North-east England in tougher lockdown as Covid-19 cases rise

In the latest global COVID-19 developments, some recent hot spots reported new daily record cases, as US officials announced the transfer of some technology to an international effort to speed and share new pandemic tools.

From March 2020 to September 2021, women were more likely than men to lose their jobs, forego work to care for others, and report increasing violence, and women and girls were more likely than men and boys to drop out of school for reasons other than school closures, according to a study yesterday in The Lancet.University of Washington at Seattle researchers reviewing public

LOUISVILLE, KY - SEPTEMBER 23: In this handout photo provided by the Shelby County Detention Center, former Louisville, Kentucky detective Brett Hankison poses for a mug shot on September 23, 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky. Hankison was charged with th LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - A Kentucky jury on Thursday cleared a former police officer of charges that he endangered neighbors when he fired shots into an apartment during the 2020 drug raid that ended with Breonna Taylor’s death.The panel of eight men and four women delivered its verdict about three hours after it took the case following closing arguments from prosecution and defense attorneys.Hankison had been charged with three counts of wanton endangerment for firing through sliding-glass side doors and a window of Taylor’s apartment during the raid that left the 26-year-old Black woman dead.

CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. - Clayton County police have arrested a man accused of bringing a 13-year-old girl from Kansas to Georgia to have sex with her.At a press conference Wednesday, the Clayton County Police Department said that 33-year-old Jonesboro resident Harold Graham met the underage girl on the popular gaming app Roblox on Feb. 18. According to investigators, Graham was able to convince the girl two days later to sneak out of her home in Topeka, Kansas and run away with him back to Clayton County.

several municipalities in Ontario that is keeping its mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy for its employees.The decision is being made despite the provincial government lifting several pandemic restrictions, including ending proof-of-vaccination requirements in certain settings. Several Ontario municipalities keep mandatory COVID vaccine policies in place for employees In a statement, Guelph’s general manager of human resources Mark Ellis said the city remains committed to ensuring its workspaces and facilities are safe for all staff and residents who use their services.“In addition to public health requirements, the city’s vaccine policy and screening requirements will remain in place for staff,” Ellis said.“Our policy requires disclosure of vaccination status and a regular testing protocol for those who are unable to or chose not to get fully vaccinated.”In August 2020, the city announced that its employees had until Oct.

COVID-19-related deaths was reported by the Saskatchewan government Thursday.In the seven days ending Feb. 26, the deaths of 44 people with COVID-19 were reported in Saskatchewan, up from 37 in the previous reporting period.More than half the deaths — 24 — were reported in people aged 80 and older.One-quarter of the new deaths — 11 — were in the north-central zone and nine were reported in the Regina region.

Ontario’s chief medical officer of health says mask mandates will be removed by the end of March as long as positive public health trends continue.Dr. Kieran Moore says the province can “only mandate masking for so long,” with the risk from COVID-19 decreasing.He says Ontario has a very high vaccination rate, hospitalizations have been declining, and he believes the worst is behind us.However, he says that due to limited access to PCR testing, the true number of daily new COVID-19 cases can be estimated by multiplying the number of positive tests by 10, meaning there could be more than 22,000 new cases today.

Two doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford, Pfizer/BioNTech, or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine offered limited protection against symptomatic infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, and although a third dose with any of the three vaccines boosted effectiveness substantially, it waned a bit over time.

Authorities in Germany this week seized a lavish $600 million yacht belonging to a Russian oligarch, according to reports.The Dilbar, a 512-foot vessel belonging to billionaire Alisher Usmanov, was taken over by authorities while it was being refitted in a German shipyard, Forbes reported.The business magazine learned about the move Wednesday, just two days after Usmanov was sanctioned by the European Union as part of its response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the report said.The EU has accused Usmanov of being a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and a supporter of Russia’s 2014 invasion of Crimea, the Washington Examiner reported.Usmanov on Tuesday confirmed that financial actions had been taken against him."On 28 February 2022 I became the target of restrictive measures imposed by the European Union I believe that such decision is unfair, and the reasons employed to justify the sanctions are a set of false and defamatory allegations damaging my honor, dignity, and business reputation," he wrote Tuesday.The statement was posted on the website of the International Fencing Federation, where the former professional fencer served as president since 2008 until stepping down Monday, the Examiner reported.The Dilbar had been undergoing work at a shipyard in Hamburg, Germany, since October, according to Forbes. Employees of Blohm+Voss, the shipbuilding firm overseeing the project, were not at work Wednesday, the report said.German shipbuilder Lurssen, which built the Dilbar, claims it’s the world’s largest motor yacht by gross tonnage, weighing nearly 16,000 tons, according to Forbes.When operating, the ship has a crew of 96 people.

