Microsoft joins other IT companies for digital records of COVID-19 vaccination

COLOMBO (News 1st); Former Ministers Wimal Weerawansa and Udaya Gammanpila have been given backbencher seats at the Parliament. Accordingly, Jathika Nidahas Peramuna leader Wimal Weerawansa has secured seat 73 and Pivithuru Hela Urumaya leader Udaya Gammanpila has secured seat 78 at the Parliament, the Serjeant-at-Arms Narendra Fernando stated. The Serjeant-at-Arms also stated that S.B.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Saturday that any implementation of a no-fly zone over Ukraine by a third-party would be seen as participation in the war. It came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pleaded with U.S.

Russia as the country continues its invasion of Ukraine.The advisory also urges those in Russia to leave while commercial means are still available.It notes sanctions and “Russian retaliation” may have an impact on the availability of essential services. Partial ceasefire collapses as Ukraine, Russia trade blame over civilian evacuations “Flight availability is becoming extremely limited,” the advisory reads.Aeroflot, Russia’s flagship carrier and largest airline, says that starting Tuesday it will halt all international flights except to Belarus.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Sacramento Sheriff's Office issued a press release Friday with more details on the background of the shooter who killed his daughters, their chaperone and then himself at a Sacramento church earlier this week. According to the sheriff, the shooter, who was previously identified as David Fidel Mora-Rojas, 39, had lived at the church, was in the country illegally and the department said they had prior contact with him on April 17, 2021. Immigration officials told Associated Press on Friday, Mora-Rojas was in the United States illegally. A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman said Mora-Rojas overstayed his visa after entering California from Mexico in December 2018.The Merced County Sheriff's Office said because of California's so-called sanctuary state law it did not inform immigration officials last week that Mora-Rojas had been arrested for punching an officer. Authorities say a man shot and killed his three children, one other person and then turned the gun on himself at a church in Sacramento on Monday, the sheriff's office confirmed.

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FAIRMOUNT - The family of the young man whose body was found burnt in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park near Kelly Drive held an emotional vigil Saturday night.It would have been Naasire Johnson's 21st birthday.Johnson was missing for several days before police say his body was discovered burning in Fairmount Park off Kelly Drive."I just want Justice," his grandmother Cynthia Johnson cried. "He didn’t deserve what they did to him.MORE HEADLINES:As the family came together to celebrate what would have been his 21st birthday, they are hopeful police will find the person responsible for committing such a heinous act."He started at community college in business administration, but his ultimate goal was to become a psychologist to help people," his godmother Rashonda Powers explained.

We are reporting 15,161 community cases of COVID-19 today, another day in which the overall daily case numbers reported has decreased.

Covid restrictions including social distancing in public spaces and quarantine for vaccinated arrivals, moves that could facilitate the arrival of Muslim pilgrims.

As Russian troops closed in on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, Anastasiia Yalanskaya insisted she would stay, even while her friends and family fled around her.

Two men were shot and killed in West Philadelphia Saturday afternoon, according to police.  PHILADELPHIA - An investigation is underway in West Philadelphia after two men were killed in a shooting on Saturday afternoon. According to police, the incident happened around 4 p.m.

NEW YORK - Mastercard and Visa are suspending their operations in Russia, the companies said Saturday, in the latest blow to the country’s financial system after its invasion of Ukraine.Mastercard said cards issued by Russian banks will no longer be supported by its network and any card issued outside the country will not work at Russian stores or ATMs."We don’t take this decision lightly," Mastercard said in a statement, adding that it made the move after discussions with customers, partners and governments.Visa said it’s working with clients and partners in Russia to cease all Visa transactions over the coming days.RELATED: Russia-Ukraine war: Cease-fire attempt fails amid more shelling"We are compelled to act following Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, and the unacceptable events that we have witnessed," Visa Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Al Kelly said in a statement.The suspensions are a follow-up to more limited moves earlier in the week to block financial institutions from the networks that serve as arteries for the payments system. Russian people have already been hit hard by heavy sanctions and financial penalties imposed by the U.S.

