NBA says national anthem will be played after Mark Cuban bucks tradition

The International Testing Agency confirmed on Friday that the member of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) delegation, figure skater Kamila Valieva, tested positive for a banned substance. Plus, Canadian curler Jennifer Jones’ undefeated streak comes to an end.

Unlike a lot of people, Christian Siriano didn’t take a bit of a step back over the pandemic.

EastEnders this week after a promotional business idea goes wrong.Kim is worried she has lost her mojo, but Lola tries to encourage her fellow Albert Square resident - however, will Kim listen?Since joining EastEnders in 2011, Lola has been involved in dramatic storylines of her own - from relationship troubles, to giving birth to daughter Lexi during a huge event.Lola actress Danielle Harold has also led an interesting life including a life changing appearance alongside TV chef Jamie Oliver and speaking openly about her health battle when she was a teenager.Danielle joined EastEnders in 2011 as Lola, before leaving the soap to pursue other projects four years later.Talking about her exit in 2015, the actress said in a statement: "I've had the most amazing time at EastEnders having been involved in some exciting story lines, including giving birth in a live scene."I'll miss everyone here and am looking forward to the future."Her announcement left both fans and members of the EastEnders team devastated, with Executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins praising Danielle for her performance in the soap, saying: "[She] is a fantastic actress and I genuinely look forward to seeing her since in future roles away from the Square."From there, Danielle had further success with roles in TV series including Casualty, but also forged a career in horror films too.Between 2017-2019, Danielle appeared in a number of horror films including Fanged Up, Two Graves, Monster, Dead Ringer and The Tombs.However, she revealed that she could not wait to return to the role of Lola Pierce, telling Mirror Online: "I was stereotyped – it was the classic prostitute or pole dancing role.

Freedom Convoy” that has held taken over the downtown for the last three weeks.Not only were two protest organizers, Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, arrested Thursday evening, Friday’s Emergencies Act debate in the House of Commons has also been cancelled.“A police operation is expected in the downtown core of Ottawa,” speaker of the House, Anthony Rota, said in a tweet on Friday.

NME about what US fans can expect from live music during the next stage of the ongoing pandemic.With some tours and festivals continuing to be postponed and others’ rescheduled dates due to start in the months ahead, some concern and confusion remains over what to expect from the state of live music this year. The producers of Governors Ball music festival, the people behind ticket-selling app Bandsintown, and an infectious disease specialist told us their insights and projections for events and festivals in 2022.Live music discovery and ticket purchasing app Bandsintown have reported an increase of 8 million users in the last six months. Fabrice Sergent, the app’s managing partner, told NME that those numbers were “pretty astonishing,” adding that recent ticket-buying behaviour in the US showed that “demand for live events is very strong.”“In terms of the number of upcoming shows and festivals being announced [in 2022], we’re still at about half of the number that were announced during this same period of time in the US in 2019 and 2020,” he said. Even with 50 per cent less shows, however, Bandsintown still described “a high level of consumer interest”.“We saw a very strong January in terms of the number of tickets sold; it was twice as many as 2019.

NEW YORK - The battle to unionize Amazon workers is intensifying after labor officials officially set a date for a union election in a Staten Island facility next month.The election, which will be held in-person, is slated for between March 25-30, confirmed the National Labor Relations Board Thursday. The ballot count will be conducted on March 31. An independent and fledgling group called the Amazon Labor Union is spearheading the push.Meanwhile, Amazon workers in a Bessemer, Alabama facility are voting by mail for the second time on whether to form a union.

PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia police have released surveillance video of a carjacking that occurred earlier this week as they search for a suspect.The incident occurred Wednesday morning, around 2 a.m. at the Amera gas station on the 4700 block of West Girard Avenue. Police say the victim pulled into the gas station in a white Toyota RAV4.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - As Los Angeles County residents endure rising crime and increasing homelessness, Sheriff Alex Villanueva is slamming what he describes as a political push fueled by defund police activists to fire 4,000 sheriff department employees who have not been vaccinated against the coronavirus.Villanueva, who oversees the largest sheriff's department in the nation, said he’s the "only one left standing" when providing counterbalance against the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, which has progressive Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón "in their back pocket." RELATED: LA County Supervisors move to take COVID vaccine enforcement out of Villanueva's hands"This is nothing but a power grab by the board. And it's shameful, and it's going to be harmful to public safety," Villanueva told Fox News Digital.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Former Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter was sentenced Friday morning to two years in prison after a jury found her guilty of first-degree and second-degree manslaughter in the April 2021 shooting death of 20-year-old Daunte Wright.Presiding Judge Regina Chu said there was no question that Potter is extremely remorseful when she announced a downward departure from state guidelines with a total sentence of 24 months, with 16 months served in prison, and the remaining on supervised release. Potter will receive credit for 58 days served. Chu said she found the facts and circumstances of the case justified a downward departure from state guidelines.

