(VIDEO) Ranil & Basil clash over IMF report; Minister admits receiving draft report

Due to an IT network issue today, we are currently able to report on hospitalisations only. The statement will be updated as soon as the additional information becomes available.

CHICAGO - APRIL 1991: Singers Roderick Clark, Marcus Sanders, Tony Thompson, Russell Neal (rear) and Treston Irby of Hi-Five poses for photos at the Holiday Inn Lakeshore Drive in Chicago, Illinois in April 1991. (Photo By Raymond Boyd/Getty Images) Roderick 'Pooh' Clark, a member of the R&B group Hi-Five, died Sunday according to other members in the quintet."Roderick "Pooh" Clark, Feb 27, 1973- April 17, 2022," Marcus Sanders posted on Facebook Monday.

Police say 61-year-old New Jersey resident performed a lewd act at a Delaware hotel late last week.  NEWARK, Del. - A New Jersey man is facing charges for allegedly exposing himself at a hotel in Delaware last week.Police say they were called to the Embassy Suites Hotel in Newark Friday night about a man who exposed himself out of his hotel window. Responding officers say when they arrived on scene, they contacted a woman and her daughters, ages 9 and 11. The victims reported that as they were walking to their hotel room, they observed a man standing in his hotel window with the curtains open in nothing but a towel. The victims say once they made eye contact with the man, he dropped his towel and began performing a lewd act.

TEMPE, Ariz. - A Tempe high school teacher is facing charges and possible prison time after allegedly having an inappropriate relationship with a student.Court documents say that the male teacher is in his early 30s and has been at the school for three years. The relationship allegedly started in September 2021.A teenage student reportedly came forward and told her mom exactly what happened, saying that when she broke off the contact, the teacher allegedly became aggressive and jealous.Seniors at Mountain Pointe High School are reacting to the news that one of their own teachers, Mohamed Ryan Elnounw, is facing four counts of sexual abuse for an alleged inappropriate relationship with a student."Crazy.

From February 2021 to November 2021, the COVID-19 Vaccine Independent Safety Monitoring Board (the Board) met to review and discuss safety data for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.  

The decision by an American judge to strike down mask mandates on airlines won’t affect Canadian travellers. As Sean O’Shea reports, the Canadian government says masks will still be required — that includes travel through the United States.

The Biden administration will no longer enforce a U.S. mask mandate on public transportation, such as domestic planes, trains, and buses after a federal judge in Florida on Monday ruled that the 14-month-old directive was unlawful, overturning a key White House effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Roy O. Disney and Mickey Mouse at the Oct.

(Pixabay)TRENTON - A New Jersey Catholic diocese has agreed to pay $87.5 million to settle claims involving clergy sex abuse with some 300 alleged victims in one of the largest cash settlements involving the Catholic Church in the United States.The agreement between the Diocese of Camden, which encompasses six counties in southern New Jersey on the outskirts of Philadelphia, and plaintiffs was filed with U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Camden on Tuesday.The settlement must still go before a U.S.

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Sunshine and warmer temperatures will follow in the wake of a rare spring nor'easter that brought showers and below-average conditions Tuesday.Expect the chance of a lingering shower to last until sunset Tuesday as an area of low pressure lifts to the far north to create wrap-around moisture during the evening.Temperatures will drop overnight into the 30s with mostly dry conditions. Philadelphia and its suburbs will bottom out around 40 degrees, while areas north and west will skew slightly cooler. Sunshine will reemerge on Wednesday, but the temperatures will remain below average in the mid 50s to low 60s across the area.

PHILADELPHIA - A Delaware County family is advocating for awareness and training after they say a family member with autism was handcuffed during an outburst of frustration at a Philadelphia circus. Kevin Bradley, 31, has autism and is nonverbal but the joy a carnival brings him is palpable. Kevin's sister, Kylie Moreschi, who runs the non-profit Emmaus House that provides housing and services for adults with intellectual disabilities, described his love for carnivals as "one of his greatest joys in the world."Family members now fear that Kevin's joy is forever tarnished after an incident that unfolded last week at S.E.E.Y.A carnival in South Philadelphia. Moreschi said an Emmaus House staff member went with Kevin to the carnival run by Houghton Enterprises, Inc on Friday night.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Justice Department said Tuesday it will not appeal a federal district judge’s ruling that ended the nation’s federal mask mandate on public transit unless the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention believes the requirement is still necessary.In a statement released a day after a Florida judge ended the sweeping mandate, which required face coverings on planes and trains and in transit hubs, Justice Department spokesman Anthony Coley said officials believe that the federal mask order was "a valid exercise of the authority Congress has given CDC to protect the public health." He said it was "an important authority the Department will continue to work to preserve."Coley said the CDC had said it would continue to assess public health conditions, and if the agency determined a mandate was necessary for public health, the Justice Department would file an appeal.A federal judge voided the Biden administration's mask mandate for travelers using public transportation such as trains and airplanes. During the White House press briefing, press secretary Jen Psaki said the Dept.

