More uncounted votes found in 2 Georgia counties as election audit nears deadline

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has denied throwing "caution to the wind" as he prepares to end all pandemic-related legal restrictions in England, amid a political backlash and scientific unease.

COVID.Downing Street has said that Prime Minister Boris Johnson will reveal details of his “living with COVID” plan on Monday (February 21) – outlining that factors such as vaccination, testing, and anti-viral drugs will be enough to keep people safe, rather than expecting infected people to stay at home.Self-isolation regulations for those who test positive and their close contacts are expected to cease by the end of this week.“COVID will not suddenly disappear, and we need to learn to live with this virus and continue to protect ourselves without restricting our freedoms,” said Johnson. “We’ve built up strong protections against this virus over the past two years through the vaccine rollouts, tests, new treatments and the best scientific understanding of what this virus can do.”He added: “Thanks to our successful vaccination programme and the sheer magnitude of people who have come forward to be jabbed, we are now in a position to set out our plan for living with COVID this week.”Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary told BBC‘s Sunday Morning today (February 20) this was “declaring victory before the war is over”, that ending mandatory self-isolation was “not the right thing to do” and that this was a distraction from the ongoing ‘partygate’ scandal.“At this stage the PM risks muddying the waters,” he said. “We want to see the government publish the scientific advice because at the moment this seems very premature.”“He continued: It seems like Boris Johnson is keen to declare victory before the war is over in the hope he gets some headlines about ‘victory day on COVID’ instead police officers asking questions about actions in Number 10.”Labour Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting tells #Raworth that dropping remaining

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Britain's Queen Elizabeth has tested positive for Covid-19, Buckingham Palace has announced.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Ceylon Electricity Board states that it will be possible to provide electricity on Sunday (20) without any interruptions.Its Media Spokesperson, Andrew Nawamani stated that the demand for electricity has reported a decrease as it is a holiday.Accordingly, the expected electricity demand is 2,300 MW.However, he urged consumers to use electricity sparingly between 6:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.

Queen Elizabeth has tested positive for coronavirus and is "experiencing mild cold symptoms", Buckingham Palace have confirmed.The monarch, 95, is expected to continue to undertake "light duties", palace officials say. Buckingham Palace said in a statement: "Buckingham Palace confirm that The Queen has today tested positive for Covid.

The Queen has contracted Covid-19, Buckingham Palace has announced.

Queen has tested positive for Covid-19 and is experiencing symptoms, Buckingham Palace has confirmed.The 95-year-old monarch is said to be experiencing mild symptoms and continuing with her royal duties from isolation at Windsor Castle.Her Majesty was being closely monitored after news emerged of Charles' had caught the virus just days after the pair had been in close contact earlier this month.At the time, Buckingham Palace refused to confirm the monarch's test results, fuelling fears for her health, but palace sources insisted she was not displaying symptoms.Palace doctors had been testing the Queen frequently since her son tested positive and it has now emerged that she is mildly symptomatic.It is understood that the Queen was in contact with the Prince of Wales on several occasions before he was required to isolate on February 10.The Queen has been triple-vaccinated.

Canadian police are making possibly the final push to clear the capital city of demonstrators who have paralysed it by parking and camping on the streets for more than three weeks to protest against Covid pandemic restrictions.

Australia will welcome international tourists tomorrow after nearly two years of sealing its borders, relying on high Covid-19 vaccination rates to live with the pandemic as infections decline.

WHO's emergencies chief Mike Ryan recently said. 

