Emerald Bay brush fire: Mandatory evacuation orders issued in Laguna Beach

Addressing the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors’ meeting being held virtually, Sitharaman urged for a need to evolve methodologies to plug funding gaps between multilateral institutions as low and middle income countries did not have enough resources to face these challenges on their own. Sitharaman emphasized on addressing structural bottlenecks to reduce the pandemic’s scarring effects and building resilience.She suggested that the economic recovery measures be built around a long term vision. Sitharaman pressed for a need for a pool creation so a future pandemic wouldn't make it worse for middle or low income countries.Emphasizing multilateral support, Sitharaman said that the World Health Organisation (WHO) needed to augment its capacity and mobilise global resources, especially as low and middle income countries had limited fiscal space to fund health and climate issue related matters.The Finance Minister said that it was crucial to address the gaps in global pandemic preparedness and said that the work of the G20 Joint Finance and Health Task Force should progress in that direction.However, Sitharaman pointed out that India prioritized spend and allocated $29 billion towards health infrastructure mission, where health insurance was assured for the poor and for the low income groups.

Ontario to end COVID proof of vaccination March 1, mask mandate to remain in place Ontario’s vaccine certificate system is ending March 1, when proof of vaccination will no longer be required in public settings, though businesses may choose to keep it in place on their own. But those are very different places than institutions caring for vulnerable patients, Gaskin said.“It’s also a choice,” he said.

As the Emergencies Act aims to end occupying protests in the capital, Ottawa police began issuing paper pamphlets to lingering protesters, warning them to leave the city or face possible arrest. But as Abigail Bimman reports, despite the stern messages, many occupiers refuse to budge.

PHILADELPHIA - A 12-year-old boy has been charged with murder in the death of a man that police say stemmed from a carjacking attempt late last year in Philadelphia’s Mayfair neighborhood. Police say the incident occurred back on Dec. 2, 2021 on the 3000 block of Teesdale Street. 70-year-old Chung Chin was found beaten to death following an attempted carjacking, according to investigators. John Nusselen, 18, has also been arrested and charged in the same incident, and police say they are still searching for another suspect who is 16. During a briefing on Wednesday, Philadelphia police shared that a number of teens have been arrested in connection to recent carjackings in the city.

Hambantota (News 1st); The Hambantota International Port Emergency Response Unit (ERU) together with the port’s Quality, Health, Safety & Environment Dept. (QHSE), and Port Control, responded to a fire that occurred onboard the drillship “West Polaris,” on Tuesday, 15th evening.The ship’s crew had alerted Port Control for assistance in dousing the sudden fire that had broken out in the ship’s emergency generator room.The ERU’s fire trucks arrived on the scene within minutes of being notified, assisting the crew to quickly contain the fire with charged fire hoses. The respective ERU teams brought the fire fully under control within 33 minutes of their arrival. They were able to prevent serious damage to the ship, or its surrounding area.“The joint effort of this venture reflects professionalism and assurance to HIP port users and stakeholders of optimum safety and proactive response to unforeseen events related in maritime operations,” said Tissa Wickramasinghe, COO of HIPG.The 14-year-old “West Polaris” called at the Hambantota Port for a layup on 11th January 2021, and was at Berth 6 when the fire occurred. The ship is expected to remain in port until June 2022.What is vessel Lay-Up?The term ‘Laid-up’ or ‘Lay-up’ of ships technically means ships that have temporarily been taken out of profitable service due to lack of charter or cargo.Sometimes, an increase in the freight costs becomes insufficient to cover the ships’ running costs.

