Boris Johnson to give Downing Street Covid press conference at 4pm today

Patty Hajdu says the number of COVID-19 infections in First Nations communities has begun to decline, bringing hope that the worst of the Omicron wave has passed.Hajdu says she understands why Indigenous leaders are sounding an alarm that progress could be lost in regions where provincial governments are rapidly moving to lift public health orders.“Indigenous leaders obviously are concerned,” Hajdu said during a news conference Thursday. High anxiety levels expected in Canadians wary of COVID restrictions lifting - experts Daily active case counts in Indigenous communities have declined 13.2 per cent from last week.

East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow MP, Dr Lisa Cameron, attended a drop in event in the Houses of Parliament to mark Children’s Mental Health Week 2022.

Taking lateral flow tests regularly continues to be an important part of Scotland's fight against the spread of Covid.

Philadelphia police detectives are investigating a carjacking where an Uber driver was shot on Thursday night.  PHILADELPHIA - Investigators with the Philadelphia Police Department are investigating after an Uber driver was carjacked and shot around 11:34 p.m.

PHILADELPHIA - Authorities in Delaware County responded to a gruesome scene Friday morning after they say a man murdered his girlfriend and attempted to decapitate her. Officers responded to the Willow Apartments on the 400 block of Springfield Road in Clifton Heights around 4 a.m. Friday morning.Law enforcement sources tell FOX 29’s Steve Keeley that police found the man using a machete in an attempt to decapitate the victim. The suspect was taken into custody at the scene and the victim was pronounced dead.

Former President Donald Trump speaks during the 'Save America' rally at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds on January 29, 2022 in Conroe, Texas. Trump's visit was his first Texas MAGA rally since 2019.

DOVER, Del. - Delaware’s universal indoor mask mandate ends Friday morning, as their school mask requirements remain in effect through next month.Earlier this week, Gov. John Carney signed a revision of the State of Emergency order that lifted the state’s universal mask mandate, effective at 8 a.m. Also in Monday's revision to the State of Emergency order, Governor Carney temporarily extended the mask requirement in both public and private K-12 schools and child care facilities. As a result, that requirement will expire at 11:59 p.m.

Simon Cowell will miss the next round of auditions for Britain's Got Talent as he has contracted Covid-19.The 62 year old will be unable to judge the latest round of hopefuls on the ITV talent show while he self-isolates. A spokesperson for the music mogul confirmed the news to Mail Online, saying: "Simon was unable to attend filming today as he was isolating at home after testing positive for Covid-19." Current rules for contracting Covid-19 state people need to isolate for ten days but may leave after five if certain conditions are met. Alesha Dixon, David Walliams and Amanda Holden were spotted heading in to film the show and will be left with golden buzzer duties until the show's creator returns.

COLOMBO (News 1st): The foreign exchange shortage experienced in Sri Lanka will be short-lived, said the country’s Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa.Speaking to officials at the Finance Ministry of Friday (11), Rajapaksa said the government expects to minimize the effects the forex shortage might have on the people.On Monday (7) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa instructed the officials to take steps to immediately release the containers containing essential items at the custody of Customs.The President also appointed a committee headed by Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa to ensure that there is no shortage of essential commodities including food, and this committee met for the first time on Friday (11).A statement from the Finance Ministry noted that though there is a shortage of Milk Powder, Gas, Wheat Flour, and Cement in the local market, there are sufficient stocks of all other essential items and there will be no shortage.In addition, the tax reliefs granted by the government for essential food items not being enjoyed by the people were discussed and it was revealed at the meeting that errant traders abuse the concessions granted by the government and sell goods at exorbitant prices.The implementation of a new mechanism to expedite the release of essential commodities including food to the market, and to regulate and oversee this matter, was also discussed.

PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia police are investigating after they say six people were stabbed inside if a Kensington home as they slept Friday morning.The incident happened around 4 a.m. on the 3000 block of North Front Street. Police say a family member went from bedroom to bedroom stabbing the six victims with two different knives that were described as kitchen knives.FOX 29’s Steve Keeley reports that all six of the stabbing victims are between the ages of 26 and 46. A 46-year-old woman is in critical condition after suffering stab wounds to the head and neck during the incident.

From symptoms to subvariants, UN health agency explains all that you need to know about Omicron

PARIS :

France will deploy thousands of police in and around Paris and set up checkpoints at toll stations on major roads leading into the capital to keep so-called "Freedom Convoy" motorists out, the city's police force said.

₹9.57 lakh crore for the economy was far sharper than ₹2.12 lakh crore in GDP growth that was lost in 2008-09 global financial crises, yet the government was able to contain consumer price inflation (CPI) to within 6.2% as opposed to CPI ballooning to 9.1% during the global financial crisis.

