Likely cause of Covid pandemic is lab leak in Wuhan, China: FBI director

(Photo by Rainer Binder/ullstein bild via Getty Images) A suspected bank robber in Utah demanded $1 from a bank teller Monday and waited for police officers to arrive because he wanted to be jailed in federal prison.Donald Matthew Santacroce, 65, was instead booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on a robbery charge, the Salt Lake City Police Department said. UTAH SUSPECT CHARGED WITH MURDER OF MISSING 19-YEAR-OLD MAN NEARLY A YEAR AFTER HIS DISAPPEARANCE"Please pardon me for doing this but this is a robbery. Please give me $1.

RELATED: Born 4 months early, world’s most premature twins celebrate their 1st birthdayDeschamps and the infant Buddha recently appeared on an episode of BBC’s Antiques Roadshow.  Lee Young, a Managing Director of Dore and Rees auctioneers who specializes in Asian Art, confirmed that the object originated from the Ming Dynasty, dating its origin between 1368 and 1644.The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the "most exciting possible explanation for the object’s presence in WA is that it came on the 1421 Ming treasure voyage," which "could mean the Chinese visited the region almost 200 years before Dutchman Dirk Hartog landed in 1616." Another possible explanation was that "it arrived in the 150 or so years since the 1870s, when the Chinese are first known to have come to the northwest coast."RELATED: Notre Dame Cathedral set to reopen in December 2024, Paris officials say"In the last four years, it has cost us significant personal capital and time to be able to investigate and protect the Buddha appropriately," Deschamps wrote in a statement to Storyful. Breaking down the fees, Deschamps added that "it makes our investment in time and capital well over $100K, which is how we have now decided to set our reserve for the auction."Storyful contributed to this report.

HOUSTON - It's allergy season, so if it seems like everyone and their mom are getting sick, you know why.  During the Spring time in Houston, certain plants bloom, and with many people moving to the city, it's almost unavoidable to get sick. MORE: The difference between COVID-19 symptoms and seasonal allergiesBut before you freak out, allergy experts, like CVS MinuteClinic practitioner Erin Vierus, are stressing the importance of recognizing the signs, treating them adequately, and doing what you can to prevent them. "We've had a particularly bad sick season with so many different viruses circulating right now," Vierus explained.

China lowers the chance of armed conflict between the Mideast rivals — both directly and in proxy conflicts around the region.The deal, struck in Beijing this week amid its ceremonial National People’s Congress, represents a major diplomatic victory for the Chinese as Gulf Arab states perceive the United States slowly withdrawing from the wider Middle East. It also comes as diplomats have been trying to end a long war in Yemen, a conflict in which both Iran and Saudi Arabia are deeply entrenched.The two countries released a joint communique on the deal with China, which brokered the agreement as President Xi Jinping was awarded a third five-year term as leader earlier Friday.Xi, whose administration in recent days has relaunched a campaign to challenge the U.S.-led Western liberal order with warnings of "conflict and confrontation," was credited in a trilateral statement with facilitating the talks through a "noble initiative" and having personally agreed to sponsor the negotiations that lasted from Monday through Friday.READ MORE: Sister of Kim Jong Un warns North Korea ready to act against US, SouthVideos showed Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, meeting with Saudi national security adviser Musaad bin Mohammed al-Aiban and Wang Yi, China's most senior diplomat.The statement calls for reestablishing ties and reopening embassies to happen "within a maximum period of two months." A meeting by their foreign ministers is also planned.In the video, Wang could be heard offering "wholehearted congratulations" on the two countries' "wisdom.""Both sides have displayed sincerity," he said.

Bhushan has also advised the state government to ensure vaccination coverage against Covid-19 and influenza NEW DELHI: Amid the rising number of influenza cases across the country and a slight uptick in the Covid-19 positive rate, the union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Saturday directed all states and union territories to closely monitor the trend of influenza-like illnesses, severe acute respiratory illness (ILI/SARIs) and SARS-CoV-2 while ensuring adequate stock of drugs, medical equipment, medical oxygen in the hospitals. Bhushan has also advised the state government to ensure vaccination coverage against Covid-19 and influenza.

World Health Organization declared the COVID–19 outbreak a global pandemic.Schools across the world shut down, workplaces turned remote and the fast-spreading virus revealed the fragility of many countries’ health-care systems. Since then, the virus has claimed close to seven million lives, of which more than 51,000 were Canadians.

