WORLD

Microsoft co-founder turned philanthropist Bill Gates sketched out an ambitious plan to prevent the next pandemic, insisting on a global alert system, massive testing, tens of billions of dollars of annual spending, and a body of 2,000 "first responders".
In an annual letter released on Wednesday, January 27, titled 'The Year Global Health Went Local', Bill and Melinda Gates wrote that in order to stop the hardships faced last year from happening again, "pandemic preparedness must be taken as seriously as we take the threat of war."

"The world wasn't ready for the COVID-19 pandemic. I think next time will be different," the billionaire couple, who oversee the Seattle-based Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, further said as they set their sights on the next crisis whilst the world pants to stem a pathogen that has infected over 100 million people globally.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a video message wished India "Happy Republic Day" and reiterated his plan to visit the country later this year.

"Let me wish everyone in India, as well as those celebrating here in Britain, a very Happy Republic Day," he said.

"Today, as India celebrates Republic Day and the birth of Constitution that established your nation as the biggest sovereign democracy in the world. I want to offer my sincere greetings, to a country that is very close to my heart," he further said.

"I look forward to visiting India later this year, strengthening our friendship, and striving for the quantum leap in our relationship that Prime Minister Modi and I have both pledged to achieve," he added.

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is set to send the Senate a single article of impeachment Monday accusing Donald Trump of inciting the Capitol riot, formally triggering the first-ever impeachment trial of a former president.

Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress, vowed last week that the trial, already scheduled to open in the second week of February, should proceed, saying, "I don't think it will be long, but we must do it."-

But Republican lawmakers signaled over the weekend that Democrats may struggle to secure Trump's conviction over the storming of US legislative buildings earlier  this month, which left five people dead.

India has supplied two million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine to Brazil. This evoked a response from Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro who thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the vaccine export. PM Modi in response to Bolsonaro's tweet said the 'honour is ours'.

President Bolsonaro who has been a COVID-19 skeptic and had earlier made it clear that he won't take the vaccine took to his Twitter to thank PM Modi for the vaccine export.

Bolsonaro's tweet read, "Namaskar, Prime Minister @narendramodi Brazil feels honoured to have a great partner to overcome a global obstacle by joining efforts. Thank you for assisting us with the vaccine exports from India to Brazil. Dhanyavaad!"

On his first day in office, US President Joseph Biden signed as many as 17 executive actions.

Nine of these orders reversed the decisions made by Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump.

“In fact, these reverse some of Donald Trump’s most divisive and controversial policies — from the environment to immigration to health and coronavirus… these are important and some, in particular, have significance for India,” he said.

In the episode, a senior journalist explained the major shifts in US governance including the decisions regarding the Paris Climate Accord, the halting of the Keystone XL Pipeline project and Trump’s 1776 Commission.