Scottish Government announces 16 deaths and 7,162 covid cases in last 24 hours

Boris Johnson has confirmed that fully-vaccinated travellers arriving in England will no longer have to take a coronavirus test.

Police were called after a group of anti-vaxxers tried to present a 'cease and desist notice' at a pop-up Covid-19 jab clinic and falsely claimed police were investigating 'crimes' being committed.

Covid-19 vaccine, is an inactivated virus Covid-19 vaccine developed by the Chinese company Sinovac Biotech.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka’s Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal said the island nation has to settle USD 12.5 Billion of debt in International Sovereign Bonds over the next seven years.Speaking to the US-based CNBC, the Governor said the total foreign debt outstanding for 2022 is approximately USD 6.9 Billion.“Out of the 6.9 Billion, most of the loans are Sri Lankan-based loans which we have already negotiated for rollover as well as certain multilateral debts which are also being funded with new receipts that are coming in,” he said.“The only area that we do see as some kind of risk, as well as concern, is the international sovereign bonds. Out of which we need to pay 1.5 Billion Dollars back this year.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka’s Health Minister (Dr) Keheliya Rambukwella noted that if one is to be considered as FULLY VACCINATED, one should have proof of being administered with all three doses of the vaccine against COVID-19.He noted that all those who have obtained both doses of the vaccine should be directed to the vaccination centers to obtain the booster dose.Sri Lanka will mark one year of its vaccination drive against COVID-19 on the 29th of January 2022 and the country’s health ministry has organized a series of events across the island to boost the drive.The Health Minister said all measures are being taken to ensure that it is mandatory to be in possession of the vaccination card to enter public places, and the legal study for this purpose has neared completion.The Minister said the respective gazette is being formulated and all other related matters are also being looked into,

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Boris Johnson has scrapped covid tests for vaccinated travellers arriving in the UK signalling a move towards a return to more normal summer holidays.

Covid travel tests for those who have been double jabbed have been scrapped by the government.Although Boris Johnson did not confirm the exact date when these new rules will come into place, it is expected to be before the half-term break next month – saving holidaymakers an extra cost.This news comes as the Prime Minister announced that the UK is "moving through the Omicron wave".Speaking to broadcasters during a visit to the Academic Centre, Milton Keynes Hospital, he said: “We have, thanks to the tough decisions, the big calls that we made… the most open economy and society in Europe.“And although we have to be cautious, we are now moving through the Omicron wave, and you can see the figures are starting to get better.“So what we’re doing on travel, to show that this country is open for business, open for travellers, you will see changes so that people arriving no longer have to take tests if they have been vaccinated, if they have been double vaccinated.”To stay up to date with all the latest news, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.Double-jabbed travellers currently have to pre-book a Day 2 antigen test from a private supplier to take on their second day of arrival into the country.Non-vaccinated arrivals must take a pre-departure test and two post-arrival PCR tests – Day 2 and Day 8 – as well as having to self-isolate for 10 days.It is still unclear if new rules will come into place for unvaccinated passengers.The new announcement comes after the chief executives of the UK's largest airlines urged the government to end coronavirus-related travel restrictions.The bosses pointed to evidence that the Omicron variant is in retreat, and argued that current measures have a "limited effect" in preventing

Experts are concerned about food insecurity with the vaccine mandate for truck drivers starting this weekend. Grocery stores could see shortages of produce and a rise in prices as a result of fewer truck drivers on the road.

Toronto Pusateri’s Fine Foods for $10 last weekend, the deal was too good not to brag about.“It’s a more high-end, luxury grocery store…so most people don’t necessarily have the budget to go shop there, but you’re saving money and you’re getting good food,” said Pulfer.After chowing down, she let her Instagram followers in on her secret: She found the haul on Too Good to Go. The app is one of many uniting deal-seekers with restaurants and grocers eager to keep aging food that’s still fit for consumption out of the trash in exchange for a small fee.

Ontario long-term care sees staff absences of 20% to 30% amid COVID outbreaks It says the situation is even more dire given the high number of staff absences as workers are exposed to or infected with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.The organization says the shortage is also putting added strain on Ontario’s hospital system, as the latest numbers from the province show 582 patients would be eligible to leave hospital with publicly funded home care, were the resources available.“We’re being deluged with calls and we do not have the staff to respond,” said Sue VanderBent, CEO of Home Care Ontario. “There are no longer enough nurses and personal support workers in the system to provide people with the help they need at home.”The organization said staff in the sector are paid less than their equivalents in other parts of the health-care system, though they perform similar work.For example, personal support workers are paid at least $5 per hour more if they work in long-term care homes or hospitals, Home Care Ontario said.

Updated 21 January 2022, pursuant to updated interim recommendations 

revise the Covid-19 situation in the national capital.

