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Mississippi moved one step closer to banning transgender athletes from participating in women's sports after the state House approved a bill on Wednesday that could make the state the first in the country to add anti-transgender legislation to its books this year. Source

BRASILIA -- After two straight days of record COVID-19 deaths in Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday told Brazilians to stop "whining" and move on, in his latest remarks attacking distancing measures and downplaying the gravity of the pandemic. Source

TORONTO -- The judge who found Alek Minassian guilty of murder and attempted murder in the Toronto van attack set Canadian precedent Wednesday by considering autism a "mental disorder" under the Criminal Code. Justice Anne Molloy ruled that autism spectrum disorder did not leave the 28-year-old not criminally responsible for killing 10 people and injuring 16 others, but her decision to consider that possibility means the argument could be made in future cases. Source

OTTAWA -- Health Canada is to announce approval of the COVID-19 vaccine from Johnson and Johnson this morning, according to multiple sources aware of the decision but not authorized to discuss it publicly. The federal regulator has found the evidence shows the vaccine is both safe and effective against the virus that causes COVID-19. Source

Health Canada has approved the use of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine in Canada, CBC News has learned. Health officials will announce the approval at a media briefing this morning at 10 a.m., multiple sources with knowledge of the approval confirmed. Source

Prince Philip, the 99-year-old husband of Queen Elizabeth, has been transferred back to a private hospital after successfully undergoing a procedure to treat a heart condition, Buckingham Palace said on Friday. Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh who has been hospitalized for more than two weeks, was moved to a London hospital with a specialist cardiac centre on Monday for treatment for a pre-existing heart issue. Source

LUCKNOW, INDIA -- Police in northern India said on Thursday they had arrested a man who beheaded his daughter and carried her severed head to the village police station, a case that spurred calls for a new law against so-called honour killings. Source

Ontario officials are expected to provide an update on the province's COVID-19 vaccine rollout on Friday, as residents of three health units also wait to see if stay-at-home orders will be lifted for their regions. Premier Doug Ford is scheduled to hold a news conference beginning at 1 p.m. Source

LONDON -- Buckingham Palace says Prince Philip has been transferred back to the private Prince Edward VII's hospital to continue his recovery after a heart procedure. The palace says the 99-year-old husband of Queen Elizabeth II underwent a successful procedure for a pre-existing heart condition at St Bartholomew's Hospital on Wednesday. Source

TORONTO -- Ontario will decide today what level of restrictions to place on three COVID-19 hot spots still under strict stay-at-home orders. The government extended those orders for Toronto, Peel Region and North Bay two weeks ago due to high virus case numbers. Source