Alberta tech companies face challenges, opportunities during COVID-19 pandemic

Brandon Bostian (R) faces charges including causing a catastrophe, involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment in the deadly derailment.  PHILADELPHIA - A Philadelphia jury has reached a verdict in the deadly 2015 Amtrak derailment case, finding the engineer not guilty on all counts.The weeklong trial went to the jury on Thursday as they weighed criminal charges against engineer Brandon Bostian. However, the jury restarted their deliberations on Friday after one of the jurors experienced a death in the family and was replaced with an alternate. Bostian, 38, faced multiple charges in connection with the crash that left eight people dead and more than 200 others injured.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - The adoptive parents of two California boys who were reported missing in 2020 pleaded not guilty Thursday to killing them.Trezell West, 35, and Jacqueline West, 32, entered pleas in a Bakersfield courtroom to two counts of second-degree murder, two felony counts of willful cruelty to a child and a misdemeanor charge of making a false report of an emergency. They could face 30 years to life in prison if convicted.They were ordered held without bail, with the judge calling them "a significant and substantial risk to public safety."RELATED: Adoptive parents charged with killing two California boys before reporting them missing, DA says"Just knowing that they are handcuffed and they aren’t leaving is a blessing," Rosanna Willis, a cousin to the missing boys, told KERO-TV.

PALO ALTO, Calif. - In an emotional interview, the parents of Stanford University soccer star Katie Meyer are struggling to understand why their daughter – a star athlete with a bright future and plenty of friends – died by suicide this week. Gina Meyer told NBC's The Today Show on Friday that it's been a "horrific" experience."The last couple days are like a parent's worst nightmare and you don't wake up from it," Gina said as she choked up, sitting beside her husband Steve. "So, it's just horrific."They saw no red flags that suggested she was depressed or contemplating harming herself.

COVID-19 in those cities, local officials say it may be a while before it is lifted in Waterloo Region.“I think it’s important that each municipality look at the reasons that the emergency declaration was in place and every municipality is different,” CAO Bruce Lauckner told reporters on Friday morning, while noting that the region has talked to the other municipalities it contains about the situation.He then went on to provide an example as to why the move will come later, rather than sooner.“We still need to move staff around to support our shelter systems from time to time because COVID is still active,” Lauckner said. Interactive — Inside COVID's rehabilitation hospitals “So as we have confidence that the shelter systems, the hospitals, that our vaccine clinics and so on, no longer require operational support like that, then that would be a reason for us to and the emergency declaration.”He also noted that while the pandemic has eased, many of the people working on the front lines have been dealing with it for two years now.“So I think the worst thing we could do (is end the state of) emergency right now and then find out next week that we still have to move people,” he said.

COVID-19 on Friday as The Boardwalk vaccination clinic celebrated its first birthday.Since its inception, the region says the clinic has administered 235,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to members of the community. Long COVID: Almost a third of people report lingering symptoms, study finds “Thanks to the dedication and commitment of all the staff and volunteers of The Boardwalk vaccination clinic, we have been able to successfully bring vaccines to thousands of Waterloo Region’s residents,” said David Aoki, who took charge of the vaccine effort in Waterloo Region earlier this week.“The vaccination clinic at The Boardwalk has been integral to the success of the vaccine rollout so far and continues to provide a convenient opportunity for anyone to still get a COVID-19 vaccine.”According to the region, a time capsule is being created with members of the community contributing their reflections of the last year.“Working at public health saved my sanity during the pandemic,” one staff member recollected.“I felt helpless and hopeless, and being of service to my community by providing COVID-19 vaccination gave me hope.

Essential visiting only has been reintroduced at a Scots hospital due to rising coronavirus cases.

As we close out the second full year of the coronavirus pandemic, many are taking stock of all the ways the world has changed as it struggled to contain and eradicate a deadly virus. And if you’re Judd Apatow, what better way to do that than with a hilarious ensemble comedy?

WASHINGTON - Trucker convoys from across the U.S. are expected to arrive in the D.C.

Last Friday, LHSC was caring for 44 inpatients, with six in adult intensive care. There are five or fewer COVID-19 inpatients in Children’s Hospital with five or fewer in pediatric critical care. The same figures were reported last Friday.LHSC says of its 43 COVID-19 inpatients, 13 are being treated for COVID-19, while 30 are being treated with COVID-19, meaning they were admitted for a different reason and were found to have an incidental COVID-19 infection.

Drone video released on Thursday showed a row of smouldering high-rise apartment buildings northwest of Kyiv after the small town of Borodyanka was hit by Russian airstrikes and artillery shelling.

Justin Trudeau is heading to Europe this weekend to meet with allies over their responses to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.Trudeau will travel to London, Berlin and Latvia, where Canada is leading a multinational NATO battle group, and to Warsaw, Poland.More Coming.

