Saudi Arabia lifts most Covid restrictions

Signage at the Google headquarters in Mountain View, California, U.S., on Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022.

A shooting Tuesday night has left one person dead in Minneapolis. MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Hennepin County Attorney is declining to file charges against the homeowner accused of shooting an intruder last month in Minneapolis who claimed she acted in self-defense.Thirty-year-old Martin Lee Johnson was shot and killed outside a home along the 3300 block of 25th Avenue South on February 22.According to police, Johnson was shot after apparently trying to break into a home that night.

COVID-19 wastewater numbers show the amount of virus in two cities remain relatively unchanged and decreased in a third.But they also show the more transmissible BA.2 strain of the Omicron variant is spreading.The new strain now accounts for 70 per cent of all detected COVID-19 RNA in North Battleford wastewater, up from just below 50 per cent the week prior. China battles multiple COVID-19 outbreaks, driven by ‘stealth omicron’ variant In Saskatoon, BA.2 accounts for 42.5 per cent, up from 19 per cent.And in Prince Albert BA.2 now makes up 13.6 per cent of detected COVID samples, which increased from around five per cent.Almost all of the remaining detected virus in Prince Albert and North Battleford is BA.1, the original Omicron strain.A little more than 15 per cent of the virus RNA in Saskatoon’s wastewater is neither BA.2 or BA.1.Toxicologist John Giesy, who runs the University of Saskatchewan Global Institute for Water Security, which measures the amounts in the three cities, said it’s likely Alpha or Delta, though he couldn’t be sure.He also couldn’t say how the strain may affect Saskatchewan residents and hospitals, because the lack of timely government data and public health orders, combined with a largely vaccinated population, makes it harder to determine patterns.

SCRANTON, Pa. - Federal authorities have announced the arrest of a New Jersey man in the cold-case slaying of a teenager whose body was found in central Pennsylvania more than two decades ago.Columbia County authorities said hunters found the frozen, shoeless body of 17-year-old Shamar Washington of Williamsport down an embankment in Hemlock Township in January 2001. He had been reported missing from Williamsport six days earlier.

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 02: Bryce Harper #3 of the Philadelphia Phillies bats against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on September 02, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) CLEARWATER, Fla. - Bryce Harper wants the Philadelphia Phillies to add another big bat for the lineup.The reigning NL MVP said Monday it would be a "downer" if the Phillies didn’t sign Kris Bryant, Nick Castellanos or Kyle Schwarber. The teams needs a left fielder and President Dave Dombrowski said Sunday ownership hasn’t given him any limitations on spending money."I think all three are winners," Harper said during a 10-minute chat with reporters in front of his locker.

WASHINGTON - Gas prices are not going up because of the Keystone Pipeline cancelation or because the Biden administration paused oil extraction permits. The real reasons are more complicated than that.Last year, with the U.S. and much of the world shut down for the pandemic, driving and travel cratered – and with it, the demand for oil and gas.

The Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield and Chief Science Advisor Dr Ian Town will today host a media briefing to provide updates on the response to the Omicron outbreak.

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - The Capitol will begin phase one of its reopening plan starting on March 28, according to sources close to Fox News.Download the FOX 5 DC News App for Local Breaking News and WeatherFox is told that phase one of the reopening plan will allow groups of up to 15 persons for office visits or staff-led tours.Public tours will also resume, but only for school groups. The Capitol will launch up to four tours an hour for a maximum of 50 students between the hours of 8 a.m.

A student prepares lunch in the cafeteria during the first day of school at Stamford High School on September 08, 2020 in Stamford, Connecticut. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, many school districts nationwide delayed the first day of school until a WASHINGTON - Public schools have been serving all students free meals during the COVID-19 pandemic, but that is likely coming to an end this summer after Congress rejected calls to maintain federal funding to extend the practice. The pandemic disrupted many aspects of education, including the ability for public schools to continue offering quality meals through government child nutrition programs.

A steadily growing COVID-19 outbreak in China amid the country's strict "zero COVID" policy has triggered lockdowns in multiple locations along with key factory closures that are starting to dampen the country's economy.