With over half of UK’s population now boostered, more and more new studies are suggesting that Covid-19 has an impact on the body's hormonal balance and, as a result, affects menstruation. Even though the effects seem to be different for each woman, there is no denying that Covid-19 and vaccinations are impacting menstrual cycles.

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ivermectin did not prevent patients with Covid-19 from becoming severely ill, a study by Malaysian researchers has revealed. 

tensest standoff with the West since the Cold War, Russia plans to give its nuclear weapons apparatus a practice run this weekend.The multiple practice launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles and cruise missiles set for Saturday follow a warning from U.S. President Joe Biden that Russia could invade Ukraine within days.NATO says Russian President Vladimir Putin has failed to keep his promises of withdrawing some of an estimated 150,000 troops assembled around Ukraine’s borders, dashing hopes for an imminent de-escalation of the crisis.

PHILADELPHIA - Work is finished on a multibillion-dollar pipeline system that connects the vast Marcellus Shale gas field in western Pennsylvania to an export terminal near Philadelphia, according to its corporate owner, which faces criminal charges that it fouled waterways and residential water supplies during pipeline construction.Energy Transfer said Wednesday that construction work on its Mariner East pipeline network was completed this month. The announcement was included in the company's fourth-quarter earnings report.

virus and are primed to fight it off if they encounter omicron, or even another variant.About half of eligible Americans have received booster shots, there have been nearly 80 million confirmed infections overall and many more infections have never been reported. One influential model uses those factors and others to estimate that 73% of Americans are, for now, immune to omicron, the dominant variant, and that could rise to 80% by mid-March.This will prevent or shorten new illnesses in protected people and reduce the amount of virus circulating overall, likely tamping down new waves.

PHILADELPHIA - A person of interest is in police custody following in Thursday's shooting a food delivery driver in Center City, according to police.  The incident, which police say started over a parking dispute, occurred near 17th and Chestnut Streets just after 1:50 p.m.According to investigators, a delivery driver who was picking up a food order double parked his vehicle, blocking in another driver.

cargo ship carrying vehicles from Germany to the U.S caught fire in the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday and remains adrift near the Azores Islands.The Portuguese navy rescued all the 22 crew members from the ship, named the Felicity Ace, which was scheduled to arrive in the Port of Davisville, Rhode Island, on Feb. 23.No one was injured, but the Felicity Ace was carrying an unknown number of Volkswagen Group vehicles, including Porsches, in its hold, which has a capacity of 4,000 vehicles."Our immediate thoughts are of relief that the 22 crew of the merchant ship 'Felicity Ace' are safe and well," Porsche said in a statement to Fox News Autos."A number of our cars are among the cargo.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A family that died of heat exhaustion during a grueling summer hike in Northern California sent a last, desperate text pleading for help, authorities said Thursday.The Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office released information pulled from the cellphone of Jonathan Gerrish after months of work with an FBI forensics team.One text made shortly before noon on Aug. 15 to a person whose name wasn’t released asked: "Can you help us" and added: "No water or ver (over) heating with baby," the San Francisco Chronicle reported.But the area had bad cellphone service and the text never went through.

CAMBRIDGE, MA - FEBRUARY 17: University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas smiles on the podium after winning the 500 freestyle during the 2022 Ivy League Womens Swimming and Diving Championships at Blodgett Pool on February 17, 2022 in Cambridge, Ma CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - There isn’t much to indicate anything other than a typical college swim meet is taking place this week at Harvard University’s Blodgett Pool.No demonstrations or protests outside the building. But there is evidence of the discussion surrounding the sport during the past year.An "8 Against Hate" sign is displayed above the pool between flags representing each of the schools competing in the Ivy League women’s swimming championship.

COVID-19, a decrease of 68 compared with the previous day. Of those, 119 people were in intensive care units, a decline of five.This comes after a total of 112 patients were admitted while 180 were discharged across the province in the last day.Quebec also recorded 1,837 new novel coronavirus infections as part of its daily tally.

