Ottawa police, politicians seek swift end to trucker convoy

A woman has complained after money was automatically taken out of her account after being told she'd receive a coronavirus fine last year.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Personal Data Protection Bill was passed in Parliament with amendments on Wednesday (9).The Personal Data Protection Bill was presented to Parliament by Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa.When it was produced for the second reading in Parliament, the Chief Opposition Whip MP Lakshman Kiriella said the opposition opposes the bill.Also Read: Namal bats for Personal Data Protection Bill in P’ment, says it is key for the future

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is extending Canada’s commitment to Operation REASSURANCE in Latvia, where he has met with Canadian troops and NATO leaders.

Canada will send cameras for surveillance drones to Ukraine in a new shipment of aid amid the ongoing war with Russia, according to a senior source.

The European Union is now gearing up to phase out Russian energy supplies in response to the war in Ukraine. Jackson Proskow reports on the planned timeline, and the growing international goal to end reliance on Russian energy.

Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii, early February 20, 2022. (Photo by DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images)HONOLULU (AP) - The last statewide mask mandate in the U.S. will be lifted by March 26, Hawaii Gov.

PHILADELPHIA - A rideshare driver was shot in Fairmount on Wednesday morning before driving to police headquarters to escape the gunfire, police say.According to authorities, the incident happened just after 3 a.m. in the area of North 24th and Poplar Streets.Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small says as officers were responding, a 2013 GMC SUV showed up at the new police headquarters at North 15th and Callowhill Streets.Small says the 42-year-old driver had a graze wound on his back and officers took him to the hospital, where he was in stable condition before being released.According to police, the man drives for Uber and he was waiting for a passenger when a white Chevy Impala with dark rims and tinted windows began following him and firing shots.Police say the Uber driver's car was hit 12 times by gunfire, with three bullet holes in the front windshield and nine on the passenger side.The motive is unknown at this time, according to police.Authorities believe the suspects in the white Chevy Impala may be connected to an incident at a Sunoco convenience store two blocks away.The convenience store clerk allegedly told police he got into an altercation with men who he believed were going to steal.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Sri Lankan Government has issued an extraordinary gazette notification restricting the imports of a series of non-essentials.The Department of Government Information said that the Sri Lankan Government decided to restrict imports for a short period to manage the present economic situation.In the first method, taxes will be imposed on selected imports.In the second method, it would be made mandatory to obtain permits for selected imports.In the third method, it would be made mandatory to obtain permits for selected imports, and such products will be subject to taxes.The import restriction gazette will be published by the government on Wednesday (9). 

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Public Services, Provincial Councils, and Local Government has issued a circular with regard to electricity consumption as state premises.

BEIJING :

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Department of Imports and Exports Control has issued an extraordinary gazette subjecting the imports of 367 non-essential goods to a permit-based system.The respective notification will be released shortly.

With the ending of the Pandemic Unemployment Payments (PUP) on 25 February 2022, plus the Employers Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) later this year, there will be unfortunately and inevitably businesses closing down and redundancies arising.

An outraged woman has complained after money was automatically taken from her bank account without her knowing after being told that she would receive a £10,000 Covid-19 fine in 2021.

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It’s getting tougher for tens of thousands of people to flee the fighting in Ukraine. Mike Armstrong reports on the hurdles they’re encountering, how many families are being ripped apart, and the dire situation of those still stranded in the deadly conflict.

raising public alarm.With the omicron wave diminishing in February and Americans expressing renewed optimism about the course of the pandemic, social distancing returned to December levels or declined further:The latest results are based on a nationally representative survey of U.S. adults conducted Feb. 15-23 by web using the Gallup Panel.