FRANCE - France lifted most COVID-19 restrictions on Monday, abolishing the need to wear face masks in most settings and allowing people who aren’t vaccinated back into restaurants, sports arenas and other venues.The move had been announced earlier this month by the French government based on assessments of the improving situation in hospitals and following weeks of a steady decline in infections. It comes less than a month before the first round of the presidential election scheduled on April 10.But in recent days, the number of new infections has started increasing again, raising concerns from some scientists it may be too soon to lift restrictions.

home.General Motors and Ford this week announced pilot programs with California's Pacific Gas & Electric Company that will study the use of electric vehicles as backup power sources during blackouts and for energy storage that can help stabilize the grid.Upcoming electric models from both automakers are being developed with bi-directional power capability that allows them to send power from the vehicle's battery back into a home's electrical system.2022 Ford F-150 Lightning In particular, the large battery packs used in electric pickups like the Ford F-150 Lightning and upcoming Chevrolet Silverado EV will have energy storage capacities as high as 130 kWH to 200 kWh, which could power an average home for several days when fully charged.Ford already sells a bi-directional charger called the Ford Charge Station Pro for $1,310, about double the price of a standard home charger, before fees for installation or any electrical system upgrades that are needed to support it.Ford CEO Jim Farley told the CERAWeek conference in Houston on Thursday that he doesn't expect Tesla to offer similar capability as it sells solar panels and a Powerwall home backup battery system alongside its electric cars."We don't think Tesla will do this because they have an energy business to protect."2024 Silverado EV RST (Chevrolet)During Tesla's Battery Day event in 2020, CEO Elon Musk discounted the appeal of bi-directionally, also known as vehicle-to-grid, saying the automaker's original Roadster model was equipped with it and no one used it."Vehicle-to-grid sounds good, but I think actually has a much lower utility than people think," Musk said."And it’s obviously very problematic if you get to morning and your car, instead of being charged, it

Karly Sindy's "FART" license plate. (Credit: Karly Sindy) ASHEVILLE, N.C. - A woman who made national headlines for her unusual "FART" license plate said the North Carolina DMV ordered her to remove the plate from her truck.Karly Sindy, 37, of Asheville, North Carolina, told FOX Television Stations that the DMV has allowed her to at least keep the plate in her possession after she used the word as an acronym for her newly-launched club. "I am bummed I don't get to keep the plate on my truck but I am glad the DMV is letting me keep the plate in my possession which I will use for official F.A.R.T.

U.S. Congress members Eric Swalwell, Jackie Speier and Karen Bass – all Democrats from California – got a private walk-through of FCI Dublin. March 14, 2022 DUBLIN, Calif. - A trio of Congressional leaders on Monday toured a federal Dublin prison embroiled in a national scandal after four correctional officers – including the former warden – were charged with sex crimes and one of the formerly incarcerated women is now alleging that one of guards preyed on her by digging into her confidential files, too. U.S.

RELATED: Mandatory masking in schools reduced COVID-19 cases during delta surge, study finds"It's not that good against infections, but doesn't last very long," he continued. Bourla said he has submitted data on a fourth dose to the Federal and Drug Administration."Many variants are coming and omicron was the first one that was able to evade in a skillful way, the immune protection that we're giving," he added.According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, anyone 12 years or older, who received the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, should get a third, booster shot at least five months after the second shot. Vaccines still offer strong protection against serious illness from any type of COVID-19.

Colt McCoy #12 of the Arizona Cardinals is tackled by Haason Reddick #43 of the Carolina Panthers during the first quarter at State Farm Stadium on November 14, 2021 in Glendale, Arizona. The Panthers defeated the Cardinals 34-10.

Justin Bieber was seen for the first time since his wife Hailey's terrifying health scare last week as he boarded a private plane out of Los Angeles and headed to the Salt Lake City leg of his Purpose World Tour on Sunday afternoon.The 28-year-old singer sported a vibrant red sweat suit with a massive yellow smiling face across the front from his Drew House brand as he stepped out of a black SUV and on to the tarmac.Justin appeared to be tense and slightly stressed during the trying times as he's reportedly 'still very worried' about Hailey following the incident where she was hospitalized for a 'small blood clot' in her brain which gave her 'stroke-like' symptoms. Stepping out: Justin Bieber looked tense as he was seen for the first time since his wife Hailey's terrifying health scare last week as he boarded a private plane out of Los Angeles and headed to the Salt Lake City leg of his Purpose World Tour on Sunday afternoonThe Sorry singer kept the hood of his sweatshirt over his head as he made his way to the private plane for the nearly two hour flight to Utah for his show at the Vivint Arena.

A study of COVID-19 rates among inmates and staff at 101 US federal prisons compared with surrounding counties from May 2020 through January 2021 finds three-times-higher infection rates in prisons.