Vincent Ke has resigned from the Progressive Conservative party following a Global News report of allegations by intelligence sources that Ke was involved in an election interference network directed by China’s consulate in Toronto.Ke, who represents the Toronto-area riding of Don Valley North, denies the allegations.“While the Global News allegations about me are false and defamatory, I do not want to be a distraction to the government and take away from the good work Premier Ford is doing for the province of Ontario,” he wrote in a statement posted on Twitter.Ke will now sit as an Independent.“Mr. Ke offered to step away from the Ontario PC caucus,” wrote Caitlin Clark, a spokesperson for Premier Doug Ford, in a statement.

The Chief Justice of India has strongly expressed that the judiciary should not wait for another pandemic to evolve. CJI DY Chandrachud said the way Covid-19 prompted courts in India to adopt technology and modern tools for an effective delivery of justice, the same should advancement should continue. Speaking at the 18th meeting of the chief justices of the Supreme Courts of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member-states, he said, "The pandemic forced the judicial system to adopt modern methods to impart justice.

Glenn Youngkin and Maryland Governor Wes Moore have come up with a fun way to settle the matter.  On Thursday, Governor Moore tweeted a clip of him shooting a basketball at the Capital One Arena before the Wizards played the Atlanta Hawks.

PHILADELPHIA - Winter-like conditions will make a return Friday due to a storm system bringing precipitation to the Delaware Valley. Most areas near Philadelphia will see rain, while areas in the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos will get 1 - 5 inches of snow. Forecasters say the precipitation will begin to move into the area around lunchtime and last until Saturday. There is a chance the Philadelphia area could see snow showers Saturday morning before the storm system moves out around noon. >> Download the FOX 29 Weather Authority App to get updates and alerts in your area. Carbon and Northampton Counties are under a Winter Weather Advisory, while Monroe County is under a Winter Storm Warning from Friday afternoon until Saturday around 10 a.m. Conditions will dry out in time for Daylight Savings on Sunday when conditions will be sunny and mild. Rain will return to the forecast on Monday ahead of cooler temps and another chance of snow. _______SEVEN-DAY FORECASTFRIDAY: P.m. rain, snow.

PHILADELPHIA - An off-duty FBI agent who fatally shot a dog during an altercation on a Philadelphia sidewalk last month will not face criminal charges, officials confirmed on Friday. The incident happened on the 1500 block of Spruce Street in Center City, in front of the Touraine apartment building, around 8 p.m. The FBI's Philadelphia Office stated in a tweet on the night of the shooting that initial information they received stated that an FBI Special Agent shot and wounded an aggressive dog and no one else was hurt. MORE HEADLINES: "The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our agents or task force members seriously," the tweet read.

Read more: 2020 intel warned Trudeau government that China’s interference in Canadian elections will likely be ‘pervasive’ This high-level, finalized document was produced by the Intelligence Assessment Secretariat — a division of the PCO that regularly provides national security alerts for Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet.Prime Minister’s Office spokeswoman Alison Murphy gave a blanket denial Tuesday that Justin Trudeau was aware of Beijing’s money transfers to the 2019 candidates.“As the Prime Minister stated last fall, we have no information on any federal candidates receiving money from China,” Murphy wrote in a statement.The response refers to Global’s reporting last November, which did not state that China gave money directly to candidates.

People with Long Covid could suffer from a wider range of symptoms than previously thought, scientists studying the condition have found. 

Omicron variant in Canada, COVID-19 is not expected to surge in the coming months as hospitalizations and deaths remain stable, federal health officials said.Speaking at a media conference Tuesday, Canada’s chief public health officer, Dr.

China dismissed such reports and emphasized that the pandemic is a scientific issue and should not be turned into a political matter. "The origins-tracing of SARS-CoV-2 is about science and should not be politicized.

Haryana and Karnataka. The first death was in the Hassan district of Karnataka where an 82-year-old man died due to influenza. In Haryana, a 56-year-old lung cancer patient died after getting infected by the virus in January.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Election Commission said the Government Printer has informed that the ballot papers for postal voting can be delivered within five days, and other ballot papers can be delivered within twenty to twenty-five day.The Election Commission has informed to obtain the necessary funds for the printing purposes from the Finance Secretary.Further, the Election Commission has informed the Government Printer to provide all necessary details to the Inspector General of Police with regard to the provision of police security.It added that the Senior DIG in-charge of elections has informed that following such a request, the necessary police security can be provided.Further, officials from the CPC and the Ministry of Power and Energy are to reach an agreement in due course over the provision of fuel for the Local Government Election.In addition, the National Election Commission has recommended that the basic salary of public sector employees who are contesting the election be paid only for the delayed period.

