “I wanted to go a little bit further.”- ‘Skills and courage’ -For the 33 rooms of the Amba Yaalu  — meaning “best friend” in the island’s Sinhala language — a team of 75 women handle every task, including those traditionally seen as for men.They are enthusiastic, like maintenance worker Hansika Rajapaksa.”People think it’s difficult for women to be involved in maintenance,” the 28-year-old said.”But after coming here and undergoing training, we also can carry out the work that is expected of us without any difficulty”. Meanwhile, Dilhani, who gave only her first name, feels confident in her role as a security officer after 15 years in the army. “I have experienced war… I have manned roadblocks,” she said. “With that experience, it is very easy to do our work here.”Others want to set an example.”This a good opportunity for women to demonstrate their talents, to showcase our skills and courage to the new generations”, said 23-year-old chef Upeka Ekanayake.Old habits were initially hard to break, manager Adhikari said.”Our experienced staff were used to working around male colleagues,” she said. “Automatically, they waited for someone else to do things, because that is how they had been trained.”But the owner said he shrugged off the doubts of colleagues.”Some people didn’t believe in it,” said owner Wickramasinghe, who dismissed the misogynists who scoffed that an all-women team would just “start gossiping”.The hotel has been welcomed as an “excellent initiative” by Nalin Jayasundera, president of the association of tour operators.”We want to encourage even more women to join the tourism industry,” he said, adding it made a “very good impression on our customers”.Clients have taken notice.”I felt like I could speak up and answer questions ahead of my partner without them looking to him for confirmation,” one Canadian tourist wrote in a review on a booking website. – ‘Power of a woman’ -Women’s rights activist Nimalka Fernando said the initiative was “really path-breaking for Sri Lankan society”.While she noted Sri Lanka was the first nation to elect a woman as prime minister — Sirimavo Bandaranaike in 1960 — tradition, culture and the labour market continue to block women’s rights.She points out that women dominate the sectors that provide the country with its main sources of income: textiles, tea and foreign remittances. “Women are treated as an exploitable commodity,” she said. “The important thing now is to give dignity to female labour.”The Amba Yaalu is only the first step, acknowledges its manager, but it is making a change.”We have single mothers and mothers with two or three kids,” Adhikari said. “Here, they don’t have to suppress what they want to do in their life.”Wickramasinghe sees it as a way to highlight the lesson he learned as a boy.”I’m inspired by my mother… she became a single parent with eight children,” he said.”She was working in a hospital at the same time and she managed very well. So I realised the power of a woman… that they can do wonders.”

Delhi Capitals edged out Rajasthan Royals in the IPL’s first Super Over of the season after pace bowler Mitchell Starc defended nine off the last over on Wednesday.Left-arm quick Starc restricted Rajasthan to 188-4 after Delhi made 188-5, and then returned to bowl another disciplined over at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground.Rajasthan managed just 11 runs from their Super Over after Shimron Hetmyer and Riyan Parag hit a boundary each before both were run out, ending the innings with a ball to spare.Needing 12 to win, KL Rahul started with a two and then hit a four before Tristan Stubbs finished off with a six on the fourth ball from Sandeep Sharma.Delhi, led by Axar Patel, got back to winning ways and returned to take top spot in the 10-team table with five victories and just one defeat in six matches.Rajasthan, who have been chasing the IPL title since their inaugural triumph in 2008 under late Australia great Shane Warne, slumped to their fifth loss in seven matches.Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and Nitish Rana hit 51 each to set up Rajasthan’s chase of 189, but wickets at regular intervals kept Delhi in the hunt.Australia’s Starc dismissed Rana in the 18th over before Dhruv Jurel hit back in his 26 and Hetmyer made 15 not out.With Rajasthan needing nine to win off the final over, Starc limited them to ones and twos before Jurel was run out attempting a second run off the last ball, leaving the teams tied and facing a one-over shootout.”I was thinking if Mitch can execute, we will be in this,” Axar said on his choice for the last over.- Starc’s yorkers -“He bowled almost 12 yorkers. That’s why he is such an Australian legend. I guess he missed only one ball as far as execution was concerned. The field was changed but he kept at it.”Starc was named player of the match and the 35-year-old won rich praise from Rajasthan skipper Sanju Samson.”I felt it was definitely a chaseable score,” said Samson. “I think as we all saw some fantastic bowling by Starcy. He is one of the best guys around in the world. I would like to give it to Starcy. He won them the game in the 20th over.”Earlier, Rajasthan raced to 50 in five overs with Jaiswal on fire and Samson going well before retiring hurt with rib pain after making 31 off 19 balls.Samson, after the match, said he “feels alright now”.Jaiswal brought up his third fifty of the season before being dismissed by left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav but Rana kept up the batting surge.Rana survived a reprieve on 20 when Stubbs dropped the batter on the ropes and ball went for six. He made the most of his second chance but the batting effort was not enough. Delhi rode on Abishek Porel’s 49 and scores of 34 apiece from Axar and Stubbs.In-form Rahul made 38 and put on 63 runs with Porel.Axar then added 41 runs off 19 balls with South African Stubbs as the two hit the ball to all parts of the ground much to the delight of the home crowd as Delhi managed 77 runs from the last five overs.

India’s main opposition Congress party accused the government of a “vendetta” on Wednesday after a federal agency filed charges against its top leaders in a years-long corruption case.Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi were charged as part of a probe initiated by a member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).They have denied the allegations and have accused the BJP of using the state apparatus to target its rivals.Congress lawmaker Abhishek Singhvi said the case was “nothing but vendetta in legal disguise”.He also accused the government of using the Enforcement Directorate — a national agency that probes money laundering and financial crimes — of selectively targeting the opposition while sparing its allies. “Selective justice is nothing but political thuggery,” Singhvi added.The initial 2001 complaint against the Gandhis brought by BJP member Subramanian Swamy accused the Gandhis and others of “usurping” properties belonging to a now-defunct newspaper.He alleged that the Gandhis aimed to grab property worth $332 million owned by the publishing firm using fraudulent papers.Jairam Ramesh, a veteran lawmaker from the Congress party, described the case as “harassment and targeting of rivals”. “We can’t be forced to shut up,” Ramesh said. Critics in recent years have accused the BJP of using the justice system to target political rivals, with several opposition figures the subject of active criminal investigations.But BJP lawmaker Ravi Shankar Prasad said India’s judiciary was independent and investigative “agencies are free to work under PM Modi’s government”.”They (the opposition) have the right to protest — but what are the protesting about?”, Prasad said. “There is no license to loot in this country”, he added. Rahul Gandhi also faces several defamation cases and was expelled from parliament in 2023 after a defamation conviction. He returned months later after his two-year sentence was suspended by the Supreme Court.  He is the son, grandson and great-grandson of former Indian prime ministers, beginning with independence leader Jawaharlal Nehru.His party has struggled to challenge Modi and has lost the last three national elections.