Tim Hortons Brier have yet to make the trip to Lethbridge, Alta., after testing positive for COVID-19 on their pre-departure PCR tests, Curling Canada said Friday in a statement.Each competitor plays on a different team, the federation said, without identifying any of the athletes. The players remain in isolation in their respective hometowns.Round-robin play was scheduled to begin Friday night at the Enmax Centre.

Mask mandates in Ontario will be removed by the end of March as long as positive public health trends continue, the province’s chief medical officer of health said Thursday, while acknowledging there may be more than 20,000 new COVID-19 cases per day.

A Scots wrestler has shed over 13 stone after a doctor's grave warning forced him to change his life.

(U.S. Customs and Border Protection)  PHILADELPHIA - U.S.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Michelle Bachelet, the UN Human Rights Commissioner has said that the current Sri Lankan Government has not only demonstrated its unwillingness to pursue accountability, but it has also incorporated military officials implicated in alleged war crimes into the highest levels of government, reinforcing a narrative of impunity.“There have been some recent signs of increased engagement by the government with OHCRH and certain steps to initiate reform,” she told the 11th meeting of the 49th session of the Human Rights Council.The proposal to amend some provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act and release some detainees under the act are welcome initial steps, she said adding that she encourages the government to take further steps to address the fundamental problems with the PTA, as well as undertake legal, institutional, and security sector reforms that are critically needed to put an end to impunity and prevent any recurrence of past violations.“Regrettably, the past year has also seen further obstruction and setbacks to accountability.

KYIV, Ukraine - Russia’s war on Ukraine is now in its ninth day. Russian forces have shelled Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, sparking a fire there that was extinguished overnight. The U.N.

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - A man was shot and killed in D.C. while holding a baby and the hand of another child, police say. Officials say the man was shot early Friday morning in the 2300 block of 18th Street in Northeast. READ MORE: New study offers insight into who is responsible for gun violence in DCA new study analyzing gun violence in D.C.

Paris Jackson wants parents to think twice before sending their kids away to a boarding school.

NEW JERSEY - Outraged by the invasion of Ukraine, lawmakers in New Jersey's largest city lashed out at one of the closest symbols of Russia they could find — a pair of Lukoil gas stations.The Newark City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to ask the city’s business administrator to suspend the service stations' operating licenses, citing Lukoil's base in Moscow.In doing so, however, they may have predominantly been hurting Americans.The stations are franchises owned by locals, not Russians. They employ mostly New Jersey residents.

FILE A pump nozzle labeled "Super 95" is stuck in the tank opening of a vehicle at a gas station. (Photo by Sven Hoppe/picture alliance via Getty Images) WASHINGTON - Gas prices in the U.S.

Police officers detain a man during a protest against Russia's invasion of Ukraine in central Moscow on March 3, 2022. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images) DUSSELDORF, Germany - Russians could face prison sentences of up to 15 years for spreading information that goes against the Russian government's position on the war in Ukraine, a move that comes as authorities block access to foreign media outlets.The Russian parliament voted unanimously Friday to approve a draft law criminalizing the intentional spreading of what Russia deems to be "fake" reports.Russian authorities have repeatedly decried reports of Russian military setbacks or civilian deaths in Ukraine as "fake" reports.

On a busy pedestrian street in the town of Daugavpils, in Latvia’s Latgale region, Alesja Klescenoka is visibly distressed as she tries to articulate her feelings about the war in Ukraine.

COVID on Friday, with 262 in intensive care units as figures continue to trend downwards.This is down by 13 hospitalizations and a decrease of five in ICUs since the previous day. Last Friday, there were 1,003 hospitalizations with 297 in ICU.The province recently began distinguishing between those who were admitted to hospital directly because of COVID, and those who were admitted for other reasons but tested positive for the virus.Of the 821 people in hospital with COVID-19, 44 per cent of them were admitted because of the virus, while 56 per cent were admitted for other reasons but tested positive for COVID-19.Of the 262 people in ICUs with the virus, 80 per cent were admitted because of COVID, while 20 per cent were admitted for other reasons.

Meteorological spring begins on March 1, while astronomical spring begins about 20 days later.No matter when you mark the beginning of the warming season, much of the U.S. will continue to see freezing weather well into May.For gardeners, the final freeze of the season means they can start flower beds and vegetable gardens.

SILVER SPRING, Md. - Authorities say all known residents have been contacted and accounted for as investigators and search crews resume operations fire at a Silver Spring apartment complex the morning after an explosion and fire left over a dozen injured.Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein said crews are still working to confirm that there were no visitors in the buildings at the time of the explosion. Goldstein said 14 people suffered injuries in the blast -- three with serious injuries and 11 with minor injuries.

