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WASHINGTON (AP) - Bills were filed, hearings were planned and blame was cast as Congress reacted this past week to the abrupt failure of two banks. A look at what lawmakers are saying and planning as the fallout continues from the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank.While President Joe Biden called Monday on Congress to strengthen the rules for banks to prevent future failures, lawmakers are divided on whether any legislation is needed.Some congressional leaders are skeptical that a closely divided Congress will act at all."There’s people who are going to choose bills, but I cannot imagine that, with the hold banks have on Republican members of Congress, that we can pass anything significant," said Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee.Republicans say the laws already in place were sufficient to prevent the bank failures, if only regulators had done their job by spotting obvious problems and directing the banks to take steps that would reduce their risk."If there are ideas out there that people have, you know, at some point, we would be willing to entertain those, but I think it would be premature to start talking about solutions before we fully define the problem and ultimately get answers from the regulators about why they were asleep at the job," said Sen.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to Crimea to mark the ninth anniversary of the Black Sea peninsula’s annexation from Ukraine on Saturday, the day after the International Criminal Court’ issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader accusing him of war crimes.Putin visited an art school and a children’s center, locations that appeared to have been chosen in response to the court's action on Friday.The court specifically accused him Friday of bearing personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine during Russia's full-scale invasion of the neighboring country that started almost 13 months ago.Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, a move that most of the world denounced as illegal. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has demanded that Russia withdraw from the peninsula as well as the areas it has occupied since last year.Putin has shown no intention of relinquishing the Kremlin’s gains.

View of the Colosseum in 2011 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Santi Visalli/Getty Images) Spring break outings are often defined by parties and trips to beaches in California, Florida and Hawaii — however, new data shows a growing interest in international travel among Americans.Less conventional destinations, particularly in Europe, have replaced longstanding favorite locations such as Orlando, Phoenix and Maui atop many Americans' travel itineraries. Many report lower prices, fairer weather and loosening COVID-19 restrictions across the globe as driving factors in their shift toward the likes of London, Rome and British Columbia.10 SAFETY TIPS TO REMEMBER IF YOU'RE TRAVELING OUT OF THE COUNTRY FOR SPRING BREAKWhat is driving this change?After years of visiting national parks, wide-open nature retreats, and domestic tropical island getaways during the pandemic, Americans are showing renewed interest in travel this spring."Interest in international travel is increasing given the favorable exchange rate for Americans," Philip Ballard, the Florida-based chief communications officer of HotelPlanner, told the Associated Press. "For example, we're seeing about a 20% increase in U.K.-bound bookings because the U.S.

#Arcturus could succeed to wade through the ‘sturdy’ population immunity of Indians that successfully resisted the onslaught of variants like BA.2.75, BA.5, BQs, XBB.1.5, then whole world must be seriously worried!! pic.twitter.com/PZYuM7hD7Q Though XBB.1.16 is capable of turning off both innate & adaptive responses, I wud be surprised if it cud generate a major surge here. All will depend on how well population immunity would resist this at the backdrops of differentially imprinted immunity & its waning overtime! he also tweeted.  Meanwhile, Dr Randeep Guleria, former AIIMS director and the chairman of the Institute of Internal Medicine, Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Director-Medical Education at Medanta, and former AIIMS director said that the rise in COVID cases seems to be driven by the XBB 1.16 variant, but most cases are not severe, so there is no need to panic as of now.

LANDOVER, MARYLAND - NOVEMBER 27: Marcus Mariota #1 of the Atlanta Falcons drops back to pass against the Washington Commanders at FedExField on November 27, 2022 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia Eagles have reportedly agreed to terms on a deal with a new backup quarterback for the upcoming season.According to reports, QB Marcus Mariota and the Eagles agreed to a one-year, $5 million deal that could be worth up to $8 million. Mariota, who spent last season with the Atlanta Falcons, is expected to serve as the backup to Jalen Hurts.