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COLOMBO (News 1st); Patients with COVID-19 admitted to the National Hospital in Colombo are rising, warned the hospital’s Deputy Director Dr. Chandana Gajanayake on Monday (24).He said despite a large number of people being vaccinated against the virus, the numbers are increasing, and therefore if the health sector is geared up, any situation can be handled in a proper manner.Dr.

sports.Starting Jan. 31, Ontario will begin to ease COVID-19 restrictions on select businesses, including allowing 50 per cent capacity in restaurants, retailers and sports and recreational fitness facilities.In a statement to Global News, the province confirmed that as of Jan.

Ripley with Sherlock actor Andrew Scott, was set to stay at the Hotel Danieli.But he was refused entry after his vaccination card was found to be out of date, according to the Gazzettino newspaper.A ‘Super Green Card’ is needed in Italy to provide proof of vaccination to enter all indoor venues in the country including restaurants, hotels and public transport.Vaccination passes are currently valid in Italy for nine months after the date of the last dose, whether that is the second or third jab.NME has contacted representatives for Malkovich for comment.Malkovich is expected to be in Italy for the next month filming the TV adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Talented Mr Ripley, which was made into a film in 1999 with Matt Damon taking up the lead role.Three years later, Malkovich played an older version of the lead character in Ripley’s Game.The forthcoming Showtime series will see Ripley played by Andrew Scott, with Malkovich and Dakota Fanning also starring.Set in the 1960s, the new show will see Ripley hired by a wealthy New Yorker to travel to Italy to convince his wayward son Dickie to return home. But along the way, Ripley starts to weave a complex web of deceit with murderous consequences.

head of the World Health Organization urged countries to work together to bring the acute phase of the pandemic to an end, saying that they now have all the tools available to do so.

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 19: Julian Assange speaks to the media from the balcony of the Embassy Of Ecuador on May 19, 2017 in London, England. Julian Assange, founder of the Wikileaks website that published US Government secrets, has been wanted in Swed LONDON (AP) - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s battle to avoid extradition to the U.S. will go to Britain’s Supreme Court after he was granted the right Monday to appeal a lower court ruling.The High Court in London allowed Assange to appeal its decision that he could be sent to the U.S to stand trial on espionage charges.The decision is the latest step in Assange’s long battle to avoid trial on a series of charges related to WikiLeaks’ publication of classified documents more than a decade ago.Just over a year ago, a district court judge in London rejected a U.S.

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Unlike other forms of coronavirus, Omicron has some unique symptoms that might not be typical of standard Covid signs.

Premier League clubs may soon have to show proof of four positive Coronavirus tests within their squad in order to have a fixture postponed under a stern change in approach.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka’s Minister of Energy Udaya Gammanpila says the government had decided to make a USD payment to two oil tankers anchored at the Colombo Port.“Therefore, there will be no power cuts,” said Minister Gammanpila on Monday (24).He said at a meeting with respective stakeholders it was agreed that if payment is made to one of the oil tankers, the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation will be able to deliver Diesel to the WestCoast Power Plant instead of Furnace Oil, and deliver Furnace Oil to the Sapugaskanda Power Plant.Therefore, we can deliver the Diesel and Furnace Oil for electricity Generation.Further, the President had instructed the Treasury to release necessary funds to the Ceylon Electricity Board to settle its Rs. 93 Billion debt to the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, he said.The Minister further added that the Sapugaskanda Power Plant will be able to recommence generating electricity by the 30th of January 2022.

logged more recoveries than active cases in twenty four hours in a rather positive development. 

Planning for a second independence referendum can move forward due to the "improved situation" in the fight against coronavirus, John Swinney has claimed.

I request all those who have been in contact with me in the past few days to get themselves tested and take all necessary precautions.

NEW DELHI :

The head of the World Health Organization has urged countries to work together to bring the acute phase of the pandemic to an end, saying that they now have all the tools available to do so.

The final restrictions put in place in response to the Omicron variant sweeping across Scotland will be eased from Monday.

ANI.

Australia has recorded another surge of deaths due to Covid-19 as an outbreak of the highly contagious Omicron variant peaked, and authorities warned numbers could rise further when schools return from end-of-year holidays next week.

Parliament, 2,847 tests were conducted, of which 875 staff members tested positive. From January 4 to 8, around 65 of Rajya Sabha Secretariat, 200 of Lok Sabha Secretariat, and 133 of allied services had tested Covid positive.