Years of negotiations culminated early Wednesday with countries agreeing the text of a landmark accord on how to tackle future pandemics, aimed at avoiding the mistakes made during the Covid-19 crisis.After more than three years of talks and one last marathon session, weary delegates at the World Health Organization’s headquarters finally sealed the deal at around 2:00 am (0000 GMT) Wednesday.”Tonight marks a significant milestone in our shared journey towards a safer world,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.Five years after the emergence of Covid-19, which killed millions of people, devastated economies and upturned health systems, a sense of urgency hung over the talks, with new threats lurking — including H5N1 bird flu, measles, mpox and Ebola.The final stretch of the talks also took place under the shadow of cuts to US foreign aid spending and threatened tariffs on pharmaceuticals.- ‘It’s adopted’ -Right until the last minute, disagreement lingered over a few thorny issues.Negotiators stumbled over the agreement’s Article 11, which deals with transferring technology for pandemic health products towards developing nations.During the Covid-19 pandemic, poorer states accused rich nations of hoarding vaccines and tests.Countries with large pharmaceutical industries have strenuously opposed the idea of mandatory tech transfers, insisting they must be voluntary.But it appeared the obstacle could be overcome by adding that any transfer needed to be “mutually agreed”.The core of the agreement is a proposed Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing System (PABS), aimed at allowing the swift sharing of pathogen data with pharmaceutical companies, enabling them to quickly start working on pandemic-fighting products.In the end, the 32-page agreement was entirely highlighted in green, indicating all of it had been fully approved by WHO member states.”It’s adopted,” negotiations co-chair Anne-Claire Amprou announced, to thunderous applause.”In drafting this historic agreement, the countries of the world have demonstrated their shared commitment to preventing and protecting everyone, everywhere, from future pandemic threats.”The finalised text will now be presented for sign-off at the WHO’s annual assembly next month.- ‘Excellent news’ -Congratulations quickly poured in.”Excellent news from Geneva,” European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen said on X.”We have learnt the lessons of COVID. To beat a pandemic, you need tests, treatments and vaccines. And you equally need solidarity and global cooperation.”The EU had led the charge arguing for flexibility and voluntary measures in the text.The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), which participated in the talks, had also taken that stance.Looking ahead towards implementation, the leading pharma lobby said intellectual property and legal certainty would be essential for encouraging investment in high-risk research and development in the next crisis.”The pandemic agreement is a starting point,” insisted IFPMA chief David Reddy.Developing countries and NGOs also hailed the agreement, while acknowledging that not all of their ambitions were met.”While the process may not have yielded all the outcomes we aspired for, it has opened an important avenue for future collaboration,” Tanzania’s representative told the gathering, speaking on behalf of dozens of African countries.- ‘More equity’ -As intense talks in corridors and closed rooms drew towards an end late Tuesday, Tedros told reporters he thought a deal would bring “more equity”.While taking measures against pandemics could be costly, “the cost of inaction is much bigger”, he insisted.”Virus is the worst enemy. (It) could be worse than a war.”The United States, which has thrown the global health system into crisis by slashing foreign aid spending, was absent.US President Donald Trump ordered a withdrawal from the United Nations’ health agency and from the pandemic agreement talks after taking office in January.The US absence, and Trump’s threat to slap steep tariffs on pharmaceutical products, still hung over the talks, making manufacturers and governments more jittery.But in the end, countries reached consensus.- ‘Real work begins now’ -Many saw the approval of the text as a victory for global cooperation.”At a time when multilateralism is under threat, WHO member states have joined together to say that we will defeat the next pandemic threat in the only way possible: by working together,” said New Zealand’s former prime minister Helen Clark, co-chair of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response.As the congratulatory speeches continued on towards daybreak, Eswatini’s representative cautioned that “whilst we celebrate this moment, we need not rest on our laurels”.”The real work begins now.”

