Trump Under Fire For Attacking WHO

From UN to EU and the African Union, leaders slam U.S. President’s decision to halt funding to agency

Global efforts to join forces against the COVID-19 pandemic faltered on Wednesday after U.S. President Donald Trump froze funding for the World Health Organization, igniting a chorus of criticism from world leaders who urged solidarity in the face of a crippling economic crisis.

Mr. Trump’s shock move came as a patchwork of countries experiment with loosening lockdown measures, ushering the planet into a new and uncertain phase of a pandemic that has killed more than 1,25,000 people worldwide and infected at least two million.

In Europe, Denmark became the first country on the badly-hit continent to start reopening schools, while Finland lifted a travel blockade on the Helsinki region.

Italy and Spain have also allowed some businesses to restart after signs both are finally flattening the curve.

But as governments launch into delicate debates of how to jump-start economies without triggering new waves of infection, Mr. Trump rattled efforts at global solidarity by ramping up his blame-game with the WHO and halting funds to the agency.