Houston - The Houston Texans have been fined $175,000 for a salary cap reporting violation, the NFL announced Thursday. As a result, the team will forfeit their original fifth-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.Pursuant to the salary cap requirements in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, clubs must report any player compensation or benefit.HOUSTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 30: A Houston Texans helmet sits on the bench at NRG Stadium on October 30, 2022 in Houston, Texas.

FILE-Multiple groups of college students sit together at tables in the Milton S Eisenhower Library at Johns Hopkins University. (Photo by JHU Sheridan Libraries/Gado/Getty Images) JACKSON, Tenn. - When he looked to the future, Grayson Hart always saw a college degree. He was a good student at a good high school.

More than 11,000 health workers are still waiting to receive the €1,000 pandemic bonus which the Government promised to give to those who worked on the frontline during the Covid-19 crisis.

Edited excerpts: Do you think covid-19 pandemic has come to endemicity, in India and the world? From CDC’s perspective and the US administration side of things, we are ready to shift our response in the US, and we feel that we are approaching the time when we can manage covid-19 without using lockdowns etc. SARS-CoV-2 remains a public health priority for us, but we are in a better position to respond. We can definitely say that we are at a point where covid-19 doesn’t have to disrupt our lives which is what really most endemic diseases are.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police are investigating allegations of two so-called “police stations” in Quebec that are suspected to be operated by Chinese government officials.The RCMP confirmed by email Thursday morning an open investigation by the Integrated National Security Enforcement Team in the province into the two alleged outposts: one in Montreal and another in Brossard, a suburb on the city’s south shore.The police force added it’s possible that Chinese Canadians “have been victims of the possible activities conducted by these centres” and that any form of “intimidation, harassment and harmful of diaspora communities or individuals in Canada will not be tolerated.” Read more: At least one Chinese ‘secret police station’ based in Vancouver, civil rights group says “We are carrying out police actions aimed at detecting and disrupting these foreign state-backed criminal activities, which may threaten the safety of persons living in Canada,” the RCMP said in a statement.The Mounties have also created a phone line to report any threats in Quebec.The RCMP said it could not comment further on the alleged police stations, citing the ongoing probe. The investigation was first reported Thursday by the Journal de Montréal.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau briefly addressed the allegations in a scrum early Thursday, saying “we’re making sure the RCMP is following up on this and that our intelligence systems are taking this seriously.”“This is an issue that concerns us enormously,” he added.

FILE - Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) arrives for a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on March 7, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) WASHINGTON - Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell was hospitalized after tripping at a local hotel, a spokesman for the senator said.The Kentucky senator, who's 81, was attending a private dinner in Washington on Wednesday when he tripped.

(Reuters) – Sri Lanka aims to announce a debt-restructuring strategy in April and step up talks with commercial creditors ahead of an International Monetary Fund review of a bailout package in six months, the nation's central bank governor told Reuters.The crisis-hit island has secured financing assurances from all its major bilateral creditors, including India and China, and so has set the stage for the IMF to give its final approval for a $2.9 billion, four-year bailout package on March 20, the multilateral lender said on Tuesday.The bailout is the culmination of months of negotiations as Sri Lanka looks to emerge from its worst economic crisis in more than seven decades."When you see the staff level agreement published – that will contain our commitment to debt restructuring and that will also reveal medium-term debt targets for us to restore debt sustainability on a long-term basis," central bank Governor P. Nandalal Weerasinghe said on Thursday."So somewhere in April we will announce … how we are going to meet those medium-to-long-term (debt) targets.

The 29% who thought it was over at that time gave way to a less optimistic 18% by the fall, as a spike in infections from the delta variant heightened public worry. Since then, optimism has mostly only inched higher, rising to 34% last spring and to 44% in October before reaching 49% today.Yet, a quarter of Americans still report they are very (3%) or somewhat (22%) worried they could catch the virus.