A recent study by U.S. Government Accountability Office has elaborated on the syndrome and here is what we know about it: 

WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden has been pushing for more U.S. factory jobs — and he'll be joined Friday by the CEO of technology company Siemens USA to announce a $54 million investment in producing equipment for the electrical infrastructure.The investment will lead to 300 additional jobs at locations that include California and Texas, according to senior Biden administration officials who insisted on anonymity to preview the event on the White House campus.

Kerala in the last 24 hours, taking the cumulative caseload to 65,08,845, said the health department on Friday.

WASHINGTON - U.S. employers added a robust 678,000 jobs in February, another gain that underscored the economy’s solid health as the omicron wave fades and more Americans venture out to spend at restaurants, shops and hotels despite surging inflation.The Labor Department’s report Friday also showed that the unemployment rate dropped from 4% to 3.8%, extending a sharp drop in joblessness as the economy has rebounded from the pandemic recession.The latest jobs data follows recent reports that have shown an economy maintaining strength as new COVID infections have plummeted since late January.

Impact Wrestling star Heath takes to the ring on Saturday night at the company's Sacrifice PPV, it will be the end of a long, long journey for the 38-year-old.Just two years ago, at the start of the pandemic, he was released from WWE, having spent more than a decade with the company.Once his no-compete clause with the company ended, he joined Impact Wrestling.But as much as his signing was heralded, he quickly found himself on the sidelines with an injury which would keep him out for almost a year.And it happened just hours after officially signing a long-term contract with the company.He exclusively told the Daily Star this week: “I'm looking good, I'm jacked and I'm feeling good. “And then next thing you know, I got hurt injured – out for a whole damn year.“I'm on my ass, you know, depressed, sad, mad, but you can't let it consume you, because once it does, you know, it's like life, life will beat you up and keep you on the ground if you let it.“You got to get up, you got to fight that.

administered more than 178.29 crore (1,78,29,13,060) COVID-19 vaccine doses so far with 24.84 lakh doses (24,84,412) vaccine doses administered in the last 24 hours, the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare said on Friday.

Stacey Solomon has opened up about the birth of her daughter Rose and her health battle on Loose Women.During Friday’s (4 March) instalment of the popular ITV daytime show, the mum-of-four returned to the show after her four-month maternity leave for the birth of her and fiancé Joe Swash’s second child.And while she updated fans on how life has changed for the couple since they welcomed the little tot, the 32-year-old revealed she was only in labour for an hour and a half before she welcomed their daughter.But despite having an “easier birth” the mum-of-four opened up about her daughter’s struggle with tongue tie which made stopped her from breastfeeding properly.This is a live TV story and is constantly being notes updated.Please refresh the page regularly to get the latest TV updates.TV & Showbiz reporters are working to source the latest information, reaction, pictures and video related to this story.You can also follow us on Twitter @DailyStar, or follow us on Instagram @dailystar to get the latest TV and celeb gossip 24 hours a day.Or like our Daily Star Showbiz Facebook page to get the day's biggest stories, and have your say on them.Why not also subscribe to receive our regular Daily Star showbiz newsletters?You can do this on this page by simply entering your email address above and hitting 'subscribe'.Download the Daily Star app for flash alerts on the biggest stories of the day, so you don't miss out.Why not also subscribe to receive our regular Daily Star news bulletins? You can do this on this page by simply entering your email address above and hitting 'subscribe'.

PARIS - The bells of the famed Notre Dame cathedral echoed through Paris on Thursday in a call for peace in Ukraine amid the Russian military's continued assault on the country — one of many European cathedrals that rang out in unison. Video recorded by Gemmie Dayrit on Thursday captured the sound of bells in the French capital. The Notre Dame cathedral was badly damaged by fire in 2019 and its bourdon bell had only sounded just a couple of times since the devastating blaze."Ran out of apartment to make sure bells were from the Notre Dame.

The economy grew strongly last year, according to the latest national accounts published by the Central Statistics Office today.

