Police arson unit probing alleged attempt to start fire in Ottawa apartment building, says mayor

The Chinese Foreign Minister on Monday called Russia Beijing’s “most important strategic partner” amid China’s continued refusal to condemn the invasion of Ukraine.

Queen Elizabeth, 95, made her first in-person appearance on Monday, March 7 after recovering from COVID-19. The British monarch was pictured graciously shaking hands with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, 50, at her residence at Windsor Castle in England. The Queen looked healthy and had a big smile on her face. She was dressed in a stylish blue floral dress for the meeting.

COVID on Monday with 249 in intensive care units.This is up by 9 hospitalizations and an increase of two for ICUs since the previous day, though officials noted not all hospitals reported updated figures due to the weekend.Last Monday, there were 849 hospitalizations with 279 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.Those figures aren’t updated on Mondays due to incomplete data reporting from hospitals over the weekend.However, latest figures from last week show roughly 47 per cent of those hospitalized with COVID were admitted for other reasons. Of those in intensive care with the virus, roughly 20 per cent were admitted for other reasons.

Queen Elizabeth II met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday in her first in-person meeting since battling COVID-19. The two were photographed together at Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace confirmed the news on social media. "This afternoon The Queen received the Prime Minister of Canada, @JustinTrudeau, for an Audience at Windsor Castle," the official Twitter account wrote.

PHILADELPHIA - Three people are in the hospital after two motorcycles crashed in Rhawnhurst on Sunday afternoon, according to police. Authorities say a 2016 Suzuki motorcycle and 2019 Can Am motorcycle were traveling on Roosevelt Boulevard when the Suzuki attempted to pass. The two motorcycles made contact, causing the Can Am's operator to fall from her motorcycle and the Suzuki crashed to the ground, according to police. All three people were transported to Jefferson Torresdale Hospital, police say. The operators of both motorcycles, age 37 and 34, are listed in critical condition, according to police.

The Queen has finally returned to face-to-face engagements as she met the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, 50.The 95 year old monarch had been avoiding all in-person plans on her royal schedule due to an extended bout of COVID-19. Aides and medics did their best to help the Queen isolate, as she continued to present with "mild symptoms" of Covid, and she hosted a number of official figures via Zoom and video link.

Greece is changing entry requirements for UK holidaymakers ahead of the Easter holidays.

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WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court said Monday it will not take up the sexual assault case against comedian Bill Cosby, leaving in place a decision by Pennsylvania's highest court to throw out his conviction and set him free from prison.The high court declined prosecutors' request to hear the case and reinstate Cosby's conviction. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court last year threw out Cosby's conviction, saying the prosecutor who brought the case was bound by his predecessor’s agreement not to charge Cosby.As is typical, the Supreme Court did not say anything in rejecting the case.

Queen Elizabeth II is back at work in a big way. On Monday, the 95-year-old monarch appeared in person for the first time since recovering from COVID-19.The queen received Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in audience at Windsor Castle.

Greece is once again relaxing its entry requirements, making it even easier for Brits to jet off to the holiday hotspot during the Easter break.

PHILADELPHIA - Gas prices around the globe continue to rise, causing pain at the pump for local drivers. RELATED: Average gas prices in Philadelphia area climb to around $4 per gallonAAA Mid-Atlantic reports that Sunday's average gas price in New Jersey hit $4.09 a gallon, breaking the old record of $3.99 set on July 8, 2008. The price is up 44 cents in the last week, 60 cents in the last month and $1.22 higher than a year ago, the company said.The Pennsylvania gas price average reached $4.17 per gallon Sunday, setting a new record high price for the region after breaking a 14-year record high Saturday, AAA said.

A view of an IRS 1040 Tax Form on a Laptop computer screen being prepared for an electronic filing. Robert Barnes, Getty Images The IRS is taking steps to relieve the backlog of tax returns.The agency plans to hire 10,000 new full-time workers to play a direct role in that mission, according to Politico.There are millions of unprocessed tax returns and other mail from individual and business taxpayers, according to the union that represents most of the IRS workforce.The hiring process is scheduled to run through Dec.

On Monday, Queen Elizabeth II held an audience with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The Scottish Government's latest figures for Scotland have confirmed 8,656 new covid cases in last 24 hours.

