The El Nino weather pattern has created ideal conditions for mosquitos to breed and transmit dengue fever. The viral infection can cause fever, nausea, vomiting, fatigue and body aches. The El Nino weather pattern has created ideal conditions for mosquitos to breed and transmit dengue fever. The viral infection can cause fever, nausea, vomiting, fatigue and body aches. Peru declared a health emergency in most parts of the country on Monday after a heat wave and heavy rains led to a spike in dengue fever cases. At least 32 people have died of the disease so far this year, Health Minister Cesar Vasquez said on Monday. There have been 31,300 cases recorded in the first eight weeks of the year. "This is a grave problem," Vasquez said last week. "And it is getting out of hand." Vasquez said Peru's typical response to the disease had been "overtaken" by factors such as climate. The El Nino weather pattern has caused warm temperatures and heavy rainfall. "The weather has created a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes to reproduce more quickly and become a more frequent vector of the disease," he added. What does the declaration entail? The health emergency was declared in 20 of Peru's 25 regions. Most of the cases so far have been in the north of the country. The move will enable the government to transfer funds more quickly to affected regions and more easily deploy doctors and nurses. Dengue causes causes symptoms such as fever, nausea, vomiting, fatigue and body aches. It is largely transmitted through bites from infected mosquitoes.

Papua New Guinea has mobilized security forces after nationwide looting and violence. High employment and the rising cost of living has sparked frustration in the South Pacific nation. Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape declared a two-week state of emergency in capital Port Moresby on Thursday after widespread looting left at least 15 dead in the country. The prime minister's order states that more than 1,000 security personnel were on standby to "step in wherever necessary." Marape earlier Thursday said at a news conference that Port Moresby was "under stress and duress." At least 180 defense personnel were deployed after violence on Wednesday, according to earlier reports. "(The) situation report as of this morning shows tension in the city has subsided," Marape said at the news conference. “Police were not at work yesterday in the city and people resorted to lawlessness — not all people, but in certain segments of our city,” Marape said.   Riots set cities alight Violence erupted in Port Moresby on Wednesday after hundreds of police officers, soldiers, prison staff and public servants walked off their jobs in protest over a pay dispute.  Shops were looted and warehouses set alight in the capital, with similar rioting also reported in the country's second-biggest city of Lae. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that unrest had killed at least 15 people in Port Moresby and Lae. Many shops and banking services remain closed as business owners repaired damage. The Papua New Guinea government attributed the pay cut to an administrative glitch.   Tensions in the country have risen amid high unemployment and increased living costs. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese appealed for calm. He said his government had not received any requests for help from its closest neighbor. Papua New Guinea, a country of 10 million, is the most populous South Pacific nation after Australia.

The airline's pilot was forced to land the aircraft some 20 minutes after take off after a window blew out in flight. Boeing said it was gathering information and was ready to support the investigation. Alaska Airlines grounded all its Boeing 737-9 aircraft, after one of its flights was forced to conduct an emergency landing when a window and piece of fuselage blew out in midair on Friday. The hole in the aircraft was ripped open some 20 minutes after take off, causing the cabin to depressurize.   Oxygen masks were released and the plane safely landed soon after, with over 170 passengers and six crew members unharmed. "Following tonight's event on Flight 1282, we have decided to take the precautionary step of temporarily grounding our fleet of 65 Boeing 737-9 aircraft," Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci said in a statement. The US National Transportation Safety Board, Federal Aviation Administration and Alaska Airlines each said they were investigating the incident, which is standard procedure for emergency landings. Difficult start in the skies for the latest 737s The Boeing 737-9 MAX just received its certification last October, FFA online records show. It has been on 145 flights since going into commercial service on Nov 11. Boeing said it was gathering more information and had a technical team ready to support the investigation. Alaska Airlines' Minicucci said the carrier was "working with Boeing and regulators to understand what occurred."   The twin-engine, single-aisle Max is the newest version of most-flown commercial series of aircraft in the world, Boeing 737s. In service since May 2017, it's frequently used on US domestic flights. Two Max 8 aircrafts crashed in 2018 and 2019, killing 346 people and prompting a worldwide grounding of all Max 8 and Max 9 planes that lasted nearly two years. In 2018, a Lion Air Boeing 737 Max plane in Indonesia crashed, killing 189 people. A year later, the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max crashed soon after take off from Addis Ababa, killing 157 people.

