UK Covid-19 alert to be raised to Level 4 after virus cases continue to soar

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).

Simon Cowell has been forced to pull out of Britain's Got Talent auditions after testing positive for Covid.The ITV entertainment show is back this year after being cancelled in 2021 because of the pandemic and auditions have been under way at the London Palladium.Due to his positive test result, the 62-year-old TV personality could not take his seat at the judge's table. Simon's spokesperson exclusively told Mail Online that the star is currently isolating at his London home after contracting the virus.His spokesperson said: "Simon was unable to attend filming today as he was isolating at home after testing positive for Covid-19." Simon was scheduled to be on the set of the talent competition on Thursday alongside his fellow judges Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and David Walliams.A week before testing positive and withdrawing from the audition process, Simon was rushed to hospital after being caught in a horrific e-bike accident near his home in West London.The incident which happened last Thursday night saw Simon fall off his e-bike while reaching speeds of 20mph.This is the second e-bike accident the father-of-one experienced, just 18 months after breaking his back on an e-bike in Los Angeles.

From today, new rules in England mean that businesses have to close to 10pm and members of the public face steeper fines if they do not stick to social distancing rules.

coronavirus.

PIERS Morgan clashed with Dr Hilary Jones over the new 10pm Covid curfew today as he insisted Brits will just hit the pub earlier. The 55-year-old host tore into yesterday's government press conference on Good Morning Britain after top scientist Sir Patrick Vallance said the virus is "doubling every seven days".

one more coronavirus death has been recorded at Greater Manchester’s hospitals.

coronavirus pandemic. Absent from politicians, Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty and Chief Scientific Advisor Sir Patrick Vallance addressed the nation in a televised broadcast to warn of what could be in store as the disease begins to accelerate again.

The Mirror reports.And he said the PM has been “working throughout the weekend” to look at the data and work out what to do.But while warning “everything is under review,” the spokesman said it was too early to say what any next steps will be.More than 10 million people are now under local restrictions, and London’s leaders are now asking to have restrictions imposed too.On Monday morning, England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty and Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance gave an update to the nation.They warned that there could be 50,000 Covid-19 cases a day by mid-October if the country doesn’t change course.They hinted that social gatherings could be the first clampdown when Boris Johnson gives a speech later this

The NHS may be unable to provide treatments and tests if the coronavirus infection rate gets out of hand.

Britain’s top medical advisers on Monday painted a grim picture of exponential growth in illness and death if nothing is done to control the second wave of coronavirus infections, laying the groundwork for the government to announce new restrictions later this week.After a slow rise in COVID-19 infections over the summer, the number of new cases is now doubling every seven days, and if nothing is done to slow the spread of the disease this could lead to as many as 49,000 cases a day by mid-October, Chief Scientific Officer Patrick Vallance told the public during a televised briefing.The experience in other countries shows that this increase in infections will soon lead to a rise in deaths, Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty added.“We have,

coronavirus could be available to the most vulnerable by the end of 2020. The most recent data shows fewer than 8% of the population has already contracted Covid-19, with hope now being pinned on a potential vaccine to halt the spread.Although a firm date has yet to be announced, the government's top scientists have said that a vaccine could be ready for roll out to certain groups of people as soon as the end of the year.

coronaviruslockdown measures.Boris Johnson and his Cabinet were briefed on the spread of coronavirus and its economic effects on Saturday and the Cobra committee will be convened on Tuesday, Downing Street said.Senior ministers were briefed by Professor Chris Whitty, Sir Patrick Vallance and chief economic adviser at the Treasury Clare Lombardelli, No 10 said.The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "The PM has been engaged with the Cabinet throughout this process."The Cabinet received a detailed briefing from the Government's chief medical, scientific and economic advisers over the course of the weekend."The PM will work with his colleagues to ensure that we respond in the most effective way to try to control the spread of the virus

LONDON : The COVID epidemic in Britain is doubling roughly every seven days and if it continues to do so there would be about 50,000 new cases per day by the middle of October, the government's Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance said on Monday."At the moment we think the epidemic is doubling roughly every seven days" he said during a televised briefing."If, and that's quite a big if, but if that continues unabated ...

coronavirus.

coronavirus cases across the UK.

The government’s top scientists will today warn the country is at a “turning point” in its battle against Covid-19 in a televised press conference.

hereBut ministers are examining possible new measures after a number of reports suggested that the government was considering a second two-week national lockdown next month.However, Professor Neil Ferguson - whose modelling led the government to order the lockdown in March - has said on Saturday that the government needs to act “sooner rather than later” if they are to prevent a new surge in coronavirus cases leading to more deaths.