A Hong Kong runner has completed Sri Lanka’s 22-day Pekoe Trail in just 58 hours.Sri Lanka holds a special place in Hyun Chang Chung’s heart and with an emotional connection in mind the decided to run the newly minted 300-kilometre Pekoe Trail.When he heard an old acquaintance had designed a multi-day trail route to help promote tourism in Sri Lanka, Chung’s ears pricked up.The trail is split into 22 stages, each designed to take one day. But Hong Kong-based Chung, just 49 year-old, finished it in just 58 hours.The Pekoe Trail is a 300km hiking route that connects tea plantations across the country.

the couple announced they had split in 2017. Watch Below: Ben Stiller Calls Daughter Ella, 16, 'Beautiful' After Their Golden Globes 2019 DateFive years later the parents made headlines when announcing they had reunited, and now they're revealing how they made their way back to each other. The answer? The coronavirus pandemic, which forced them to quarantine together as a family. The couple rekindled their relationship in February 2022.“We had all this time to talk,” shared Christine on Drew Barrymore’s talk show. “There were no other distractions. It was a really special time.” Now celebrating three years together, the actress explained that although spending “time apart” had been vital for the couple, they had always prioritised family time. "We always stayed a family unit [and] continued to do things together,” she said.

 Sri Lanka’s rupee, which became the world’s best performing currency this year amid hopes of an International Monetary Fund bailout, may resume declines and lose a fifth of its value against the dollar by end-2023, according to Fitch Solutions.“We are optimistic that Sri Lanka will be able to secure an IMF board approval by early 2Q-2023,” said Seah Wang Ting, country risk analyst at Fitch Solutions. Nevertheless, there’s potential for disruptions after the initial board approval as authorities may find it challenging to stay on track with the IMF program amid a weakening economy and a local election likely on the horizon, he said.Fitch maintained its forecast for the rupee to weaken to a record low of 390 per dollar by year-end.

MIDDLETOWN TOWNSHIP, Pa. - The new SEPTA Media Wawa Line has residents in nearby Aston, Middletown and Chester Heights blowing a fuse. The trains blow their horns at all hours of the night, causing a level of noise residents find discomforting."We are pro-train.

PHILADELPHIA - A Philadelphia public school was forced to abruptly close due to asbestos for the second time in as many weeks, worsening concerns from parents and faculty about the safety and upkeep of city schools.In a letter to families, Mastery Schools CEO Scott Gordon said inspectors from the School District of Philadelphia found damaged asbestos on the campus of Simon Gratz High School, which also houses Simon Gratz Preparatory Middle School. Officials say the three-year reinspection of the district-owned building was in accordance with the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act. The district recommended the school be closed for the duration of the inspection, according to school officials. "We were unaware of the existence of these conditions prior to the inspections, the safety of ouse students and staff is our primary concern," Gordon said.

TJX Companies recalls nearly 82,000 office chairs over a potential fall hazard. (Consumer Product Safety Commission) TJX Companies has recalled nearly 82,000 office chairs that were sold at its company owned stores nationwide because they can break and cause injuries, according to safety regulators. The back of the office chairs, which were sold at Marshalls, T.J.

PHILADELPHIA - Upon entering the Philadelphia Flower Show space at the Pennsylvania Convention Center last week, I was entranced by a forest of stunning orchids suspended from the ceiling above the color-changing entrance garden. The display, titled "FLORASTRUCK," greeted visitors back indoors after two pandemic years at the city’s FDR Park.The nine-day event, billed as the world’s oldest and largest indoor garden show, typically draws some 250,000 attendees from around the globe.This year, the show’s display gardens are arranged in a winding promenade that allows for leisurely, self-guided meandering.

The Chinese government represents an “existential threat” to Canada, a Liberal MP says amid a new Global News report into Beijing’s suspected foreign interference efforts.

Depression increases after COVID-19 pandemic even if you are… According to the details of the survey, one in five employees across the globe believe that their job has a negative impact on their mental health - with the numbers further skewed against women.  “At the end of the workday, 43% of employees are ‘often’ or ‘always’ exhausted, and 78% say that stress negatively impacts their work performance. That stress from work carries into our personal lives, too, as employees say work negatively impacts their home life (71%), wellbeing (64%), and relationships (62%)" the report adds.  But even as 40% of employees remain stressed about work, many of the surveyed individuals also admitted that they had ‘rarely or never talked with their manager about it’.

Chester County teen Matthew Hauser survived cancer, but chemotherapy treatments have damaged his heart.  (Bill Hauser)PHILADELPHIA - A local teen who survived cancer is now raising funds to help other patients avoid devastating outcomes after treatment. Matthew Hauser of Chester County was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer, when he was two years old. Chemotherapy treatments helped him beat cancer, but they also caused damage to his heart. Matthew had no problems keeping up with his family's active lifestyle until the summer of 2022, when he began to experience heart failure. Doctors put in a heart pump to help, but later said the teen would need a heart transplant. Despite his personal battles, Matthew is on a mission to help others. The teen is one of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Student Visionaries of the Year for the Greater Philadelphia area. He aims to raise $200,000 to create less toxic treatments for childhood cancer. Matthew and his dad joined Good Day Philadelphia to discuss his mission. He told FOX 29's Karen Hepp that his goal is to find therapies that will allow cancer patients "live a safer and more normal and controlled life" FOX 29's Karen Hepp speaks with Matthew Hauser, a local cancer survivor who is suffering from heart failure as a result of cancer treatment. The teen is now raising money to help find less toxic therapies to treat childhood cancer.Hauser's fundraiser ends on Thursday night at 7 p.m.