At a malnutrition treatment centre in Afghanistan’s capital, the cries of children have given way to a heavy silence, as patients are turned away and medical staff laid off due to US aid cuts. Entirely funded by Washington, the project had to shut down when the United States — until recently the largest aid donor in Afghanistan — froze all foreign assistance.The many children who would have come to the centre won’t be treated now, said Cobi Rietveld, country director for the non-governmental organisation Action Against Hunger (ACF), which manages the clinic in the west of Kabul.”If they don’t get treatment, there’s an extreme high risk of dying,” she told AFP. Without new funding, the stuffed animals, toys and baby bottles were put away and the pharmacy locked when the last patient left in March. “When malnourished patients come to our clinic, it’s a big challenge for our staff to explain the situation to them and to tell them that they need to go elsewhere for proper treatment,” said chief doctor Farid Ahmad Barakzai. After four decades of war and crises, Afghanistan faces the second-largest humanitarian crisis in the world, behind war-torn Sudan, according to the UN. – ‘So many shocks’ -On average, 65 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition with complications were treated at the clinic every month. They stay there for several days with their mothers not only to be fed but to prevent them from spiralling into illness. “Every infection a child can get, a malnourished child will get as well, with an increased risk of dying,” said Rietveld. It’s “painful” for the staff, finishing their last days of work, Rietveld added, because “they have to send them somewhere else where they don’t have the same specialized treatment”. Child malnutrition in Afghanistan, where 45 percent of the population is under 14 years old, is one of the most significant challenges because it affects entire generations in the long term.Some 3.5 million children under the age of five suffer from acute malnutrition and the country has one of the highest rates of stunting in the world, according to the UN.Adults are also affected: 15 million Afghans are currently food insecure, including 3.1 million who are already on the brink of famine. Last week, the World Food Programme said the United States had ended funding for its work in Afghanistan, having gone back on cuts to other countries. “This is a country that’s been through so many shocks,” the World Health Organization representative in Afghanistan, Edwin Ceniza Salvador, told AFP.”So with a fragile system, even basic care of screening, those are even not there,” he said, underscoring that “of course the most vulnerable are the most affected”.- ‘Only place we could work’ -The funding crisis has also led to numerous layoffs in the humanitarian sector, in a country where the unemployment rate reached 12.2 percent in 2024, according to the World Bank. Since the US cuts, ACF has had to lay off around 150 of its 900 staff. “I have crying people in my office,” said Rietveld. “We listen, we offer support, but we can’t get them a job.” Hit hardest by the layoffs were women, who made up the majority of the 40 staff at ACF’s child nutrition centre and who face severe restrictions imposed by the Taliban authorities since their return to power in 2021.They can no longer work in many sectors and are not allowed to study beyond primary school, unless they enrol in a religious school, leading the UN to label the system as “gender apartheid”.”For many of us, the only place we could work was in this health centre,” said 27-year-old nurse Wazhma Noorzai. “Now, we are losing even that.” To recover after the loss of US funding, which made up 30 percent of the ACF’s local budget, the organisation is “in the process of writing proposals” and “discussing with donors”, Rietveld said.”But I don’t think other donors can cover the gap.” 

Years of negotiations culminated early Wednesday with countries agreeing the text of a landmark accord on how to tackle future pandemics, aimed at avoiding a repeat of the mistakes made during the Covid-19 crisis.After more than three years of talks and one last marathon session, weary delegates at the World Health Organization’s headquarters sealed the deal at around 2:00 am (0000 GMT) Wednesday.”Tonight marks a significant milestone in our shared journey towards a safer world,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.”The nations of the world made history in Geneva today.”Five years after Covid-19 killed millions of people and devastated economies, a growing sense of urgency hung over the talks, with new health threats lurking, ranging from H5N1 bird flu to measles, mpox and Ebola.The final stretch of negotiations also took place with cuts to US foreign aid spending and threatened tariffs on pharmaceuticals casting a shadow over the talks.