New York City authorities have declared a state of emergency after torrential rain caused flooding in some parts of the city on Friday. "I am declaring a State of Emergency across New York City, Long Island, and the Hudson Valley due to the extreme rainfall we're seeing throughout the region. Please take steps to stay safe and remember to never attempt to travel on flooded roads," said Governor Kathy Hochul on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. Various media outlets along with residents of the city posted videos showing the extent of the flooding in a number of locations.  Roadways waterlogged Roads in the country's most populous city turned into rivers as heavy rainfall pummelled the metropolitan area. Flights into LaGuardia Airport were halted and then delayed, due to water in the airport's refueling area. Flooding also forced the closure of one of the airport's three terminals. The National Weather Service (NWS) had issued flash flood warnings in parts of the city after forecasts predicted heavy to excessive rainfall across parts of the Northeast, including New York City.  Warnings of more rain NWS meteorologist Zack Taylor said that as much as 6 inches of rain fell in some locations, including Brooklyn, lower Manhattan and John F. Kennedy International Airport in the borough of Queens. "More rain is falling," Taylor said, and warned: "This is seriously a life-threatening situation." Mayor Eric Adams urged residents to remain where they were if possible. "It is not over, and I don't want these gaps in heavy rain to give the appearance that it is over," Adams said at a news briefing. City officials say that there have not been any storm-related deaths or injuries reported as yet, but the flooded streets were impeding the ability to move around freely. The US east coast has been battered by a number of storm systems this year.  Scientists say climate change could result in hurricanes expanding their reach into mid-latitude regions more often.

Hurricane Hilary was downgraded to a tropical storm before making landfall along Mexico's Baja coast on Sunday, amid warnings it could bring deadly flash floods. The US National Weather Service warned it was still likely to bring "catastrophic and life-threatening" flooding to  northwestern Mexico as well as southern California, where it will be the first such tropical storm in 84 years. As of 1500 UTC, the storm still sustained wind speeds of up to 70 miles per hour (110 kilometers per hour). "Heavy rains" were also affecting portions of Baja California and the southwestern United States. Wild weather begins in Mexico As Hilary pummeled Mexico's Baja California peninsula with rain, one person drowned in the town of Santa Rosalia when their vehicle was swept away by an overflowing stream. Rescue workers managed to save four other people around the nearby township of Mulege. Authorities in Mexico's second largest city, Tijuana, have moved some residents to temporary shelters as the threat of landslides looms. "If you hear noises, or the ground cracking, it is important for you to check it and get out as fast as possible, because the ground can weaken and your home could collapse," said Rafael Carrillo, head of the Tijuana fire department. Meanwhile, Mexico's navy evacuated 850 people from islands off the Baja coast and deployed 3,000 troops around the region. Preparations underway in the US In the US, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Saturday and officials urged people to finish final preparations for the storm, saying that leaving it until Sunday would be too late. Nancy Ward, director of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, said Hilary could be one of the worst storms to hit the state in more than a decade. "Make no mistake, this is a very, very dangerous and significant storm," she said. The US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said it deployed teams to areas in Hilary's path and is providing President Joe Biden with regular updates. "He has encouraged everyone to make sure that they are aware of what this dangerous storm is potentially going to bring and to listen to their local officials on the steps they can take to make sure that they are keeping safe," FEMA chief Deanne Criswell said. Almost 200 flights on Sunday and another 184 on Monday were canceled at the San Diego International Airport, per FlightAware website.