MaeDell Taylor Hawkins, 98, got to hold her 7-week-old great-great-great-granddaughter Zhavia Whitaker on Feb. 18, 2023.

Read more: Anything less than a public inquiry on foreign interference is not enough: Poilievre, Singh This document was derived from 100 Canada Security and Intelligence Service reports and was produced by the Intelligence Assessment Secretariat.

Canada’s chief of the defence staff said Tuesday he wanted Canadian fighter jets to shoot down the unidentified object that flew over Yukon last month, but they were prevented from reaching the area first due to weather slowing their takeoff.

Also Read: Covid, Influenza cases rising in India in past few days: Do we need to worry? The country’s COVID-19 death toll stands at 5,30,775, while the active cases increased to 3,076, the data updated at 8 am stated. The infection tally was recorded at 4.46 crore (4,46,88,693).

Nurses suffering from Long Covid have told how their lives and careers have been left in ruins after picking up the virus as they cared for others.

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - A Polk State College student and a flight instructor were among four killed after two small planes collided mid-air in Winter Haven Tuesday afternoon. The crash prompted a large response from local first responders. The scene began unfolding on Lake Hartridge near Winter Haven Regional Airport.

Christine Taylor has opened up about reconciling with Ben Stiller over the pandemic.

travellers from China from 5 January 2023 due to surge of infections. It had stated that all travellers to the US from China will be required to take a COVID-19 test no more than two days before travel and provide a negative test before boarding their flight.  China was battered with a surge in cases after it abruptly abandoned its zero-COVID policy in early December, unleashing the virus on its 1.4 billion population.

PHOENIX - Over three months after a family of five was found dead inside a north Phoenix home, the medical examiner has released the cause of deaths a woman and her three children who were allegedly killed by the woman's husband.Phoenix Fire HAZMAT crews and police officers responded to a home near 7th Avenue and Northernbecause of areported "hazardous situation" and a possible unresponsive person just after 8 a.m. on Nov.

LOS ANGELES - During the pandemic, some 25.9% of parents lied about their kids’ COVID test results to prevent their kids from having to miss school and other activities, a new study has found.The survey, titled "Parental Nonadherence to Health Policy Recommendations for Prevention of COVID-19 Transmission Among Children," was published in the Jama Network Open. A team of researchers from universities in Iowa, Utah, Colorado, Connecticut and the U.K. conducted the study.Of the 580 U.S.

PHOENIX - As spring break travel gets underway, U.S. authorities are warning against traveling to parts of Mexico after news came down that four Americans went missing in the country – leaving two dead.The FBI office in San Antonio, Texas sounded the alarm, saying the Americans were fired upon, held at gunpoint, and appeared to be the victims of a kidnapping.Two of four Americans abducted in Mexico are dead.

contracted the disease. At that time, it was not known whether cats could potentially worsen the spread of COVID-19 and officials in the U.K. contemplated mass euthanization. "In fact, there was an idea at one moment that we may have to ask the public to exterminate all the cats in Britain," Bethell revealed. According to a 2022 PDSA Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report, about 24% of adults in the U.K.

HONG KONG - A gruesome murder case that happened in the former British colony of Hong Kong has sent shockwave throughout Asia and the rest of the world.According to officials with the Hong Kong Police Force, four people have been arrested in connection with the murder of Abby Choi, a model and social media influencer who was known amongst the city's rich and famous.Here's what you should know about the murder.(This story contains details that some may find disturbing. Discretion is advised)While statements issued by officials with the Hong Kong Police Force did not identify the victim, Hong Kong English newspaper South China Morning Post (SCMP) has identified the victim as Abby Choi Tin-fung.The Associated Press, along with Hong Kong Chinese news website HK01, have also identified the victim as Abby Choi.According to Hong Kong Police, Choi was last seen during the afternoon hours on this day.In an article published by SCMP, it is stated that Choi was set to pick up a daughter she had with her ex-husband, but the child was never picked up.A missing person's report, according to police, was filed on Feb.