Private schools were not prioritised in Manchester's Covid vaccination programme, the organisation responsible for the rollout has confirmed.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) states that 5 ships carrying fuel will arrive in the island within the upcoming week.Its Chairman, Sumith Wijesinghe stated that diesel, petrol and jet fuel will be brought to Sri Lanka by these ships.Accordingly, he assured that there are sufficient stocks of fuel in the country while adding that the CPC is ready to provide the necessary stocks of fuel to the Ceylon Electricity Board as well.However, Wijesinghe stated that the CEB must pay in rupees for the stocks of fuel.Meanwhile, the daily fuel demand has reported a rapid increase within the last few days.The Chairman of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation stated that the average daily fuel demand in the country is 6,000 metric tons, however, on Saturday (19) the demand recorded an increase of 9,000 metric tons.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The report on Sri Lanka compiled by the Human Right’s High Commissioner will be debated at the 49th sessions of the Human Rights Council Sessions  due to be held on 3rd of March.According to an article published on the Sunday Times, the UNHRC report has scrutinized the conduct of the Attorney General’s Department in Sri Lanka.The report was forwarded to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday (14).Ministry officials had then studied the reports and sent to Geneva the Government’s observations and explanations on several issues raised.The article on the Sunday Times highlights that this year’s report delves at length with the Government’s failure to make changes to the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) to meet international standards.It adds that the UNHRC is not pleased with the amendments that are now pending before Parliament and is displeased that necessary changes have not been effected despite repeated assurances by the Government.According to the Article, another area dealt with in the report is the April 21st attacks.It also includes a call for the Attorney General’s Department to function independently.There will be no voting at the UNHRC’s 49th sessions which begin on February 28th. However, the meeting is a precursor to another Resolution on Sri Lanka in September, due this year.

One of Canada’s busiest commercial truck border crossings was closed again Saturday as anti-mandate protesters swarmed the route leading to the Pacific Highway crossing in Surrey. Kamil Karamali reports.

Ukraine has received a plane load of machine guns, surveillance gear and rifles as part of a Canadian military assistance package, Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on Saturday.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney tweeted Saturday the province will file a court challenge of the federal government’s Emergencies Act in the wake of convoy protests in Ottawa.

A protest that closed the main crossing between Alberta and the United States may have ended this week, but there’s some concern it has created a different kind of division in the border community caught in the middle of the dispute.

Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, according to updated data by Union Health Ministry. The number of recoveries reported in the last 24 hours stood at 48,847, taking the total recoveries to 4,20,86,383. The number of Covid-19 deaths reported in last 24 hours stood at 673, taking the total death toll to 5,11,903. 

COLOMBO (News 1st): It is important to introduce ethics for social media usage, Shehan Semasinghe, the State Minister of Samurdhi, Household Economy, Micro Finance, Self Employment, and Business Development said. He pointed out that social media is being used to circulate misinformation.“Certain people have taken the lead in tarnishing Sri Lanka’s reputation with regard to Human Rights, every time the Geneva Human Rights Council session is there. This is because they cannot stand the revival of a collapsed economy,” State Minister Semasinghe emphasized.Thereby, he highlighted the need to introduce social media ethics, since the use of social media for personal gains may negatively impact the country on the diplomatic front.He shared these remarks at an event held in Anuradhapura.

Police officers appeared to be shifting strategy Saturday in Ottawa as they worked to clear the remaining protesters from the area, arresting 170 over two days. The slow methodical approach that we saw from police Friday seemed to be replaced with a much tougher line today.

The streets in Ottawa are starting to look more bare and normal. Police warned demonstrators in the evening that it is “unsafe to stay.” “Get out of the cold and cease further unlawful activity.

Police and protesters faced off for a second straight day in the nation’s capital and at times those tensions erupted into violence, but tonight it appears the Ottawa occupation is into its final hours. Police and protesters are accusing each other of abusive behaviour after a day that saw officers reclaim the street in front of Parliament Hill.

WEST PHILADELPHIA - A fire in West Philadelphia home Saturday afternoon sent a child to the hospital badly burned.Fire officials investigate a cause of the fire, but the child’s grandparents tell FOX 29 they believe a faulty extension cord started the fire. And, Saturday, they were asking for support and prayers for their grandson.The fire broke out in a house on Filbert Street near 42nd Street.