DENVER - A box containing human heads was stolen last week from a truck in Denver, Colorado — and now police are searching for any information regarding its whereabouts. The theft was reported sometime between 2:30 p.m. local time on March 2 and 9:30 a.m.

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Kate Garraway has reportedly suffered another misfortune following her husband Derek Draper’s long-term effects after catching Covid-19 as his business — which she took over as director of amid his health issues — has folded.The 54 year old mentioned having fears of “money running out” paying for Derek’s aftercare treatment and now a source alleges she is facing more difficulty as Derek's psychotherapy company Astra Aspera Limited has struggled to “keep going". After falling seriously ill with Covid-19 in 2020, Derek has been looked after by carers and wife Kate — leaving little time for the Good Morning Britain presenter to be able to focus on the couple's business.

Coronation Street's Abi Webster was finally getting her life back together, things went downhill as her one night stand with Imran Habeeb came back to bite her.A brand new trailer has teased plenty of upcoming drama as Abi is left for dead in a horror car crashWith Kevin and Jack leaving her, Abi soon turned back to drugs with one of her old crew - leaving Toyah Battersby terrified for her.And on Sunday (March 6) she went on a drug-fuelled drive with dealer Dean before collapsing on the side of the road, suffering from contractions and dialling 999 to announce she was having a baby.Fans saw Abi abandoned by Dean and her phone battery dying before she could confirm her location to the emergency services.And now ITV have teased upcoming scenes with Abi in hospital, as a nurse tells her: "The man who brought you in said he found you by the side of the road."We need to get him or her out, now."A tiny baby can then be seen lying in an incubator surrounded by wires and tubes, before the scene switched to that nurse telling her co-worker Aggie Bailey: "She gave birth and then did a runner!"Abi’s hospital bed lies empty after Abi fled the hospital without waiting to be discharged - and without taking her baby, who she names Alfie after her son Seb’s favourite teddy bear.Aggie responds: "Poor woman - god knows what state she must be in!”, before Toyah arrives at the hospital and says: “The doctor said that Abi’s had a baby?!"And that seems an appropriate moment for the camera to cut to Abi sitting in the stolen car, before ramming it through a heavy set of wooden doors and straight into a wall.The chilling trailer ends with the airbag erupting in Abi’s face and her lying unconscious against the steering wheel - and leaves plenty

People in Montreal held a demonstration on Sunday demanding a no-fly zone over Ukraine as Russia’s invasion into the country escalates. Global’s Phil Carpenter reports.

LOS ANGELES - Daylight saving time (DST) — that one-hour clock adjustment observed by most of the United States — occurs on March 13, and this can leave many Americans, well, tired.Each year, it forces weary clock owners to shift their devices an hour ahead, usually before bed Saturday night, to ensure being on time for Sunday morning activities. The "Spring Forward" clock shift occurs each year at 2 a.m. on the second Sunday in March — or March 13 in 2022. "Falling Back" occurs on the first Sunday in November. The new shift means the dawn's early light will break through later than it has during the months of standard time and the twilight's last gleaming will extend deeper into the evening.While the one-hour shift in time may seem minute, it can still cause sleep disruptions for some people and lead to a reduced quantity and quality of sleep. In 2019, more than 2,000 adults in the U.S.

KYIV, Ukraine - Russia’s invasion of Ukraine entered its 12th day following what Ukrainian authorities described as increased shelling of encircled cities and another failed attempt to start evacuating hundreds of thousands of civilians from the besieged southern port of Mariupol.Russia announced yet another cease-fire and humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to flee Ukraine starting Monday. Two previous cease-fire attempts have failed.

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PANAMA CITY, Fla. - Huge wildfires in the Florida Panhandle forced veterans in a nursing home to evacuate Sunday alongside residents of more than 1,000 homes in an area still recovering from a Category 5 hurricane three years ago.Firefighters battled the 9,000-acre Bertha Swamp Road fire and the 841-acre (340-hectare) Adkins Avenue fire, which have threatened homes and forced residents of at least 1,100 houses in Bay County, Florida to flee over the weekend. The Adkins Avenue fire destroyed two structures and damaged another 12 homes late Friday.Florida Gov.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The state-of-the-art cement manufacturing facility of Lanwa Sanstha Cement Corporation (Pvt) Ltd., was inaugurated by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Monday (7).A BOI venture, the Lanwa Sanstha facility spread across 63 acres is located in Hambantota’s Mirijjawila Export Processing Zone, and saw an investment of US $ 100 Mn.The total capacity of the plant would be 4mn MT per annum and is one of the largest such facilities in the whole of South Asia.The President and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa also placed the foundation stone for the proposed steel factory at the premises which will cover 250 acres, with an investment of US $ 400 Mn.

