NO power cuts from Thursday (16) as PUCSL approves 66% tariff hike

, issued a  in response to two Tennessee bills that target the LGBTQ+ community: “Drag is not a crime. Gender-affirming health care for all, including our youth, is a necessity,” Williams weighed in, as state legislatures across the country consider bans and restrictions on both., on February 23, Tennessee lawmakers sent two bills to Governor Bill Lee’s desk to be signed into law: one written to target drag performances in public spaces—the first drag ban in the nation to pass a state legislature, Migdon noted—and another to ban gender-affirming care for trans youth.

A policeman carrying an automatic rifle stands guard with a colleague along a popular market street in Manila, Philippines, on June 1, 2022. (Ted Aljibe / AFP via Getty Images) A New Zealand tourist died in the Philippines while trying to defend his girlfriend from bikers, kicking off a manhunt for his killers. "We regret to report this incident and extend our sympathy to the bereaved family," police Maj.

Bullet holes are seen in the window of Tops Friendly Market at Jefferson Avenue and Riley Street, as federal investigators work the scene of a mass shooting on Monday, May 16, 2022, in Buffalo, NY. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images WASHINGTON - The number of U.S.

common respiratory illness that can cause severe breathing problems, could be approved by August. Pfizer, the maker behind the new RSV vaccine candidate referred to as RSVpreF, announced on Tuesday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had accepted its application for review and has set an action date of deciding whether to approve or not by August 2023. "If approved, RSVpreF would help protect infants at their first breath from the devastating effects of this infectious disease, which though well-known, has been particularly evident throughout this RSV season," Dr.

Keith Melvin Moses, 19, has been named as the suspect in multiple shootings in Orange County's Pine Hills neighborhood, Feb. 22, 2023. [Orange County Sheriff's Office] ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - A 19-year-old man is expected to face murder charges in the shooting deaths of an Orlando TV journalist, a 9-year-old girl, and a woman in a series of shootings Wednesday in Pine Hills, Florida that also injured a second journalist, and the girl's mother.The Orange County Sheriff's Office said a 20-year-old woman was shot and killed early Wednesday.

NORTH PHILADELPHIA - Police are investigating a shooting near Temple’s campus that occurred just blocks from where a Temple University police officer was killed in the line of duty Saturday night.Officers responded to reports shooting near 19th Street and Montgomery Avenue, in North Philadelphia, around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon.Police say a 17-year-old boy was shot four times in the leg and a 13-year-old girl was shot once in the right forearm. Both victims were rushed to Temple University Hospital.

aviation website and social accounts, but the original source was not immediately clear. In officially releasing the photo Wednesday, the Department of Defense merely said it was taken by a "U.S.

Closeup of olives on branches of trees. (Photo by David Lees/Getty Images) Almost every kitchen in America will pay the price for the intense heat and drought in Europe this past summer.

Club Q and the memorial for the victims of the shooting photographed in Colorado Springs, Colorado on Tuesday, November 29, 2022. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post) COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) - It is no mystery who shot and killed five people at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs last year, but what motivated that person to target a venue that had long been a sanctuary for the LGBTQ community in the mostly conservative city remains unknown.That could change during a hearing that started Wednesday in a courtroom packed with victims and their relatives.

Kate McKenna starts her days much like the other parents on her street. She drives her kids to school and returns to her bungalow on a cul-de-sac south of Vancouver.

The Board of Investment on Wednesday (22) handed over the Letter of Approval to Adani Group for two wind energy projects in Punarin and Mannar.The investment for the two wind energy projects is USD 442 Million, said State Minister of Investment Promotion Dilum Amunugama.The projects are expected to generate around 350 MW of electricity, while generating around 1000 employments opportunities.The project is to be completed within two years of signing a contact with the BOI after the agreement for power purchasing with the Ceylon Electricity Board is signed.

