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WHO declares end of COVID-19 global health emergency

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:15 GMT

COVID-19 is no longer an international public health emergency, the World Health Organization decided on Friday, marking a major turning point in the global response to the crisis that has killed nearly 7 million people and caused some 65 million cases of long COVID. The removal of the highest alert level from the global health body comes more than three years since the declaration was first made on January 30, 2020, as COVID-19 spread beyond China and public health officials around the globe became increasingly panicked at what they were witnessing. At that time, the official death toll was just 171. Now, the WHO estimates over 6.9 million deaths — more than the total population of Denmark. Europe accounts for about a third of those with some 2.2 million people dying from COVID-19 in the region. The decision by WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Friday comes following a recommendation from a committee of global health experts that found the situation no lo...

Ex-governor candidate pleads guilty to child porn charges

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:15 GMT

ELLSWORTH, Maine (AP) — A wealthy attorney who made a name for himself in the nation’s capital before returning home to Maine to run for governor vowed to seek redemption Thursday after he pleaded guilty to possession of thousands of images of child sexual abuse.Eliot Cutler, who came close to being elected governor in 2010, sat stone-faced at times in court, but his voice cracked with emotion when he addressed the judge. He apologized first to the victimized children and their families.“My behavior helped to support an industry built upon their abuse, and I hope with all my heart that they can find healing and dignity,” Cutler said.The plea agreement, accepted by the judge, calls for Cutler to serve nine months in jail for four counts of possessing sexually explicit material of a child under 12.It marked a remarkable fall for a man who once served as an aide to the late Sen. Edmund Muskie, as the top energy and environmental adviser to then-President Jimmy Carter, and lau...

25-year-old driver killed in collision on Route 1 in New Hampshire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:15 GMT

State police in New Hampshire are investigating a collision that left one driver dead and another seriously injured Thursday night in North Hampton.Authorities said members of the North Hampton Police Department were called to the scene of a crash on Route 1 near Granite Road around 9:44 p.m. where two vehicles were found.According to New Hampshire State Police, responding officers determined a 2007 Honda Civic headed southbound had crossed a double yellow line, a continuous middle turn lane and then a second double yellow line before striking a 2019 Hyundai Tucson travelling north.Authorities said the driver of the Tucson, Alexander Price, a 25-year-old Portsmouth resident, succumbed to his injuries and passed away at Portsmouth Regional Hospital.The driver of the Civic, 37-year-old Matthew Meisner of Hampton, sustained serious injuries.State police said all aspects of the collision remain under investigation. Authorities ask that anyone who may have witnessed the crash or what led...

Modest May storm: A quick look at rainfall totals across San Diego

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:15 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Scattered light rain and snow showers trickled down across parts of San Diego County Thursday night and into Friday morning, said the National Weather Service.Those showers are expected to diminish late Friday morning, according to weather officials. This May storm has produced modest precipitation levels in some areas of the region. A rare sight to see: ‘Scrippshenge’ sunset awes San Diego Here’s a breakdown of two-day precipitation totals across some parts of the county as of 5:18 a.m. Friday, according to calculations from NWS.*Areas above the freezing level may not show accurate precipitation totals, said NWS.North CountyGeneral locationPrecipitation levelPalomar Observatory0.74 inchesFallbrook0.79 inchesValley Center0.32 inchesSan Onofre0.51 inchesEscondido0.34 inchesCarlsbad0.38 inchesOceanside0.49 inchesSan Marcos0.15 inchesVista0.35 inchesEncinitas 0.18 inchesEast CountyGeneral locationPrecipitation levelAlpine 0.10 inchesSantee0.27 inchesLa Mesa0.16 inchesSan...

Jill Biden in UK for King Charles’ coronation, visits No. 10

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:15 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jill Biden has celebrated the athletic grit of wounded service members with Prince Harry, discussed the value of early childhood education with Princess Kate and sipped tea poured by Queen Elizabeth II. Now the first lady is back in London for another royal engagement. President Joe Biden has dispatched his wife to represent the United States at Saturday’s coronation of King Charles III, the late queen’s eldest son. No American president has ever attended a British coronation.While in London, she’s engaging in a bit of soft diplomacy before the big event. Her first stop in Friday’s drizzle was a familiar place: No. 10 Downing St., for her first meeting with Akshata Murty, the wife of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Murty greeted Biden with an embrace and a kiss on each cheek. “Welcome, welcome!” she said, before turning to shake hands with Finnegan Biden, one of the first lady’s granddaughters.Afterward, Jill Biden and Murty met at the Dow...