The coronavirus pandemic is over as a global health emergency, the World Health Organization said — while stressing that the virus "is here to stay." The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday said that coronavirus was no longer a global health emergency. The UN's health agency had COVID declared as a "public health emergency of international concern," its highest level of alert, for over three years.  What did the WHO say? WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed that the announcement does not mean COVID-19 is over as a "global health threat," but rather as an emergency. Tedros added that he wouldn't hesitate to reassess the situation should COVID-19 "put our world in peril." Still, the WHO chief said the world had seen a downward trend of the coronavirus for over a year as he acknowledged that most countries have already returned to life as it was before the pandemic hit. "COVID has changed the world, and it has changed us. And that's the way it should be. If we go back to how things were before COVID-19, we will have failed to learn our lessons, and failed our future generations," said Tedros. He went on to warn against "pandemic fatigue," saying: "This virus is here to stay, and all countries will need to learn to manage it alongside other infectious diseases."  Millions of deaths around the world According to the WHO, reported deaths related to COVID-19 dropped by 95% since the start of 2023 as of April.  For the week beginning April 24 this year, the most recent with complete WHO data, the organization logged 3,568 deaths worldwide. That compares with 41,529 in the week beginning January 2 — amid a small midwinter spike in the caseload.  At the height of the pandemic, meanwhile, weekly global figures had peaked at around 100,000. Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, over 765 million infections and nearly seven million deaths were officially reported to the agency. But Tedros said the number of deaths estimated to have taken place as a result of the pandemic — if not necessarily because of a COVID infection — was at least 20 million. The figure was estimated based on comparisons of the numbers of excess deaths — the figures of all deaths beyond the norm during a crisis worldwide — since 2020 to the pre-pandemic figures. The WHO previously said that nearly 15 million excess deaths in 2020 and 2021 were due to the coronavirus, either directly from the disease or indirectly through its impact on societies and health systems. When did COVID reach its peak? According to WHO figures, reported deaths related to COVID-19 reached their peak in the first winter of the pandemic, with an average of around 91,000 weekly deaths in December 2020 and January 2021. Meanwhile, the average of weekly reported cases in the same period was around 4 million. At the time, lockdowns were in place in most countries, but vaccines were not yet available and most people's immune systems had not been exposed to the virus yet. Testing was not as widely available as it was in the two years that followed either. The following winter, particularly in January and February 2022, fewer deaths but more cases were reported. The average of weekly deaths was around 63,000, while the average of weekly confirmed cases was around 18 million. Vaccines were available at that point of the pandemic, and more people had already been exposed to the virus in the previous two years.  WHO faced criticism over COVID Tedros has repeatedly defended the WHO against criticism that the organization's response to the coronavirus was stalled.   Some health officials, for instance, have criticized the WHO's recommendation in the early months of the pandemic against members of the public wearing face masks.  At the time, the agency advised people not to wear masks unless they were sick or caring for someone who was ill, citing a global shortage in the production of masks, as well as a lack of studies backing their benefit.  The organization also faced a backlash for publicly hailing China's supposed transparent response to the coronavirus, while later media reports suggested that WHO officials were frustrated by the country's lack of cooperation.  Investigations into the origins of the virus have also drawn criticism to the WHO.  In 2021, the agency said in a report that the virus was likely transferred from animals to humans, dismissing the possibility that it originated in a lab as "extremely unlikely." But the following year, the WHO said "key pieces of data" were still missing and that it could not rule out that COVID-19 might have ties to a lab.

The declaration followed the death of at least 25 people in the state due to storms and a tornado. Search and recovery efforts in Mississippi are still underway. US President Joe Biden approved on Sunday an emergency declaration for Mississippi, after the state was hit by devastating storms and a tornado which killed at least 25 people and left much destruction. One person was killed in Alabama. The declaration involves federal aid to supplement state, tribal and local recovery efforts in the affected areas, according to a White House statement. What does the declaration mean? The declaration offers funding for individuals affected by the tornado. The funding is available for those impacted in the counties of Carroll, Humphreys, Monroe, and Sharkey. Authorities were also assessing other areas and counties, with the possibility of extending aid further. Aid is offered in the form of programs meant to help individuals and business owners recover from the devastation. Programs include grants for temporary housing and home repairs and low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses. Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves issued a state of emergency. He pledged to help rebuild the devastated state as he inspected the damage. Over six shelters were opened in the state to house those displaced by the tornado. Recovery efforts underway Search and recovery crews continued on Sunday to dig through the debris, with the tornado leaving behind a trail of flattened and destroyed homes, buildings and offices, and displacing hundreds of people. The National Weather Service warned that more severe weather could still be on the way on Sunday. Eastern Louisiana, south central Mississippi and south central Alabama could be hit with high winds, large hail and possible tornadoes, the service cautioned. "Houses are gone, houses stacked on top of houses with vehicles on top of that," Rodney Porter, who lives near the severely battered town of Rolling Fork, told the AP news agency. "How anybody survived is unknown by me." Preliminary information on the storm suggested the tornado was on the ground for over an hour, traversing at least 170 miles (274 kilometers), Lance Perrilloux, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, told the AP. He described it as "very, very rare."

