Etobicoke, Ont. pub reopens in defiance of restrictions while experts weigh new tactics to fight COVID-19

New Zealanders stranded overseas by the pandemic have returned home to tears and hugs, as the country begins dismantling some of the world's toughest Covid-related border restrictions.

There is word Sunday that the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv is surrounded, with the mayor putting out a statement that all exits are now blocked and it is too dangerous for citizens to leave.

One of the sad realities of war is that innocents get caught in the crossfire and in Ukraine, that’s even more complicated because all men 18-60 are prevented from leaving the country to join the fight against a Russian invasion.

A Vancouverite in Ukraine talks to Global News of his ordeal escaping the fighting in his homeland. Emad Agahi reports.

The battle for Ukraine continued Sunday with street fighting intensifying just as peace talks were set to begin and the Russian president put his nuclear forces on high alert. Paul Johnson has the latest.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka has announced power cuts for Monday (28), as the Ceylon Electricity Board has run out of fuel.Power Cuts for Monday (28)Groups A, B, C:4 hrs & 40 MinGroups P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W:5 hrs & 15 Min

COLOMBO (News 1st): Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa was acquitted and released on Monday (28) from a case filed with Kaduwela Magistrate’s Court on charges of misappropriation of public funds.

Rosé of K-pop girl group BLACKPINK has tested positive for COVID-19.Today (February 28), YG Entertainment shared in an official statement to Star News that the Korean-Australian musician has tested positive for the coronavirus ahead of a flight she had scheduled later the same day. The agency added that Rosé is currently asymptomatic.According to YG Entertainment, the singer had taken a PCR test prior to departure, and later received a positive result.

The wearing of masks in retail settings and on public transport is no longer mandatory from today.

Vladimir Putin’s implied threat to turn the Ukraine war into a broader nuclear conflict presents President Joe Biden with choices rarely contemplated in the atomic age, including whether to raise the alert level of U.S. nuclear forces.The turn of events is all the more remarkable for the fact that less than a year ago, Putin and Biden issued a statement at their Geneva summit that seemed more in keeping with the idea that the threat of nuclear war was a Cold War relic.

rouble tumbled to a record low against the dollar on Monday, after Western nations announced a harsh set of sanctions over the weekend to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, including curbs on the country’s currency reserves.The rouble fell as far as 119.50 per dollar in Asian trading, a record low for the currency and a steep drop of 30 per cent from Friday’s close. It subsequently recovered to around 110 per dollar.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his military command on Sunday to put Russia’s deterrence forces, a reference to units including its nuclear arms, on high alert.

Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday.

The transition will include removal of masks and social distancing rules, something many parents are nervous about. Sharmeen Somani spoke with some experts and tells us how we can prepare our kids for a return to normal life.

COLOMBO (News 1st): The 49th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council begins in Geneva on Monday (Feb. 28).The UNHRC session is scheduled to conclude on the 1st of April.The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights will present a written update on Sri Lanka to the Council, and an interactive dialogue on Sri Lanka is scheduled on the 3rd of March.Minister of Foreign Affairs Prof.

West Block host Mercedes Stephenson interviews Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly about what more could be done to punish Russia in response to President Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

Delhi metro and trains. Besides, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has said that there will be no penalty on people travelling in private vehicles without the mask.

Since Friday, 10.8 million Rapid Antigen Tests have arrived in the country. This follows 5.2 million that landed on Thursday.

Eddie Vedder is “grateful” to be back on stage after recovering from what he calls a “pretty serious” bout of COVID-19.

Covid-19 cases, the Kerala government on Sunday lifted certain restrictions in the state and decided to allow 100% occupancy in theatres. The state government allowed bars, hotels, restaurants and theatres to function with full occupancy, in its order.