Lawson Health Research Institute have identified a higher rate of mortality among Ontarians who developed acute kidney injury following a COVID-19 infection severe enough to require a say in intensive care.A new study, published this month in the Clinical Kidney Journal, examined data from the Ontario Renal Network and identified 271 people in 27 renal programs across the province who had contracted COVID-19 during the first two waves of the pandemic and subsequently developed an acute kidney injury requiring renal replacement therapy (AKI-RRT).The 271 patients had all contracted COVID-19 between March 10, 2020 and Jan. 31, 2021 and represented about 10 per cent of the 2,490 COVID-19 ICU admissions in the province during that period.

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie have opened up about how Lady Gaga got them through the COVID-19 pandemic.The screen adaptation of the hit musical was released last year, and is based on the true story of British drag queen Jamie Campbell, with Max Harwood taking on the role of the titular character.At last night’s (March 13) BAFTAs, the film was up for the Outstanding British Film of the Year award, nominated alongside the likes of Lady Gaga’s House Of Gucci.Speaking to NME on the red carpet ahead of the ceremony, the real-life Campbell – who cameos in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie – spoke on his love for Gaga, admitting he listened to her 2020 album ‘Chromatica’ a lot during the pandemic.“It really got me through a dark time during COVID,” he explained.

COVID-19 measure in Saskatchewan has ended.The province’s state of emergency order, extended on Feb. 28, ended on Monday.The order gave the Saskatchewan government the power to redirect health-care workers to needed areas of the province.

amid Russia’s invasion, according to multiple reports. "It is a really shocking time to be a European two and a half hours flight away from Ukraine, and it's something that hangs over us," Cumberbatch told Sky News, according to Reuters. "We all need ... to do more than wear a badge.

All of the UK's remaining Covid travel measures including passenger locator forms will be scrapped on Friday, the transport secretary has said.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Oil prices dropped about 8% on Monday to the lowest in two weeks, as diplomatic efforts between Ukraine and Russia looked like they might end their conflict, which would boost global supplies, while a pandemic-linked travel ban in China cast doubt on the demand outlook.Brent futures fell $8.64, or 7.7%, to $104.03 a barrel by 10:59 a.m. EDT (1459 GMT).

Late last week in Emerging Infectious Diseases, South Korean researchers reported that average time from exposure to COVID-19 diagnosis was 3.7 days in quarantined close contacts of patients infected by the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant and that 99.1% of diagnoses occurred by day 10, supporting a 10-day quarantine.The study evaluated time from exposure to diagnosis among 107 close co

LAS VEGAS - A Las Vegas daycare is being sued after a family claimed a former staffer threw their 2-year-old, breaking his femur. According to court documents, the alleged incident happened last May at the Crème de la Crème daycare and preschool.The lawsuit was filed last August in the District Court of Clark County, Nevada. Court documents list the victim as "B.R." and his parents were listed as "C.R." and "R.R."According to the lawsuit, C.R. received a phone call from the daycare asking to pick up their son because he would not stop crying.

COVID-19 drive-thru testing site at the former Charles Street Bus Terminal in Kitchener is closing up shop and moving up to Grand River Hospital’s 40 Green building.Given that the list of Ontarians who qualify to be tested has shrunk dramatically, it should come as no surprise that the hospital is looking to scale back. Ontario likely won’t return to widespread COVID-19 PCR testing, health minister says “We have shifted from providing 500-600 tests per day to 30-60 tests per day over the last several weeks, and no longer require the level of infrastructure that the current site provides,” Bonnie Camm, GRH executive vice-president, stated.“The 40 Green location will support the quantity of testing still needed in our community, and provide more efficient access to our lab for the resulting of tests.”The clinic at the bus terminal will close on March 23 before reopening at its new location on March 25.Testing will be available by appointment Sunday to Friday from 7 a.m.

Hailey Bieber is on the mend, but her husband is understandably still concerned.

Investigators with the Clifton Heights Police Department are searching for Anthony Jones of Philadelphia. Jones is accused of shooting a man after a minor accident on Sunday afternoon.  (Clifton Heights Police Department)PHILADELPHIA - Federal U.S.

lockdown for at least a week and forbade people from leaving Jilin, the first time the government has sealed off an entire province since the area surrounding Wuhan was isolated in early 2020.

Pramit Bhattacharya is a Chennai-based journalist. His Twitter handle is pramit_bNever miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!!

HONOLULU - A 23-year-old man allegedly killed his 73-year-old lover, tried to make it look like a suicide, poured cement over his body in a bathtub and planned to fraudulently take ownership of his car and home in one of Hawaii’s most exclusive gated communities, police said in court documents filed Friday.Juan Tejedor Baron is charged with murder, theft and identity theft in the death of Gary Ruby, whose decomposing body was excavated by authorities earlier this week from a standalone soaking tub in Ruby’s Hawaii Loa Ridge home.U.S. Marshals and Los Angeles police arrested Baron after finding him in a crawl space at the back of a Mexico-bound bus in Anaheim, California.

