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Pakistan Honors Bill Gates for Efforts on Poverty, Disease

Bill Gates speaks during an interview with Reuters in London, Britain, April 18, 2018. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
Bill Gates speaks during an interview with Reuters in London, Britain, April 18, 2018. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
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Pakistan Honors Bill Gates for Efforts on Poverty, Disease

Bill Gates speaks during an interview with Reuters in London, Britain, April 18, 2018. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
Bill Gates speaks during an interview with Reuters in London, Britain, April 18, 2018. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

Pakistan awarded Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates its second highest civilian honor on Thursday, in recognition of his work to alleviate poverty and diseases like polio and tuberculosis.

On a daylong visit to the capital, Islamabad, Gates was given the prestigious Hilal-e-Pakistan award by President Arif Alvi in a televised ceremony, after he met with Prime Minister Imran Khan at his office.

“Pakistan’s commitment to ending polio is inspiring,” Gates said in a statement released by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Gates is no stranger to the country, where his foundation has helped nearly eradicate the disease.

“Government leaders, health workers, and parents are working tirelessly to ensure this disease never paralyzes a child again. This is the final, and hardest, phase of the eradication effort, but by keeping up the momentum and staying vigilant, Pakistan has an opportunity to make history by ending polio for good,” Gates said, The Associated Press reported.

The statement quoted Khan as thanking Gates and saying that polio eradication is a “top priority” for the government, which is working “at all levels to ensure that every child is protected with the polio vaccine.”

Earlier, Gates visited the National Command Operations Center (NCOC), the body overseeing Pakistan's coronavirus response since the pandemic began, where he was given a detailed briefing about Pakistan's vaccination drive.

The NCOC said in a statement that Gates recognized Pakistan’s success against COVID-19 despite its limited resources, as fatalities from the coronavirus continue a steady decline in the country.

Pakistan has registered some 3,000 COVID-19 cases and 40 fatalities over the past 24 hours, compared to nearly 8,000 daily cases and about 50 deaths just weeks ago. Since the pandemic began, Pakistan has registered 1,494,293 cases, including 29,917 deaths.

Cabinet Minister Faisal Javed Khan congratulated Gates for the award on Twitter, calling it “a well-deserved honor" for his “valuable, exceptional and extraordinary services fighting poverty, disease, and inequality around the world.”

Last year, the country reported only a single case of polio, in its remote southwestern Baluchistan province. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only countries in the world where polio remains endemic. The disease can cause partial paralysis in children.

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Rain Helps Southern California Firefighters but Sends Ash and Mud Flowing Down Hillsides

This aerial image provided by KABC-TV shows a mud-covered road, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025 in Topanga, Calif. (KABC-TV via AP)
This aerial image provided by KABC-TV shows a mud-covered road, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025 in Topanga, Calif. (KABC-TV via AP)
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Rain Helps Southern California Firefighters but Sends Ash and Mud Flowing Down Hillsides

This aerial image provided by KABC-TV shows a mud-covered road, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025 in Topanga, Calif. (KABC-TV via AP)
This aerial image provided by KABC-TV shows a mud-covered road, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025 in Topanga, Calif. (KABC-TV via AP)

Rain eased on Monday after Southern California's first significant storm of the season brought weekend downpours that aided firefighters but caused ash, mud and debris to flow across streets in wildfire-burned areas.

Less than an inch of rain fell in most areas, but it was enough to loosen Los Angeles hillsides burned bare by the recent blaze near the Pacific Palisades, where crews working before dawn cleared inundated roadways including the famed Pacific Coast Highway.

In neighboring Malibu, four schools were closed Monday “due to dangerous road conditions and challenges with access,” the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District said in a statement.

North of Los Angeles, snowy conditions late Sunday shut down the mountainous Tejon Pass section of Interstate 5, a key north-south artery. The California Department of Transportation said there was no estimated reopening time.

A winter storm warning remained in place until 4 p.m. Monday for mountains across San Bernardino and Riverside counties, where more than a foot (0.30 meters) of snow was predicted.

Flood watches also were in effect for the Palisades, Altadena and Castaic Lake, said Joe Sirard, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service's office for Los Angeles.

“All these fresh burns are very susceptible to rapid runoff,” Sirard said Sunday.

Los Angeles International Airport reported just under an inch of rain (2.5 centimeters) in 24 hours ending at 3 a.m. Monday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported. Surrounding areas experienced lesser amounts.

The rain came Saturday after months of dry and often gusty weather that created dangerous fire conditions. The downpours were a boon for firefighters but created the risk of toxic ash runoff.

Los Angeles County crews spent much of last week removing vegetation, shoring up slopes and reinforcing roads in areas devastated by the Palisades and Eaton fires, which reduced entire neighborhoods to rubble and ash after breaking out during powerful winds on Jan. 7.

The Palisades Fire, the largest of the blazes that destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 11 people, reached 94% containment Monday. The Eaton Fire, which broke out near Altadena and has killed at least 16 people, was 98% contained.

The Hughes Fire, which ignited north of Los Angeles last week and caused evacuation orders or warnings for more than 50,000 people, was 95% contained as of Monday morning.

In San Diego County, firefighters made progress to contain the smaller Border 2 Fire as it burned through a remote area of the Otay Mountain Wilderness near the US-Mexico border.

Most of the region was forecast to get about an inch of precipitation over several days and the weather service warned of localized cloudbursts causing mud and debris to flow down hills.

“So the problem would be if one of those showers happens to park itself over a burn area,” weather service meteorologist Carol Smith said on social media. “That could be enough to create debris flows.”

City and county officials last week expedited cleanup efforts and other measures aimed at mitigating the environmental impacts of fire-related pollutants.

Officials cautioned that ash in recent burn zones was a toxic mix of incinerated cars, electronics, batteries, building materials, paints, furniture and other household items. It contains pesticides, asbestos, plastics and lead. Residents were urged to wear protective gear while cleaning up.

Concerns about post-fire debris flows have been especially high since 2018, when the town of Montecito, up the coast from Los Angeles, was ravaged by mudslides after a downpour hit mountain slopes charred by a huge wildfire. Hundreds of homes were damaged and 23 people died.

The rain ended a near-record streak of dry weather for Southern California. Most of Southern California is currently in “extreme drought” or “severe drought,” according to the US Drought Monitor.