Alexandria Cress Borys was shot and killed in front of her children. (Lexington County Sheriff's Office) The South Carolina woman killed in a Kroger parking lot was shot after she "spit at" the suspect during an argument "over who had the right-of-way," the local police chief told Fox News Digital, citing witnesses.Witnesses told Irmo, South Carolina, authorities that Alexandria Cress Borys, 26, was gunned down around 4 p.m.

SEATTLE - The Seattle City Council has added caste to the city’s anti-discrimination laws, becoming the first U.S. city to specifically ban caste discrimination.Calls to outlaw discrimination based on caste, a division of people based on birth or descent, have grown louder among South Asian diaspora communities in the United States.

FILE IMAGE - Vehicles fill the parking lot of a Home Depot store in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) ATLANTA - Home Depot said Tuesday it’s investing $1 billion in wage increases for its U.S. and Canadian hourly workers.The Atlanta-based home improvement chain said every hourly employee will get a raise starting this month.

 COLOMBO (News 1st); A group of locals from Kalutara North protested against the hike in electricity tariffs by carrying torches on Monday (20) night.The protestors highlighted the fact that the 66% tariff hike has severely affected the livelihoods of the low-income earners, and it is making matters worse.They demanded the government immediately reduce the tariff or provide concessions to the people who are already suffering from the economic crisis.On the 15th of February 2023, the Public Utilities Commission approved a 66% hike in electricity tariffs.In order to generate an additional income of 287 billion rupees for the Ceylon Electricity Board, the proposal to increase the electricity tariff by 66 percent which was approved by the cabinet was forwarded to the Public Utilities Commission on January 2nd.The proposal was not approved by the Public Utilities Commission, and several members of the commission resigned due to conflict of opinion on the proposal.Three new members were appointed for the vacant positions on two occasions, and yesterday the proposal was taken up again under the chairmanship of Janaka Ratnayake.A 36% increase in electricity tariff was proposed to generate an income of 142 billion rupees based on the suggestions of public consultation and all other parties, but only Chairman Janatha Ratnayake agreed to the proposal.The other members of the commission namely Attorney Chaturika Wijesinghe, Douglas Nanayakkara and SG Senaratne had rejected the proposal.According to the new electricity bill hike proposalThe electricity tariff of Rs 360 paid for 30 electricity units so far can be increased to Rs 1300.That's an increase of 261 percent.This gives an opportunity to increase the electricity tariff of Rs.

TRENTON, N.J. - Officials in New Jersey's capital city are calling for an investigation into security measures at an arena where a man was stabbed to death during a high school basketball game last week.Mercer County prosecutors say Khalil Glanton, 23, of Trenton, was stabbed multiple times at the CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton at about 8:30 p.m. Thursday and was pronounced dead at a hospital shortly afterward.The Trenton City Council, which said Monday that most of its members were at the game, called for "a full and thorough investigation" by the county improvement authority into security measures that night and throughout the tournament.

bird-flu pandemic. How worried should humankind be? Dr Tedros’s warning was prompted by the recent spread of H5N1, a subtype of the influenza virus, from birds to mammals. In recent weeks Peru has reported the deaths of 585 sea lions from H5N1.

A plane had to make an emergency landing in Utah after having engine failure. (Credit: South Jordan Police Department) SOUTH JORDAN, Utah - A couple of friends were forced to land their place on a highway in Utah last week. South Jordan Police said the incident happened Monday around 5:50 p.m.

It was 5.30 a.m. on a cold winter’s morning at Antonov Airport, when Vitalii Rudenko, a commander of the Ukrainian airfield’s national guard base, awoke to a phone call.

People walk past a television showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at a railway station in Seoul on February 18, 2023. - North Korea fired a suspected long-range ballistic missile on February 18, South Korea's mi SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea on Saturday fired a long-range missile from its capital into the sea off Japan, according to its neighbors, a day after it threatened to take strong measures against South Korea and the U.S.