Wendy Williams made rare comments about her health and the future of her daytime talk show in a video uploaded to Instagramon Wednesday.The 57-year-old, who has been absent fromthe Wendy Williams Show since July 2021 as she reportedly battles 'a number of medical issues,' stressed to her followers that she planned to come back 'stronger' than ever.'I wanna be all I can be and then get back to New York and get on down with The Wendy Williams Show,' she said upon the clip's close. Speaking out:Wendy Williams made rare comments about her health and the future of her daytime talk show in a video uploaded to Instagram on WednesdayIn the video, filmed by herson Kevin Hunter Jr., 21, Williams could be seen walking along the beach in Miami, Florida.

trucker protesters as discussions on how best to implement them continue.The government published details late Tuesday on the requirements covering a wide range of the financial industry including banks, credit unions, insurance companies, portfolio managers and investment counselling services.The Canadian Bankers Association said in a statement Wednesday that, as with other financial service providers, banks will “need to diligently implement the required measures.”“Banks in Canada follow all applicable laws and regulations in carrying out their operations, in keeping with their commitment to protect the integrity of Canada’s financial system,” the association said.

attended the big game. Rodgers wasn't one of them. Then, following the loss, Rodgers was named the MVP of the season – because that award is about the regular season, during which Rodgers was pretty spectacular.

People still participating in the so-called “Freedom Convoy” blockade of downtown Ottawa are being warned by police to “leave the area now” in flyers distributed to the demonstrators and in the door jams of trucks participating in the protest Wednesday morning.

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US Senate Candidate Gary Chambers burns the confederate flag. (Gary Chambers)NEW ORLEANS (AP - A Louisiana candidate for the U.S.

Reuters, Fauci said U.S. states are facing tough choices in their efforts to balance the need to protect their citizens from infections and the growing fatigue with a pandemic that has dragged into its third year.

SOMERSET COUNTY, N.J. - Authorities in New Jersey are investigating what the governor called a "racially disparate" response by police to a fight between two teens at a mall in Bridgewater Township over the weekend.Video captured and shared by Sienna Freidinger shows two teens arguing and then physically fighting at the Bridgewater Commons Mall on Saturday, Feb. 12.

Remote clinical trials with inclusive social media recruitment may help improve racial, ethnic, and geographic diversity among clinical trial participants, according to a US study published early this week in JAMA Network Open.

Guelph General Hospital says they are hopeful and cautiously optimistic as COVID-19 restrictions begin to lift in the province.But Melissa Skinner said in an interview this week that capacity issues the hospital had pre-pandemic have not gone away.“Over the past several years, based on the size of our hospital and the size of our community, each day we have struggled with having enough beds,” she said. “COVID has just exacerbated that and really shown how much pressure there really is on a system and on our hospital.” Doctors’ group proposes Ontario fund new surgical centres to catch up on procedures Even before the pandemic, one official described the situation at Guelph General in October 2019 as “bursting at the seams.”For example, the hospital’s emergency room was seeing 15,000 more annual visits than it was originally designed to handle.Construction to expand the department by 6,400 square feet is currently underway to address overcrowding.As for the current COVID-19 situation, Skinner said the hospital is still seeing high volumes in the emergency department but added that it is manageable and an improvement from just a few weeks ago while Omicron COVID-19 cases were peaking in the community.“The impact of COVID — we are seeing a decline.

City of Toronto workers will start heading back to the office next week.In a statement issued Wednesday, City officials said that workers will begin returning to the office on Tuesday under a “hybrid model.”Office spaces will be opened to allow for maximum capacity based on health guidelines, the statement said. City of Toronto delays return to office after province issues new public health advice Office workers make up about 20 per cent of the City of Toronto’s total workforce.

COVID-19 patients in the hospital are dropping, he still figures it could be months before the facility will be able to return to pre-pandemic surgical volumes.Dr. Craig Ainsworth, director of the cardiac care unit at Hamilton General Hospital, told 900 CHML’s Hamilton Today that Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) is still only operating at 50 to 60 per cent of surgical activity levels which will delay some non-urgent and non-emergent services.“It would be silly for me to say we’ll be back at 100 per cent by tomorrow or next week, but we’re trying very hard to get to get there as fast as we can, but it’s likely going to be months,” said Ainsworth.