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COLOMBO (News 1st); The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka said power cuts will be imposed for Saturday (5) and Sunday (6).Saturday (5) :Groups P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W:3 hours from 8.30 AM to 5.30 PM1 hour from 6 PM to 10 PMGroups E & F :4 hours from 8.30 AM to 4.30 PM3 hours from 4.30 PM to 10.30 PM.Sunday (6)2 hours and 30 minutes from 9 AM to 4.30 PM ONLY for areas A,B,C.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Former Sri Lankan Minister Wimal Weerawansa on Friday (4) revealed that Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa wanted to become President even before Gotabaya Rajapaksa was nominated as the candidate for the President of the country.“Basil Rajapaksa wanted to use the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna as his personal property to realize his intentions of becoming president,” Weerawansa told reporters in Colombo, in his first-ever briefing after he and Udaya Gammanpila were stripped of their ministerial portfolios on Thursday (3) evening.He said that as the group that created the call for Mahinda Rajapaksa’s return, it was opined that Gotabaya Rajapaksa was most suitable to be the candidate if Mahinda Rajapaksa did not wish to contest.“We worked on that premise and that itself posed challenges to Basil Rajapaksa’s dreams of becoming President,” revealed Weerawansa, adding that Basil Rajapaksa eventually had to accept in a disgruntled manner that Gotabaya Rajapaksa was the Presidential Candidate.Wimal Weerawansa also said that after Mahinda Rajapaksa was defeated on the 8th of January 2015, Basil Rajapaksa had met with then-President Rajapaksa and requested for the post of Opposition Leader.“However, Mahinda Rajapaksa did not want to do that.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Vasudeva Nanayakkara has announced that he expects to resign from his position as the Minister of Water Supply.Speaking to reporters on Friday (4), he said the government committed a grave mistake in removing Udaya Gammanpila and Wimal Weerawansa from their ministerial portfolios.Nanayakkara said he cannot function as a Minister until justice is meted out to Weerawansa and Gammanpila.Udaya Gammanpila and Wimal Weerwansa have been removed from their ministerial portfolios with effect from Thursday (3) evening, said the President’s Media Division.The PMD statement notes that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa removed Minister of Industries Wimal Weerawansa and Minister of Energy Udaya Gammanpila from their portfolios, as per the powers vested in him by the constitution,

Airbnb is responding to Russia's invasion of Ukraine by suspending all operations in Russia and Belarus.The decision was tweeted by Chief Executive Officer Brian Chesky late Thursday.On Monday, the company announced its nonprofit arm Airbnb.org would offer free, temporary housing for up to 100,000 refugees fleeing Ukraine.Chesky and Joe Gebbia, chairman of Airbnb.org, sent letters to leaders of Poland, Romania, Germany and Hungary offering help to house the refugees, according to Reuters.Except for Germany, the countries share borders with Ukraine.FILE - In this photo illustration the American online marketplace and hospitality service Airbnb logo seen displayed on a smartphone with an economic stock exchange index graph in the background.

PHILADELPHIA - A young woman was taken into custody as a person of interest Friday morning after police say her boyfriend was shot multiple times inside of an apartment the two shared. Around 3 a.m., police responded to a 911 call for a person with a gun on the 2700 block of Wharton Street. When police arrived on the scene, they found a man laying on the sidewalk suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Police say the victim, who is believed to be in his mid-20s, had been shot in his chest, back, lower back, and his foot. The victim was rushed to the hospital by responding officers.MORE HEADLINES: The victim lived in the second-floor apartment of the residence he was found laying in front, according to investigators.

PHILADELPHIA - Veteran center DeAndre Jordan signed with the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday, days after being released by the Los Angeles Lakers.The 33-year-old Jordan joins Paul Millsap as a backup center for the Sixers, who dealt Andre Drummond to Brooklyn as a part of the multiplayer trade that sent Ben Simmons to the Nets in exchange for James Harden last month. Terms of the deal were not released.The 6-foot-11 Jordan appeared in 32 games with the Lakers, starting 19.

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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - Ukrainian firefighters on Friday extinguished a blaze at Europe’s biggest nuclear plant that was ignited by a Russian attack and no radiation was released, U.N. and Ukrainian officials said, as Russian forces pressed their campaign to cripple the country despite global condemnation.The head of the United Nations’ atomic agency said that a Russian "projectile" hit a training center at the Zaporizhzhia plant.

COLOMBO (News 1st): The FR application by former JVP Parliamentarian Sunil Handunnetti noting that the fundamental rights of the people were violated as they did not receive benefits after the state decided to slash the taxes imposed on imported sugar, will be taken up on the 27th of June 2022 at the Supreme Court.The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka also granted the petitioner permission to amend the petition to include Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa as a respondent in the application.The FR application was called up in the presence of Justices Priyantha Jayawardena, Murdhu Fernando, and Yasantha Kodagoda on Friday (4).Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, Finance Secretary, Chairman of the Sri Lanka Standards Institute, Secretary to the President, the Sugar Importers, the Attorney General among others were named as respondents.Sunil Handunneththi filed a Fundamental Rights petition with the Supreme Court claiming that the state incurred an Rs.15.9 Bn loss due to the reduction of taxes on imported sugar.Further, the petitioner requests the Supreme Court to order Finance Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and the respondents to take necessary measures to recover the losses and to recover Rs. 500 million as compensation.The petitioner stated that the government has incurred a loss of Rs.