Federal government says vaccines mandatory for Canadian truck drivers

Nicola Sturgeon will announce later today if covid restriction in Scotland are set to be lifted as cases continue to drop across the country.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa delivered the Government’s Policy Statement, after declaring open the 2nd session of the 9th Parliament on Tuesday (18).The President said that while successfully encountering short-term problems, the primary responsibility is to continue to implement the long-term development program presented by the government to the people and endorsed by a majority.“The sustainable future of the country is built on it,” said the President.Here’s are some of the key takeaways from the President’s speech:National Security:“Our Government has secured national security and the people have no fear of terrorism today,” said the President in his statement.He said the government has been able to change the situation concerning the underworld that terrorized people, during the past two years.The President further stated that Sri Lanka was becoming a hub for international drug traffickers and the situation today is largely under control due to the action taken by the security & intelligence services in the country.Human Rights:The President in his statement said Sri Lanka needs to correct the misconceptions that have been taken to the international community in the past with regard to Human Rights in the country.“During my tenure, the government did not support any form of human rights violations. We do not condone such actions in any manner,” he said.Electricity:“We will not approve the construction of coal power plants in the future for any reason,” said the President adding that “Our goal is to achieve the carbon-neutral target by 2050.

Nicola Sturgeon is set to give an update on the state of the coronavirus pandemic in Scotland later today.

Poorer nations are still struggling to fully immunize people against COVID-19, as they grapple with expensive vaccine patents and complex production. Jackson Proskow explains how Texas researchers are trying to make sure no one gets left behind with a groundbreaking new vaccine called COBREVAX, and without a huge price tag.

But as one local family tells us the memories made during those trips can be some of the best ever experienced between a parent and child. Brenden Purdy has the story.

Stephen A. Smith delved into his frightening bout with COVID-19 over the New Year's holiday when he returned to ESPN's First Take on Monday.The 54-year-old sports commentator kicked off his return to set by revealing that he feared he might day after he was hospitalized with a 103-degree fever and double pneumonia.'I didn't know if I was going to make it,' Smith said, adding that his doctors told him he might have died from the serious illness if he hadn't been vaccinated. Health scare: Stephen A.

Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos discussed on Monday Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for truck drivers crossing the border into the country. Duclos said both Canada and the U.S.

Douglas Ross is calling on the Scottish Government to scrap all covid restrictions except face masks by the end of the month.

The Scottish Government has confirmed that 6,221 more people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 24 hours.

A man who is critically ill in hospital with covid has admitted that he’s been ‘foolish’ over his stance regarding getting vaccinated.

COLOMBO (News 1st): President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will ceremonially declare open the 2nd Session of the 9th Parliament on the 18th January 2022.The President will present the Government Policy Statement on Tuesday (18) at 10:00 AM in accordance with the powers vested in him by Article 33 (2) of the Constitution.Prior to this, the second session of the Ninth Parliament will be ceremonially opened under the patronage of the President, Parliamentary Secretary General Dhammika Dasanayake said.On the instructions of the President, arrangements have been made to hold the ceremony in a very simple manner thus that there will be no gun salutes or car parades.Instead, the President will be received in front of Parliament with a cultural salute with the participation of the Police Cultural Division.Following the presentation of the Government Policy Statement by the President, the House will be adjourned. Afterward, a tea party is organized for the members of Parliament and invited guests.Foreign diplomats, former Presidents, Prime Ministers, Chief Justice, Supreme Court Justices, and the Attorney General have been invited to the ceremonial opening of the second session of the Ninth Parliament, Secretary-General of Parliament Dhammika Dasanayake said.He also stressed that the second session of the Ninth Parliament will be ceremonially opened following all health guidelines.

Connie Britton took to her Instagram for the first time in a month, revealing she's currently recovering from COVID-19.The 54-year-old actress opened up with a lengthy post about her recovery process from COVID-19, including a photo of her with dog Merle.She revealed the hardest part of recovering was not being able to be close with her 10-year-old sonEyob, who she adopted in November 2011 after he was born in Ethiopia. Recovering:Connie Britton took to her Instagram for the first time in a month, revealing she's currently recovering from COVID-19'I just got over COVID.