COLOMBO (News 1st); 27 Sri Lankans continue to remain in Ukraine and have expressed their unwillingness to leave, revealed Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Professor G. L.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Civil Air Transport Wing of Sri Lanka Air Force, Helitours was certified by the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL) to provide domestic civil passenger & cargo transport facilities after full filling the necessary requirements recently.The Air Operator Certificate (AOC) was handed over by Capt. Themiya Abeywickrama, Director General of Civil Aviation & Chief Executive Officer to the Air Vice Marshal Prasanna Payoe, the Chief Executive Officer of Helitours.The entry of Helitours to the Sri Lanka air transport industry will be a catalyst to the national economy through the tourism industry.The Application submitted by Helitous was scrutinized by the Civil Aviation Inspectors of CAASL by considering the organizational structure, availability of qualified & well-trained staff, instruments/ equipment, and other required facilities & documents for the certification under the guidance of Capt.

Ukraine must hold off Russia’s attack for the next seven to 10 days to deny Moscow claiming any sort of victory, said a senior government official, as more than 2 million refugees fled the biggest assault on a European country since World War Two.Vadym Denysenko, adviser to Ukraine’s interior minister, said Russia was desperate for at least some kind of victory, citing the cities of Mariupol or the capital Kyiv as the most likely targets.“They need at least some victory before they are forced into the final negotiations,” Denysenko wrote on Facebook.“Therefore our task is to stand for the next 7-10 days.” U.S. rejects Poland’s offer to supply fighter jets to Ukraine, says it’s not ‘tenable’ Russia said it would provide humanitarian corridors on Wednesday for people fleeing Kyiv and four other Ukrainian cities.

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Austria is suspending its Covid-19 vaccine mandate, its ministers for health and constitutional affairs said, six days before fines for breaches were due to start being handed out.

A Vancouver man has left the safety of Canada, and travelled to Ukraine to help his family and the country defend themselves against the Russian invasion.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Several Parliamentarians from the Samagi Jana Balavegaya, Sri Lanka’s main opposition faction, visited the Central Bank on Wednesday (9) to meet with Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal.“Our meeting was strictly professional and not political,” said Dr. Harsha De Silva who attended the meeting, adding that the main focus was highlighting the suffering of the people in the present day.The Central Bank officials believe that the issue is short-term, and had no intention of moving towards the International Monetary Fund or other agencies to restructure Sri Lanka’s debt, said the MP.“The Central Bank officials are of the view that the issues will be short-lived and can be solved by obtaining more loans from China and other lending countries,” he added.Dr.

Biological E has applied for Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) for its COVID-19 vaccine Corbevax for the 5-12 year age group, official sources said on Wednesday, according to a news report by ANI

Edmonton no longer has a local mask bylaw, after city councillors debated the issue for hours on Tuesday. As Morgan Black explains, it comes as the Alberta government introduced its own legislation to force the city’s hand.

PHILADELPHIA - Temperatures will plunge overnight in the wake of powerful thunderstorms that brought damaging winds and heavy downpours to the region on Monday. The National Weather Service issued a near region-wide Severe Thunderstorm Watch ahead of a thin, but mighty, line of storms that packed 70 MPH wind gusts. The watch was briefly upgraded to a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for parts of southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The most extensive damage from the storm was downed trees and power lines that left thousands without electricity.

Patients of a North Vancouver doctor will now be looking for a new physician.

The United States rejected a surprise offer by NATO ally Poland on Tuesday to transfer its Russian-made MiG-29 fighter jets to a U.S. base in Germany as a way to replenish Ukraine’s air force in its defense against invading Russian forces.

March 8 is International Women’s Day, but many women continue to struggle with continued unemployment that started during the pandemic.

Eight months after the town of Lytton was ravaged by wildfire, work finally got underway on debris cleanup and demolition, the first phase in rebuilding. Emad Agahi reports.

