Is Omicron a New Wave or a Parallel Pandemic? Why the variant may not mean much for the course of the pandemic.

What do these historic, off-the-charts caseloads actually portend? read more We’re still sorting out the answer in terms of severity, where the early returns suggest that while Omicron likely produces less severe illness overall — perhaps 70 percent less — the reduction inherent to the strain may be smaller than has been observed so far in South Africa.

Madagascar’s police minister survives helicopter crash, swims 12 hours to shore

A government minister with “nerves of steel” swam for 12 hours in the Indian Ocean before being rescued after his helicopter crashed off the coast of Madagascar this week.

Tigray rebels announce plan to withdraw from neighboring Ethiopian regions

MSN News KHARTOUM, Sudan — The spokesman for Tigrayan rebels waging war with Ethiopia’s government confirmed Monday that rebel troops would be withdrawing from the neighboring regions of Afar and Amhara, where fierce fighting has displaced more than 300,000 people since July.

At the time, the TPLF’s spokesman, Getachew Reda, told The Washington Post that pulling out of Amhara and Afar was “out of the question until the siege on Tigray is lifted.”