TRENTON, N.J. - The mask mandate for schools and daycare ends in New Jersey on Monday.  Governor Phil Murphy made the announcement at his final COVID-19 press briefing, noting a dramatic decline in positive COVID-19 cases. His signing of Executive Order No.

TRENTON, N.J. - The statewide mask mandate, including requirements for schools and daycares, ends in New Jersey on Monday.  Governor Phil Murphy made the announcement at his final COVID-19 press briefing, noting a dramatic decline in positive COVID-19 cases. His signing of Executive Order No.

Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Monday told the Supreme Court that the matter to provide an extra attempt to aspirants who had missed the main exams due to Covid-19 is “very complicated". 

tracked closely with the ebbs and flows in COVID-19 cases. That is, during periods of high transmission and infection, the public has evaluated the situation as worsening, and when the virus has receded somewhat, assessments have turned more positive.In January, as the omicron variant was rampant in the U.S. and cases were hitting historic highs, 58% of U.S.

Several people were displaced after a fire burned through a rowhouse in West Philadelphia on Saturday.  PHILADELPHIA - Several people have been displaced after a fire tore through a two-story rowhouse in West Philadelphia early Saturday morning. According to fire officials, firefighters responded to the 500 block of Salford Street around 4:53 a.m. where smoke was coming from the residence. Firefighters rescued two people from the home and they were taken to the hospital.

Courtesy: Martin County Sheriff's Office JENSEN BEACH, Fla. - A Florida handyman is facing murder charges after the body of 57-year-old Cynthia Cole was found submerged inside the septic tank of her Jensen Beach home, according to the Martin County Sheriff’s office. Cole was last seen alive on Thursday, February 24, at an event in Downtown Jensen Beach.According to the MCSO, detectives spent hours excavating Cole’s backyard late Friday night and early Saturday morning and located the body submerged in the contents of the tank about four feet underground.Shortly afterward, detectives located and arrested 34-year-old Keoki Hilo Demich and charged him with second-degree murder. Demich performed handyman duties for Cole.Courtesy: Martin County Sheriff's Office The medical examiner's office is expected to positively identify the body shortly, but detectives say have every reason to believe it is that of Ms.

COLOMBO (News 1st); President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has advised the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs to name the late ceremonial tusker ‘Nadungamuwe Raja’ as a National Treasure.Further, he had noted to conserve the remains of the Tusker for future generations.The President’s Media Division said that a team from the National Museum was dispatched to Gampaha, where the remains of the ceremonial tusker are currently placed.

“Having to use a food bank would be my worst nightmare,” laughs John, exasperated.

COVID-19 today and a 20-patient drop in hospitalizations related to the disease.The Health Department says there are 1,238 people hospitalized with COVID-19, after 66 patients were admitted in the past 24 hours and 86 were discharged.#COVID19 – En date du 5 mars, voici la situation au Québec: https://t.co/pwoUoaBgaF pic.twitter.com/7rU5W2NtTS— Santé Québec (@sante_qc) March 6, 2022The number of people in intensive care dropped by two, to 76.Officials are reporting 910 new cases detected through PCR testing, which is reserved for certain high-risk groups.They say 9,963 COVID-19 vaccine doses were administered in the previous 24 hours.The numbers come a day before the province is set to take its first step toward lifting its mask mandate, starting with elementary and high schools students.Students will still be required to wear masks in common areas of their schools and on school buses, but not when seated in class.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Former Deputy Police Chief Ravindra Seneviratne filed a Fundamental Rights application with the Supreme Court on Monday (7) seeking an order to prevent his arrest.Ravindra Seneviratne was also the Former Head of the Criminal Investigations Department.The Former DIG in his application sought an interim order preventing any attempt to arrest him based on the contents of the B report produced to the Kuliyapitiya Magistrate’s Court on charges that include the failure to properly investigate Zaharan Hashim, who led the suicide bomb attacks on 21st April 2019.In addition, the Former DIG also sought an interim order restraining President Gotabaya Rajapaksa from issuing a detention order as the Minister of Defense to arrest him under the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act.The petitioner also seeks an order quashing the B report filed against him in connection with a fraudulent investigation report allegedly made on an anonymous petition.The Former DIG has requested the court to order his immediate release if he is arrested and to pay Rs. 100 million as compensation.Assistant Superintendent of Police Meryl Ranjan Lamahewa of the CID, Women Inspector Niroshani Pathirana among 14 others were named as the respondents in the application.The Former DIG pointed out that he could be arrested at any time on the basis of that report, thereby violating his fundamental rights.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna Member of Parliament Madura Vithanage had led a protest opposite the Samagi Jana Balavegaya office premises on Monday (7).News 1st correspondents said that the MP led a group demanding to know what the former government did for the people when they were in power.It was reported that eggs were also hurled at the SJB office premises while placards were posted on the vehicles parked there as well.News 1st correspondents said that following the tense situation, the group dispersed from the premises.

