Over six million people have died worldwide from COVID-19 since the pandemic began, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP on Tuesday.A total of 6,003,081 people succumbed to the virus as counted by AFP at 1100 GMT.The milestone comes as the number of infections and deaths continues to plummet in most regions of the world, except in Asia, where Hong Kong is suffering its worst-ever outbreak, and Oceania, where New Zealand has recorded a jump in cases.Average global daily d

Catching COVID may cause changes to the brain, a study suggests.Scientists have found significant differences in MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans before and after infection.Even after a mild infection, the overall size of the brain had shrunk slightly, with less grey matter in the parts related to smell and memory.The researchers do not know whether the changes are permanent but stressed the brain could heal.The new study is published in the journal Nature.Lead author Prof Gwenaelle Dou

Dutch lawyers representing a suspect accused of downing Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in 2014 said Monday that no witnesses exist who could implicate their client in the incident in which 298 people died.The case about the ill-fated flight, shot down over war-torn Ukraine on 17 July that year, took on a new dimension as hearings resumed near Schiphol airport to the backdrop of Russia's invasion into its neighbour almost two weeks ago."Not a single witness can testify to our client&#

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:Peak In China China reports its highest number of coronavirus cases – more than 500 – in two years as clusters emerge in more than a dozen cities, posing a fresh challenge to Beijing's zero-COVID policy.Hong Kong Exodus A record 71,000 people – including 63,000 residents – fled Hong Kong in February, amid fears infected children could be separated from their parents as the city follows China's orders to cur

Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had met face-to-face in Beijing, culminating in a joint document – and then they went off to see the opening of the Winter Olympic Games. Days after the Games ended, Russia invaded Ukraine.China's government has neither condemned nor condoned the attack and has even refrained from calling it an "invasion" in the first place.

A boat carrying more than 100 Rohingya refugees, including dozens of children, landed on the coast of Indonesia's westernmost province Aceh early Sunday, police said.The vessel, which sailed from a Rohingya camp in Bangladesh, arrived shortly after 3:00 am on a beach in Bireun district.It was carrying 114 people, including 58 men, 21 women and 35 children aged under 15 years old, police said."We will conduct a general health check-up and COVID-19 rapid antigen tests for these foreig

More than 1.5 million people have fled Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion, according to the latest UN data on Sunday.1,534,792The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had recorded 1,534,792 refugees on its dedicated website by 1335 GMT, almost 166,000 more than the previous count on Saturday.Authorities and the UN expect the flow to intensify as the Russian army continues to advance into Ukraine, particularly as it approaches the capital, Kyiv."More than 1.5

Here are the latest developments in Russia's war in Ukraine:Ceasefire Collapses Russia resumes its offensive against the besieged south-eastern city of Mariupol hours after agreeing to a ceasefire to allow residents trapped by the fighting to leave which Ukraine says it violated.Officials in Mariupol had announced plans for a large-scale evacuation during the ceasefire but later said they had to postpone the operation in the face of continued Russian shelling.Russia accused Ukra

Myanmar's junta has revoked the citizenship of several members of an opposition government dominated by Aung San Suu Kyi's toppled administration, it said Saturday.Ousted lawmakers formed the "National Unity Government" (NUG) weeks after the military's power-grab last year, and have vowed to overturn the coup.The NUG has since been declared a "terrorist" organisation by the junta.Those stripped of citizenship include spokesman Sasa – who goes by one name – m

Ukraine accused the Kremlin of "nuclear terror" and the West expressed fury on Friday after Europe's largest atomic power plant was attacked and seized by invading Russian forces, which continued to shell major cities.Fighting and a fire at the Zaporizhzhia plant triggered an emergency United Nations (UN) Security Council meeting, after which President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was ready for talks – if all Russia's demands were first met.The six reactors at Zaporizhzhia,