Also Read: Getting less than 6 hours of sleep? How Covid-19 negatively impacted our sleep pattern With India reporting an uptick in covid cases over the last few weeks, the government has directed six states to examine the situation at micro level and maintain compliance like surveillance, testing and monitoring new and emerging covid clusters. Meanwhile, as per news reports, the new variant XBB 1.16 is likely to cause the next coronavirus wave.

PHILADELPHIA - Hours after a batch of recruits graduated the police academy to join Temple's police force, two incidents happened on campus that underscored the safety challenges facing the school. According to Temple police, a person with a gun was spotted by a security officer inside the cafeteria of Morgan Hall and was arrested by responding officers. Around the same time, police responded to a report of two individuals firing pellet guns at people near the intersection of Willington and Berks streets. Authorities have not reported any arrests. Temple University added eight new officers to its force on Friday.

PHILADELPHIA - Concerns about gun violence are mounting for residents in two Philadelphia neighborhoods where police say teens were injured in shootings that involved attempted car thefts. Carlian Burns lives near the intersection of 24th Street and Ridge Avenue where police say a 16-year-old old and an 18-year-old were shot during a suspected car theft Friday morning."It’s wild because something is always happening," Burns said. Both shooting victims were found by police and taken to Temple University Hospital where the 18-year-old who suffered multiple gunshot wounds was placed in critical condition. MORE LOCAL HEADLINESHours earlier, police in Philadelphia's Tacony section said a shootout erupted in broad daylight when the owner of a Toyota sedan caught two teens attempting to steal the car.An 18-year-old was shot multiple times in the exchange of gunfire with the vehicle's owner, who police say is licensed to carry a firearm and is cooperating with the investigation. The second suspect who was inside the driver's seat when the gunfight erupted managed to drive the stolen car about a block before he crashed and fled on foot, according to police. "I feel like we're living in the Wild, Wild, West right now, with no laws and no honor," Sherron Weeks said. A Philadelphia neighborhood is left shaken after police say a gun battle erupted in broad daylight between a car thief and the owner of the vehicle.She's experienced the violence plaguing North Philadelphia first-hand, telling FOX 29's Eddie Kadhim that she was attacked in her neighborhood over a month ago."They're hurting us around here, I just got stabbed in my head and my arm by a woman who took my coat right there on 23rd and Ridge," Weeks said. Rita Henderson from

COVID-19 pandemic have been complicated by factors including the massive surge of human infections in the pandemic's first two years and an increasingly bitter political dispute. It took virus experts more than a dozen years to pinpoint the animal origin of SARS, a related virus. Goldstein and his colleagues say their analysis is the first solid indication that there may have been wildlife infected with the coronavirus at the market.

EASTON, Wash. - A Yakima man, his cousin and 10-year-old daughter died after troopers say a semi crossed the median and crashed head-on into their sedan Thursday on Interstate 90 east of Snoqualmie Pass. His wife and son were critically injured.A verified GoFundMe post identified the victims as Justin Poole, 40, his cousin Michaela Buckholt, 27, and his daughter, 10-year-old Chelsea, all of Yakima.Justin's wife, Nikki, and 6-year-old son, Maddox, were taken to Seattle's Harborview Medical Center for treatment of severe injuries. Maddox was intubated and required brain surgery, according to the GoFundMe."Nikki needs as much support as she can possibly get right now," JoeyLynne Stanelle Perry, a friend of the family wrote on GoFundMe.

FILE-A health worker takes a swab sample from a woman to be tested for COVID-19 at a testing site in Beijing on March 23, 2022. (JADE GAO/AFP via Getty Images) BEIJING - Genetic material collected at a Chinese market near where the first human cases of COVID-19 were identified show raccoon dog DNA comingled with the virus, suggesting the pandemic may have originated from animals, not a lab, international experts say.Other experts have not yet verified their analysis, which has yet to appear in a peer-reviewed journal.

