A neglected contributor to the country’s crisis of public health

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The UK is providing urgent food and farming support to Sri Lankans hit hardest by the economic crisis.More than one-third of people are struggling to eat and are suffering from shortages of fuel, power, and medicines. Sri Lanka has the fifth largest food price inflation in the world, up 93.7% last month, with rice costing 150% more than this time last year.In a meeting with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry at the UN General Assembly, Lord Ahmad will set out the UK’s package of £3 million in lifesaving support.The funding will be delivered through Red Cross and UN partners. It will provide access to food, seeds, and tools to help grow crops as well as mental health care, including for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. UK Minister of State for the Middle East, South Asia, and the UN, Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon said:The UK stands by the people of Sri Lanka who are facing such a challenging time. The ongoing crisis is deeply concerning with so many in dire need of help. We are providing £3 million of lifesaving support to the most vulnerable and will continue to work with international partners to help Sri Lanka.This new funding is just part of the UK’s ongoing support to Sri Lanka.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) approved power cuts of 2 hours and 20 minutes for 26th September as follows;Groups ABCDEFGHIJKLPQRSTUVW: 1-hour during daytime 1-hour and 20-minutes during the night

COLOMBO (News 1st) – During President Wickremesinghe’s official overseas tour, the state ministers of the ministries under the purview of the President, will be appointed as acting ministers to oversee their operations.Accordingly, State Minister Premitha Bandara has been appointed as the Acting Defence Minister, State Minister Shehan Semasinghe as the Acting Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilization & National Policies, State Minister Dilum Amunugama as the Acting Minister of Investment Promotion, State Minister Kanaka Herath as the Acting Minister of Technology and State Minister Anupa Pasqual has been appointed as the Acting Minister of Women, Child Affairs, and Social Empowerment.

Also Read: Covid-19: India logs nearly 5,000 new infections, active cases drop below 45k In the last ten years or so, India has developed numerous digital public platforms, each of which is distinctive in its own way. Examples include Aadhar, UPI electronic KYC, digital lockers, etc. According to Sharma, India is creating service-level registers for doctors, pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, health records, etc.

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - The fatal shooting of a man in Allentown is under investigation, Lehigh County officials say.According to Lehigh County authorities, police responded to a reported shooting near 6th and Tilghman Streets Sunday afternoon, just before 3 p.m. They found a man shot, when they arrived.The Lehigh County Coroner was then called to the scene.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Department of Meteorology says that showers or thundershowers will occur at several places in Central, Uva, Northern, North-Central, and Eastern provinces during the evening or night.A few showers will occur in the Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and Galle and Matara districts.Mainly fair weather will prevail elsewhere over the island.The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.Condition of Rain:A few showers will occur in the sea area off the coast extending from Colombo to Galle. Showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places in the sea areas off the coast extending from Puttalam to Trincomalee via Mannar Kankasanturai and Mullaitivu in the evening or night.Winds:Winds will be south-westerly or north-westerly and wind speed will be (20-30) kmph. Wind speed may increase up to (40-50) kmph at times the sea area off the coast extending from Matara to Pottuvil via Hambantota.State of Sea:The sea areas off the coast extending from Matara to Pottuvil via Hambantota may be rough at times.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – President Ranil Wickremesinghe has issued instructions to resume the program of awarding scholarships through the President’s Fund to students who have passed the G.C.E O/L examination and are qualified to follow the G.C.E A/L.Accordingly, it has been decided to award scholarships to 2,970 students from the 99 Educational Zones. It has been decided to select 30 qualified scholarship winners from each of the 99 education zonal offices of the island.The selected scholarship winners are expected to be offered a bursary of Rs.5,000/- per month for a maximum period of 24 months until they appear for the G.C.E A/L) examination.Once this year’s G.C.E.

HOUSTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 08: Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the National Baptist Convention on September 08, 2022 in Houston, Texas. The National Baptist Convention was formed in 1886, and gathers church members and leaders from around the WASHINGTON (AP) - Attending funerals on behalf of the United States is normally a straightforward assignment for a vice president, but Kamala Harris will confront controversy at nearly every turn as she visits Asia for the memorial honoring former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.American allies are seeking clarity after mixed messages over whether President Joe Biden would send troops to defend Taiwan from a Chinese invasion, a potential conflict that could swiftly engulf the rest of the region.

NEW ORLEANS, LA - DECEMBER 22: The New Orleans city skyline on a foggy night on December 22, 2013 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Marianna Massey/Getty Images) The New Orleans Police Department is hiring civilians to help with the force’s staffing issues and allow for more police officers to patrol the streets as violent crimes such as murder spike."The goal is for our officers to feel safe, so they can make our citizens and visitors feel safe," New Orleans Police Superintendent Shaun Ferguson said Thursday at a press conference.Ferguson said the department is focused on hiring civilian police intake specialists, who will monitor phones at the department and replace administrative police officers.

MAYFAIR - Chaos at a Mayfair Wawa resulted in broken merchandise and Philadelphia Police officers stepping in to break up a large group of juveniles at the location.Officials say 15th District officers were called to the 7000 block of Roosevelt Boulevard, at a Wawa, Saturday night, just after 8:15 p.m., to gain control of a situation that was described as juveniles in the store stealing and breaking items.Police found about 100 teens in and outside the convenience store, causing damage and creating chaos for workers and customers.MORE HEADLINES:Police dispersed the teens and gained control of the situation, after they arrived.No injuries were reported as a result of the disturbance, according to authorities.Northeast Detective Division is actively investigating the incident and ask anyone with information to contact them at 215-686-3153.

MADISON, WISCONSIN - JUNE 11: Former NFL player Brett Favre throws a football to a fan on the 14th green during the Celebrity Foursome at the second round of the American Family Insurance Championship at University Ridge Golf Club on June 11, 2022 in JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - After Mississippi spent millions of dollars in welfare money on Brett Favre’s pet project, a university volleyball arena, the retired NFL quarterback tried two years later to get additional cash from the state’s welfare agency for another sports facility, new court documents show.The governor at the time, Republican Phil Bryant, texted in 2019 with Favre, who wanted to build an indoor practice facility for the University of Southern Mississippi’s football team.

The body of a 73-year old woman from Port aux Basques, Newfoundland, was found shortly before 4 p.m. Sunday, the RCMP confirmed.

to ArriveCAN” that prompted concerns among U.S. crews that they “may not be able to cross the border” to help Canada amid post-tropical storm Fiona.In a statement sent to Global News, a spokesperson for Nova Scotia Power said the issue was resolved and crews were on their way to affected areas “within a few hours.”“When we heard from our crews that there were issues at the border, we reached out to provincial officials to see if there was any help that could be provided,” said spokesperson Jacqueline Foster in the statement.“We understood there would be outreach to appropriate federal officials that might be able to help.

“This week John has been transferred into a rehabilitation facility. Each of these steps means things are moving in the right direction and for that we are enormously thankful,” the statement reads.

PITTSBURGH - A man convicted of having set a house fire that killed a young child and two women in Pittsburgh 4 1/2 years ago now faces a life prison sentence without possibility of parole.Jurors in Allegheny County deliberated for about six hours over two days before convicting Martell Smith of three counts of second-degree murder in the December 2017 fire, the Tribune-Review reported. He was also convicted of multiple counts of arson but acquitted of one attempted homicide count.Prosecutors had been seeking a first-degree murder conviction and planned to pursue capital punishment if jurors convicted Smith on that charge, citing the multiple felonies, the child victim and the defendant's criminal record.

MUNICH - "Respect." That’s the word onlookers had for an Oktoberfest server who moved seamlessly through a large crowd with at least a dozen mugs of beer.Footage shared by Niko Schilling on TikTok shows the smiling server walk through the beer hall as one man nearly crashes into the tower of beer.Munich’s world-famous Oktoberfest kicked off Sept. 17 for the first time since 2019.