Cyclone Yaku has caused torrential rain and flooding in the north of Peru. It comes as the country deals with months-long protests against the government of President Dina Boluarte. At least six people have died in northern Peru in recent days due to Cyclone Yaku, the National Institute of Civil Defense said on Friday. The government has declared a state of emergency in the regions of Tumbes, Piura, Cajamarca, Lambayeque, La Libertad, Ancas, which have been hit by torrential rain and flooding. On Saturday, several rivers overflowed in different parts of the country, damaging crops and homes. At least one bridge also collapsed in Casma, which the regional governor said was the main gateway to northern Peru. Authorities said 58 people had died since the start of the rainy season, which included other disasters such as mudslides in February. Aid for the northern regions Authorities are working to deliver emergency aid to the worst-affected regions. On Saturday, President Dina Boluarte visited Tumbes with other ministers to oversee the delivery of supplies. She claimed the government did not have the resources to deal with the floods — including motorized pumps and other machinery — because the state had been "abandoned." Boluarte took office in December after Congress voted to impeach former President Pedro Castillo. Since then, the country has been rocked by large anti-government protests in support of Castillo, particularly in the south of the country where highways and airports have been shut down several times. Castillo is currently detained in Lima awaiting trial on charges including rebellion and conspiracy, which he denies.

For only the third time in its history, New Zealand has declared a national emergency. It comes as Cyclone Gabrielle causes flooding and landslides across North Island. New Zealand declared a national emergency on Tuesday as Cyclone Gabrielle wreaked havoc across the country's North Island. The emergency — only the third in New Zealand's history — comes as the extreme weather pattern causes flooding, landslides and ocean swells. Lives under threat Authorities have conducted evacuations across the island amid power outages and damage to properties. The flooding has cut off access to several towns. "This is an unprecedented weather event that is having major impacts across much of the North Island," Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty said. "This is a significant disaster with a real threat to the lives of New Zealanders." Gabrielle expected to head on to South Island The cyclone is centered around 100 kilometres (60 miles) east of the city of Auckland and is expected to move east-southeast down the coast, possibly bringing its severe weather to the South Island. Authorities have asked people who live near the coast to leave their homes amid fears of swelling rivers and rising sea tides. Many roads have been closed and mobile phone services are down in across parts of the island. New Zealand previously declared a national emergency on only two occasions. First after the 2011 earthquakes that struck Christchurch. And the second during the COVID-19 pandemic. The declaration gives the government emergency powers to better manage and control the crisis. Fears mount over missing firefighter No deaths have been reported, but Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said it was too early to tell how many people had been injured or displaced. "It has been a big night for New Zealanders across the country, but particularly in the upper North Island ... a lot of families displaced, a lot of homes without power, extensive damage done across the country," he told reporters. Particular attention was being given to the case of a volunteer firefighter who went missing after a house collapsed near Auckland on Monday night. Authorities said that another firefighter had been rescued already, but search efforts had to be called off amid safety concerns. "One was rescued early this morning and is in a critical condition in hospital. The search for our second firefighter was suspended in the early hours of the morning due to the instability of the land," Fire and Emergency chief Kerry Gregory said.

The UN agency sees the coronavirus pandemic as a "public health emergency of international concern," its highest level of alert. WHO chief Tedros noted a recent spike in deaths following a wave of infections in China. The World Health Organization began discussions on lowering the level of alert about the coronavirus. WHO sources said no decision would be announced before Monday. The WHO's emergency committee on COVID-19 is holding its 14th meeting since the start of the pandemic. The panel meets every three months to discuss the crisis and then brief WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The WHO currently classes the coronavirus pandemic as a "public health emergency of international concern," which is the highest level of alert defined by the organization. Last month, top German virologist Christian Drosten said "the pandemic is over" and the virus had become "endemic," with infection rates not rising or falling significantly. 'Spike in deaths' following new China wave Tedros said before Friday's meeting that more than 170,000 COVID-19 deaths had been reported in recent weeks. "The actual number is certainly much higher," he said. Although the weekly rate had dropped below 10,000 in October, deaths have been rising since December during new waves of infections in China. Tedros said that, just in the past week "almost 40,000 deaths were reported to WHO, more than half of them from China." China significantly reduced COVID-19 restrictions in December, leading to a surge in cases. Infection rates appeared to have stabilized in major cities by mid-January. Global response 'hobbled' by uneven distribution The WHO chief said the fight against COVID-19 was still held back by a lack of vaccines, tests and treatments. "The global response remains hobbled because, in too many countries, these powerful, life-saving tools are still not getting to the populations that need them most — especially older people and health workers," Tedros said. Tedros said trust in health care was being undermined by a "continuous torrent" of misinformation and systems were struggling to cope with the burden of COVID-19 cases. "While we are clearly in better shape than three years ago when this pandemic first hit, the global collective response is once again under strain," Tedros said earlier this week. He also said too few people around the world were adequately vaccinated. COVID-19 will "continue to kill, unless we do more to get health tools to people that need them," Tedros said.