EAST FRANKFORD - Philadelphia Police are investigating after three men were shot multiple times in East Frankford.Officials say the shooting happened Saturday evening, around 6 p.m., on the 5300 block of Glenloch Street, in Philadelphia’s East Frankford section.Responding officers found two men, ages 18 and 19, suffering from gunshot wounds in their legs. The 18-year-old was taken to St Christopher’s Hospital for Children by medics and the 19-year-old was taken to Frankford-Torresdale Medical Center, also by medics.

COVID-19 public health measures descended on Quebec City on Saturday for the second weekend this month.Inspired by the so-called Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa, horns could be heard as several dozen vehicles, including trucks and tractors, arrived outside the provincial legislature late Saturday morning.It was a mostly festive atmosphere, as some people were dressed up in cartoon character costumes, stuffed animals were handed out to children and music played.It was the second large demonstration against public health measures in the province in two weeks.Since the last one in early February, the Quebec government announced it is phasing out its vaccine passport system and intends to get rid of most COVID-19 health measures by March 14.But protest organizers, addressing the crowd outside the legislature, said they wanted more concessions from the provincial government.Organizer Bernard Gauthier called the tone of the protest “peaceful,” adding he hoped the provincial government would return the favour without specifying any demands.Meanwhile, others called for an end to the provincially-declared health emergency and mandatory masks for school-aged children.Demonstrator Christian Martel said he wanted to see an end to mandatory masking in classrooms.“The pandemic is over, we have to end everything. We’re tired, it’s enough,” said Martel.Some demonstrators said they would also like assurance that the vaccine passport system would not return.Last week, Quebec announced it would be phasing out vaccine passports, but Health Minister Christian Dubé warned it would reimpose the passport system if it’s needed during a new wave of COVID-19.

Police officers in Ottawa have arrested dozens more protesters on Saturday. Sean O’Shea is in the thick of things and brings us the latest.

Jammu and Kashmir.

From Monday morning, rapid antigen tests will be made available at all Auckland testing sites to those who fit the appropriate clinical criteria. The site will determine which test  (PCR or a rapid antigen test) is best for you Access to rapid antigen t

Hebert was diagnosed in August 2021 as having long COVID, which refers to COVID-19 symptoms that persist well beyond two weeks — the time by which most people have recovered from the disease. With concerns being raised about the Omicron variant fuelling a spike in long COVID cases, health experts say Quebec does not have the resources to help people like Hebert or the many others who have survived the disease but remain seriously injured.Dr.

Provincial officials have loosened capacity restrictions this week in a number of settings. This, as vaccine passports are also soon going to be a thing of the past. Brittany Rosen reports.

The legal duty to self-isolate after testing positive for coronavirus will end next week, the Prime Minister is due to announce.

Prince Albert of Monaco is giving an update on his wife Princess Charlene’s health.

Ottawa’s Interim Police Chief Steve Bell has responded to a question about an incident involving police-mounted horses on Friday. Bell said “there was two members of the protesters who did collide with the horses.

Ottawa’s Interim Police Chief Steve Bell said Saturday reviews of video footage will be done to ensure the “lawful amount of force was used” as police moved to clear anti-mandate protesters from the streets of Ottawa.

Ottawa’s Interim Police Chief Steve Bell provided an update on operations to clear out anti-mandate protesters from the streets of Ottawa saying they’ve made “important progress,” arresting 47 demonstrators Saturday for a total of 170.

Ottawa’s Interim Police Chief Steve Bell said on Saturday that police were documenting the protests with the intent of pursuing financial penalties and criminal charges against those who have participated.

ivermectin, an anti-parasite drug, does not prevent severe COVID-19 symptoms.The study was published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine Friday.For the study, Malaysian researchers enrolled 490 patients with mild to moderate illness at 20 hospitals and a COVID-19 quarantine center in Malaysia.

