Father Ricardo Virtudazo stands in a pool of water in his typhoon-hit church in the southern Philippines, delivering Christmas Day Mass to dozens of devotees whose wishes this year were for new roofs, food and fine weather.More than a week after Super Typhoon Rai cut through the archipelago, killing nearly 400 people and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless, survivors clung to family and faith after their homes - and planned festivities - were wiped out.“What’s important is all of us are sa

The rise of the Omicron variant heralded on Friday another pandemic-tinged Christmas for billions, with Santa's arrival and longed-for family reunions overshadowed by the prospect of yet more COVID restrictions.Festive jokes about reindeer having "herd immunity" and millions isolating "Home Alone" may be wearing thin, but the emergence of the ultra-infectious Omicron variant means the pandemic is not going away anytime soon.For the second year, surging infections have

Whether it is the family gatherings for Christmas or crowds congregating in city centres as the bell strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, there is concern that large numbers of people mixing during the holiday season could result in spikes of COVID-19 infections.Indeed, many people who will be celebrating are asking how best to stay safe over the festive period.With the new variant, Omicron, showing exponential growth and high transmissibility, there are certain things you can do to keep yours

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:Nearly 120,000 UK CasesThe United Kingdom sets another daily COVID-19 infections record, fuelled by the Omicron variant.

The World Health Organization (WHO) Tuesday warned Omicron was spreading at an unprecedented rate and urged countries to act as drug maker Pfizer said its coronavirus pill was effective against the variant.Dutch primary schools will close early as Europe battles a fresh wave of infections and hospital admissions, while British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced a major parliamentary test seeking to impose fresh COVID curbs.Omicron, first detected by South Africa and reported to the WHO on 24

25 December is Christmas Day! In the words of singer Andy Williams, it is the “most wonderful time of the year.” For Christians and Catholics alike, it is one of the most awaited times of the year. It is by far one of the most sacred religious holidays and a worldwide cultural phenomenon especially for Catholics and Christians alike. It is believed to be the birth of Jesus of Nazareth and the world has been commemorating and celebrating it for the last two millennia.

Christmas and Thailand's love of elephants combined Wednesday when four of the giant creatures dressed as Santa turned up at a school just outside Bangkok, complete with huge coronavirus masks.Excited children from Jirasat Wittaya School in Ayutthaya, an hour's drive from the capital, sang Christmas carols and lined up to have their photos taken with the animals in the annual tradition.The elephants, Sri Mongkon, 14, Sri Raya, 6, Peter, 15, and King Kaew, 18, used their trunks to ca

Coronavirus misery hung over Christmas preparations worldwide on Thursday, with countless millions forced to cancel plans or limit festivities under fresh virus lockdowns.After a grinding pandemic year that has seen more than 1.7 million people die from COVID-19, a slew of new outbreaks is a stark reminder that despite emergency vaccine roll-outs, life is unlikely to return to normal quickly.Bethlehem, where Christians believe Jesus was born, was preparing for a Christmas unlike any in its re

Britain's health minister warned Sunday that a strict lockdown imposed on London and southeast England may last for months because a new strain of the coronavirus was "out of control".Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Saturday that millions must cancel Christmas plans and stay at home from Sunday morning because the new strain was spreading far more quickly. Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned that the strict measures that affect almost a third of England's

The first Christmas in a coronavirus world will be a season like no other, with governments urging people to rein themselves in to stop another deadly wave of the pandemic.Mutti Knows BestAngela Merkel - affectionately known as "Mutti" or "Mummy" - has warned Germans to limit socialising in case "it ends up being the last Christmas with the grandparents."But the sacrifices do not end there.