ORANGE COUNTY, FLORIDA, USA - JUNE 1: Mickey Mouse and friends take part in a cavalcade parade on Main Street USA at the Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World in Orange County, Florida on June 1, 2022. Walt Disney World is celebrating its 50th anni Disney employees are pushing back on the company's announcement that it will be returning to four days a week of in-person work.More than 2,300 workers have signed a petition addressed to CEO Bob Iger urging the executive to abandon the planned return to offices, claiming it is "likely to have unintended consequences that cause long-term harm to the company."FLORIDA BILL REVOKING DISNEY'S SELF-GOVERNING STATUS HEADS TO DESANTIS' DESK"This policy will slow, or even reverse, our post-COVID recovery and growth by creating critical resource shortages and causing irreplaceable institutional knowledge loss," the employee petition reads.Iger’s original email announcing the return to pre-pandemic workspaces, obtained by FOX Business, informed Disney employees of the policy change going into effect March 1. DISNEY TO SLASH 7,000 JOBSAt that time, those "currently working in a hybrid fashion will be asked to spend four days a week on-site, targeting Monday through Thursday as in-person workdays," according to the email.He pointed to the "tremendous value in being together with the people you work with" as he explained his reasoning for the change, noting he has been holding meetings with various teams across Disney since returning to the company."As you’ve heard me say many times, creativity is the heart and soul of who we are and what we do at Disney," Iger said in the email.

"In the foyer there were steps up to the canteen.

Sailors assigned to Assault Craft Unit 4 prepare material recovered in the Atlantic Ocean from a balloon for transport to federal agents at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek Feb. 10, 2023. (Ryan Seelbach/U.S.

Emergencies Act for the first time in Canadian history during the so-called “Freedom Convoy” protests in Ottawa last year, the public inquiry that probed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision has found.Justice Paul Rouleau, who led the independent public inquiry into the federal government’s use of the emergency powers, released his final report Friday afternoon.In the over 2,000-page report, Rouleau called the “Freedom Convoy” a “singular moment in history” exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as online misinformation and disinformation. Read more: Emergencies Act inquiry fact-finding phase wraps after 6 weeks of hearings: ‘An amazing feat’ Read next: Part of the Sun breaks free and forms a strange vortex, baffling scientists Had various police forces and governments been prepared for and anticipated an event like it, the “emergency that Canada ultimately faced could likely have been avoided.”“Unfortunately, it was not,” Rouleau said in the report.“I have concluded that in this case, the very high threshold for invocation was met.

TREDYFFRIN TOWNSHIP, Pa. - Police say a man conned women into handing over their phones then helped himself to their personal information and photos.Police say this happened at a Target near the King of Prussia Mall.Officials say it all began when 32-year-old Justin Wilson, of Clifton Heights, tricked a woman into giving him her cell phone, after striking up a conversation."By her description, it was a little flirtatious and he eventually asked if he could join her social media sites," Lt. Tyler Moyer, with the Tredyffrin Township Police Department, explained.The woman agreed and that’s when police say he asked for her phone and then proceeded to text himself pictures and videos of the woman.Police say when the woman got her phone back and realized what happened, she confronted Wilson, who immediately made a b-line for the door, and left the store."We obviously had his cell phone number and our detectives tracked him down," Lt.

JUNIATA PARK - All those Kia and Hyundai car thefts being reported for months have gotten so out of hand, the car companies are installing software updates.Home surveillance video shows a person busting out some dance moves. But, Kelly McDade says he’s part of the ploy in stealing her red Kia.After about a minute, he walks over to McDade’s car, then the lights turn on as he runs off."Just like dancing and then he apparently breaks the back of our car window," McDade explained.

ATLANTA - The Fulton County special grand jury investigating whether then-President Donald Trump and his allies illegally tried to overturn his electoral defeat in Georgia says they found that there was "no widespread fraud" in the state's 2020 presidential election.The report’s introduction and conclusion, along with a section in which the grand jurors expressed concerns that some witnesses may have lied under oath, were released Thursday. But any recommendations on potential criminal charges will remain under wraps for now.For nearly eight months, the grand jury has considered evidence and heard testimony from dozens of witnesses, including high-profile Trump associates and top state officials. While the special grand jury, by law, cannot indict anyone, the jurors voted to have their findings made public.In the introduction, the special grand jury states that they received evidence or heard from 75 witnesses during the investigation.