PHOENIX - Phoenix Police released a body cam video from Feb. 3 of an officer chasing a man on foot for a short period after he reportedly ran from a parked car with drugs.The video shows the man running from the officer, then once the officer catches up to him, he's brought to the ground and is arrested.A search warrant was served at a home connected to the man and police say they found about 67,000 fentanyl pills, about $14,000 and five guns.The identity of the suspect, in this case, hasn't been released.Drug busts in Phoenix aren't new as fentanyl has become increasingly more common to be sold and used in Arizona as it's often trafficked through the U.S.-Mexico border.Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said it had seen a "substantial increase" in fentanyl seizures at the southern border in January, just as it confirmed that there were 153,941 migrant encounters.There were 48,945 lbs of drugs seized at the southern border in January, which is down from 59,793 lbs encountered a year prior.

COVID-19 related deaths on Sunday and a drop in hospitalizations by 23.There are currently 1,456 people in hospital, including 98 in intensive care, which is a drop of two from Saturday.This comes as Quebec gets ready to lift its work-from-home order this week as pandemic measures continue to ease across the province and country.#COVID19 – En date du 26 février, voici la situation au Québec: https://t.co/pwoUoaBgaF pic.twitter.com/ZAsBnQ3sTw— Santé Québec (@sante_qc) February 27, 2022Health authorities are reporting 691 active outbreaks across the province.Of the 15,604 PCR tests that were administered in the last 24 hours and 1,036 came back positive, which amounts to a positivity rate of 7.7 per cent.The new deaths bring the provincial death toll to 13,974 since the start of the pandemic.

Empty spot where Russian vodka was once stocked at Jacob Liquor Exchange in Wichita, Kansas. HARRISBURG, Pa. - The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) on Sunday instructed all Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores and licensee service centers to remove Russian-made products from their shelves as a show of solidarity and support for the people of Ukraine. According to the PLCB, Russian-made special order products will also no longer be available.The PLCB made it a point to note that only two products stocked in stores are Russian Standard and Ustianochka 80-proof vodkas and about a half-dozen Special Order brands come from Russia."As of today, these products will no longer be sold or procured by the PLCB," said Board Chairman Tim Holden.

Stereotactic Neurosurgery operation, Pasteur 2 Hospital, Nice, France, Treating Parkinsons disease through deep brain stimulation, by implanting electrodes in brain, modulating abnormal cerebral electrical activity, The neurosurgeon locates the elect People who have survived a heart attack are 20% less likely to develop Parkinson’s disease according to a new study.Scientists in Demark published their findings in the Journal of the American Heart Association.The researchers looked at the healthy registry from the Danish National Health Service. They studied about 182,000 patients who had a first-time heart attack between 1995 and 2016 and looked at the risk of Parkinson’s disease and secondary parkinsonism, when symptoms similar to Parkinson's disease are caused by certain medicines, a different nervous system disorder, or another illness, according to MedlinePlus. RELATED: Ex-pilot with Parkinson's, 84, flies one more time over fall foliageThe average age of the patients was 71 years old and were mostly men.Researchers then compared the cohort to more than 909,000 participants, who served as a control group.An 84-year-old former pilot who has Parkinson’s disease found herself in a familiar place: in the cockpit of a plane thanks to a fellow aviator.

BRUSSELS - The European Union agreed Sunday to close its airspace to Russian airlines, spend hundreds of millions of euros on buying weapons for Ukraine and ban some pro-Kremlin media outlets in its latest response to Russia’s invasion, EU officials said.That and Germany’s announcement earlier in the day that it would almost triple its defense budget this year underscored how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was rewriting Europe’s post-World War II security and defense policy in ways that were unthinkable only a few weeks ago.In what he described as "a defining moment for European history," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that the bloc’s 27 foreign ministers had greenlighted the unprecedented support for Ukraine and that those actions would take effect within hours."We have decided to use our capacities to provide lethal arms, lethal assistance, to the Ukrainian army by a value of 450 million (euros) ($502 million) … and 50 more million ($56 million) for non-lethal supplies, fuel, protective equipment," Borrell told reporters.The Russian invasion of Ukraine in its fourth day. A gas pipeline was destroyed in the city Kharkiv.