Operatic soprano Anna Netrebko performs in a concert at the State Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia, on Sept. 18, 2021.

SILVER SPRING, Md. - During an afternoon press conference, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services said there are several "unaccounted for" tenants they are searching for. Officials do not have an exact number of how many people are missing. The search will continue through the night. Authorities say 10 people have been transported after an explosion and fire led to a structural collapse that destroyed part of an apartment complex in Silver Spring Thursday morning.The fire was reported around 10:30 a.m.

KEIGHLEY, England - A large fire on Thursday destroyed a 19th-century mill in England, which has been featured in "Peaky Blinders," "Downton Abbey" and other television shows and films.The flames broke out around 12 p.m. local time at Dalton Mills, an old textile factory located in the town of Keighley in England’s West Yorkshire, the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said."We currently have fire engines & specialist units in attendance at a fire at Dalton Mills, Keighley.

SILVER SPRING, Md. - A Silver Spring resident's security camera captured video of the moment an explosion tore through an apartment complex in Montgomery County sending 10 people to the hospital and leaving much of the building in ruins.10 TRANSPORTED IN SILVER SPRING APARTMENT BUILDING BLASTAmrit Gautam's camera was positioned directly across from the building in the Friendly Garden Apartment complex on Lyttonsville Road when at around 10:30 a.m. the explosion happened.Download the FOX 5 DC News App for Local Breaking News and WeatherVideo shows a fireball and cloud of smoke pushing through the outer wall of the structure followed by a loud eruption.

Most of the Thompson family members are shown on the left; on the right is "M," whom they're trying to rescue and adopt from Ukraine. (Colleen Thompson) As Russia continues its attack against Ukraine, Colleen Thompson of Fort Thomas, Kentucky, told Fox News Digital on Wednesday about her family's desperate efforts to help orphans in Ukraine get out of the country safely.One orphan in particular, "M," is a future member of their family — a teenage girl whom the family had begun the process of adopting about three years ago.

PHILADELPHIA - A Philadelphia judge will let a jury weigh criminal charges against an Amtrak engineer charged in a deadly 2015 derailment — although she expressed skepticism that the trial evidence this past week supports the charges.The on-again, off-again case against engineer Brandon Bostian, 38, could go to a jury Thursday afternoon. The charges include causing a catastrophe, involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment.Eight people died and more than 200 people were injured when the train rounded a curve at more than twice the speed limit and derailed.In court Thursday, Common Pleas Court Judge Barbara McDermott said she was reserving judgment on whether or not the evidence was sufficient to prove the crimes charged.

Last Thursday, LHSC was caring for 50 COVID-19 patients with seven in adult intensive care.There are five or fewer COVID-19 inpatients in Children’s Hospital with five or fewer in pediatric critical care. The same figures were reported last Thursday. LHSC says of its 44 COVID-19 inpatients, 15 are being treated for COVID-19, while 29 are being treated with COVID-19, meaning they were admitted for a different reason and were found to have an incidental COVID-19 infection.

COVID-19 will soon become a matter of personal choice rather than an obligation.The province announced Wednesday that mask mandates will be lifted by mid-April at the latest, but Luc Boileau said Thursday that the change could happen as soon as the third week of March.Boileau told a news conference that he’s encouraged by recent projections that indicate cases and hospitalizations have continued to decline.

AMES, Iowa - Going for a long jog or taking a brisk walk could increase the benefits of the COVID-19 shot, a new study finds.The findings, published in Brain, Behavior and Immunity, demonstrate that 90 minutes of exercise after immunization of the vaccine increases antibody response several weeks later across several models.According to the study’s researchers, a total of 68 people were included in the final analysis, which analyzed the effects of exercise on different influenza vaccines or the COVID-19 vaccine. In addition, 75 mice were included in experiments to determine the minutes of exercise required to increase antibody response to the influenza vaccine.In the experiments involving the COVID-19 vaccine, participants were randomly assigned to 90 minutes of outdoor exercise — brisk walking or jogging depending on the fitness level of the person.

Dallas Cowboys players wear masks during the U.S. National Anthem before their game against the Baltimore Ravens.