CHARLOTTE, Mich. - A father has died days after sustaining injuries while saving his daughter following a house explosion. "It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Jeremy Droscha due to injuries sustained in a house fire," Eaton County Fairgrounds posted on its Facebook page. "Jeremy was a big asset to our board, but more importantly a great friend to all of us."Droscha recently served as the board’s vice president, according to the organization.RELATED: Silver Spring explosion: 10 transported in apartment building blast, several unaccounted forDuring an afternoon press conference, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services Chief Scott Goldstein said there are several "unaccounted for" tenants firefighters are searching for.The family also confirmed Droscha’s death on Facebook Saturday. According to FOX 47 News, Droscha’s home exploded Tuesday.

GoodLife Fitness has let go of hundreds of employees in Toronto and across Canada. The company says it was forced to make the decision due to hardships it faced during the pandemic. Brittany Rosen has more.

Just a few short years ago, he made a career out of entertaining Ukraine. Now as the nation’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s defiance is inspiring people amid the Russian invasion.

A Russian-born businessman is willing to pay $1 million to officers who arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin amid his invasion into Ukraine.Announced in a social media post from Alex Konanykhin, a citizen of Russia and an entrepreneur, the bounty will be paid to officers who comply with their "constitutional duty" and "arrest Putin as a war criminal under Russian and international laws.""Putin is not the Russian president, as he came to power as the result of a special operation of blowing up apartment buildings in Russia, then violated the Constitution by eliminating free elections and murdering his opponents," Konanykhin wrote. "As an ethnic Russian and a Russia citizen, I see it as my moral duty to facilitate the denazification of Russia.

LEHI, Utah - 11-year-old Landen certainly gets an A-plus for effort after recently building a Lego replica of his teacher.The sixth-grader spent four months and up to an estimated 10,000 Lego bricks to build the gift, according to his mother, Rachel. Landen then unveiled the display in Collin Seastrand’s class at Meadow Elementary School in Lehi, Utah last month for the school’s Teacher Appreciation Week, Rachel added."Landen chose a Lego replica because his passion is Legos, and he felt it would be a good way to uniquely show how much Mr. Seastrand means to him," Rachel told FOX Television Stations.

PHILADELPHIA - Activists are demanding an end to gun violence as a family is in turmoil less than 24 hours after a 69-year-old was shot and killed trying to use an ATM in Germantown. On Friday, community organizers held a rally calling for more community involvement to prevent violent incidents like the one that happened to James Watson. Tonight, his family is carrying a heavy weight, knowing he's gone and FOX 29's Shawnette Wilson spoke to Watson's daughters and one of his grandsons. They see he was very involved with their family and was a second dad to his grandchildren. Watson was known for his peaceful demeanor, according to his family. "He was who he was, but he still was pop-pop," his grandson Kiseem Williams told FOX 29. "It's turmoil.

A fatal fire that displaced dozens of residents in Wilmington is under investigation.  WILMINGTON, Del. - Delaware's Office of the State Fire Marshal is investigating a fatal fire that took place in Wilmington on Saturday morning.According to Assistant State Fire Marshal Michael Chionchio, a fire was reported shortly before 3:00 a.m.

PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia Police Department is investigating the fatal shooting of a man in North Philadelphia Friday night.According to police, officers responded to the 2600 block of North 27th Street at 11:38 p.m.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has survived at least one assassination attempt since Russia invaded his country over a week ago, according to official accounts, with media reports suggesting he may have dodged two more.Ukrainian officials have confirmed one of the attempts, which they say was to be carried out by a unit of Kadyrovites, an elite special forces team based in Chechnya that serves the country’s president Ramzan Kadyrov.Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, told a media briefing on Tuesday that the plot was foiled last weekend after anti-war agents of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) — the successor to the KGB — tipped the Ukrainians off.“We are well aware of the special operation that was to take place directly by the Kadyrovites to eliminate our president,” Danilov said.“I can say that we have received information from the FSB, who today do not want to take part in this bloody war. And thanks to this, I can say that Kadyrov’s elite group was directly destroyed, which came here to eliminate our president.” Zelenskyy criticizes NATO for refusing to impose no-fly zone over Ukraine The Times of London reported Thursday that two more attempts to kill Zelenskyy have been carried out in recent days by members of the Wagner Group, a private mercenary group whose leader is tied to Russian President Vladimir Putin.Those attempts were also stopped by Ukrainian forces protecting the president, the paper reported, with the mercenary groups suffering losses.