A North Vancouver doctor is telling her patients they need to find a new doctor at the end of the month. She says she’ll be out of a job because she’s unvaccinated.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa says that Sri Lankans should work patiently in the difficult times that have arisen.Participating in the International Women’s Day celebrations in Colombo, the Prime Minister also inaugurated a program to introduce 10 foreign languages ​​to school children in line with international standards.The Prime Minister addressing the event stated that while acknowledging that the country is in a very difficult situation today, the women in the country are affected when there is a shortage of electricity, diesel and gas.When the country was closed down and garment factories remained open, a certain group demanded for the factories to be closed because it would lead to a ‘garment cluster’, the Prime Minister stated.“The President closed down the country while warning that it would lead to people suffering even more. But today it has come true.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka has approved power cuts for Tuesday (8).Groups PQRSTUVW:2 hours from 8 AM to 5 PM1 hour from 5 PM to 9 PMGroups E & F: 5 hours from 8 AM to 6 PM2 1/2 hours from 6 PM to 11 PM

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has delivered its determination to the Parliament on the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) (Amendment) Bill.The determination read out by Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena is as follows:Clause 2 of the Bill is NOT inconsistent with any provision of the constitution.Clause 3 of the Bill cannot be enacted into law unless the number of votes cast in favor amounts not less than 2/3 of the whole number of members, including those not present, as per the constitution.The Supreme Court is however of the view that if the provisions of Clause 3 of the bill are amended as set out in the determination of the Supreme Court, it would ease to be inconsistent with any provision of the constitution.Clause 4 of the Bill, the Supreme Court states that be that as it may, the learned Additional Solicitor General had informed the court that the Attorney General would be advising the Minister to insert article 141 into the body of the proposed section 10 in Clause 4 of the Bill and the Minister would move that amendment at the Parliament Committee stage to address the concerns of the petitioners.Clause 5 of the Bill, for the reason mentioned in the determination of the Supreme Court, the Supreme Court holds that Clause 5 is NOT inconsistent with any provision of the constitution.Clause 6 of the Bill, the Supreme Court holds that it cannot inquire into pronounce upon or in any manner called into question, the validity of section 11 of the PTA on any grounds whatsoever, in terms of article 83 of the constitution.Clause 10 of the Bill, the Supreme Court holds that if amended as set out in the determination of the Supreme Court would cease to be inconsistent with any provision of the

Ottawa‘s interim police chief says officers will clear the streets of people who oppose the government and COVID-19 restrictions in the next few days, warning they are ready to use methods people are not used to seeing in the capital.

Ottawa city council has voted to oust Councillor Diane Deans as chair of the local police services board amid the so-called “freedom convoy” protests that have taken over much of downtown Ottawa for weeks.The move on Wednesday comes after a report that Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson was seeking to replace Deans as the chair of the police services board at a special city council meeting to address the ongoing blockade of the city’s downtown core, according to Deans’ office. Ottawa police pressed for answers on end to convoy blockade: ‘This will take time’ Jessica Bradley, a spokesperson for Deans, a city councillor planning to run for mayor later this year, confirmed a CBC News report that she was called into Watson’s office Wednesday and was asked to resign from her leadership role at the police services board, but she refused.Councillors who voted to remove her said they were concerned after learning the board agreed to hire a new interim chief to bolster the senior command at the Ottawa Police Service without a consultation process.They also suggested the board was not effective in its oversight of the Ottawa police, who have faced heavy criticism for its inaction in the ongoing demonstrations in the city.Somerset Coun.

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.

Peter Sloly has resigned, according to multiple sources. The resignation comes amid the so-called ‘“freedom convoy” protests that have taken over much of downtown Ottawa for weeks.The protests have garnered national and international attention, with many focusing on the inaction of police in Ottawa to stop demonstrators from violating bylaws, laws and allegedly harassing Ottawa residents.The Ottawa police response to the trucker convoy’s ongoing demonstrations in the downtown core has been heavily criticized for a perceived lack of enforcement under Sloly’s leadership.Calling the protests “unprecedented,” Sloly has repeatedly said the service requires additional officers to end the demonstration.He said in the first week of the encampment that there “might not be a policing solution” to the protests and called for more support from provincial and federal sources.