PARIS (AP) - A billowing column of dark smoke towered over Paris on Sunday from a warehouse blaze at a massive produce market that supplies the French capital and surrounding region with much of its fresh food and bills itself as the largest of its kind in the world.Firefighters urged people to stay away from the area in Paris' southern suburbs, as 100 officers and 30 fire engines battled the blaze at the Rungis International Market.Capt. Marc Le Moine, a spokesman for the Paris fire service, said no one was injured.

Penn Junior Felix Zhang being interviewed by reporters. (Credit: Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation) MISHAWAKA, Ind. - An Indiana teenager has achieved something no other student in the world achieved this spring: a perfect score on the Advanced Placement Calculus AB exam. Felix Zhang is a junior at Penn High School in Mishawaka, Indiana. The Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation said that the College Board, which administers the AP exams, told the school's principal that Zhang achieved a perfect "5" rating and was the only student in the world to earn every possible point on the AP Calculus AB exam.

ARUNDEL, Del. - A 46–year-old man died after he was pinned beneath a pickup truck outside of Wilmington.New Castle County officials said police were dispatched to Beehler Court, in Arundel, just outside of Wilmington, Sunday morning, just after 9 a.m., on a report of a person struck by a vehicle.Police arrived to find the man pinned underneath a pickup truck.Medics and officers tried to resuscitate the victim, but they were unsuccessful and the man died at the scene.A preliminary investigation revealed the man had gotten out of the truck, but the truck was still in gear and he was hit by the truck and pinned underneath.The incident is actively being investigated by New Castle County Police.

Kentucky high school is "infested" after a snake and a mouse fell from classroom ceilings last week, according to a teacher. Nathan Spalding, an English teacher at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, wrote on Facebook that he found a baby rat snake that fell from the ceiling and appeared to "cuddle" his desk phone."Our school is infested with roaches, spiders, and mice," Spalding wrote. "Our school now seems to also have a nest of snakes living in the ceiling.""Just another day living the dream," the teacher added.GIANT LIZARD SCALES FLORIDA HOMEOWNER'S WINDOW: ‘LOOKS LIKE GODZILLA’Spalding told the Lexington Herald-Leader on Thursday that a mouse had also fallen from the ceiling of a different classroom and landed on a student’s desk.

CAPE MAY COUNTY, N.J. - A multi-car crash claimed the lives of a teenage girl, and a 34-year-old man as chaotic, tragic scenes unfolded in Wildwood over the weekend.Lindsay Weakland, 18, and Timothy Ogden, 34, were both killed when a driver reportedly struck another car and two pedestrians, then tried to flee near Burk and Atlantic avenues around 9:30 p.m. Saturday.Officials say the driver, identified as 37-year-old Gerald J.

Also Read: Ex Karnataka CM S M Krishna put on respiratory support Speaking to the media Dr Sudhakar said, "There are some issues in the hardware and the GVK-EMRI company which is handling the contract, and it is being rectified. Since the system is 15 years old, it is vulnerable to malware attacks. Technicians have resolved the motherboard issue.

Colorado, shows the moment a light rail train derailed as it followed a curve, splitting into two trains and injuring three people.The derailment on the RTD light rail happened Wednesday afternoon with 24 people aboard, KDVR reports. Three people were taken to area hospitals.

PHILADELPHIA - A 4-vehicle crash resulted in the death of a motorcyclist in Port Richmond on Saturday night.Police say the driver of the motorcycle was speeding when it rear-ended a vehicle at a red light near Allegheny Avenue and Janney Street just before 10 p.m.The motorcyclist then reportedly hit two more vehicles parked along the curb of Allegheny Avenue. No one was inside the vehicles at the time.MORE HEADLINES:After being ejected from the motorcycle, police say the driver was pronounced dead on the scene.

An improved strategy for working with the people of North Lanarkshire around the planning and development of health and social care services has been endorsed by the North Lanarkshire Integration Joint Board.