COVID-19 and a 55-patient drop in the number of people hospitalized with the disease on Saturday.There are 1,258 patients in hospital with COVID-19, after 66 people were admitted in the past 24 hours and 125 discharged.#COVID19 – En date du 4 mars, voici la situation au Québec: https://t.co/pwoUoaBgaF pic.twitter.com/RuhOgkbQ1M— Santé Québec (@sante_qc) March 5, 2022The number of patients in intensive care dropped by two, to 78.Health officials are reporting another 1,210 COVID-19 infections detected through PCR testing, which is restricted to certain groups.The province’s public health institute says 8,596 people were vaccinated against COVID-19 in the previous 24 hours, with over 6,300 receiving third doses.About 91 per cent of residents aged five and up have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 87 per cent have got two doses and 52 per cent have had three.

WASHINGTON - Trucker convoys from across the U.S. are expected to arrive in the D.C. region over the weekend.Thousands of truckers began traveling this week toward the nation's capital as part of the American Trucker's Freedom Convoy.

Police say a chase involving a stolen car ended in a multi-vehicle crash early Saturday morning.  PHILADELPHIA - A police chase ended in a multi-vehicle crash in North Philadelphia early Saturday morning, according to police officials. Authorities say the incident happened around 2:25 a.m.

Joyce Brown-Rodriguez (left) and her son Kahlill Saleem Brown (right) have been charged for the 2020 murder of a man outside of a recycling center in Bucks County.  PHILADELPHIA - A mother and son from Philadelphia have been charged with the 2020 murder of Christopher M. Wilson, officials in Bucks County say. PREVIOUS: Man, 52, shot and killed outside Langhorne recycling center, authorities sayAccording to the Bucks County District Attorney's Office, 55-year-old Joyce Brown-Rodriguez and her son, 33-year-old Kahlill Saleem Brown, were charged on Friday. They face several charges, including criminal homicide, criminal conspiracy, persons not to possess a firearm, firearms not to be carried without a license, possessing instruments of crime and recklessly endangering another person, officials say. Wilson was shot and killed on the morning of Dec.

Refugee seen crying in Przemysl and Medyka on March 4, 2022. (Photo by Maciej Luczniewski/NurPhoto via Getty Images) The office of President Emmanuel Macron said France will propose concrete measures to ensure the safety and security of Ukraine’s five main nuclear sites.

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - OCTOBER 06: Brittney Griner #42 of the Phoenix Mercury during the first half in Game Four of the 2021 WNBA semifinals at Footprint Center on October 06, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. PHOENIX - Phoenix Mercury player and WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner has been jailed in Russia after vape cartridges were found in her luggage at a Moscow airport, according to multiple reports.A Russian news agency reported that Griner could spend 5 to 10 years in prison on drug smuggling charges, according to the New York Post.Reports say the Mercury player had been arrested after landing at Sheremetyevo Airport from a flight in New York back in February.

Scotland's chief medical officer has confirmed IVF treatment for unvaccinated woman can resume.

Saskatchewan moves to end COVID-19 public health orders Jennica’s mother, Michelle, says her daughter loves music, lights and sound and the bowling alley allows all her sensory needs to be met.Michelle elected not to have her daughter vaccinated against COVID-19, saying that earlier in her life Jennica had complications from immunizations.When the government of Saskatchewan implemented a province-wide vaccine mandate on Oct. 1 of 2021, that meant Jennica could no longer enter the bowling alley.Michelle tried to get government exemption for her daughter through the province to allow Jennica to continue bowling but was unsuccessful.“Having this has been a very big disruption for her because she doesn’t really understand why she wasn’t able to bowl anymore”, said Michelle.Before the pandemic, Jennica would be at the bowling alley on a daily basis, arriving early in the morning to bowl without large crowds around her.