Ottawa police on Thursday provided an update on their ongoing enforcement measures against trucker protests demonstrating against COVID-19 vaccine mandates throughout parts of the city.

Speaking to the media on Monday, Ottawa police chief Peter Sloly said police have targeted both the “funding” – in the form of the GoFundMe crowdsourcing effort, which was halted in part due to police action – as well as the “fuel” in a literal sense, banning any fuel from going into the demonstration site.

Speaking to the media on Monday, Ottawa police chief Peter Sloly said 20 criminal arrests and charges as well as 500 tickets or citations had been issued thus far as part of the force’s “surge and contain” strategy in response to the ongoing protests in the nation’s capital.

trucker convoy digs in, setting up infrastructure and heavy machinery in what Ontario Premier Doug Ford and the Ottawa police chief are both now calling an “occupation” of the city.Tensions are only expected to rise on Saturday, with police estimates of up to 1,000 counterprotesters and thousands of additional convoy supporters making for what former Ottawa police chief Charles Bordeleau called a “volatile” mix.“There’s no question the dynamics around who’s involved and the different factions and different players that are in town present a real risk and potential for increased violence,” he told Global News.“I hope it ends in a peaceful resolution where nobody gets hurt. That’s everybody’s goal.”“But there are scenarios that may have to evolve where the police will have to escalate and use force to start arresting individuals and removing vehicles that are blocking the area,” Bordeleau added.“That is a scenario that presents some significant risks and consequences that people need to be able to really willingly accept.” Ottawa police vow ‘surge and contain’ response to trucker convoy ‘occupation’ All eyes are on Ottawa’s current police chief, Peter Sloly, as the demonstrations enter their ninth day.Ottawa police services board chair Diane Deans called a special meeting of the board for 4:30 p.m.

Thousands of demonstrators are expected to pile into the Canadian capital of Ottawa later as a week-long occupation of the city by truckers opposed to vaccine mandates is to ramp up, with other cities also braced for protests.

Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly said on Friday that police will be utilizing heavy barricades to create no-access roadways throughout the downtown core and further isolate the protest in front of Parliament Hill.

Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly said on Friday that an additional 150 police officers will be deployed in the downtown area over the weekend for an anticipated trucker protest.

trucker protest in the nation’s capital as officials brace for a resurgence in demonstrators in the downtown core this coming weekend.“We will continue to work with law enforcement agencies to ensure that people are protected and to ensure that this protest, which is now becoming illegal, does come to an end,” Trudeau said in French in the House of Commons on Wednesday, when asked what the federal government is doing to remove truckers from downtown Ottawa as the demonstration stretches into its sixth day. Ottawa police make 3rd arrest in day 6 of trucker protest While the RCMP and Parliamentary Protective Service have offered resources to OPS in managing the demonstration — composed of both convoy truckers and their supporters seeking an end to COVID-19 public health mandates — Trudeau said he wouldn’t personally step in to ensure the demonstration ends.“One of the important issues with a situation like this is to respect our institutions, systems and laws … politicians are not the ones who order law enforcement agencies to take any particular action,” he said.“We are here to provide resources if law enforcement agencies request them but they are the ones who are doing the work on the ground and we want to see a peaceful resolution for this conflict.”Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly said Wednesday in a briefing with city council that the prospect of asking for support from the military is not off the table.‘We’re looking at every single option, including military aid to civil power.

COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other public health measures after almost two full years of pandemic precautions. Ottawa police working with national security agencies as trucker convoy reaches capital Ottawa police and the Parliamentary Protective Service – as well as federal law enforcement and national security agencies – are expected to be at heightened alert as thousands of protesters converge on Parliament Hill.“With demonstrations of this scale, there are significant risks to be mitigated, but that we cannot fully eliminate,” Ottawa Police Services Chief Peter Sloly told reporters Friday.The demonstration is expected to continue through Saturday and Sunday, but Sloly – despite being in contact with the main organizers – could not say how long the protesters are expected to stay.