Over a six-week period, as part of the ‘Out of Pocket’ series, Global News is examining how inflation is impacting Canadians from coast to coast.

READ MORE: Woman found guilty of murder after staging 2017 murder-suicide scene in Fairfax CountyThe inhabitants of the home called 911, prompting Ohse and Poindexter to flee and begin a high-speed chase with local authorities that neared 120 mph at times.Ohse and Poindexter, prosecutors said, were eventually apprehended with a pound of marijuana in their vehicle. According to prosecutors, Ohse had a previous romantic relationship with her target that ended over a year ago.On Feb.

COLOMBO (News 1st) ; The Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekara says that with the increase in the electricity tariff by 66%, power cuts will no longer be imposed from Thursday (16).Speaking to reporters in Colombo, the Minister said the electricity tariff increase was a difficult decision to make, but it was one that had to be taken.He further said that the Ceylon Electricity Board will start making direct purchases related to fuel and coal.The Minister said that the Bank of Ceylon will be providing an additional loan of Rs. 22 Billion for coal procurement, while a request was made for an additional Rs.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Colpetty Police sealed the office of the Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission as per an order issued by the Fort Magistrate's Court,This was confirmed by the Police Spokesperson SSP Nihal Thalduwa.He said that the court order was obtained after reporting facts to the court with regard to information that claimed that events that cause inconveniences to the government were taking place within the office.The Police Spokesperson said that the Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka Janaka Ratanayake is currently overseas, and the office will be re-opened in his presence when he returns to the island. 

Sierra Leone, a smallish coastal nation of 7 million in the West African tropics interlaced by savannah and forest and grassland, was well on its recovery path from a hard bout with Ebola from 2014-2016 when the Covid-19 pandemic arrived.  

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Restaurant Owners' Association announced that the prices of all bakery items and other consumables sold at restaurants will be increased by 10% with effect from midnight on Thursday (16).Chairman of the Restaurant Owners' Association, Asela Sampath told reporters that the decision was taken following the 66% electricity tariff hike.He claimed the move was unjust, and said the tariff hike was proposed to cover the losses incurred by the CEB over the years."We will be increasing the prices of rice packets, kottu and other consumables sold at restaurants by 10% with effect from midnight," he said.

The historic Temple of the Tooth Relic in the city of Kandy will host a Janaraja Perahara on February 19th, after 34 years.The procession has been organized to coincide with the 75th Independence Celebration, and it will be inaugurated under the patronage of President Ranil Wickremesinghe.According to the Coordinating Officer and the Cultural Officer of the Temple of the Tooth Relic, the procession will begin from the Magul Maduwa premises at 6.30 pm on February 19th. It will parade along the Dalada Street, Yatinuvara Street, Kanda Street, Raja Street, and return to the temple, marking the end of the event.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has directed Power & Energy Minister & relevant officials to ensure uninterrupted power supply is made available for electricity customers once the PUCSL tariff revision is implemented.The President's Media Division also said that the President gave directives to provide concessions for low-income families and provide solar rooftop systems for religious places & government educational institutions when the new tariff revision comes into effect.The Ministry of Power and Energy said that power outages will not be imposed from Thursday (16), as the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka granted approval to the 66% electricity tariff hike.A source from the Ministry of Power and Energy speaking to News 1st said that a decision will be reached in the future with regard to those who are unable to settle their electricity bills.The Public Utilities Commission has approved a 66 percent hike in electricity tariffs with effect from Wednesday (15).It was with the agreement of the three members of the PUCSL except the Chairman of the Commission Janaka RatnayakeIn order to generate an additional income of Rs.

(FOX 9)HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - A military helicopter crashed Wednesday near Highway 53 near Huntsville, Alabama, leaving no survivors, Fox News Digital has confirmed.  The Madison County Sheriff's Office said the fatal crash occurred at 3 p.m.