Britain without taking any coronavirus tests starting Friday after the government scrapped one of the final restrictions imposed over the past two years in response to Covid-19.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Thousands of Sri Lankan health workers continued their strike action for the fifth consecutive day on Friday (11), despite a court issuing an order against a nurses trade union that is also taking part in the strike.Health workers in Sri Lanka have been staging demonstrations and strikes since November 2021 to draw attention to the issue of salary anomalies.Their major demands include the rectification of salary anomalies, higher allowances, and an increase in overtime rates.Supplementary and paramedical services, nursing services, and professionals from 16 health services including medical laboratory technologists, pharmacists, radiologists, public health inspectors, and family health officers are participating in the indefinite strike.Thousands of poor patients who visited government hospitals were turned away, as a result.A Sri Lankan court on Thursday (10) issued two enjoining orders preventing the strike action by the Government Nursing Officer’s Association from continuing.The Attorney General filed an action against the Government Nursing Officer’s Association and its president Saman Rathnapriya, seeking an enjoining order from the court to immediately suspend the trade union action of the said union.The Attorney General appraised the court of the present deplorable conditions in hospitals due to patient care being severely affected.District Court Judge of Colombo Aruna Aluthge issued two enjoining orders preventing the union from continuing the said trade union strike endangering the lives of the patients.As a result of the strike, over this week the activities at the Colombo General Hospital, Kandy General Hospital, 24 Teaching Hospitals, 26 General Hospitals, 46 Base Hospitals, 410 District

Prince Charles getting Covid again should be "ringing royal alarm bells," according to an expert who warns of some "regal whiplash". The 73-year-old is set to snatch an almost 200-year record by becoming the oldest person to be crowned monarch.

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Withdrawal of restrictions

Boris Johnson ending Covid isolation rules is a "distraction" from the PM's lockdown party scandal, according to a Scots health expert.

SYDNEY :

Charli XCX has said that the criticism she’s received on social media lately has taken a toll on her mental health.The singer-songwriter, who releases her fifth album ‘Crash’ on March 18, issued a statement on Twitter yesterday (February 10) to explain that she’s temporarily stepping back from the platform due to the “negativity” surrounding her current campaign.“I’ve always had a pretty open dialogue with you guys and so I just wanna mention a few things that have been on my mind recently,” Charli began.“I have been feeling like I can’t do anything right at the moment.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The new University of Vavuniya was declared open by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Friday (11).The University of Vavuniya is the 17th State University in Sri Lanka and was established with effect from the 1st of August 2021 via an Extraordinary Gazette on the 8th of June 2021 that elevated the Vavuniya Campus of the University of Jaffna, to a separate state university in Sri Lanka.The new state university was established for the purpose of providing, promoting, and developing higher education in the branches of learning of Business Studies, Applied Science, and Technology Studies.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of he World Health Organization (WHO), Buti Manamela, Deputy Dr Blade Nzimande, Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology of South Africa, Dr Joe Phaahla, Minister of Health of South Africa and Meryame Kitir, Minister of Development Cooperation and Urban Policy of Belgium today visit a number of public and private sector partners that are collaborating to develop and build WHO’s global mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub in South Africa.

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Protester numbers outside New Zealand's parliament have increased as police scaled back efforts to clear anti-vaccine demonstrators involved in violent clashes a day earlier.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka’s Health Ministry has warned against the use of fake vaccination cards to avoid being vaccinated against COVID-19.Dr. Anwar Hamdani, attached to the Health Ministry said information on all those who have been vaccinated are with the Health Ministry, and it is a futile attempt to evade being vaccinated.“Getting vaccinated is a social responsibility and therefore everyone must get vaccinated against COVID-19,” he said.At the same time, the Deputy Director-General of Public Health Services Dr.

Despite key party figures expressing support and posing for pictures with protesters, the Conservative Party is joining pleas to end disruptive blockades against COVID restrictions.

Disruptive blockades protesting COVID-19 mandates are escalating in Ontario, prompting more calls for the province to take action. So why has Ontario Premier Doug Ford been mostly absent over the unrest? Eric Sorensen explains the possible strategy behind keeping a low-profile, as concerns grow over potentially politicizing pandemic strategy.

Ottawa police on Thursday provided an update on their ongoing enforcement measures against trucker protests demonstrating against COVID-19 vaccine mandates throughout parts of the city.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held a meeting with leaders of opposition parties Thursday evening, where he said he briefed them on the latest developments of the trucker convoy protests and blockades.

Unhappy Olympic athletes are calling out organizers of the Beijing Games with a litany of complaints about everything from COVID-19 protocols to inadequate catering.