The worldwide chorus of condemnation against Russia is intensifying, with that country’s economy on the brink of collapsing. Jackson Proskow reports.

By Brittani Coury, paralympic snowboarder, is not the same athlete she was at the 2018 Paralympic Games in PyeongChang where she won silver. Two years into a global pandemic, she’s not the same person either. Her perspective—as it has for all of us—has shifted. When the world ground to a halt in early 2020, the athlete was in the midst of her season.

‘The government has left us to the wolves’.

President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that Western sanctions on Russia were akin to a declaration of war and warned that any attempt to impose a no-fly zone in Ukraine would be tantamount to entering the conflict.

positive cases and zero deaths in the last 24 hours. Delhi had on Friday reported 302 new cases and four deaths, a daily health bulletin said. Today reported 390 recoveries, and the active cases stood at 1,350, the data showed.COVID-19 | Delhi reports 274 positive cases, zero deaths and 390 recoveries in the last 24 hours. Active cases at 1,350 pic.twitter.com/IzfXIdpHTO

@mvankerkhove explains what studies have shown so far on the difference in severity of #COVID19 disease caused by BA.1 and BA.2 Omicron sub-lineages ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/3dA1aaFqAo

GoodLife Fitness instructors across Canada have been let go, the company says.In a statement emailed to Global News, GoodLife Fitness Chief Operating Officer Jason Sheridan said the company recently “made the difficult decision to end the employment of 480 group fitness instructors from 189 clubs across the country.” Several Ontario municipalities keep mandatory COVID vaccine policies in place for employees “Unfortunately, due to COVID restrictions on group activities, most of these instructors have not worked for the majority of the pandemic,” he said.

Ontario hospital with COVID-19 Saturday, as the province continues its effort to control the ongoing pandemic.The latest data released by the province said of those hospitalized, 253 people were receiving care in an intensive care unit (ICU).In a tweet Saturday morning, Ontario’s Health Minister Christine Elliott, said of those in hospital, 44 per cent were admitted due to COVID-19, while 56 per cent were admitted for other reasons but also tested positive for the virus. Ontario COVID numbers: 821 people in hospital, 262 in intensive care Of those in an intensive care unit, 78 per cent were admitted due to COVID-19, while 22 per cent were admitted for other reasons but tested positive for the virus.Both the number of people in hospital and those in ICU dropped on Saturday compared to numbers reported a day earlier.On Friday, Ontario reported 821 people were in hospital, and 262 were in intensive care.253 people are in ICU with #COVID19.

With agency inputs

COVID-19 vaccine clinics for children aged five to 11.In a press release issued Saturday, Shoppers Drug Mart said its pharmacies are “doing everything they can to make access to vaccinations easier” as families prepare for the upcoming March break and as more public safety restrictions are eased.The company said pharmacies at “select” locations will host COVID-19 vaccine clinics for children aged five to 11 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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Covid infections. With today's infections, the state's Covid case tally has surged to 65,10,681, while the death tally rose to 66,136.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Misleading statements lead to public panic, warned Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on Saturday (5).President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has made it clear that he has taken the necessary steps to drive the country towards development, said the prime ministers while noting that all public servants, not only himself and the ministers & mps, must work towards realizing these goals.“The topic discussed in recent days was the fuel crisis. In fact, there was NO fuel crisis,” he said, adding that misleading statements claiming that fuel reserves would only last for four days led to mass panic.He said that during his administration, at time fuel reserves would last only a day, however, shipments were ordered and what only remained to do at the time was to unload the shipments and deliver.The Prime Minister said that statements made with less experience in politics led to mass panic among the people, leading to long queues for fuel across the country.“We are changing that situation.

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coronavirus cases continue to decline in the country, a majority of India Inc's executives believe hiring will not be slowed down due to any new coronavirus variants or further waves.

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The requirement for Covid certificates and passenger locator forms for those arriving into the country will end from midnight.

A water turbine installed to power a Co Clare hotel became a key source of income during pandemic-related closures.