Freedom Convoy” blockade of downtown Ottawa are being warned by police to “leave the area now” as questions heat up about when police will act to remove the demonstrators who have paralyzed the nation’s capital for 20 days.“You must leave the area now. Anyone blocking streets, or assisting others in the blocking streets, are committing a criminal offence and you may be arrested.

SYDNEY - A swimmer off of a Sydney beach in Australia died on Wednesday after suffering "catastrophic injuries" from a great white shark — the first fatal shark attack in the area since 1963.The attack was reported at about 4:35 p.m. local time near Buchan Point, Malabar, where Little Bay Beach is located, according to a statement from New South Wales police.

MOSCOW - Russia said Wednesday it was returning more troops and weapons to bases, but NATO declared it saw no sign of a drawdown as fears that Moscow could invade Ukraine soon persisted.Russia has massed about 150,000 troops east, north and south of Ukraine, sparking Western concerns it was planning an attack. Moscow denies it has any such plans and this week said it was pulling back some forces and weapons, though it gave few details.

COLOMBO (News 1st): All possible steps will be taken to prevent Indian fishermen from illegal fishing in the territorial waters of Sri Lanka, by breaching the maritime boundaries, Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Fisheries emphasized on Wednesday (Feb. 16).Discussions in this regard will be held with the Government of India in the coming weeks, Indu Ratnayake, the Secretary to the Fisheries Ministry told News 1st.The Indian Government has also agreed to hold discussions, according to Ratnayake.The authorities are focusing on future steps that could be taken with regard to the vessels and fishing gear seized by security forces, she further noted.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka’s Director General of Health Services has issued a circular with respect to the deaths reported in Sri Lanka.According to the circular, all deaths that take place in hospitals and residences or other locations are NOT subject to mandatory PCR tests.However, a PCR can be carried out on the remains of a deceased person at the discretion of the Judicial Medical Officer.

An American Airlines employee stabbed a co-worker at Boston Logan International Airport following a dispute between the pair, authorities said Tuesday. Kenrick Smith, 34, of Leominster, was arraigned hours later at the East Boston District Court, Massachusetts State Police spokesman David Procopio said in a statement. The incident occurred just before 1:30 p.m.

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin in a New York courtroom for her libel lawsuit against the NY Times. (Jane Rosenberg) NEW YORK (AP) - Former Alaska Gov.

OAKLAND, Calif. - The memorial for former Oakland Raiders head coach and broadcasting legend John Madden was a homecoming that brought stars from the NFL, sports broadcasting, Raiders fans and friends together at the Oakland Ring Central Coliseum.The tribute was called One More Monday night in Oakland: a celebration of the life of John Madden, with a nod to his years as a commentator for Monday night football. The board was lit up with the Raiders logo and a portrait of Madden with a broadcasting headset. "I know he's up there and I know he's smiling down," Madden's wife Virginia told the crowd, saying after her husband died on Dec.

The level of Covid-19 infections continues to fall across Greater Manchester neighbourhoods, with some areas seeing fewer than ten cases.

freedom convoy” protesters who have disrupted the nation’s capital.Brad Howland, president of Easy-Kleen Pressure Systems Ltd., confirmed the donation, the largest from within Canada, following a hack of crowdfunding platform GiveSendGo.Howland declined to speak to Global News but said in a statement he had travelled to Ottawa to witness the “beautiful, legal, peaceful protest that overwhelmed us with emotion.”“We are thankful to be blessed enough to support their efforts to do what they have to do in a peaceful way until the government removes the mandates to restore all our freedom as pre-COVID,” he said.Protest organizers have secured millions in pledges from donors on GiveSendGo, the U.S.-based Christian crowdfunding platform that is hosting the fundraising campaign.

Conestoga High School switched back to remote learning on Feb. 14 after the school received threats over its mask policy.  BERWYN, Pa - Conestoga High School switched back to remote learning Monday after the school reported receiving threats. School officials updated the community with a special announcement from Superintendent Dr.