World Health Organization (WHO) said. Genomic sequencing is one of the best methods to identify new variants of the virus. 

Covid patients being forced to wait outside hospitals as the city battles the surging Omicron cases.Hong Kong has seen its highest daily toll of infections recorded – 6,600 cases on Friday (February 18) – since the beginning of the pandemic.The global city's insane "Covid zero" plan backfired when the government failed to keep the cases at bay despite closing its border to the world and maintaining a hellish 21-day quarantine for returning travellers.Videos shared on a local Facebook group show patients waiting on stretchers outside Caritas Hospital in Kowloon as ambulances pulled up at the kerb.Doctors and nurses, all covered in protective gear, are seen going back and forth to the A&E department to tend for the patients.In another video posted by local resident Po Sang, dozens of residents queue up around a block for a Covid rapid test.The mass queue has seen members of the public waiting for up to two hours to get tested.About 11 public hospitals are working beyond capacity, with a waiting time of up to eight hours at emergency rooms.

COVID on Friday, with 352 in intensive care units as figures continue to trend downwards. Hospitalizations are at the lowest point since early January.This is down by 61 hospitalizations and a decrease of four in ICUs since the previous day. Last Friday, there were 1,829 hospitalizations with 435 in ICU.The province recently began distinguishing between those who were admitted to hospital directly because of COVID, and those who were admitted for other reasons but tested positive for the virus.Of the 1,281 people in hospital with COVID-19, 51 per cent of them were admitted because of the virus, while 49 per cent were admitted for other reasons but tested positive for COVID-19.Of the 352 people in ICUs with the virus, 81 per cent were admitted because of COVID, while 19 per cent were admitted for other reasons.

MUMBAI :

COVID-19 vaccine starting this weekend.The Health Ministry announced the decision Friday based on new advice from the province’s immunization committee.“Note that the booster dose should be administered three months or more after the last dose of vaccine received against COVID-19,” the ministry said in a statement.The committee recommends teenagers who are at higher risk of complications from the virus get the third dose. It will also be made available to anyone older than 12 if they wish to get a booster shot.

Freedom Convoy” encamped for 22 days in the nation’s capital is now underway, with police warning of significant numbers of officers on the ground and urging those involved to remain peaceful.Tactical officers from multiple jurisdictions are on the ground in the core with rifles, while Ottawa Police Service officers could be seen with gas masks and duffle bags on Friday morning.Ottawa police also warned journalists covering the operation to “keep a distance and stay out of police operations for your safety.”“Anyone found within areas undergoing enforcement may be subject to arrest.”A media availability will take place later in the day, police said.Parliament nixed plans for both the House of Commons and the Senate to meet on Friday over the Emergencies Act invocation, with House leaders expressing security concerns. Live updates on the police operation to end the convoy blockade The University of Ottawa also issued a push notification to staff and students warning them to avoid the area due to “increased police action.”“There is a large police presence on Nicholas Street, protesters are being advised to leave immediately,” said police in a tweet Friday.

WASHINGTON - Three popular powdered infant formulas recently linked to bacterial contamination are being recalled in the U.S. after four babies were hospitalized, including one who died, according to U.S.

PHILADELPHIA - Authorities have announced two arrests following an investigation into situation where police say a Philadelphia family was held captive throughout a weekend.Police say the situation began back on Friday, Feb. 4 when a 45-year-old man was robbed and abducted by three suspects in front of his home on the 4600 block of Decatur Street in Holmesburg. Philadelphia Police Captain Jack Ryan told reporters that the "criminal gang" ten entered the home and held the family of three, including a 10-month-old child, captive throughout the weekend.When the victim’s father and a friend came to the house during the weekend, police say they were also held captive by the group. During the weekend, police say the suspects forced the victim to withdraw significant amounts of cash from various banks as his family continued to be held hostage. Ryan says at one point during the weekend one of the family members was tortured.

World Health Organisations (WHO), however, cautioned that the number of cases was low as there was a drop in the testing rate globally. 

House of Commons debate on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau‘s use of the Emergencies Act to handle the so-called “freedom convoy” demonstrations has been cancelled on Friday.There is no indication at this time that the additional debate on Saturday, Sunday and Monday will be cancelled, and a vote is still expected to be held “early next week,” according to the government.A note from Speaker Anthony Rota noted the cancellation is spurred on by an impending police operation set to take place by Parliament Hill and around Ottawa’s downtown core.“The #HoC will not sit today, Friday, February 18. A police operation is expected in the downtown core of Ottawa.