BARTOW, Fla. - A contract worker assigned to be the spotter for heavy equipment coming in and out of a Polk County landfill was crushed by a bulldozer while using a porta-potty, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.Deputies say a heavy equipment operator, who was also a CertiTemp contract employee, was operating a bulldozer at the landfill while Aaron Henderson,40, was assigned as a "spotter," meaning he was tasked with being on the ground, providing traffic control to incoming and outgoing dump trucks dumping trash within the landfill. Deputies say around 5:10 p.m., the end of a regular workday, the bulldozer driver began to drive his assigned bulldozer up an embankment towards a "heavy equipment staging area" to park his bulldozer for the end of the day. While doing so, the front blade of his bulldozer was elevated 3-4 feet off the ground, and he could not see directly in front of him due to the blade obstructing his view, according to PCSO. Deputies say the driver went up the embankment towards the staging area, and once on level ground, he began to turn his bulldozer and heard a loud crumble.

A non-profit organization that initially started helping young girls escape human trafficking is now helping those same girls evacuate Ukraine safely by making perogies.

Ukraine, incited by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Feb. 24, prices aren’t expected to go down anytime soon, experts say.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a “desperate” plea to the United States to help Kyiv get more warplanes to fight Russia’s invasion and retain control of its airspace.U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Washington has given a “green light” to the idea and is currently “very, very actively” looking at a proposal under which Ukraine’s neighbour Poland would supply Kyiv with Soviet-era fighters and in turn receive American F-16s to make up for their loss.However, the proposition is fraught with uncertainty and Poland has been less than enthusiastic about it in public, largely because Russia has warned that supporting Ukraine’s air force would be seen in Moscow as participating in the conflict and open up suppliers to possible retaliation.

Ukraine on the streets of downtown Moscow.“For the posts I’m making, you’d just get instantly 15 years in jail,” he said.Russian authorities continue to arrest protesters and block independent news outlets as the war against Ukraine rages on.On Friday, Putin signed a bill into law that criminalizes the intentional spreading of what Moscow deems to be “fake” reports. Anyone convicted would face up to 15 years in prison.“I couldn’t keep silent, so I decided I’m going to go,” Slepyshev said.He fled Russia on March 5, and headed to Tashkent, the capital city of Uzbekistan, where he has relatives.

As civilians attempt to flee Ukraine, Ukrainian officials are warning that Russia has attacked multiple targets including residential neighbourhoods, putting those residents at risk even as they try to leave. As David Akin reports, the situation is critical and in some regions there’s no escaping the violence.

As the U.S. and western allies are set to unleash another round of sanctions on Russia, President Joe Biden’s administration is working with Poland’s government to find a way to get fighter jets to Ukraine after NATO refused to do so.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the ongoing anti-vaccine mandate protest in Ottawa is “trying to blockade our economy, our democracy and our fellow citizens’ daily lives.”

Canadian truckers were blocking the busiest crossing with the United States, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau prepared to face legislators later in the day to discuss the growing crisis.

The ongoing truckers' protest in the Canadian capital of Ottawa is "out of control," the city's mayor has said, announcing a state of emergency as the city centre remained blocked by opponents of anti-Covid measures.

TORONTO :

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson is declaring a state of emergency to give the city more flexibility to deal with ongoing protests that have overwhelmed local resources.