UNITED KINGDOM - A man, who returned to the crime scene after murdering a father of two, has been sentenced to life in prison.The murder investigation was launched by Essex Police last July, after 44-year-old Adrian Ellingford was seriously assaulted at a residence in Chelmsford, England. Ellingford died as a result of multiple stab wounds.According to police, Marek Hecko, 26, approached the murder scene while "heavily intoxicated," carrying a bottle of brandy.

Brandon Miller #24 of the Alabama Crimson Tide dribbles the ball against Jalen Jackson #4 of the Texas A&M-CC Islanders during the second half in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images) BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Brandon Miller sat in a folding chair in a corner of the locker room facing an assemblage of reporters and video cameras.Alabama's freshman All-American fielded few questions about his worst game in crimson and white, not with all the off-the-court matters that have shadowed him and a team mounting a bid for the program's first national championship.Amid myriad distractions, the NCAA Tournament's top overall seed dispatched 16th-seeded Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 96-75 on Thursday in the opening round even with its best player going scoreless for the first time.RELATED: Alabama basketball player Darius Miles charged with capital murder in deadly shootingMiller, who politely but succinctly responded to questions about anything not related to the game, has been accompanied by a security guard provided by the university after facing threats since his presence at the scene of a fatal shooting was disclosed in court testimony."It doesn’t bother me," Miller said of the threats, which he forwards to university officials.

DINWIDDIE, Va. - Video from a state mental hospital shows a Black Virginia man who was handcuffed and shackled being pinned to the ground by deputies who are now facing second-degree murder charges in his death, according to relatives of the man and their attorneys who viewed the footage Thursday.Speaking at a news conference shortly after watching the video with a local prosecutor, the family and attorneys condemned the brutal treatment they said Irvo Otieno, 28, was subjected to, first at a local jail and then at the state hospital where authorities say he died March 6 during the admission process.They called on the U.S. Department of Justice to intervene in the case, saying Otieno's constitutional rights were clearly violated.Irvo Otieno "What I saw today was heartbreaking, America.

COVID-19 worsens sleep patterns for 28% of people, and recovery does not guarantee improved sleep due to ongoing inflammation, respiratory issues, and sleep apnea. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on the sleep patterns of Indian citizens, according to a recent study by LocalCircles.

COLOMBO (News 1st); People's Bank on Friday (17) said that it had not received any direct or indirect requests or instructions from any state institution to close their accounts with People's Bank."We wish to strongly emphasize that People's Bank has always been a trusted partner for state organization in providing reliable banking service, including instances where such services were provided at the expense of profitability, in order to serve the country's best interests," said a statement.People's Bank issued this statement in order to clarify the misleading reports regarding State Institutions' Bank Accounts.It said that People's Bank is well-equipped to meet the financial needs of all Public and private Sector customers.On Thursday (16), it was reported that the Ministry of Finance had decided to open the bank accounts of government institutions, which were maintained only in government banks, in private banks.State Finance Minister Shehan Semasinghe stated that due to recent strikes, certain public services could not be provided due to the disruption of the services.He said that this new alternate security measure adopted in order to continue public services during such a situation.

PHILADELPHIA - Two teens were shot and injured in Philadelphia early Friday morning, police say. According to authorities, officers with the 22nd District responded to reports of a shooting in the area of 24th and Ridge Avenue just before 1:30 a.m. Police say officers found two teenagers injured by gunfire. Officials say a 16-year-old was shot in the arm and an 18-year-old was shot multiple times, including in the back. The two were taken to Temple Hospital, where the 16-year-old was placed in stable condition and the 18-year-old was placed in critical condition. MORE LOCAL HEADLINESChief Inspector Scott Small says another crime scene was found in the area of 24th and Jefferson, where five spent shell casings were discovered. Authorities also say a Hyundai sedan in the area had the passenger side rear window broken and the driver's door was open. According to investigators, the car's owner told police someone had just broken into the vehicle, which had a broken steering column. Police are investigating to see if the two injured teens were attempting to steal the car. 

