At least 12 people have died in the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines this year, the disaster agency said Friday, after the storm swept across the archipelago uprooting trees, toppling power poles and flooding villages. More than 300,000 people fled their homes and beachfront resorts as Typhoon Rai pummelled the southern and central regions of the country, knocking out communications in some areas and tearing roofs off buildings.Rai was a super typhoon when it slammed into Sia

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:Omicron 'Almost Certainly' Not Worse Top United States (US) scientist Anthony Fauci tells AFP that while it will take weeks to judge the severity of the new COVID-19 variant Omicron, early indications suggest it is not worse than prior strains, and possibly milder.Stocks, Oil RallyGlobal stock markets rally on fading fears over dangers arising from the new variant.

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 5,249,851 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Sunday. At least 264,784,370 cases of coronavirus have been registered. The vast majority have recovered, though some have continued to experience symptoms weeks or even months later. The figures are based on daily reports provided by health authorities in each country.

The death toll from a sudden, spectacular eruption of Indonesia's Mount Semeru has risen to 13, disaster officials said Sunday, as rescuers searched villages blanketed in molten ash for survivors.

Everyone should count.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said another 500,000 people in Europe could die of COVID-19 by March next year unless urgent action is taken.The WHO’s Europe director, Dr Hans Kluge, said he was very worried about a fresh wave of infections that had spread across the continent and led countries to announce new restrictions.Austria announced this week that it would become the first country to legally require people to have the vaccines from February.

With the world poised to hit more than five million people officially dead from the coronavirus, experts say the pandemic's future path will depend greatly on vaccinations.How Many Dead?The true number of fatalities is believed to be far higher than the five million based on daily reports provided by health authorities in each country.The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates the overall toll could be two to three times higher than official records due to the excess mortality linked

After two months of improvement, the coronavirus pandemic took a turn for the worse this week around the world, fuelled by deteriorating situations in Europe and the United States (US).Here is the global state of play based on an AFP database.On The March AgainThe number of new daily cases increased slightly by two percent globally to 410,654, according to an AFP tally to Thursday.There were however wide disparities between regions.The pandemic had been slowing down since late August, but has

The World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday that 80,000 to 180,000 health care workers may have been killed by COVID-19 up to May this year, insisting they must be prioritised for vaccination.The WHO said the fact that millions of health workers remain unvaccinated is an "indictment" on the countries and companies controlling the global supply of doses.A WHO paper estimated that out of the planet's 135 million health staff, "between 80,000 to 180,000 health and care

The coronavirus pandemic slowed for a seventh week in a row around the world.Here is the global state of play based on an AFP database.In Decline The number of new daily cases decreased by five percent globally to 403,300, according to an AFP tally to Thursday.The pandemic had gained ground since mid-June fanned by the highly contagious Delta variant, but since late August it has been in decline.The confirmed cases only reflect a fraction of the actual number of infections, with vary