Conservative Party leadership contender Pierre Poilivre is holding a Tuesday rally in downtown Toronto. As the race continues, observers say the populist’s message shouldn’t be discounted, even in a Liberal stronghold.

Kareem Welton (Montgomery County District Attorney's Office)  NORRISTOWN, Pa. - Kareem Welton, the man accused of hit-and-run crashes in Manayunk and Collegeville in July 2021, is now facing additional charges, according to Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele. On Tuesday, Steele's office announced additional charges against Welton, 41, including, first-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, robbery, robbery of a motor vehicle, attempted robbery of a motor vehicle, accidents involving death or injury and related charges. Authorities say Welton went on a "spree of criminal behavior" that took place in the overnight hours between July 27 and July 28 and stretched from Center City to Trappe, Pa.

The landlord tenant board in Ontario is experiencing major delays due, in part, to a shutdown early on in the COVID-19 pandemic. As Caryn Lieberman reports, when it comes to evictions, tenants say the tribunal is moving full speed ahead.

Medicago’s Covifenz vaccine, saying established mRNA vaccines such as those made by Pfizer and Moderna have been shown to be more effective.The Canadian-made recombinant protein vaccine is the only plant-based vaccine against COVID-19 on the market, but it has struggled to find takers. Canadians have ‘unfinished business’ amid rising COVID-19 hospitalizations.

SEATTLE - In honor of Earth Day, Starbucks is taking another step to reduce plastic waste by offering customers free reusable cups.The Seattle-based coffee chain said the free cup coupon is for Starbucks Rewards members who use Paypal to reload their Starbucks Card or make a purchase of at least $5. The offer runs until April 30 and the coupon will be loaded onto the customer’s Starbucks Rewards account. Customers must use the app to access the coupon and redeem it by May 7. RELATED: Starbucks to phase out single-use cups in favor of reusable mugsIn addition, customers who bring in their own personal reusable cups will earn 25 Stars on their account in addition to 10 cents off their beverage. Meanwhile, Starbucks lovers may soon see less of an iconic symbol: the white Starbucks paper cup.The company also announced it will phase out its single-use cups bearing the company's logo and other plastics in an effort to reduce landfill waste.

COVID-19, the risk of infection remains higher than at any point in time prior to the ongoing Omicron wave, local health officials say.That’s why it’s essential that Londoners continue to “use the tools within your toolbox” to protect against infection and possible severe outcomes amid the sixth wave of the pandemic, driven by the highly transmissible Omicron subvariant BA.2, the region’s medical officer of health said.“The COVID-19 Provincial Science Table last week did allude to a levelling off of wastewater data and COVID wastewater counts across the province. It is still early days and we hope that that continues,” Dr.

BURLINGTON COUNTY, N.J. - Authorities say a New Jersey woman was found shot dead in the parking lot of a Burlington County car was Monday night.According to police, 28-year-old Alice Stilley was shot in the parking lot of Hot Wet & Wax on Filmore Street in Palmyra at 10:45 p.m.She was found unconscious and bleeding near her vehicle, police said.No arrests have been made, but the shooting remains under investigation.MORE RELATED HEADLINES___DOWNLOAD: FOX 29 NEWS APP | FOX 29 WEATHER AUTHORITY APPSUBSCRIBE: Good Day Digest Newsletter | FOX 29 Philly on YouTubeAdvertisementFOLLOW: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Abram Markofski (Credit: US DOJ) MADISON, Wis. - The Wisconsin National Guard says it is in the process of removing a guardsman after he pleaded guilty for his role in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol that took place on Jan.

PHILADELPHIA - The trial for Philadelphia councilman Kenyatta Johnson and his wife has ended in a mistrial after days of jury deliberations. In January, Johnson, 46, and his wife Dawn Chavous, 40, were indicted on fraud charges in what officials called a "widespread corruption conspiracy." Federal authorities accused Johnson, who has been a councilman since 2012, of engaging in official actions in exchange for payments. Chavous is accused of entering into a "sham" consulting agreement with a nonprofit that was used to funnel payments to her husband, authorities say. Before being indicted, Johnson released a statement saying, "First, let me be clear: I am innocent.