PAXTON, Fla. - Firefighters don’t just put out fires.Rescue workers in Florida saved a dog that got stuck in a deep hole. Fortunately, the dog was reportedly very friendly and was happy to see the firefighters that descended into the hole.The South Walton Fire District posted about the incident, which occurred last Wednesday, to its Facebook page.

Premier League players have been banned by FIFA after breaking Covid regulations last year.Giovani Lo Celso, Christian Romero, Emiliano Martinez, and Emiliano Buendia have all been punished for their roles in Brazil and Argentina's World Cup qualification clash.The group had all dodged Brazil's Covid rules, which stated all arrivals must spend 14 days in quarantine after entering the country.However, the Premier League players all travelled from the hotel to the stadium with their national teammates.The resulting situation caused chaotic scenes when health officials stormed the pitch after six minutes to haul the players off for breaking the rules.FIFA released a statement: "After a thorough investigation of the various factual elements and in light of the applicable regulations."The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has decided that the match should be replayed on a date and at a location to be decided by FIFA."In addition, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has concluded that the abandonment of the match stemmed from several deficiencies of the parties involved towards their respective responsibilities and/or obligations in connection with the former."As such, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has also decided to suspend the Argentinian players Emiliano Buendía, Emiliano Martínez, Giovani Lo Celso and Cristian Romero for two matches each for not complying with the FIFA Return to Football International Match Protocol." What do you think of the punishment? Let us know in the comments section Both countries FA's have also been fined due to their failure to maintain order and security.Argentina have been hit with a £160,000 fine, while Brazil were ordered to fork over £300,000.The two nations will also pay an additional £40,000 fine

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Stellantis is recalling nearly 20,000 plug-in hybrid minivans over a potential fire risk and urged owners of the affected vehicles to stop recharging them. The recall covers model-year 2017 and 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrids, impacting an estimated 19,808 minivans, the automaker said. No other Pacifica models are affected. "A routine company review of customer data led to an internal investigation that discovered 12 fires among model-year 2017 and 2018 vehicles," Stellantis said in a statement dated Feb.

People enjoy the beach on the Atlantic Ocean at Cape Henlopen State Park, in Lewes, Delaware, November 25, 2020.

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On Monday Saskatchewan will start rolling back COVID-19 restrictions, dropping the vaccine passport requirement.

Charli XCX has been under fire from her generally worshipful fanbase for the past 24 hours, since Afterparty — a March music and art festival in Las Vegas that requires all its attendees own one of 1,500 "Utopian" NFTs — announced her as a scheduled performer alongside The Chainsmokers, The Kid LAROI, and others. This morning, Charli responded to the criticisms by tweeting a statement in two screenshots.

Surrey RCMP Sgt. Elenore Sturko provides an update on enforcement at a protest blockading the Pacific Highway border crossing on Sunday. Four people have been arrested for mischief.

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COVID-19 measures continued into a second day, Surrey RCMP said.Highway 15 remained closed between 1st and 8th Avenue, according to DriveBC, and highway traffic cameras showed access to the route blocked by police vehicles.Surrey RCMP said Sunday the border crossing was closed an all vehicle access to the border area south of 8th Avenue was suspended.“Safety is our priority in this situation, this is a very high emotion protest where we want to do as much as we can to try and keep people calm, even as we move forward with arrests,” Surrey RCMP Sgt. Elenore Sturko said.Police formed a line around 12:30 p.m.

A Rutherglen man has praised a new NHS weight loss programme after shedding a staggering four stone in less than a year.

trucker convoy protesters who break the law will be “increasingly severe” as an occupation in Ottawa extends past two weeks and blockades spring up across the country.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau convened a meeting Saturday with ministers and senior officials to see how protests, occupations and blockades can be brought “under control.”“I convened the Incident Response Group again today – we went over the efforts underway to address the illegal blockades and occupations,” Trudeau said on Twitter.