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly announced Sunday that Canada will send an additional $25 million of protective equipment to Ukraine.

West Block host Mercedes Stephenson interviews Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations Bob Rae about Russia’s full-scale attack on Ukraine. In response to a question about possible war crimes resulting from Putin’s invasion, Rae says, “Every historical record of a genocide starts with words.

PITTSBURGH - A Pennsylvania man who spent nearly 14 years in prison in a deadly 1993 fire before winning a new trial and having the charges against him dropped has filed a federal lawsuit against a prosecutor and two former police officers involved in his case.Daniel Carnevale, 58, alleges malicious prosecution, fabrication of evidence and civil conspiracy on the part of a deputy Allegheny County district attorney and the former Pittsburgh homicide detectives who now work as investigators for the DA's office. The lawsuit filed Thursday in U.S.

(Office of Gov. Tom Wolf)  ((Office of Gov. Tom Wolf) )PHILADELPHIA - Gov.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 06: Jennifer Hudson attends the 4th Annual Celebration of Black Cinema and Television presented by The Critics Choice Association at Fairmont Century Plaza on December 06, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by LOS ANGELES (AP) - Jennifer Hudson was named entertainer of the year at the 53rd annual NAACP Image Awards that highlighted works by entertainers and writers of color.After Hudson accepted the award Saturday night, the singer-actor thanked the NAACP for inspiring "little girls like me." She beat out Regina King, Lil Nas X, Megan Thee Stallion and Tiffany Haddish."I was just standing here thinking ’It was here – the NAACP Awards – where I watched so many legends and icons that inspired me," said the Oscar and Grammy winner.

Colorado firefighters on the scene of a floor collapse at a house party.  (South Metro Fire Rescue)DENVER - Three people were taken to a hospital after a floor collapsed during a house party in a Denver area suburb, authorities said.South Metro Fire Rescue said crews responded Saturday at about 9:30 p.m. to the home southeast of Aurora along with deputies from the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office.Firefighters said a portion of the first floor fell into the basement because of a party involving more than 100 people.RELATED: 4 injured after floor collapses in Bronx salonPart of a stage where the Rolling Loud music festival is set to take place at Hard Rock Stadium has collapsed.

Credit: @anastasiia.lenna via Instagram A former beauty queen has apparently traded in her tiara for a rifle to join Ukraine's ongoing resistance to Russia's invasion.Anastasia Lenna, who was Miss Grand Ukraine in 2015, posted on her Instagram account that she was one of the thousands of Ukrainians who have picked up arms to defend their nation."Everyone who crosses the Ukrainian border with the intent to invade will be killed!" she said in one post.Lenna Instagram stories have been filled with calls for assistance for Ukraine and praise for the brave men and women fighting to defend their homeland. According to TMZ, Lenna speaks five languages and worked as a translator and PR manager.Get breaking news alerts in the free FOX5NY News app!  |  Sign up for FOX 5 email newslettersIn a dramatic escalation of East-West tensions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian nuclear forces put on high alert Sunday in response to what he called "aggressive statements" by leading NATO powers.Ukraine latest: Putin puts Russia's nuclear deterrent forces on alert amid tensions with WestMeanwhile, Ukraine announced that a delegation would meet with Russian officials for talks.AdvertisementUkraine’s health minister reported Saturday that 198 people, including three children, had been killed and more than 1,000 others wounded. It was unclear whether those figures included both military and civilian casualties.

New Brunswick lifting provincial vaccination requirements at businesses like restaurants, gyms and salons at 12:01 Monday morning, it’s going to be a more “normal” day than many have seen since last summer.For spots like Rocky’s Sports Bar in Saint John, it might mean seeing some more customers, too.“Proof of vaccination definitely limits the amount of customers we can host in an evening or in a day,” says owner Moe Arsenault.“It’s been a challenge, as everything in COVID has been for everybody.”Arsenault says he’s lost some regulars since proof of vaccination has been required at New Brunswick eateries in September.“It has been a deterrent for some consumers, for sure,” he says. New Brunswick lifting all COVID-19 restrictions March 14, proof of vaccination ending Feb.