Canadian Armed Forces is sounding the alarm over a severe shortage of recruits to fill thousands of vacant positions, with the shortfall so bad that senior officers are now calling it a crisis.On a cool Tuesday afternoon, Robert Romero walks out of the Canadian Armed Forces’ recruiting office in downtown Ottawa with an envelope full of papers in his hands.Originally from the Philippines, Romero does not have any direct experience with Canada’s military; his interest is largely derived from a sense of adventure and some of what he saw about soldiers in movies as a kid.“I idolized them,” he says. “I got hooked.

Great British Bake Off host Matt Lucas has shared his heart-breaking health feats that led to him having to lose weight.Viewers of the Channel 4 baking show are concerned for the star after seeing how much weight he has shed in recent months - but there is a reason behind his drastic lifestyle overhaul.The former Little Britain comedian has gone from a size XXXL to a size medium - by changing two things in his life.READ NEXT: Bake Off judge Prue Leith left 28 people in 'critical care' after massive food errorMatt simply ate less and walked more, and was able to shed the pounds in order to turn his life and health around.The reasoning behind his lifestyle overhaul was because he was afraid that he would suffer the same fate as some of his family members.Both his dad and grandad sadly died young from heart attacks in their fifties, which is why the star, 48, wanted to ensure his health was in tip-top condition in order to sustain him through his life."My dad died when he was 52, very suddenly. His dad died, I think at 56, so I was looking at the law of averages," he revealed."I was very big and I was getting bigger in the pandemic.

ITALY - An Italian land artist whose past creations include images of Greta Thunberg and Pope Francis has unveiled his latest piece: a massive appeal to world superpowers to end current conflicts.Dario Gambarin’s latest creation in Castagnaro, Italy, was plowed on a 26,000-square-meter plot of land using only a tractor, plough and rotating harrow. He didn’t do any tracing on the ground, according to FOX News.In the past, Gambarin has used a plough to create images of Leonardo da Vinci, Dante, Beethoven and Nelson Mandela.

WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. - Three people including two teenagers were shot late Saturday at an amusement park southeast of Pittsburgh, which was kicking off a Halloween-themed festival.Police said two 15-year-olds and an adult man were injured during the shooting reported around 11 p.m. at Kennywood Park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania.

WILDWOOD, N.J. - Chaos erupted in Wildwood Crest Saturday night as an unsanctioned car rally took over the streets.Several reports of car crashes, injuries and damaged storefronts surfaced throughout the night as crowds continued to gather for the H20 car rally.Wildwood Police even shut the George Redding Bridge to inbound traffic around 9:35 p.m.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Four out of the seven Sri Lankans who were held captive by Russian forces in Ukraine have been identified as medical students in the city of Kupiansk, while the other three were identified as workers.This information is being revealed in contrast to the rumors circulating with regard to the captured Sri Lankans being illegal immigrants, and the Ukrainian President Zelenskyy's brief about the seven Sri Lankans being medical students.A report by the Associated Press citing a press conference held at Kharkiv Police states that the Sri Lankans were tortured at a factory in the area which was captured by Russian forces, and were beaten, mainly because they could not understad the language.The former captives include Nilojan Vasanthakumar, 20, Uthayakamar Mary Edid Prema, 50, Sharujan Gianeswaran, 25, Thinees Jokenthhiran, 34, Dilukshan Robertclive, 25, Dilujan Paththinajakan, 20 and Ainkaranathan Ganesamoorthi, 38.According to the captured Sri Lankans, six among the group were held in a large upstairs room, while the seventh, the only woman, was kept in a dark cell by herself. On 17th September, the Ukrainian President Voldomyr Zelenskyy in his briefing noted that seven Sri Lankan students were found in 'torture chambers' where civilians were abused by Russian soldiers in areas of the Kharkiv region in Ukraine. One man said he was shot in the foot by the Russian captors. Another had a toenail ripped off after the soldiers repeatedly bashed it with the butt of a rifle.“Every day we were cleaning toilets and bathrooms,” Dilukshan Robertclive, one of the former captives, said in English.