PHILADELPHIA - The ocean is now rising much faster and in the next 30 years, the ocean will rise about a foot, according to a recently released report from NOAA. For scale, it took the last 100 years for the ocean to rise a foot. The rising ocean is already costing New Jersey millions, as FOX29’s Chris O’Connell recently explained. It turns out the ocean is rising more along New Jersey and Delaware than the rest of the United States for a unique reason: the Earth’s icy past.Thousands of years ago, ice covered Canada, New England, and even northern PA and northern NJ. The weight of all that ice pushed down the ground in those regions. Once the ice melted, the ground there started rising back up.  As this happens, nearby spots, like the Mid-Atlantic states, sink.

Bryson Woolsey is trading in his chef’s apron and the luxury of home for ammunition and danger to help people in Ukraine during their time of crisis.

A new poll suggests almost two-thirds of Canadians believe the Russian invasion of Ukraine has the potential to develop into a world war.

TRENTON, N.J. - The number of New Jersey residents getting property tax relief would nearly quadruple to almost 2 million people under a plan Democratic Gov.

Russia has been accused of using thermobaric vacuum bombs during its invasion of Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials."They used the vacuum bomb today," Ukraine's ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova told reporters after meeting with U.S. lawmakers Monday. "...The devastation that Russia is trying to inflict on Ukraine is large."Thermobaric explosives, also called fuel-air explosives (FAE), use oxygen around them to generate a high-temperature blast.

HARRISBURG, Pa. - Three state-owned universities in Pennsylvania will soon be known as the consolidated Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania after a vote by the State System Board of Governors on Wednesday.The board voted unanimously to make the change involving Bloomsburg, Lock Haven and Mansfield universities, although those previous names will still be widely used — including for logos and on diplomas.The system says Commonwealth University will not be "a public-facing identifier," but rather a background name that will let the three schools legally become a single entity. There will be one accredited institution and a single administration, said state system spokesman Cody Jones.The merger is seen as a way to provide a broader range of programs to students at a time when enrollment has been falling.

Matt Hancock said almost 10,000 people a day are contracting coronavirus - admitting the figure is "too high".

Wales and Northern Ireland have reviewed the evidence and recommend all four nations of the UK should move to Level 4."After a period of lower Covid cases and deaths, the number of cases are now rising rapidly and probably exponentially in significant parts of all four nations."If we are to avoid significant excess deaths and exceptional pressure in the NHS and other health services over the autumn and winter everyone has to follow the social distancing guidance, wear face coverings correctly and wash their hands regularly."We know this will be concerning news for many people; please follow the rules, look after each other and together we will get through this."It comes after Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced a government U-turn on

The long-delayed NHS contact tracing app to launch this week won't automatically trace whether you've been in contact with people with Coronavirus, Number 10 has confirmed.

yesterday's report of 4,422 cases.The latest statistics also revealed a further 18 people have been recorded as killed by the deadly Covid-19 virus on Sunday.This brings the overall UK total of deaths linked to the pandemic to 41,777 cases.NHS England confirmed the 18 deaths had occurred in patients aged between 62 and 98 – and that each of the victims known, pre-existing health conditions.The latest statistics come amid concerns a second wave of the virus is under way – with the threat of a national lockdown hanging in the air.Health Secretary Matt Hancock refused to rule out a second national lockdown and warned hospital admissions for the disease are doubling "every eight days."It is feared the increase in admissions will inevitably lead

The UK's Health Secretary Matt Hancock has warned Britain is at a "tipping point" as he refused to rule out a second national coronavirus lockdown if the public fails to follow social distancing rules.

Britain’s health minister Matt Hancock said on Friday that the novel coronavirus was accelerating across the country, with hospital admissions doubling every eight days, but refused to say whether or not another national lockdown would be imposed next month.

lockdown restrictions in several places around the country as coronavirus cases surge – but will there be a national one? New local coronavirus lockdown rules have been announced in parts of the North West, Midlands and West Yorkshire.

Nationwide coronavirus curbs which could see hospitality businesses forced to shut are being examined to prevent a fresh wave of deaths.

coronavirus infections.With more restrictions announced for large parts of England, there is growing speculation that the U.K. as a whole may be sliding toward a lockdown by stealth in the coming weeks, partly because the country’s testing regime is clearly struggling to cope with higher demand.

Britain's health minister has said that the novel coronavirus was accelerating across the country, with hospital admissions doubling every eight days. However, he refused to say if another national lockdown would be imposed next month.