PHILADELPHIA - A double shooting has left two people in stable condition in the Wissinoming section of the city. The shooting happened at approximately 7:45 a.m. Sunday inside a home. A 45-year-old man was shot once in the forearm and suffered a grade wound to the head.

Connor Ball has been impressing viewers across the country with his amazing skating capability on ITV's Dancing On Ice.Wowing the judges week on week with his courageous dance moves and his willingness to push himself further, the 25-year-old musician has certainly earned his place in this year's competition.But although he has gained legions of fans from his singing career, and his presence on Dancing on Ice, Connor - who makes up one-fourth of The Vamps- has previously battled with panic attacks, depression and generalised anxiety order.Daily Star has taken a deeper look inside the star's health battle and how he has learnt to overcome it.In 2018, Connor appeared on ITV's This Morning and spoke to therapists Nik and Eva Speakman regarding his crippling fear of touring.Speaking openly to presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, Connor revealed: "I suffer with generalised anxiety order, panic attacks and depression as well."In the band, it has affected me because I don’t go to as many things as I would like to or should do. I would like to be going out and seeing more people."When the TV therapists dug a bit deeper, it became evident that the musician felt uneasy when he had to travel to different countries to tour and the problems derived from when he was a lot younger.Talking about a terrifying incident that happened to him in Greece, he recalled: "I remember when we were on holiday and I had to swim under a big rock to get to a beach and I got stuck and I was like ‘I am not going to be able to breathe'."He also spoke candidly about an experience that left him shaken when he was six years old.The star continued: "When I was six I was in Thailand and there were a load of monkey nuts on the table.

Kaz Crossley has revealed how spending time with the children in Thailand has helped her with her own mental "battles".The 27 year old has been dedicating her time to building a house, school and gym for children in Thailand. Kaz has been fundraising and travelling to the country to spend time with the kids in Isaan, Thailand, who's lives will be improved by the project.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM :

ATLANTA - The Atlanta Police Department said a boy is charged with second-degree murder in the deadly shooting of a 9-year-old. Police said the minor also faces aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of felony, cruelty to children 2nd degree and possession of a handgun by a person under 18.Police said the boy turned himself in to police and is in the Youth Detention Center. Investigators said there were able to establish probable cause and obtained warrants.APD: ATLANTA HOMICIDES WERE UP IN 2021, BUT MOST VICTIMS KNEW THEIR KILLERSPolice were called out to the Station at Richmond Hill apartment complex on southeast Atlanta's Richmond Circle around 10:15 p.m. Wednesday. Officers found the child, Kimoni Mack, dead at the scene.Atlanta Police responded to the Station at Richmond Hill apartment complex and found a deceased 9-year-old at the scene.Investigators said the shooting took place inside the apartment.

PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia Police are investigating a deadly hit-and-run overnight in Lawndale. A man in his 20s was struck and killed near Oxford and Longshore Avenues, according to police.A driver involved in the incident initially left the vehicle that struck the man at the scene.

WASHINGTON - Ahead of President Biden's State of the Union Address on Tuesday, authorities in D.C. are making preparations.The United States Capitol Police announced Sunday that a fence has been mostly erected around the Capitol building. In a statement, Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said that move was being made "out of an abundance of caution," in consultation with the Secret Service.READ MORE: DC National Guard activates Guard members ahead of trucker protestsHe added that his force's "mission to protect the United States Congress, the Capitol, and the legislative process remains unwavering."Manger also announced several road closures.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Nearly half of the 500 million free COVID-19 tests the Biden administration recently made available to the public still have not been claimed as virus cases plummet and people feel less urgency to test.Wild demand swings have been a subplot in the pandemic, from vaccines to hand sanitizer, along with tests. On the first day of the White House test giveaway in January, COVIDtests.gov received over 45 million orders. Now officials say fewer than 100,000 orders a day are coming in for the packages of four free rapid tests per household, delivered by the U.S.