Smoke bombs disperse protesters as police including the RCMP clear Wellington Street in front of Parliament. Protesters from the "Freedom Convoy" in Ottawa are moved from Wellington Street in front of Parliament Hill by police officers after blockadi ((Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images))OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) - Hundreds of police in riot gear swept through the streets of Canada’s besieged capital Saturday, arresting or driving out protesters, towing away their trucks and finally retaking control of the streets in front of the country’s Parliament buildings.With protesters in clear retreat under the increasing pressure of one of the largest police operations in Canada’s history, authorities’ hopes were rising for an end to the three-week protest against the country’s COVID-19 restrictions and the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.Interim Ottawa Police Chief Steve Bell said that while some smaller protests continued "this unlawful occupation is over.

CALN TOWNSHIP, Pa. - A man has been arrested for his role in an armed robbery that happened in Caln Township early Saturday. Police say Bilal Weidler, 19, was taken into custody while he was fleeing on his bike after he attempted to commit an armed robbery at knifepoint at the Turkey Hill on the 500 Bondsville Road. According to authorities, while the defendant was committing the robbery and directing the cashier to the register, a customer walking into the store startled Weidler. This caused him to flee prior to taking any items or money. Weidler then fled on a bicycle and was apprehended shortly after by Caln police that were responding to the scene a short distance away. Accordinig to authorities, Weidler was wearing a mask that was identifical to a mask worn during another knifepoint robbery that was committed at the same store earlier this month on Feb.

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. - Miami Beach police say two people are in stable condition after a helicopter crashed into the ocean Saturday afternoon near 10th street.The crash happened around 1:10 p.m. local time.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Brian Flores is back in the NFL.The Pittsburgh Steelers hired the former Miami Dolphins coach on Saturday to serve as a senior defensive assistant. Flores will specialize in working with Pittsburgh’s linebackers, a group that includes NFL Defensive Player of the Year T.J.

NEWARK, Del. - Police say a 30-year-old Maryland man was killed when he was struck by a car while riding his bicycle in Delaware. The man was riding his bike on Salem Church Road in Newark at about 10:15 p.m. Friday when the driver of a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu behind him attempted to pass him. Delaware State Police said that at the same time, the bicyclist veered to the left and was hit by the front passenger side of the car. The impact knocked the man off his bike and into the northbound lane. The bicyclist, of Elkton, Maryland, was taken to Christiana Hospital, where he later died.

Gabriel Sterling, Voting Systems Manager for the Georgia Secretary of State's office, answers questions during a press conference on the status of ballot counting. ATLANTA - One of Georgia’s top elections officials says he had to have police protection at his home after the certification of the state's presidential race.On Twitter Saturday, Gabriel Sterling, the Voting Systems Manager for the Georgia Secretary of State's office, said that he has had to deal with "multiple attempted hacks of my emails, police protection around my home" and threats.Despite the negativity and threats, Sterling, a lifelong Republican, said that he and the secretary of state's office would keep "following the law, following the process ...

ATLANTA – A top Georgia election official said Thursday that a hand tally of ballots cast in the presidential race has been completed, and that the results affirm Democrat Joe Biden’s narrow lead over Republican President Donald Trump.The hand tally of about 5 million votes stemmed from an audit required by a new state law and wasn’t in response to any suspected problems with the state’s results or an official recount request. The state has until Friday to certify results that have been certified and submitted by the counties.The counties were supposed to finish the hand count by 11:59 p.m.

U.S. presidential election battleground state of Georgia was expected on Thursday to affirm Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump after a painstaking recount, as Trump’s re-election campaign said it was withdrawing a lawsuit in Michigan.The official in charge of implementing Georgia’s voting systems, Gabriel Sterling, told Fox News the state’s audit and recount were nearly complete and on track to verify Biden’s advantage.

ATLANTA - The Georgia Secretary of State is asking for the executive director of the Floyd County Board of Elections, Robert Brady, to step down after 2,600 ballots were left uncounted prior to the county's initial certification. The error was discovered on Sunday during the third day of the state’s audit.The Georgia Secretary of State’s Office said the county did not finish counting all the initial votes before the audit began and informed the state of the error Sunday when it came to light."Not an equipment issue, this was a person not doing their job properly," said Gabriel Sterling, the director of elections operation for the state during an online press conference. State officials said an entire memory card wasn’t unloaded.