Camilla Parker-Bowles has broken her silence after she was handed the future title of 'Queen Consort' by the Queen on the eve of the Platinum Jubilee last weekend.The Duchess of Cornwall, 74, said she was "very, very honoured" and "very touched" to be bestowed the honour by Her Majesty while on a royal visit to Nourish Hub community food centre in West London.She went ahead with the public appearance after testing negative for Covid despite spending the previous evening with husband Prince Charles, who remained in self-isolation after contracting the virus for the second time yesterday (February 10).Charles, who is said not to be experiencing any symptoms of the virus, was forced on Thursday to cancel his visit the Great Hall at Winchester Castle and the unveiling of a statue of Jewish-British historical figure Licoricia of Winchester.It was also revealed that he had seen his mum the Queen two days before testing positive.Describing the situation, Camilla told Willie Hartley Russell, high sheriff for Berkshire: "He’s diagnosed now. Luckily (she’s negative).

LONDON – The British government plans to increase funding for street lighting and closed-circuit TV as part of a package of measures to help protect women and girls following the murder of a young woman who was abducted on the streets of London.

coronavirus lockdown rules are eased this summer.People will be participating in test events held at some of the city’s nightclubs, comedy clubs and business venues as organised by venue managers with the government.Organisers will collect evidence and share their experiences with others in the event economy, which will be provided to the government to see if venues can reopen in line with the planned four-stage roadmap out of lockdown [via BBC News].At present, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has proposed June 21 as the date by which practically all aspects of normal living can resume, including the removal of social distancing.Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said the pilot scheme in Liverpool will help audiences return “safely without social

the vaccine programme in an attempt to drive home the benefits of the Union in a speech to the online Scottish Conservative conference on Sunday.He told the conference that Scotland is playing its part, as “millions of doses of Valneva’s vaccine are rolling off the production line at a high-tech plant in Livingston, ready for approval”.The Tory strategy to use the vaccine as a vote winner comes as a new poll showed Boris Johnson opening up a 10 point lead over Labour in a UK-wide survey.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has rejected an assertion by European Council President Charles Michel that Britain had banned exports of Covid-19 vaccines, saying his government opposed vaccine nationalism in all its forms.

Covid contracts by the end of the week.During an urgent Commons question on the handling of covid contracts Bryant said he would take “no nonsense” from Health Minister Edward Argar who sought to explain the situation.Bryant told the Commons: “The truth of the matter is that the Government didn’t even get PPE out fast enough to people who really needed it, especially in our care homes, which is why so many people died and we have the highest excess death rate of any country in the world."He added: “So I’m not taking any of this nonsense about they had to focus on that which meant that they couldn’t deal with transparency.

LONDON – Explosive allegations by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex that she faced racist attitudes from both the palace and the U.K. press have sent ripples of shock around the world. But they came as no surprise to many Black Britons.

Millions of secondary pupils face a chaotic start to Covid mass-testing as they return to the classroom for the first time since December.

The UK's coronavirus death toll has risen by 65 - the lowest daily increase in five months.

A further 104 coronavirus deaths have been recorded in UK hospitals.

direct to your inboxBoris Johnson will hold a Downing Street press conference later today, No 10 confirmed.The Prime Minister will update the nation on the latest with coronavirus on the first day of the lockdown roadmap.The briefing will commence at an earlier than usual time, at 4pm.Step one of the roadmap back to normal life saw all schoolchildren in England return to the classroom on March 8.Secondary pupils will be tested twice a week and be told to wear face masks in the classroom and walking around in a bid to stop transmission, yet neither of these are compulsory.Mr Johnson said on Sunday: “The reopening of schools marks a truly national effort to beat this virus.“It is because of the determination of every person in this country

The number of coronavirus hospital deaths in Britain have risen by 199 - a drop of 43 per cent on last Friday.

coronavirus strain.Domestic trips were expected to resume from April 12 following the launch of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's roadmap to ease coronavirus lockdown restrictions last week, with a date for foreign holidays yet to be announced.But plans could be ditched after a new Covid variant has arrived in Britain from Brazil, with one of six people to test positive on Friday and Saturday going missing as tracers try to track them down.Surge testing for the new mutation is being launched in South Gloucestershire after two people at a home in South Gloucestershire were found to be infected.Labour MP Yvette Cooper warned against booking summer holidays abroad, adding that border controls may need to get stricter."There is a concern about

urgent alert has been issued to find the other case after the test came back positive on February 14.The Brazilian strain has been designated “of concern” as it shares key mutations with the variant detected in South Africa, which is more transmissible than the original strain.Concerns have been raised vaccines may not be as effective against the variant.But Professor Stephen Powis, the national medical director of NHS England, said jabs could be rapidly adapted.And Boris Johnson said: "We don't have any reason at the present time to think that our vaccines are ineffective against these new variants of all types."Public Health England "don't think that there is a threat to the wider public", he added.The Prime Minister said a "massive