BEIJING - China said Wednesday it will take measures against U.S. entities related to the downing of a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the American East Coast.At a daily briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin gave no details and did not identify the targets of the measures.China says the balloon was a unmanned weather airship that was accidentally blown off course and accuses the U.S.

(Reuters) – Sri Lanka and India will sign a pact to link their power grids and start negotiations on an upgraded trade agreement within two months, a Sri Lankan diplomat said on Wednesday (15), as the island nation seeks a way out of its worst economic crisis in decades.India has provided some $4 billion in assistance to its southern neighbour since the crisis hit early last year, but Sri Lanka is now seeking to enhance trade and investments as it moves to close a $2.9 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund, the country's envoy to New Delhi told Reuters."We have to have growth, otherwise basically the economy will shrink," Milinda Moragoda, the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India said."As far as growth is concerned, India offers that prospect. So we will have to move on that.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (Edwin J. Torres/Governor's Office)PHILADELPHIA - Democratic Gov.

FILE IMAGE - Hamburger and fries in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on Jan. 5, 2023.

Anthony McRae, 43, is captured on surveillance video just moments after the shooting on campus at Michigan State University. EAST LANSING, Mich. (FOX 2) - Gunfire erupted inside the halls of two Michigan State University buildings on Monday.

sex-specific differences in a type of immune cell called regulatory T cells, or "Treg cells," and in the production of proteins called antibodies. The "humeral response," the production of antibodies, is dysregulated in Covid-19. Treg cells were suspected to be responsible for this, as their role in the immune system is to regulate other immune cells and suppress their activities to control the strength of the immune response.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka's Cabinet of Ministers on Monday (13) approved a proposal submitted by President Ranil Wickremesinghe aimed at reducing the difficulties faced by the people and providing immediate relief in the face of the current economic situation.Accordingly, the Cabinet has approved a measure to provide 10 kg of rice to 02 million low-income families each in March and April. This will provide immediate relief to families in need and help improve their overall well-being.It has also been decided that the gratuity arrears owed to 18,000 retired government servants will be paid out in instalments using liquid cash.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The National Council informed officials of the Ceylon Electricity Board and the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka hold discussions before the Public Utilities Commission takes the final decision on the 15th of February regarding the electricity tariff.Accordingly, the officials of both parties agreed to meet this afternoon (13) for the purpose of discussing this matter.The Chairman of the Electricity Board said that if the required percentage is not allowed to be increased in a background where the Electricity Board is demanding a 60% increase in electricity tariffs, it will have to face a serious crisis. Accordingly, he pointed out that due to the lack of money even to import coal in the future, there is a risk for longer power cuts.The officials of the Public Utilities Commission said that arrangements are being made to announce the final decision on the electricity increase on the 15th of February.

FILE IMAGE - A freshman student unlocks her locker at a high school near Fort Collins, Colorado, on Aug. 17, 2021.

NEW DELHI : Protecting the health of the Earth is our highest duty, said Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.  Addressing the inaugural session of the 1st Agriculture Deputies Meeting (ADM) of Agriculture Working Group (AWG) under India’s G20 presidency, the minister said that the reckless use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to increase production has badly affected the health of the Earth and the quality of the soil. “This has also had a bad effect on human health."  Chouhan added that it is necessary to adopt the campaign of Natural Farming started by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  “India has believed for centuries that nature should not be exploited, we should only harness natural resources.

LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles County may once again bring back the indoor mask mandate.According to Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer, if the county reaches the CDC's high transmission and hospitalization categories, masking may be required indoors – again.According to the LA County Public Health's new COVID-19 numbers from Wednesday, Dec. 1, the county reports 4,493 new cases, 1,164 new hospitalizations and 14 new deaths.As of Thursday evening, LA County's community transmission level stands at medium, with the case rate of 165.3 per 100,000 people; new COVID-19 hospitalizations of 11.9 per 100,000 people and 5.6% of staffed inpatient beds being used by COVID-19 patients, according to data from the CDC.

Galentine's Day cards are displayed at a Target store in Falls Church, Virginia, on Feb. 9, 2019.