Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Health Canada is closely monitoring European reaction to a batch of Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines linked to possible side-effects. France is suspending the use of the drug until at least tomorrow afternoon, when the European Medicines Agency will issue its recommendation on it. Germany is also joining a growing list of European countries doing the same, following reports that some people developed blood clots after receiving the shot. Trudeau says none of the doses Canada received from AstraZeneca were from the same batch, and he's urging everyone to

An outbreak of COVID-19 has closed another ward at Vancouver General Hospital, while the health authority says outbreak precautions have been lifted in a separate unit. A statement from Vancouver Coastal Health says two patients have tested positive for COVID-19 on an in-patient unit in the hospital's Jim Pattison Pavilion. The unit is now closed to all admissions, transfers and most visits, but other hospital facilities, including the emergency ward, remain open. Another unit, which is also in the Jim Pattison Pavilion, remains closed after an outbreak there last month. But the health author

The British Columbia government says age-based bookings for COVID-19 vaccinations are one week ahead of schedule and seniors aged 84 and older, plus Indigenous elders 65 and up, can make an appointment for a shot.The Health Ministry says those 83 and older can make an appointment Tuesday and the age eligibility drops daily until anyone 80 and older can make arrangements for a COVID-19 jab by the end of the week.Added staff at call centres across B.C. have helped speed up the process and the province says the centres are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.An estimated 100,000 people are included

Bharatiya Kisan Union (Bhanu) national president Bhanu Pratap Singh on Monday alleged that all those organisations that were protesting at the Singhu, Ghazipur and Tikri borders of the national capital on January 26 against the three new farm laws were "Congress-bought and Congress-sent."The farmer leader told ANI, "On January 26, we came to know that all these organisations that were agitating on the Singhu, Ghazipur and Tikari borders were all Congress-bought and Congress-sent organisations. Congress was funding them."Protesters broke barricades to enter New Delhi and clashed with police in

The Ghazipur border, which was closed due to farmers' protests against Central farm laws, was reopened on Monday for traffic movement. However, the movement is allowed only for those entering Uttar Pradesh from the national capital.The decision to open the carriageway of the National Highway-24 going towards Ghaziabad from Delhi has been opened after discussions between Delhi Police with police officials of Ghaziabad district. "In view of prevailing law and order situation at the Ghazipur border and considering public convenience, the carriageway of NH-24 going towards Ghaziabad from Delhi has

Health officials are calling on British Columbians to balance the easing of some outdoor restrictions by keeping up safety measures when indoors. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix say an amended order allowing 10 people who know each other to gather outside does not apply to indoor locations. They say in a release that all safety plans should continue being followed in workplaces, schools and grocery stores, for example. B.C. has recorded 648 new cases of COVID-19, including 79 that are variants of concern, the vast majority involving the one first iden

Mounties in British Columbia say the provincial prosecution service has approved charges of assault against two Metro Vancouver officers. The allegations stem from a stolen vehicle investigation in October 2019. Police say in a news release that officers from the Surrey RCMP Auto Crime Target Team located a man allegedly driving a stolen vehicle. The release says the vehicle was stopped and the driver arrested in Richmond with the help of another RCMP officer, but the man was allegedly assaulted during the arrest. Const. John Tsonos of the Surrey detachment and Const. Mathew McGuire of Richmo

Premier John Horgan says he will support requirements that ensure international travellers produce a type of COVID-19 vaccine passport, but he's not convinced people in British Columbia should provide the same evidence to attend local events. Horgan says there is an absolute need for international travellers to provide proof that they received a COVID-19 vaccine. However, he says he's unsure if the same policy should be implemented locally, for things like sports or entertainment events when they resume. The premier says the issue of vaccine certificates was a topic of discussion between Prim

BC Jobs Minister Ravi Kahlon says the latest Statistics Canada employment data shows BC has one of the strongest economies in Canada and is rebuilding after the pandemic, but the Opposition Liberals say New Democrats are "bumbling" without a plan. A statement released by Kahlon's ministry says BC created nearly 27,000 jobs last month, unemployment fell to 6.9 per cent from eight per cent in January and is now at 99.4 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. But a statement from the Liberal caucus says the only way to build well-paying post-pandemic jobs is with a sector-by-sector recovery plan that b