She is the golden girl of ITV, fronting both This Morning and Dancing on Ice. So it's perhaps unsurprising that ITV bosses were sent into a 'tail spin' when Holly Willoughby revealed she had tested positive for Covid-19 this weekend. "ITV have been really careful to make sure their presenters are working in the most Covid safe was so it's a real blow that Holly tested positive," an ITV source told OK! They said the timing could not have been worse, coming as it did in the wake of Philip Schofield being forced to miss shows when he himself tested positive and Holly's period of absence while she filmed Wim Hof's Superstar Survival with comic Lee Mack.

Dr. Sumon Chakrabarti reflects on two years of the pandemic shares insight on the easing of restrictions and what’s next for Canada in the fight against COVID-19.

COVID-19 as the province saw patient numbers rise slightly Monday.The number of pandemic hospitalizations stood at 1,077, an increase of three compared with the previous day. This comes after 43 patients were admitted while 40 were discharged.Intensive care unit cases totalled 61, a drop of two in the past 24 hours.The province also reported 670 new novel coronavirus cases, though the daily tally isn’t an accurate representation of the situation since PCR screening is limited to certain groups.

gas prices continue to reach record highs, many drivers have been feeling the pinch at the pump, while electric car owners have been reveling in their purchases. The national average for a gallon of gas hit $4.35 Friday, up from $3.92 a week ago, and it is expected to continue to rise amid Russia's ongoing war on Ukraine.This has led many car owners to question whether buying an electric vehicle is a smart move or a better option in the long run.U.S. electricity prices, which are heavily regulated in most states, have remained stable.

PHILADELPHIA - Homicide detectives with the Philadelphia Police Department are investigating the fatal stabbing of a man in South Philadelphia. Police say officers responded to the 1900 block of St.

FILE IMAGE - Maryland Governor Larry Hogan holds a news conference on the state's COVID-19 situation, at the Maryland State Capitol on Aug. 5, 2021, in Annapolis, Maryland. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) WASHINGTON - Maryland Gov.

COVID on Monday.No data was released on the total number of people in hospital for the second straight day. The latest figure from Saturday indicate there were 722 in hospital with COVID.Last Monday, there were 693 hospitalizations with 249 in ICU.There are 228 people in ICU with COVID-19.There are 1,116 new cases of COVID-19.Hospitalization data is currently unavailable.Today’s numbers will be available at 10:30 a.m.

Kerala had recorded 885 Covid people positive cases.

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Sarah Snook was notably absent from the festivities at the 2022 Critics Choice Awards on Sunday, and according to her “Succession” co-stars, it’s because she tested positive for COVID-19.

A woman fills up a glass with water on April 27, 2014 (Credit: FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images) COATESVILLE, Pa. - A Boil Water Advisory has been issued for Pennsylvania American Water customers part of the Coatesville water system. According to a release from the company, Pennsylvania American Water routinely monitors its distribution system. During a routine inspection, lower-than-normal chlorine levels were detected at the Rock Run Water Treatment Plant. The boil water advisory affects about 14,500 customers in various areas including: Impacted customers are advised not to drink the water without boiling it first. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, washing dishes, brushing teeth and preparing food until further notice. For more information, click here. ___MORE LOCAL HEADLINES ___DOWNLOAD: FOX 29 NEWS APP | FOX 29 WEATHER AUTHORITY APPSUBSCRIBE: Good Day Digest Newsletter | FOX 29 Philly on YouTubeAdvertisementFOLLOW: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

China has reported more local symptomatic Covid-19 cases so far this year than it recorded in all of 2021, as the highly transmissible Omicron variant triggers outbreaks from Shanghai to Shenzhen.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text

The visiting Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, H.H. Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdulla Al Saud paid a courtesy calls on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa followed by a bilateral meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prof.

DANCING On Ice has been hit with a "sexism" row after Phillip Schofield was allowed to host alone while Holly Willoughby was absent. Holly, 41, was forced to miss filming after testing positive for Covid, leaving viewers baffled when Phillip, 59, opened the show alone.

China has locked down a coronavirus-hit northeastern province and has also deployed military reservists on Monday as the rapidly spreading “stealth omicron" variant fuels the country's biggest outbreak since the start of the pandemic two years ago.