Also Read: Suffering from fever and cough? How do you know its H3N2 or new COVID variant XBB 1.16 Highlighting its benefits further, the company said the kit can be used in all the available RT-PCR equipment. The three pathogens have similar initial symptoms but differs in how the illness progresses, how easily they spread, and how they are treated. The company has claimed that the kit helps in identifying which pathogen is causing the respiratory illness and helps in choosing the appropriate course of treatment, IANS reported.

Indian Railways kickstart Buddhist Circuit Tourist trainTo facilitate people to embark on the path of enlightenment, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation's (IRCTC) Buddhist Circuit Tourist train on the Bharat Gaurav Trains concept has commenced its spiritual journey.In the Mahaparinirvana sutra, the Buddha tells his followers that they can attain merit and a noble rebirth by going on pilgrimage to the places where he was born- Lumbini, gained enlightenment- Bodhgaya, first taught- Sarnath, and attained Nirvana- Kushinagar.The Buddhist tourist train takes people to these destinations and helps them experience first-hand the self-disciplined and legendary life of Lord Buddha.India, the country where Buddhism originated has rich memories of the Buddhist legacy. As part of its drive towards austerity, the only kind of art and architecture that it supported were Stupas (stone-cased moulds that commemorated relics of Buddha), Chaityas (prayer halls) and Viharas (cells for the monks).

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lankan health authorities claimed there is no risk of Listeria (Listeriosis) spreading across the Ratnapura District.Director of Health Services for the Ratnapura District Dr.

The debate over the origins of the Covid pandemic has been going around for a very long time. Now an international team of virus experts stated that the Covid origin may have started by raccoon dogs from China's Wuhan market, as reported by the Atlantic.  The analysis by the experts said the virus could have been ignited by an infected animal that was being dealt through the illegal wildlife trade.  As per the report, in January 2020, swabs from within and around the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market were used to collect the genetic data.

PHILADELPHIA - A young man is fighting for his life after police say he was stabbed twice near Temple University's besieged North Philadelphia campus. Investigators say the 25-year-old man was stabbed in the neck and back on the 1200 block of Diamond Street around 8 p.m. Responding officers from the Philadelphia Police Department rushed the victim to Temple University Hospital where he was placed in critical condition. No arrests were reported immediately following the stabbing.

PHILADELPHIA - A man and a woman were both shot Thursday evening in Philadelphia, according to police. Officers from the Philadelphia Police Department were called to the 600 block of South 53rd Street around 6:30 p.m. for reports of gunshots. Police found a 20-year-old man shot five times, including once in the back and chest.

LIMERKICK, Pa. - The business partner of a Montgomery County mother who was later found dead after being reported missing will be head to trial on charges including murder, a judge ruled Thursday. The body of 43-year-old Jennifer Brown was found partially buried next to a business in Royersford two weeks after she was reported missing. Blair Watts, a friend and business partner charged with the murder of Brown, first reported her missing on Jan.

PHILADELPHIA - A volunteer discovered vandalism at the African American History Trail at Iron Hill in Newark, Delaware earlier this week."We had tremendous vandalism over the weekend. We had someone destroy all of the signage that we had along the trail," said Robin Broomall, President of the Board of Directors for the Delaware Academy of Science.

PHILADELPHIA - A teenager is fighting for his life after police say he was shot multiple times in Philadelphia's Tacony neighborhood on Thursday afternoon. The broad daylight shooting happened on the 7100 block of Cottage Avenue just after 3:30 p.m., according to the Philadelphia Police Department. Responding officers found the 18-year-old victim suffering from four gunshot wounds throughout the body and rushed him to Jefferson-Torresdale Hospital where he was placed in critical condition. No arrests were reported immediately following the shooting.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Kari Lake and Rep.

according to a new study, times have changed and $100,000 simply isn’t quite what it used to be in many cities. Financial technology company SmartAsset compared the after-tax income in 76 of the largest U.S. cities and then adjusted those figures for the cost of living in each place. Shocker: If you live in New York or California, $100,000 may not go very far. The city of Memphis may be known for the blues, but Memphis’ low cost of living surely won’t make you sing them. According to the survey, a $100,000 salary is worth more ($86,444) than in any other city after subtracting taxes and adjusting for the cost of living.And $100,000 also goes a long way in Texas. In one U.S.