Stock market today: Apple juices a rally after a brutal week

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:15 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Apple is leading a rally Friday after Wall Street’s most influential stock reported a better profit than feared. Stocks of beaten-down banks are also leaping to recover a smidgen of their sharp losses from a brutal week.The S&P 500 was 1.4% higher in morning trading, though it’s still on pace for its worst week in nearly two months. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 445 points, or 1.3%, at 33,572, as of 10:30 a.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite was 1.6% higher. Treasury yields were jumping in the bond market after a report showed hiring accelerated across the economy by much more than expected last month. The U.S. government’s jobs report also showed workers won bigger pay raises in April than expected. While that’s good news, particularly when many economists fear a recession may arrive this year, the data also raises worries inflation may stay high and push the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates higher. High interest rates have already...

Hundreds of pounds of pasta dumped near New Jersey stream

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:15 GMT

OLD BRIDGE, N.J. (AP) — Authorities in a central New Jersey town say they are no longer noodling over the mystery of how hundreds of pounds of pasta were dumped near a stream.Old Bridge Mayor Owen Henry said Friday that the spaghetti, noodles and macaroni was cleaned up last week by public works crews, shortly after officials learned about the oodles of noodles that quickly drew national attention when photos of the pasta were posted on social media.The estimated 500 pounds (225 kilogram) of pasta was apparently raw when it was dumped, but subsequent heavy rains softened the food and made the mounds look like they had been cooked, officials have said. It’s not believed the pasta had been at the site for long before it was discovered.Henry said the pasta did not cause any environmental damage or health issues and he considers the matter closed.“It certainly shouldn’t have ended up in the woods — putting in or near the stream bed was not the best idea — but I certainly hope our ...

Montreal cellist to perform at King Charles’ coronation concert

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:15 GMT

A cellist from Montreal will be performing at King Charles’ coronation concert at Windsor Castle over the weekend.Marion Portelance, 24, is now studying cello at the Royal College of Music in London, set to graduate in 2024.Remarkably, she will be performing on King Charles’s personal cello, which he played as a student at Cambridge University. He then donated it to the Royal College of Music as its patron.Portelance graduated from the Conservatoire de Montreal in 2022.RELATEDLisa LaFlamme to join CityNews for special coverage of the Coronation of King Charles IIIPrince Harry to attend father’s May 6 coronation without MeghanAstronaut Jeremy Hansen to carry Canada’s flag at crowning of King Charles in LondonShe will perform as part of a string quartet formed of Royal College of Music students on Sunday May 7. They’ll play a new arrangement of an iconic song from West Side Story with the Chorus of The Royal Opera and a visual backdrop on to Windsor Castle created by the R...

Germany to ease solar rules as new installations surge

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:15 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s energy minister announced plans Friday to ease bureaucratic hurdles for solar power as the country set a new record for photovoltaic installations during the first quarter.Europe’s biggest economy added 2.7 gigawatts of solar power capacity during the first three months of 2023, putting it on course to beat the target of 9 GW this year, compared with 7 GW in 2022.Energy Minister Robert Habeck said that he hoped Germany would for the first time install new PV capacity in the double-digits this year, an important milestone in the country’s effort to become carbon neutral by 2045. The government wants to have 215 GW of solar installed in Germany by 2030, more than tripling existing capacity in seven years.To achieve that increase, Habeck announced a series of measures that would cut red tape, including accelerating the planning and approval process for PV on buildings and on unbuilt land.While many of the changes concern minor bureaucratic issu...

Ed Sheeran to perform ‘Subtract’ album on Apple Music Live

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:15 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ed Sheeran will put his new album on full display with the help of Apple Music.The music streaming service announced Friday that Sheeran will kick off the second season of Apple Music Live on May 10. The British pop star performed his fifth studio album “Subtract” for the first time at Eventim Apollo in London.Sheeran hit the stage in a pre-recorded show alongside a 12-piece band that includes The National’s Aaron Dessner, who produced “Subtract,” which releases Friday. The four-time Grammy winner’s performance of his 14-track album will also be streamed on Apple TV+.The announcement comes a day after a New York jury found that Sheeran didn’t copy Marvin Gaye’s classic 1970s tune “Let’s Get It On” to create his hit song “Thinking Out Loud.” After the verdict, he joked that he won’t have to follow through on his threat to quit music.“I’m delighted to share my ‘Subtract’ album show with you,” Sheeran said in a statement Friday. “I was really nervous on the day...