World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus pulled out of a London event at the last minute on Wednesday after organisers said he had to attend meetings linked to the US notification of its withdrawal from the WHO.

The event at London’s Chatham House think tank had been due to feature Tedros in a live webinar about the COVID-19 pandemic led by David Heymann, a former senior WHO official and a professor of global health.