Also read: Suffering from fever and cough? How do you know its H3N2 or new COVID variant “In the past few weeks a rise in cases has been noted specifically in certain parts of the country with a total of 2,082 cases reported in the week ending March 8, 2023, which rose to 3,264 cases in the week ending March 15," the letter said. With this, the active caseload has now risen to 4,623.

escaped pet monkey was shot and killed in southern Oklahoma after it reportedly mangled a woman’s ear and slapped a man across the face.Video filmed by Ardmore, Oklahoma, resident Randal Flinn shows the primate snacking on an orange as it sat at Flinn’s doorway."What’s a monkey doing in Oklahoma?" Flinn asks while taking video of the monkey through a screen door.When the monkey left the porch and started approaching Flinn’s dog in the yard, video shows him open the door and yell for the dog to get away.That’s when the monkey turned around and charged aggressively at the door where Flinn stood. Flinn managed to slam the door just in time. READ MORE: Ohio zebra badly mauls man's arm, deputies put it down: 'I think he tore my arm off'Flinn wasn’t the only person the monkey went after, according to police.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JUNE 16: Rick Allen of Def Leppard performs onstage during The Stadium Tour at Truist Park on June 16, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation) Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen was assaulted by a teenager outside a hotel in South Florida last week, according to media reports.Allen was in town to perform a show with at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, and was staying at the Four Seasons Hotel in Fort Lauderdale Beach, according to WSVN and TMZ.According to the Fort Lauderdale Police arrest report, obtained by FOX 35, Allen – who is not mentioned by name in the report – was in the valet area of the hotel smoking a cigarette when a 19-year-old man, identified as Max Hartley, ran at him at full speed and struck him, knocking Allen backwards, causing him to hit his head.A woman ran to help Allen and was then attacked by Hartley.

CRANFORD, N.J. -  Police in New Jersey are hoping to identify a "person of interest" who was caught on video leaving a dead cat in a resident’s mailbox. The incident was reported on March 12 just after 10 p.m. at a home in Cranford and was reported the next morning, according to authorities. The Cranford Police Department shared video footage from a home security camera on social media, which shows the person – who appears to be male – walking with something in their hand up the driveway.The person is then seen walking away from the home, and down the sidewalk. In footage shared by the Cranford Police Department, the individual is seen walking down the sidewalk and up the resident’s driveway before leaving a dead cat in the mailbox.

RICHMOND, Va. - Seven Virginia sheriff's office employees have been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of a 28-year-old man at a state mental hospital last week, a local prosecutor said Tuesday.Henrico County Sheriff's Office personnel took the victim, Irvo Otieno, to Central State Hospital on March 6 to admit him as a patient, according to the prosecutor, Dinwiddie County Commonwealth’s Attorney Ann Cabell Baskervill. Otieno, who was physically restrained, died during the intake process, Baskervill said in a statement."Mr.

BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. - A Florida man serving out a 400-year sentence has just walked out of prison a free man after three decades thanks to a re-examination of his case. "As prosecutors, our only agenda is to promote public safety in our community and to ensure that justice is served," Broward State Attorney Harold F. Pryor said in a statement.

PHILADELPHIA - A shooting in North Philadelphia has left a man critically injured and fighting for his life. According to police, officers responded to the 2700 block of North Orkney Street in the city's North Philadelphia section for reports of a person with a gun early Thursday morning at 6:45 a.m. Authorities say a 43-year-old man was shot seven times in the upper part of his body. MORE LOCAL HEADLINESMedics transported the man to Temple University Hospital, where he is in critical condition, per police. The investigation into the shooting is ongoing and active, according to authorities. 