COLOMBO (News 1st): The Department of Railways has estimated that a loss of close to Rs. 10 million was incurred by the Government, due to the unannounced token strike launched by the trade unions.According to reports received so far, passengers were allowed to travel without purchasing tickets during the strike action, Dhammika Jayasundara, the General Manager of Railways noted.Railway operations were hampered once again with certain train journeys being halted mid-journey, after the Railway Station Masters Association re-launched the strike action on Saturday (Jan.

Covid restrictions on large gatherings have been lifted in Scotland as cases of the deadly virus remain high across the country.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said that NO justice will be served for the victims of the 2019 April Terror Attacks under the present government.“I will never hesitate to impose the maximum punishment on all those responsible for the Easter Attacks, including the mastermind, by following an impartial and independent investigation,” said the Opposition Leader on Sunday (16).He noted that the people have started to raise concerns over the Easter Attacks, and the Government’s conduct and lethargic investigations have proven these concerns as well.“The Government that used the Easter Attacks to secure power, appears to have forgotten all about it,” he said.The Opposition Leader also speaking on the recent discovery of a grenade at a church, said those investigations too are taking place in a very concerning manner that raise serious doubts.“It is not good when the people start losing faith in the state, security forces and the police,” said Premadasa.“If His Eminence the Cardinal himself is saying that the Easter Attacks was used for political gains, the concerns that mounting over state leadership and security forces will lead to serious issues,” he added.

A man who lost his mum, dad and brother to Covid within one week has spoke of the online abuse he has suffered after talking about his experience with the virus online.

As the coronavirus continues to mutate, new evidence reveals how effective existing COVID-19 vaccines are against Omicron. As Jamie Mauracher reports, the highly transmissible variant underscores the need for booster shots.

A Peterborough hospital patient has given Global News a first-hand look at her care during the latest wave of COVID-19. Both she and health-care advocates are pushing for more supports in the beleaguered system. Matthew Bingley reports.

The Ford government is being warned that the health-care system is nearing collapse and the Ontario Health Coalition says it’s a “full-blown emergency.” Dozens of advocates gathered virtually to call on the province to do more to protect the most vulnerable, particularly those in hospital or long-term care. Morganne Campbell has more in this report.

Taking a long, hot bath when temperatures are low can be a well-deserved treat.

Canada’s chief public health officer Dr.

Canada’s chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam and deputy chief public health officer Dr.

Canada’s chief public health officer Dr.

Canada’s chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam said on Friday that “at the individual level, not everyone will for sure know if they got Omicron,” but Canadians should assume they were probably infected with the COVID-19 variant if they noticed their symptoms after Dec.

A mother is searching for her 7-year-old daughter in Saskatchewan after her ex-husband admitting taking the little girl in order to prevent her from being vaccinated against COVID-19.

A vaccine clinic will reopen tomorrow after being closed for two days due to a low number of bookings.

The Scottish Government has confirmed SIX coronavirus deaths were reported in Tayside in the last 24 hours.

A further 41 deaths of people in Scotland who tested positive for Covid-19 have been reported in the last 24 hours.

The next Covid variant could be ‘more severe’ than Omicron, Scotland’s National Clinical Director has warned.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Head of Sri Lanka’s Catholic Church, His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, the Archbishop of Colombo claimed that certain political leaders, who were well aware of the 2019 Terror Attacks, used it for their political advantage.He reiterated that the 2019 April 21st Attacks or the Easter Attacks was a conspiracy.“The 2019 April Attacks may be over. But, today we can see that those in powerful places are attempting to put the entire blame on Muslim Extremists and cover up the truth.

Truck drivers crossing into Canada will need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 starting Saturday, despite a statement sent “in error” from the Canada Border Services Agency late Wednesday that appeared to reverse course on the mandate.

Global’s Keith Baldrey looks ahead to Friday’s COVID-19 briefing by the B.C. government, and what it’s expected to say about hospitalizations.