Matt Hancock has warned that the country is facing a “big moment” as coronavirus hospital admissions continue to rise.The Health Secretary said it is vital that people follow the rule of six, or the more stringent measures imposed here in Greater Manchester.“It is deadly serious,” he told Radio 4’s Today programme on Friday (September 18).“The results of not doing so will be that this goes more out of control and we have to take more stringent measures which have a bigger economic impact and also that we have more people catching the virus, more people going to hospital and, I fear, more people will die.”Mr Hancock also clarified the government’s strategy for tackling coronavirus, stating that the aim was to suppress the virus and keep

coronavirus "in the normal way" later in the day."What I would say is that we really do need to come together to tackle this once again," he said."We have got to take the necessary action to keep people safe number of people doubling."We will do what it takes to keep people safe, we will do what is necessary — lockdown is the last line of defence."Mr Hancock added: "I want to avoid a national lockdown."When pressed on whether it's a possibility, he said it's always an option under consideration."It isn't something that we ever take off the table, but it isn't something that we want to see either," he said. "The country once again needs to come together and recognise there is a serious challenge.

Households and businesses are bracing for further local lockdowns as a new list shows the 48 areas where coronavirus cases risk spiralling out of control.

that the number of hospital admissions is 'creeping up'.Giving an update to councillors, Steve Taylor, managing director of Bury & Rochdale Care Organisation, said: “On Monday in intensive care there was one patient at Bury, four in Oldham and two in North Manchester.“In general beds there are four Covid patients in Bury, 12 in Oldham, 11 in North Manchester and nine in our infectious disease department."Meanwhile in Bolton, the infection rate is now above 200 cases per 100,000 people.

The north east of England looks set to become the latest area in the country to come under local restrictions as coronavirus cases rise.

Nicola Sturgeon has been given assurances by the UK Government that access to testing will not be restricted in Scotland while a backlog of cases is dealt with south of the Border. The SNP leader said today she had held constructive talks with Matt Hancock, the UK health secretary, on the subject as public demand for Covid tests continues to grow.

if they entered an Aberdeen postcode. Health secretary Matt Hancock defended the system but admitted there were "operational challenges" to tackle. He also told MPs that it might be “a matter of weeks” before the testing problems are resolved.

here"Of course, as I have said repeatedly, there are operational challenges but thousands of people every day are being tested in Manchester in order to get a grip of the outbreak there."Debbie Abrahams, Labour MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, raised issues around local contact tracing in Greater Manchester and accused the government of 'still not getting the basics right'."I don't underestimate the challenges that the health secretary has faced over the last few months," she told MPs."But six months on, after many many warnings of what would happen in the likelihood of a second wave without a fully operations test track and isolate system in place before lifting the lockdown, unfortunately the government is still not getting the basics

A Tory MP echoed Donald Trump's argument that an increase in Covid-19 testing might make the spread of the disease look worse than it is.

Coronavirus cases in UK care homes have quadrupled in a month, official figures show.

The number of new coronavirus cases is now doubling every week in England as the virus threatens to spin out of control.

Sitting on a bench outside Ashton-under-Lyne's historic market hall, Kelsie Harris is discussing her fears about the impact further lockdown measures could have.In recent weeks Tameside's infection rate has soared.From 29.6 infections per 100,000 people in the week ending August 22, to 72 in the seven days to September 9.Only Bolton - at 131 - has a higher rate in Greater Manchester.Bolton has been put under harsher lockdown measures by Health Secretary Matt Hancock, with restaurants and pubs ordered to operate as takeaway only.And on Tuesday leaders in Tameside are warning resident they need to take action to avoid following in Bolton’s footsteps.Kelsie, 21, thinks that would beShe said: "Hopefully they won't have to put more restrictions

A rise in new coronavirus cases in Tameside has caused the borough’s infection rate to spike.Its figure is now the second-worst in Greater Manchester.In just a few weeks, Tameside’s rate has soared from 29.6 in the week ending August 22, to 72 in the seven days to September 9.Only Bolton has a higher rate in the region - 131.Bolton has been put under harsher lockdown measures by Health Secretary Matt Hancock, with restaurants and pubs ordered to operate as takeaway only.Leaders have warned that residents in Tameside need to take action to avoid following in Bolton’s footsteps.According to the government dashboard, there were 163 positive cases in the week to September 6.The two biggest hotspots for cases were Hyde North and Denton South,