Rushon Drayton, 23 (Chester County District Attorney's Office)CHESTER COUNTY - A 23-year-old janitor at Valley Forge Middle School has been accused of sexually abusing two teenage girls.Rushon Drayton, known as "Shawn," is charged with multiple counts of institutional sexual assault, indecent assault of a person under 16, unlawful contact with a minor, corruption of minors, statutory sexual assault and other charges.The Chester County District Attorney's Office says Drayton "preyed upon vulnerable middle schoolers" by sending inappropriate and sexual text messages to students age 14 and 15. He became friendly with the students over several months by handing out candy four times a week, one student said.The mother of the first victim, a 14-year-old girl, reportedly found screenshots of inappropriate messages on her daughter’s phone.

Numerous companies are dropping requirements for facial coverings in the wake of yesterday's ruling by a federal judge in Florida that overturned the federal COVID-19 mask mandate on public transportation.

U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Back on March 29, wind turbines produced 2,017 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity in the lower 48 states, making wind the second-largest source of energy just behind natural gas. "Daily wind-powered electricity had surpassed coal-fired and nuclear electricity generation separately on other days earlier this year, but had not surpassed both sources on a single day," the EIA said.  Data from that day showed Americans got their power from natural gas (31%), wind (19%), nuclear (19%), coal (17%) and other sources (14%). Texas has the most wind turbine capacity among states, as of December 2020.

A nonrandomized controlled trial yesterday in JAMA Internal Medicine shows worse outcomes for hospitalized COVID-19 patients with low oxygen levels placed in the prone (chest-down) position while awake, although a commentary cautions about study design shortcomings.

Signage stands outside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S, on Saturday, March 14, 2020. Photographer: Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images A new U.S.

PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia police have released new video in connection with the murder of a Philadelphia police officer’s son earlier this year.During a Tuesday press conference, authorities shared a new video compilation that showed the moments leading up the shooting that killed Hyram Hill Jr.The new video also contained images of two suspects. Police say those suspects, who they believe sell narcotics near Broad Street and Erie Avenue, were also on the scene of a domestic incident about 10-15 minutes before Hill was shot. One of the suspects was interviewed by police on the scene of the domestic incident and was recorded on police body camera video.

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - A San Bernardino grocery shopper says he was dragged into a closet, kicked, and stomped on by employees after making a comment about customer service. John Valencia said he was picking up some coffee and creamer at the Stater Brothers on E. Baseline Street around 8 a.m.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Education announced on Tuesday it is working to implement steps for nearly 4 million federal student loan borrowers to reach loan forgiveness.The department estimates these changes will result in immediate debt forgiveness for at least 40,000 borrowers."Today, the Department of Education announced steps that will bring borrowers closer to public service loan and income-driven repayment (IDR) forgiveness by addressing historical failures in the administration of the federal student loan programs," the department said in a press release.You can read the department’s plan to achieve student loan debt forgiveness for millions of Americans on their website.The announcement follows a move by the Biden administration earlier this month to freeze federal student loan payments through Aug.

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said Wednesday that Canada would announce more sanctions against Russia in the coming days, saying the goal is to “suffocate the Russian regime” and ensure there are “no loopholes.” She also said she had had her deputy minister summon Russia’s ambassador to Canada to “make sure he is presented with the images of what happened” in the Ukrainian communities of Irpin and Bucha.

MUMBAI :

Use of the common maintenance drugs angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs), angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs), warfarin, statins, direct-factor Xa inhibitors, and P2Y12 inhibitors was tied to lower risk of COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and death, a large US National Institutes of Health (NIH) study suggests.The observational study, published yesterday in PLOS One, identified CO

Daniel Barnett, 38, is facing charges in connection with the rape of a young girl over a six-year period.  PLYMOUTH TOWNSHIP, Pa. - A Plymouth Township man has been arrested and charged for sexually assaulting an elementary-school-aged girl during a six-year period from 1997 to 2003. According to the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office, 38-year-old Daniel Barnett was charged with 20 felony counts of rape of a child and related charges. The DA's office says the investigation began when the victim, who is now 29, reported to the Plymouth Township Police Department that she was raped by Barnett more than 100 times from the time she was five until she was about nine. Investigators then learned he was a friend of the victim's brother, according to officials. Police say the sexual abuse began with him touching her inappropriately over her clothes and then progressed to rape and other types of sexual assault. "This defendant was repeatedly sexually assaulting a very young girl for years," District Attorney Kevin R.