But despite that urgent need, the government failed to renew an emergency order needed to reinstate retired nurses. Matthew Bingley reports.

The federal government is correcting erroneous information released, and says border-crossing Canadian truck drivers must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Provinces are working to immunize younger Canadians against COVID-19, but vaccination rates are slowing among children aged five to 11. Jamie Mauracher explains why some parents are hesitating.

As students get set to return to the classroom in Ontario, there is a push to vaccinate as many of them as possible.

A major update to Scotland’s Covid vaccine passport app will be released later today.

The Scottish Government has confirmed FIVE coronavirus deaths were reported in Tayside in the last 24 hours.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The government is preparing to import fertilizer again from China’s Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group.A stock of fertilizer sent by the Chinese fertilizer company was rejected earlier, for containing harmful pathogens.However, the government eventually paid 6.9 million US dollars Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group for the rejected shipment.Now the Sri Lanka Standards Institute is preparing new standards for special types of fertilizer.Its Senior Deputy Director K.A. Anil said initial work is being done to prepare the new standards.Agriculture minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said the ministry had requested the SLSI to prepare new standards for liquid biofertilizer and solid fertilizers.He noted that the previous standards did not allow the importation of fertilizer containing bacteria.The minister said that authorities would not allow fertilizer containing harmful bacteria into the country.The Sri Lanka Standards Institute says it would not set standards targetting Chinese fertilizer.Senior Deputy Director K.A.

John Swinney has claimed he doesn't understand "the fuss" over the introduction of covid vaccine passports in Scotland.

Boris Johnson’s deputy chief medical adviser has suddenly resigned.

Dumfries and Galloway has recorded a record number of new coronavirus cases for the second week running.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) is perturbed over the announcement by S&P Global Ratings to downgrade Sri Lanka, at a time when the GOSL has diligently lined up adequate funds to repay its maturing foreign debt liabilities and its repeated assurances over the strong commitment to oblige its debt service payments, including the International Sovereign Bond (ISB) maturing on 18 January 2022, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) states. The credit rating agency, Standard & Poor’s (S&P) lowered long-term sovereign credit rating on Sri Lanka from ‘CCC+’ to ‘CCC’ on increasing external financing risks on Wednesday (12).The Central Bank of Sri Lanka, issuing a statement in response, states that this move demonstrates repetitive nature in which S&P and other rating agencies acted to initiate rating actions just prior to the settlement of ISB obligations. S&P’s action also fails to recognize the positive developments taking place in Sri Lanka, in an environment in which the entire world is grappling with repeated waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, the CBSL states.The sense of urgency on the part of an internationally recognised rating agency is inconceivable, particularly since S&P was being constantly updated by the Sri Lankan authorities on the latest developments in all sectors of the economy and many measures to shore-up foreign exchange inflows.

On the heels of Quebec announcing it will impose a financial penalty on those who refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19, Jason Kenney said Alberta will not be following suit.

With Canadian businesses still struggling during the pandemic amid Omicron’s rise, the federal government is now giving them more time to repay interest-free loans from the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) program.

Kyle Turris is the latest Edmonton Oiler to enter COVID protocol — joining a long list of team members to test positive. With the disease forcing the postponement of a handful of games, the hockey team is facing challenges on multiple fronts.

The arrival of more COVID-19 rapid antigen test kits from the federal government and from private companies is delayed in Alberta. Breanna Karstens-Smith explains.

Michael Rapaport will no longer fill in as a guest host on The Wendy Williams Show this week after he tested positive for COVID-19.On Tuesday, the 51-year-old comedian shared a video to his Instagram page in which he revealed his diagnosis and explained that he would be absent from the Fox talk show.'I have to pull out of doing The Wendy Williams Show the rest of the week because unfortunately, I got damn coronavirus, which I'm disappointed about,' the Prison Break star said in the clip, in which he was seen wearing a gray t-shirt while sitting on a couch. The latest:Michael Rapaport will no longer fill in as a guest host on The Wendy Williams Show this week after he tested positive for COVID-19He continued, 'I'm really, really disappointed for many, many, many reasons.