- ‘It’s adopted’ -Right until the last minute, disagreement had lingered over a few thorny issues.Negotiators stumbled over the agreement’s Article 11, which deals with transferring technology for pandemic health products towards developing nations.During the Covid-19 pandemic, poorer states accused rich countries of hoarding vaccines and tests.Countries with large pharmaceutical industries have strenuously opposed the idea of mandatory tech transfers, insisting they must be voluntary.But it appeared the obstacle could be overcome by adding that any transfer needed to be “mutually agreed”.The core the agreement is a proposed Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing System (PABS), aimed at allowing the swift sharing of pathogen data with pharmaceutical companies, enabling them to quickly start working on pandemic-fighting products.In the end, the 32-page agreement was entirely highlighted in green, indicating it had been fully approved by WHO member states.”It’s adopted,” negotiations co-chair Anne-Claire Amprou announced, to thundering applause.”In drafting this historic agreement, the countries of the world have demonstrated their shared commitment to preventing and protecting everyone, everywhere, from future pandemic threats.”The finalised text will now be presented for sign-off at the WHO’s annual assembly next month.- ‘More equity’ -As intense talks in corridors and closed rooms drew towards an end late on Tuesday, Tedros joined the negotiations, telling reporters he thought the current draft was “balanced”, and that a deal would bring “more equity”.While taking measures to coordinate pandemic prevention, preparedness and response could be costly, “the cost of inaction is much bigger”, he insisted.”Virus is the worst enemy. (It) could be worse than a war.”The United States, which has thrown the global health system into crisis by slashing foreign aid spending, was not present.US President Donald Trump ordered a withdrawal from the United Nations’ health agency and from the pandemic agreement talks after taking office in January.However, the US absence, and Trump’s threat to slap steep tariffs on pharmaceutical products, still hung over the talks, making manufacturers and governments more jittery.But in the end, countries reached consensus.Many saw the approval of the text as a victory for global cooperation.”At a time when multilateralism is under threat, WHO member states have joined together to say that we will defeat the next pandemic threat in the only way possible: by working together,” said former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark, co-chair of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response.As the congratulatory speeches continued on towards daybreak, Eswatini’s representative stressed that “whilst we celebrate this moment, we need not rest on our laurels”.”The real work begins now.”

Spinner Yuzvendra Chahal returned figures of 4-28 as Punjab Kings defended IPL’s lowest ever total of 111 to down holders Kolkata Knight Riders by 16 runs in a thriller on Tuesday.Kolkata looked to be cruising at 62-2 before Chahal cut through the chase with his leg-spin, and the side collapsed to 95 all out in 15.1 overs at Mullanpur, near Chandigarh.Punjab were earlier bowled out for 111 in 15.3 overs but Chahal and company turned the match on its head to better Chennai Super Kings’ record — they defended 116 against them (formerly Kings XI Punjab) in 2009.Kolkata’s Andre Russell attempted to pull off the chase from 79-8 when he hit two sixes and a four off Chahal but Punjab held their nerve.Arshdeep Singh sent back Vaibhav Arora and then fellow left-arm quick Marco Jansen bowled Russell to trigger wild celebrations in Punjab’s home ground.”I have coached a lot of games in the IPL and that might just be about the best win I ever had,” head coach Ricky Ponting said after the close contest.Kolkata skipper Ajinkya Rahane and impact substitute Angkrish Raghuvanshi put on 55 runs for the third wicket when Chahal broke through to get the captain back in the pavilion lbw.Ball tracker suggested the ball was outside the off stump, but Rahane did not take the review.- Rahane takes blame -“Pretty disappointed with the effort,” said Rahane. “I’ll take the blame, played the wrong shot, although it was missing.”Chahal, with his tail now up, got Raghuvanshi caught out in the next over for 37 and the Punjab were in the game when Glenn Maxwell had Venkatesh Iyer lbw for seven.Chahal then got two in two — Rinku Singh stumped and Ramandeep Singh out for a golden duck — before Harshit Rana avoided the hat-trick ball.But the day belonged Chahal and Punjab who moved into the top four of the 10-team table with their fourth win in six matches.Ponting said Chahal, who was named player of the match, had a fitness test before the game for a shoulder injury he picked in his previous outing.Earlier, Rana rattled the Punjab top-order after a brisk start by the openers and returned figures of 3-25 from his three overs.New batting sensation Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh made the hosts race to 39 in 3.1 overs, before Rana struck to send back the left-handed Arya caught at fine leg for 22.Rana got one more wicket two balls later when Ramandeep pulled off a stunning catch in the deep to dismiss skipper Shreyas Iyer, for a duck.Spinner Varun Chakravarthy joined forces in the next over to have Punjab’s England import Josh Inglis bowled for two.Prabhsimran, who made 30, attempted to hit back with two sixes off Rana but the bowler had the last laugh with Ramandeep once again taking a catch at point.Chakravarthy and fellow spinner Sunil Narine kept striking regular blows as Punjab’s batting faltered only for their bowlers to ultimately save the day.