A housing support and care at home service in Ayrshire did not have a “detailed staff contingency plan” if there was a significant Covid outbreak, a Care Inspectorate report says.

some food items and increased prices as the Omicron COVID-19 variant snags supply chains and a vaccine mandate takes effect for cross-border truckers, according to industry experts.However, they say that Canadians should not worry about food availability and that no one needs to panic buy.“There is food on the grocery shelves,” said Michelle Wasylyshen, spokesperson for the Retail Council of Canada, which represents big-box grocery stores in the country.She said, though, that there could be shortages of certain products, such as soups, cereals, fresh fruits and vegetables, and meats. Grocery stores could close if labour, product shortages worsen: experts Some Canadians may have noticed empty shelves recently, but Wasylyshen said that is a result of the winter storm that hit Canada over the previous week.While weather plays a role in shipment delays, other, long-term issues still persist that has the retail council “concerned,” Wasylyshen said.These include labour shortages from absenteeism and the Omicron COVID-19 wave, which has caused workers to have to isolate and impacted operations.Fortunately, both British Columbia and Ontario have said that it appears the peak of the fifth wave of the pandemic has been reached, so more workers are expected to return, Wasylyshen said.Another hit likely to impact supply is the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for truckers on both sides of the border.Canada’s mandate came into effect on Jan.

Ranchers affected by wildfires and drought say they have yet to see any cash from the $20-million AgriRecovery Initiative announced by the B.C.

Dozens of big rigs gathered in Delta before rolling out, and will be joined by groups from Vancouver Island and communities in the B.C. Interior as they make their way east.

active caseload stands at 5.69% and the recovery rate is at 93.07%. However, India's daily positivity rate has increased to 20.75% from 17.78% on Sunday. India conducted as many as 14,74,753 tests in the past 24 hours. Altogether, 71.69 crore Covid tests have been done since March 2020.

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ITV classic Dancing on Ice. The 14th series of the hit skating competition already has fans wondering which celeb will go all the way and win this year. Once each couple has performed their routine, judges Jayne Torvill, Christopher Dean, Oti Mabuse and Ashley Banjo marked all the celebs out of 10.

COLOMBO (News 1st): The rate of children admitted to hospitals after contracting the COVID-19 virus has risen sharply, the Ministry of Health said on Monday (Jan. 24).There is a rapid increase in the rate of COVID-19 infections among all age groups, Dr.

The British government is accusing Russia of plotting to install a pro-Russian government in Ukraine, and say Moscow has already chosen a candidate. Mike Le Couteur follows the developments in the story.

COVID-19-related hospitalization rates in the province came to an end amid declining patient numbers.Most Quebec stores reopened their doors following a three-week ban on Sunday shopping imposed by the government in a bid to curb hospitalization rates that soared once the pandemic’s Omicron-driven wave took hold.The province closed non-essential businesses for three Sundays starting Jan. 2, making exceptions only for pharmacies, convenience stores and gas stations.The move — one of a suite of measures implemented to bring hospitalizations under control — appeared to be bearing fruit, as the number of patients in provincial facilities has declined for four days in a row.Christophe Fiore, the co-owner of grocery store Fruiterie Roger in Montreal, shared mixed feelings about reopening on Sundays.He said that while the provincial restriction helped to address a staffing shortage, it also produced a counter-effect by forcing more customers to do their shopping on Saturdays and Mondays.“It’s not a good solution when it comes to COVID,” Fiore said.

More than 1 million booster doses have now been administered – 57% of those who are due.

A truck rally held Sunday in Southwestern Ontario is believed to be the beginning of a national protest against vaccine mandates imposed on the industry by the federal government.

Mission: Impossible 7 has been delayed once again due to continuing concerns around COVID.Last September, the seventh film in Tom Cruise’s franchise was pushed back to September 30, 2022, four months after its original slated release on May 27, 2022. Before that, its original date for release was first set for July 2021.Paramount Pictures and Skydance have now announced that the movie will now come out on July 14, 2023 after COVID continued to impact production on the film, which has taken place in the UK.The eighth film in the series, being filmed concurrently with the seventh, will now not come out until July 28, 2024, a year later than most recently planned.“After thoughtful consideration, Paramount Pictures and Skydance have decided to postpone the release dates for Mission: Impossible 7 & 8 in response to delays due to the ongoing pandemic,” the studios said in a joint statement.“We look forward to providing moviegoers with an unparalleled theatrical experience.”Tom Cruise has been filming Mission: Impossible 7 throughout the UK, popping up in Birmingham restaurants and a Warwickshire family’s garden via helicopter.Most recently, the actor’s bodyguard had his car stolen while filming in Birmingham, which was believed to have contained thousands of pounds worth of goods belonging to Cruise.Last year, Cruise explained how he kept the set of Mission: Impossible 7 running during the pandemic.The actor, who both produces and stars in the action movie, told Empire about the protocols put in place to keep filming safely.

COVID-19 vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers.Scores of big rigs gathered in pre-dawn fog in Delta before rolling out, and will be joined by groups from Vancouver Island and communities in the B.C. Interior as they make their way east.Colin Valentim, a truck owner-operator, said he will be helping lead the convoy to Calgary.