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The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that Covid-19 no longer represents a "global health emergency". The statement represents a major step towards ending the pandemic and comes three years after it first declared its highest level of alert over the virus. Officials said the virus' death rate had dropped from a peak of more than 100,000 people per week in January 2021 to just over 3,500 on 24 April. The head of the WHO said at least seven million people died in the pandemic.

Trump ending Scotland golfing trip early to atte Donald Trump has claimed he is cutting short his trip to Ireland to “confront” E Jean Carroll after his defence team suffered a series of setbacks at his civil rape and defamation trial in New York. Speaking to reporters while golfing at his Doonbeg resort on Thursday, Mr Trump said he would “probably attend” the trial, which is hearing its final day of evidence before closing arguments next week. “I was falsely accused by this woman, I have no idea who she is – it’s ridiculous,” he said. “I’ll be going back early because a woman made a claim that is totally false, it’s fake.”

First detected in India, Omicron subvariant XBB.1.16 - also known as "Arcturus" - has already been reported in over 30 countries. This is what we know about it so far. The World Health Organization (WHO) is carefully monitoring a new Omicron subvariant that is driving a surge of new COVID-19 cases in India. XBB.1.16 - also known as "Arcturus," the name of the brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere - was detected in 21 countries as of March 27. The WHO upgraded it to "variant of interest" status in mid-April, with the number of countries now affected believed to be more than 30. Long COVID linked to higher mortality rates and long-term heart problems, new study finds Scientists at the University of Tokyo suggest it could be about 1.17 to 1.27 times more infectious than Kraken, the last major omicron sub-variant, making it likely to become the next dominant strain. "This is one to watch," said Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead for COVID-19 response at the WHO, during a press conference on March 29.

Tired of clicking on "forgot password"? You're in luck: Google is embracing new "passkey" technology. Here's what you need to know. Good news for all the password-haters out there: Google has taken a big step toward making them an afterthought by adding “passkeys” as a more straightforward and secure way to log into its services. Here's what you need to know. What are passkeys? Passkeys offer a safer alternative to passwords and texted confirmation codes. Users won’t ever see them directly; instead, an online service like Gmail will use them to communicate directly with a trusted device such as your phone or computer to log you in. All you'll have to do is verify your identity on the device using a PIN unlock code, biometrics such as your fingerprint or a face scan or a more sophisticated physical security dongle.

Even mass shootings become routine after a while for many Americans not yet directly affected. Another city goes into lockdown. Millions of smartphones flash with news of the latest horror. Video shows police storming into another building and snaking lines of survivors being rushed to safety. Soon, muted TVs playing cable news in tire shops, bars and airports nationwide show speeding ambulances and white-coated hospital spokespeople briefing on trauma injuries. It may be a day before the family snapshots of the victims emerge. Mass shootings end lives in a senseless instant. Survivors may take months to recover, if they ever do. And the agony of those close to the victims will never end. But for most of the rest of the country, life goes on, because there’s no other way. On Wednesday, it was the turn of Atlanta, Georgia, where a gunman became enraged during a visit to a midtown medical facility, allegedly shooting dead at least one person with a handgun and injuring four others before he was caught hours later after a manhunt.

China's domestic tourism rebounded above pre-pandemic levels during the five-day May Day break. Tourists made 274m trips within the country during the holiday period, China's Ministry of Tourism says. That was almost 20% higher than in 2019, before the outbreak of Covid-19 triggered lockdowns across the country. Official figures also show that tourists spent $21bn (£16.7bn) during the period, more than twice the amount seen the same time last year. "This can be seen as a turning point of China's tourism sector. The market performance has truly returned to its 2019 level," Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy told the official state news agency Xinhua. The May Day break, which ended on Wednesday, is one of China's most important national holidays.

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Russia has accused Ukraine of trying to kill President Vladimir Putin in a drone attack on his residence in the Kremlin in Moscow. Two drones were brought down by Russian air defences, according to Kremlin officials who said Mr Putin was not there at the time. Ukraine has denied this, claiming that Russia staged the attack.

A well-known critic of the Laos government has been shot dead in a late-night attack in the capital. Anousa 'Jack' Luangsuphom, 25, was shot point blank in the face and chest while sitting at a coffee shop on Saturday. He had run the Kub Kluen Duay Keyboard (Driven By Keyboard) Facebook page, where people dared to expressed criticism of the Communist authorities. Rights groups have condemned officials for not yet announcing an investigation into the brazen "cold-blooded killing". Security cameras captured the attack. Footage shows a gunman dressed in a brown long-sleeved shirt and black cap entering the cafe and firing twice at Luangsuphom, who is seated on the floor, before fleeing. He died on the way to hospital. The young activist had been "one of the few people in Laos who regularly and openly expressed views that were critical of the government", Human Rights Watch (HRW) said. "(This) sends a spine-chilling message that no one in Laos who criticises the government is safe," said the group's Asia director Elaine Pearson. HRW also condemned the Lao government's "apparent apathy" towards seeking justice for the activist's killing.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had no conversations with the White House after a trove of classified US intelligence documents were posted on social media, he told The Washington Post Monday. In an interview with the Post, Zelensky said he learned about the Pentagon leak through news coverage and claimed he “did not receive information from the White House or the Pentagon beforehand.” “We did not have that information. I personally did not. It’s definitely a bad story,” he said, calling it “unprofitable” for Ukraine, as well as “also not beneficial to the reputation of the White House, and I believe it is not beneficial to the reputation of the United States.”

Medicinal cannabis can help relieve pain caused by cancer and reduce the number of drugs patients need, Canadian research suggests. In a study of 358 cancer patients, researchers concluded it was a safe option for managing pain, alongside other drugs. Only specialist hospital doctors can prescribe cannabis-based medicines on the NHS, mostly for severe epilepsy. Research on how well they treat pain is still being collected in the UK. The study, published in BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care, researchers found medicinal cannabis to be "a safe and effective complementary treatment for pain relief in patients with cancer". Products with an equal balance of the active ingredients tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) seemed to be the most effective.

Russian ships able to perform underwater operations were present near to where explosions later took place on the Nord Stream pipelines, according to an investigative documentary. The vessels were reportedly located using intercepted Russian navy communications. Underwater explosions last September knocked the two Nord Stream pipelines - built to carry gas from Russia to Europe - out of action. The cause of the blasts is unclear. In the immediate aftermath, some in the West pointed the finger at Russia, while Moscow blamed Western countries, including the UK. More recently, there were reports that intelligence pointed towards pro-Ukrainian operatives, although not the Ukrainian government itself. Formal investigations are still taking place in countries close to the blast site. So far, these nations have only said they believe the explosions were the result of sabotage rather than any kind of accident.

The sale of diesel-powered trucks is on track to be banned in California starting in 2036 following the passage of new regulations in the state. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) voted in favor of the rule on Friday, and it now waits for EPA approval to be put into effect. It's part of the state's Advanced Clean Fleets program, which aims to make its entire trucking industry zero emissions by 2045. But that doesn't mean every truck will be battery-powered.