KYIV, Ukraine - The Pentagon has released footage of what it says is a Russian aircraft conducting an unsafe intercept of a U.S. Air Force surveillance drone in international airspace over the Black Sea.The 42-second video, released Thursday, shows a Russian Su-27 approaching the back of the MQ-9 drone and beginning to release fuel as it passes, the Pentagon said.The U.S.

Waze said the new EV charging station feature would be available starting this week and rolling out globally "over the coming weeks." (Credit: Provided / Waze) SAN FRANCISCO - Waze, the Google-owned navigation app, is hoping to make it easier for drivers of electric vehicles to find a charging station.The company announced in a blog post on Tuesday that users will now be able to enter their electric vehicle (EV) and plug type into the Waze app to find relevant charging stations along their route. "Charging station information is often inconsistent, outdated or unreliable, creating a major pain point for EV drivers who may navigate to a charging station only to discover they can’t find it or use it," the company said in a statement. "By adding up-to-date EV charging information to the Waze map, it’s even easier to charge your car and get help finding where or when you’ll come across the next station."Waze said the EV data will be reviewed and updated in real-time by its community map editors to ensure accuracy. Waze said the feature was available starting this week and roling out globally "over the coming weeks."But a report published on Wednesday by Electrek noted how the EV Charger finding feature was still showing nearby gas stations instead of chargers for one user.

States have been asked to examine the situation at micro level and maintain compliance like surveillance, testing and monitoring new and emerging covid clusters New Delhi: With India reporting an uptick in covid cases over the last few weeks, the government has directed six states to examine the situation at micro level and maintain compliance like surveillance, testing and monitoring new and emerging covid clusters. India has seen a rise in covid cases over the past few weeks.

Fans of Ben & Jerry’s can get a free scoop of ice cream between 12 p.m. and 8 p.m.

pic.twitter.com/BO5DARv6b2 Symptoms of the H3N2 subtype include fever, cough, breathlessness, wheezing, and clinical signs of pneumonia. ICMR reports that out of hospitalized SARI patients with H3N2, 92% suffer from fever, 86% from cough, and 27% from breathlessness. In some cases, patients may require oxygen or ICU care.

Mint. TCPL, which sells packaged beverages under brands such as Tata Tea Premium, Tata Tea Chakra, Tata Grand coffee and bottled water under Himalayan, reported a 5% dip in volume growth in the December quarter in its India beverage business on account of price corrections as well as demand slowdown in key markets. Das said while demand had softened in the December quarter, the trends in the months of December and January were relatively better.

Covid variants stated that India reported the highest number of XBB 1.16 variant cases, currently, the tally stands at 48. Singapore and the US detected 14 and 15 cases respectively, according to a report by The Times of India.  “Thee India states--Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra--are having a high prevalence of XBB 1.16 Covid variant," a top genome expert said.  Speaking to TOI, Dr Vipin M Vashishtha, a member of WHO’s Vaccine Safety Net who has been tracking new Covid variants, said the previous XBB.1 descendant, XBB.1.5, had become dominant across the globe but not in India.  “There is some worry about XBB.1.16 globally because it has certain mutations in the non-spike region of the virus: two ORF9b mutations.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Professionals Trade Union Collective says that the on-going strike will be called off at 8 AM on Thursday (16), as the President had noted that their demands will be taken into consideration. Spokesperson for the Government Medical Officers' Association Dr. Chamil Wijesinghe told reporters on Wednesday (15) that the strike will be temporarily called off at 8 AM on Thursday (16), and it does not mean the GMOA has withdrawn from the trade union action. The Professionals Trade Union Collective had declared a nation-wide day of strikes and protests with effect from midnight on Tuesday (14).Government, Semi-Government and Private Trade Unions supportrf the strikes.Government Medical Officers, Specialist Doctors, University Teachers, Faculty of Medicine Teachers, CEB Engineers, Bankers, Petroleum Workers, Water Supply Workers, Road Development Officers, Education Administrative Officers, Surveyors, Inland Revenue Officers are among the 40 Trade Unions that support this move.Their main demand is to amend the unjust tax policy implemented by the government.The PAYE tax between 6% to 36% imposed on monthly earnings over Rs.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Election Commission will meet on Thursday (16) for talks on the upcoming Local Government Election.Chairman of the Election Commission Attorney Nimal Punchihewa said the meeting is scheduled for 10:30 AM at the Election Secretariat. It is reported that the meeting will focus on the delay in releasing funds for the Local Government Election on the part of the Ministry of Finance, and the relevant measures that need to be taken on the matter.The Government Printer said that a second letter was sent to the Treasury seeking funds for the printing process related to the Local Government Election.In the meantime, the Collective of Election Monitoring Organizations has decided to inform international agencies including the International Monetary Fund over the delay in securing funds for the Local Government Election, and the obstacles put forth by the government in delaying the election.Executive Director of PAFFREL Rohana Hettiarachchi said that all international missions in the country would also be informed of the same in the coming days. 