NEW DELHI :

CAMDEN, N.J. - A 2013 Camden cold case has seen developments nearly a decade later.Duane Parker, 58, has been charged in the fatal stabbing of 57-year-old man. He is now facing first-degree murder, felony murder and robbery charges.On December 14, 2013, Timothy Appling died after he was reportedly stabbed on Broadway and Atlantic Avenue in Camden.

Boris Johnson has issued a 'wholehearted apology' to MPs over his Partygate fine - but insisted he did not know he was breaking his own coronavirus rules. The Prime Minister repeated an apology in the House of Commons on Tuesday, after Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle approved a vote on whether he lied to MPs with his earlier denials.

COLOMBO (News 1st); A group of concerned professionals consisting largely of legal and medical practitioners under the banner of “Direction Sri Lanka – Independent Professionals for the Nation” have called on the president to resign forthwith in response to the demands of the People.They have also called on the Prime Minister to forthwith resign after the election of the Successor PresidentFurther, the group in a statement had called on for a Caretaker / Interim National Government be immediately formed comprising a new Prime Minister and a Cabinet limited to 18 essential portfolios along with an equal number of Deputy Ministers, representing all political parties. 

In view of rising covid cases, the Union Health Ministry has directed five States—Delhi, Haryana, Mizoram, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra --to continue monitoring spread of infection and undertake required steps for prompt and effective management of Covid-19, as these states are reporting increase in Covid-19 cases.

In view of rising covid cases, the Union Health Ministry has directed four States—Delhi, Haryana, Mizoram, Uttar Pradesh--to continue monitoring spread of infection and undertake required steps for prompt and effective management of Covid-19, as these states are reporting increase in covid-19 cases. 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson offered an apology to the House of Commons over breaking the UK lockdown rules that he devised, while insisting it hadn’t occurred to him he had done anything wrong. 

Canada has announced it will be placing additional sanctions on Russia, targetting 14 “close associates of the Russian regime,” including Russian President Vladimir Putin’s two adult daughters.

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Patrick Lyoya, 26, was shot and killed by a Grand Rapids police officer on April 4.  GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (FOX 2) - An independent autopsy performed on Patrick Lyoya showed that he was killed by a gunshot to the back of the head.Related: Patrick Lyoya's funeral scheduled for FridayDr.

FILE IMAGE - The 6 megawatt Stanton Solar Farm outside of Orlando, Florida is seen in this aerial view from a drone in a file image dated Sept. 9, 2021. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) A majority of Americans say the U.S.

COLOMBO (News 1st): The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna stressed that it has no intention to appoint UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe as the country’s next Prime Minister.Ports and Shipping Minister Rohitha Abeygunawardena told reporters on Monday (28) that no one in the SLPP is insane to appoint such a person as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka.“He comes from Sri Lanka’s oldest political party and that party eventually came to be known as the political party that could not even win a single seat in Parliament,” said Abeygunawardena.SLPP General-Secretary Attorney-at-Law Sagara Kariyawasam told reporters that there is no requirement to seek a person for the post of Prime Minister when the most suitable person is holding that position.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Government has decided to hold a debate on the International Monetary Fund report on recovering Sri Lanka’s debt sustainaibility.Chief Government Whip Johnston Fernando stated that the Parliament had decided to hold the debate within the first week of April.Representatives of several parties, including UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, called on the Government to hold a Parliamentary debate on the report.

COLOMBO (News 1st); No conditions have been underlined for the USD 1 billion loan given by India, however, the amount will have to be paid back in installments after three years, said Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa.The President is acting on a very prudent and a long-term plan, says Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa on repaying the country’s loans after his entourage returned from India this afternoon. The Finance Minister returned to the country after signing agreements for a US $ 1 billion financial assistance from India. In addition to this $ 1 billion, India has already provided a $ 400 million loan, a $ 500 million loan to purchase petroleum and another $ 500 million via the Asian Clearing Union.Accordingly, the value of loans and relief facilities provided by India to overcome the current economic crisis is about US $ 2.4 billion in total. The Minister of Finance, speaking to media stated that Sri Lanka’s neighbor India has proven that it stands by Sri Lanka with this action, especially with Prime Minister Modi mentioning that all the support that Sri Lanka needs is being provided directly, both economically and socially.The Finance Minister said that Prime Minister Modi has learned of the organic farming and the interest shown by the President with regard to it, and although a shortage of nano fertilizer exists in India, they agreed to provide Sri Lanka with the required quantity.Rajapaksa also stated that India gave Sri Lanka a loan of US $ 1 billion to purchase food and other necessities for the people, especially for the upcoming Sinhala Tanil New Year, and the relevant loan has been in operation since yesterday (17).I urge all business communities to make it very transparent, giving priority to things which