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vaccinated 80% of its adult eligible population. 

ROSWELL, Ga. - Sixteen-month-old Lock Samples has grown up sticking out.Everywhere the Roswell, Georgia toddler goes, his mother Katelyn Samples says, he turns heads."We can't go anywhere without someone making a comment, whether it's the park or Publix," Samples says. "People come up to us, they ask to touch it.

severe thunderstorms in the South and near whiteout conditions in the Midwest is quickly pushing through the Eastern Seaboard, and will produce its final spat of wet weather on Friday.Forecast models show rain and snow will be possible in the Northeast and scattered showers will impact areas mainly along I-95 from the mid-Atlantic into Florida.Accumulations of snow will be limited to interior regions of the Northeast and New England, while the big cities and coastal communities see mostly rain.Snow is possible in interior sections of the Northeast and New England, with rain likely for the big cities and along the coast. (FOX Weather) Rainfall totals in the Southeast are also expected to remain light and a widespread outbreak of severe storms is not anticipated.All the precipitation is expected to be offshore by Friday evening.Meteorologists say the front will leave behind cooler air in its wake, with temperatures from Florida into the Northeast taking a temporary plunge over the weekend.Expected rainfall through Friday.

What is ‘COVID-somnia’? Why some can’t sleep during the pandemic The frequency of nightmares was similar for the two groups before the outbreak of the pandemic. However, the frequency of nightmares increased by 50 per cent in the group that had COVID-19 and by 35 per cent in the control group.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Former Chief of the Criminal Investigations Department Shani Abeysekera filed a Fundamental Rights application with the Supreme Court on Friday (18) seeking an order to prevent his arrest.Abeysekera, the Former Director of the Criminal Investigations Department, in his application sought an interim order preventing any attempt to arrest him based on the content of the B report produced to the Kuliyapitiya Magistrate’s Court on charges that include the failure to properly investigate Zaharan Hashim, who led the suicide bomb attacks on 21st April 2019.In addition, he seeks the order to prevent any attempt to detain him under a Detention Order.

Lanarkshire residents are invited to take part in health walks across the county to “beat the winter blues” and take part in gentle and sociable exercise.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (FOX 2) - Former students are claiming sexual harassment and abuse from an ex-University of Michigan faculty member known as the 'Rock & Roll professor.'Isabelle Brouman is one of seven former students making the claims about Bruce Conforth - who had been the first curator of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland."They still need to reconcile what happened in the past," said Brouman who attended Conforth's class in 2013.

PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia police are investigating two incidents involving pedestrians that left a man and teen dead and a woman injured The incident occurred shortly after midnight Friday morning on Broad Street near Hunting Park Avenue. Police say a man and woman were crossing the street when they were struck by an SUV. TBoth victims were transported to Temple University Hospital, but the man later succumbed to his injuries.

The Canadian Centre for Policy alternatives, along with unions and environmental groups, are sounding the alarm about the growing control of a U.K. company in the wood pellet industry. Paul Johnson reports.

#COVID19 is a vivid demonstration that health & the economy are closely intertwined, therefore closer collaboration between health & finance sectors is essential. I thank

A Scots health board has been ordered to apologise to the family of a cancer patient who died three weeks after being diagnosed.

WASHINGTON – White House deputy press secretary T.J. Ducklo has resigned, the day after he was suspended for issuing a sexist and profane threat to a journalist seeking to cover his relationship with another reporter.

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden will seek to close the prison on the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay following a review process, resuming a project begun under the Obama administration, the White House said Friday.

Facing criticism that President Joe Biden has not acted aggressively enough on reopening schools, the White House on Thursday said it’s aiming for a full reopening but will defer to science experts on how to achieve it in the middle of a pandemic.

DALLAS - The Dallas Mavericks have taken a stance against the playing of the national anthem.Mavericks owner Mark Cuban confirmed to The Athletic that it was his decision to no longer play the national anthem prior to home games at American Airlines Center. The Mavericks haven’t played the national anthem prior to home games this season, and the team doesn’t plan on playing it for the foreseeable future.The Mavericks, who have an 11-14 record, have played 12 games at their home arena this season.

DALLAS – Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said Tuesday he decided before this season began not to play the national anthem before the team's home games.

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden said Friday that Donald Trump should not be allowed to receive classified intelligence briefings, a courtesy that historically has been granted to outgoing presidents.