International
‘The suffering is enormous’: WHO urges mental health action
AFP
The World Health Organization on Friday called on all nations to invest more in mental health, saying “the suffering is enormous” and has been made worse by the Covid pandemic.
Even before Covid-19 almost a billion people were living with a mental disorder, the UN agency said in its largest review of global mental health in two decades.
Then in the first year of the pandemic, rates of depression and anxiety went up by a quarter, even as scarce resources were deployed to fighting the virus.
Just two percent of national health budgets and less than one percent of all international health aid goes to mental health, the WHO’s report said.
“All these numbers are very, very low,” Mark Van Ommeren of the WHO’s mental health unit told a news conference.
“Interest in mental health right now is at an all time-high” due to the pandemic, he said.
“But the investment in mental health has not gone up. This report gives countries information on how to invest their mental health money better.”
He said the report highlighted how “the suffering is enormous” across the world.
About one in eight people globally live with a mental disorder, according to the report.
It is worse for those living in conflict zones, where one in five people are estimated to suffer from a mental health condition.
And young people, women and people already suffering mental health issues were harder hit by Covid and the following restrictions, Van Ommeren said.
“Where there is adversity, there are more mental health problems,” he added.
The WHO’s “World Mental Health Report” also highlighted vast gaps in access to mental healthcare between nations.
While more than 70 percent of people suffering psychosis receive treatment in high-income countries, the number drops to 12 percent in low-income nations, it said.
International
At least 10 dead and 20 injured in highway crash near Morelia
The accident occurred on the highway connecting Morelia, the capital of Michoacán, with the town of Pátzcuaro, the Morelia police reported in a statement.
“Preliminary information indicates there are around 10 fatalities and nearly 20 people injured. Emergency teams are carrying out extraction efforts and providing medical assistance at the scene,” the department said. It added that traffic on the roadway remains closed while rescue crews continue their work.
So far, authorities have not specified the cause of the crash.
Road accidents are common in Mexico, often caused by excessive speed or poor vehicle maintenance, particularly involving buses or cargo trucks.
In September, a truck carrying nearly 50,000 liters of gas exploded at an intersection in Mexico City, resulting in 32 deaths.
International
Democrats press prince Andrew for testimony as Epstein probe intensifies
Sixteen Democratic lawmakers have signed a letter urging Prince Andrew to participate in a “transcribed interview” with the U.S. House Oversight Committee, which is investigating the Epstein case. Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while jailed and awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.
The letter asked Andrew — the younger brother of King Charles III and now referred to as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor after being stripped of his royal titles due to his association with Epstein — to respond by November 20.
“Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s silence in response to the Oversight Committee Democrats’ request for testimony speaks volumes,” said Representatives Robert Garcia and Suhas Subramanyan, both members of the committee, in a statement released on Friday.
“The documents we have reviewed, along with public records and the testimony of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, raise serious questions he must answer, yet he continues to hide.”
Giuffre, a U.S.-Australian citizen who died by suicide in April, wrote in posthumous memoirs that she had been forced into sexual encounters with Andrew on three occasions — the first two when she was 17.
International
President Sheinbaum Hails Fátima Bosch’s Miss Universe Win as a Victory for Women’s Voices
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum praised Fátima Bosch on Friday for winning the Miss Universe 2025 title, recognizing her as a symbol of courage for Mexican women and highlighting her stance against an act of injustice during the international pageant.
Bosch, a native of Tabasco, claimed the crown at the competition held in Thailand. Her participation drew significant attention following an incident involving the director of Miss Universe Thailand, Nawat Itsaragrisil, who told her to remain silent for not sharing event-related content on her social media platforms. The remark prompted Bosch to walk out of the room in protest, an action supported by several other contestants.
President Sheinbaum denounced expressions like “you look prettier when you’re quiet,” asserting: “Women look more beautiful when we speak up and participate. And she raised her voice, saying, ‘This is unjust, I don’t agree.’”
Fátima Bosch, 25, became the fourth Mexican woman to win the Miss Universe crown, joining Lupita Jones (1991), Ximena Navarrete (2010), and Andrea Meza (2020).
Bosch triumphed over Thailand’s Veena Praveenar, who placed as first runner-up, and Venezuela’s Stephany Abasaly, who took third place. This year’s pageant featured contestants from 120 countries and territories, including nine mothers, one transgender woman, a genocide survivor, and the first-ever Palestinian contestant in the competition’s history.
At least 10 dead and 20 injured in highway crash near Morelia
Democrats press prince Andrew for testimony as Epstein probe intensifies
President Sheinbaum Hails Fátima Bosch’s Miss Universe Win as a Victory for Women’s Voices
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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