This picture from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) taken on August 29, 2017 and released on August 30, 2017 shows North Korea's intermediate-range strategic ballistic rocket Hwasong-12 lifting off from the launching pad at an SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea launched a ballistic missile into the sea on Sunday, its neighbors said, in a resumption of weapons tests following a monthlong hiatus and as the United States and its allies are focused on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.The North Korean launch was the eighth of its kind this year and the first since Jan. 30.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - Vladimir Putin put his nuclear forces on increased alert on Sunday in an unprecedented escalation of tension with the West over Russia’s massive conventional assault of Ukraine, which entered its fourth day with fighting in the streets of the country’s second-largest city.Here are the things to know about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the security crisis in Eastern Europe:MOSCOW, RUSSIA - FEBRUARY 24, 2022: Russia's President Vladimir Putin is seen during a meeting with members of Russian business community in the Moscow Kremlin.

Ontario hospital with COVID-19 on Sunday, as the province continues to work to control the ongoing pandemic.The latest data released by the province also said 281 people were receiving care in an intensive care unit (ICU). Ontario reports 1,024 in hospital with COVID-19, 284 in intensive care The numbers reflect a drop in both hospitalizations and ICU admissions from numbers provided by the province on Saturday, when 1,024 people were in hospital and 284 were in intensive care.842 people are hospitalized with #COVID19.

MUMBAI :

Omicron wave has plateaued in the province, some medical experts say there are signs society may be headed for a stage where we live with a form of COVID-19 on a regular basis.Some infectuous disease specialists have speculated the Omicron variant could shift COVID-19 from “pandemic” to “endemic,” meaning the circulating virus no longer has the steep waves of outbreaks that hammer hospital capacity and force society to adapt.Thomas Tenkate, a professor with Ryerson University who specializes in health and safety, says he interprets messaging last week from Premier Doug Ford and the province’s chief medical officer as saying “we’re not ever going to get rid of COVID.” Omicron and living with COVID: Why the new variant might change the timeline “So we have to work out how do we manage that in a way that ensures the health care system isn’t overwhelmed,” Tenkate told 900 CHML’s Hamilton Today.“Those measures are very similar to the measures that we’ve been using already.”He says the acceptance of being in an endemic stage revolves around a “thought process and control options” similarly used for seasonal flu and other respiratory viruses.“I suppose they’re using that term, ‘learn to live with it,’ because it’s sort of saying it’s not going to go away,” said Tenkate.Niagara Region’s acting medical officer says although the vaccines are protecting Ontarians and some of the world, there are no indications that population immunity from COVID will be achieved.“Even if we do get that endemic state, immunity is going to wane over time and we’re going to lose that equilibrium,” Dr.

COVID-19.Ford made the comments in an interview that aired Friday on a local Peterborough, Ont., radio station, a day after the province’s top doctor made similar remarks.Asked whether Ontario’s reopening plan would work well, Ford said he’s confident it will because virus test positivity has dropped since public health restrictions took effect earlier this month.Restrictions on businesses like restaurants, gyms and theatres will ease on Monday, allowing such venues to open with capacity limits. Omicron infectivity period doesn’t appear shorter than other COVID variants: Public Health Ontario Ford said restrictions brought in this month to blunt a wave of Omicron infections are working.He noted that his government’s plan involves reopening cautiously, with 50 per cent capacity limits in place at first, and said the province needs to learn to live with the virus to get back to normal.“There’s no one in this province who wants to open up quicker than I do,” Ford told PTBO Today Radio.

COVID-19 wave fueled by the highly-contagious Omicron variant is a “good thing.”In a pandemic update on Monday, Dr. Elizabeth Richardson said the 21-day increments should give provincial and public health units adequate time to observe shifts in the population’s mobility and its effects on key virus infection data.“I think that’s a good period of time.