CHERRY HILL, N.J. - A Camden County boy made an emotional plea for help at a recent school board meeting after he and his family claimed constant bullying and torment on the school bus has gone unaddressed.Ayden, a 12-year-old student at Beck Middle School in Cherry Hill, said the ridicule from students has included questions about his sexuality and gender identity. "I feel upset, angry, sad," Ayden told FOX 29's Dawn Timmeny. He claims one of his tormenters lunged at him when he used his cell phone to record the incessant bullying during a bus ride to school. "I mean, I'm very proud of myself, I think it's very important if any other kids are going through this," Ayden said. "I also hope this ends, like, I don't want to go through this." MORE LOCAL HEADLINESAyden, who is in 6th grade, spoke at a recent school board meeting and detailed the torment that he and his parents claim has since gone unaddressed. His parents say they reported everything to school administrators and filed a ‘Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying’ report.

PHILADELPHIA - A young man is expected to recover after police say he was shot inside a Philadelphia KFC restaurant on Wednesday night. Investigators say the 20-year-old man was shot once in the arm while in the dining area of the popular fried chicken chain on the 300 block of North Broad Street. Officers from the Philadelphia Police Department brought the victim to Temple University Hospital where he was placed in stable condition. Police have not said if there were any other customers in the dining area when the shooting happened. No arrests have been reported.

Dio Garcia of Philadelphia was arrested in Bensalem.  BENSALEM TOWNSHIP, Pa. - The Bensalem Township Police Department is touting the success of what they call proactive police work after an armed robbery suspect wanted in Philadelphia was arrested during a traffic stop in the Bucks County town. Authorities say on Tuesday, just before 10 a.m., patrol officers saw a 2013 Ford Edge commit a violation while going south on Route 1. According to police, the officers initiated a traffic stop and made contact with 40-year-old Dio Garcia from Philadelphia. A check of the crime system revealed the car Garcia was driving was listed as a felony vehicle with an occupant wanted for a point-of-gun robbery, officials say. Police say Garcia was also wanted out of Florida on a warrant for a probation violation. MORE LOCAL HEADLINESGarcia was taken into police custody and the Ford Edge was towed by police, authorities say. After a search warrant was obtained for the vehicle, a search led to the finding of a container of suspected marijuana and a loaded .40 caliber Beretta handgun, officials say. The gun, which was reported stolen out of Delaware, matched the description of the weapon used in the armed robbery in Philadelphia, per police. Police say Garcia faces several charges in Bensalem and Philadelphia Police are obtaining an arrest warrant for the gunpoint robbery. 

FILE - Produce is stacked neatly inside a Whole Foods Market in Commack, New York on April 2, 2019. (Photo by Steve Pfost/Newsday RM via Getty Images) Blueberries and green beans have joined the likes of strawberries, spinach and other nonorganic produce with the most pesticides, a newly published report states.In fact, nearly 75% of nonorganic fruits and vegetables sold in the U.S.