#FreedomConvoy #vancouver#military pic.twitter.com/XhnXUyDUaY— WaiverHunter (@WaiverHunter) February 12, 2022RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Elenore Sturko said late Saturday afternoon a group of vehicles, including a large truck with a military-style paint job, broke through a police blockade and over a median heading the wrong way on the northbound side of the road.It appears to be some type of, maybe military surplus … it’s not anything with the government of Canada, it’s a vehicle that is painted and lifted and looks to be a military type style, and that was one of the first vehicles to break over the median and past police barriers,” Sturko said.UPDATE #BCHwy15 – CLOSED in both directions between 8th Ave and 1st Ave due to a public demonstration.

The number of coronavirus infections is continuing to plummet in all 10 boroughs in Greater Manchester, latest figures show.

SALT LAKE CITY - Traffic deaths decreased in Utah after the state enacted the strictest drunken driving laws in the nation five years ago, new research published Friday by a U.S. government agency shows.The findings, which pertain to fatalities involving and not involving alcohol, provide initial validation for conservative lawmakers who passed the law over concerns from restaurant and tourism industry lobbyists.In the study published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, researchers wrote that, in the years after Utah changed the drunken driving threshold from .08% to .05% blood-alcohol content, the number of crashes and fatalities fell even though drivers logged more miles."Changing the law to .05% in Utah saved lives and motivated more drivers to take steps to avoid driving impaired," said Dr.

MOSCOW - With the risk of war looming larger, Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden held a high-stakes telephone call Saturday as a tense world watched and worried that an invasion of Ukraine could begin within days.Before talking to Biden, Putin had a telephone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, who met with him in Moscow earlier in the week to try to resolve the biggest security crisis between Russia and the West since the Cold War. A Kremlin summary of the call suggested that little progress was made toward cooling down the tensions.The closely watched call between Biden and Putin began shortly after 11 a.m.

NE Phila Connected is offering free courses to teach responsible gun ownership and safety.  PHILADELPHIA - You don't have to scroll for long on a neighborhood Facebook page to find a post about a carjacking in Philadelphia.A non-profit in Northeast Philadelphia is tired of neighbors becoming victims or hurting themselves and others by trying to defend themselves.Roman Zhukov started NE Phila Connected because he saw his neighbors' frustration over the violence in the city and wanted to help."I have a child and it’s selfish to say, but I want him to grow up in a better environment," Zhukov said. "I want him to be okay walking himself to school, I want him to be okay to feel safe on the playground, I want him to go to school where there are no fights or guns involved."There’s been a rise in carjackings in his area and that prompted him to team up with Roman Kourinnoi, a certified concealed carry instructor, to offer free courses to educate people about gun ownership and how to handle them safely.MORE LOCAL HEADLINESThe first class is about having a plan and how to avoid situations."I won 100% of the fights I wasn’t involved in," Kourinnoi said.

The first blurry image captured by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - NASA’s new space telescope has captured its first starlight and even taken a selfie of its giant, gold mirror.All 18 segments of the primary mirror on the James Webb Space Telescope seem to be working properly 1 1/2 months into the mission, officials said Friday.The telescope's first target was a bright star 258 light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major."That was just a real wow moment," said Marshall Perrin of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore.Over the next few months, the hexagonal mirror segments — each the size of a coffee table — will be aligned and focused as one, allowing science observations to begin by the end of June.NASA's James Webb Space Telescope launched successfully early Christmas morning from French Guiana on South America’s northeastern coast, riding a European Ariane rocket into the sky.

Rural US counties with low COVID-19 vaccination rates had 2.4 times more infections per 100,000 people than urban counties amid the summer 2021 Delta surge, according to a study published yesterday in JAMA Network Open.

Philadelphia police and the FBI are working to find a person responsible for four robberies at the same Prudential Bank branch.  PHILADELPHIA - The FBI and the Philadelphia Police Department’s Violent Crimes Task Force is asking for the public’s help to identify a person who has robbed a Prudential Bank branch four times. According to police, the person robbed the Prudential Bank branch on 1722 Broad Street on Jan. 4, Jan.