Harry Redknapp reveals how he feared for beloved wife Sandra after a serious attack of Covid left her barely able to breathe. The ex-soccer manager and winner of TV’s I’m A Celeb says Sandra, who needed two operations, could not talk and had to communicate by notes. And a problem with swallowing had Harry fearing she could choke to death.

Duncan Mahi is charged with two counts of two counts each of kidnapping, first-degree terroristic threatening and first-degree robbery, as well was one count each of meth trafficking and first-degree sexual assault. (Hawaii Island police) A Hawaiian man and repeat offender is accused of kidnapping a girl at knifepoint and keeping her captive in a school bus before she escaped, according to court documents.On Sept.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Leader of the National Peoples Power, Anura Kumara Dissanayake speaking at a media briefing said that the voice of the people cannot be silenced by state suppression. Speaking at the press conference, Dissanayake pointed out that none of the arrested suspects are supposed to be in prison, even for a single day, especially not when murderers and criminals are holding Ministerial positions."People who have been convicted in court and sentenced to 4 years and slapped with a fine of 2 million are holding ministerial portfolios. None of these young activists should be at a police station for even an hour.

PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia may be cooling off from the summer heat, but gun violence is still on the rise with at least 16 people struck by gunfire in a string of shootings this weekend.The deadly shootings began late Friday night when a teen succumbed to his injuries in Kensington. Police say the 18-year-old was shot multiple times in what may have been a "robbery gone bad."Two men were shot in the late hours of Friday night, a 29-year-old and 26-year-old.

Since the time when COVID first hit us in 2020, the virus has evolved significantly.  During the second coronavirus wave, the delta variant claimed several lives and left a large population in distress. But following vaccination new emerging variants like the Omicron are causing less severe infections and more manageable symptoms.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – A monk who illegally brought goods worth Rs. 3,440,000 via cargo services to the island has been apprehended at the Katunayake International Airport by Customs authorities.Accordingly, Customs Authorities have seized 218 mobile phones worth Rs.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Eighty-two people arrested during the protest organized by the Socialist Youth Union have been released on bail.The Maligakanda Magistrate has ordered for the release of 79 people on police bail and 3 others on surety bail.A protest was organized by the Socialist Youth Union on Saturday (24), which led to the arrest of 83 protestors.The Police Media Spokesperson said that their statements were recorded last night as well.Two monks, 77 males and 4 females were among those arrested.

EL MIRAGE, Ariz. - Officials with the El Mirage Police Department say they have arrested a person in connection with human smuggling.According to a statement released on Sept. 24, officers received a report of a person being held for ransom at a home near the intersection of El Mirage Road and Thunderbird Road on the night of Sept.

PHILADELPHIA - At least one man is dead after police say a double shooting erupted in West Philadelphia late Saturday night.Several shell casing were found at the scene of the shooting on the 5500 block of Pemberton Street just before midnight.Police say two men were struck by gunfire, and transported to a local hospital.MORE HEADLINES:One man was pronounced dead, but the condition of the other man is unknown at this time.No arrests have been made, and no weapon recovered as police investigate.

PHILADELPHIA - A man was rushed to the hospital early Saturday morning, but quickly succumbed to his injuries after being shot in North Philadelphia.Police say the man was shot in the head on the 1400 block of Girard Avenue around 12:30 p.m. He died on his way to the hospital.Several shell casings were reportedly found outside his home.MORE HEADLINES:Police say they are looking for a suspect who fled the scene.

covid cases and 23 deaths in the last 24 hours, the health ministry data stated on Sunday. The country’s active caseload has declined to 43,994 while total number of covid cases is more than 4.45 crore with 5,28,510 fatalities so far. While Assam has reported 2,766 active caseload, Gujarat has contributed 1,002 active cases.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – President Ranil Wickremesinghe is scheduled to leave the island early tomorrow morning (26) on an official visit to Japan and the Philippines.During his two-day official visit to Japan, the President will participate in the funeral ceremony of the former Prime Minister of Japan, Mr. Shinzo Abe, and will hold bilateral discussions with the Japanese Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Finance Minister during this tour.Thereafter, President Ranil Wickremesinghe is scheduled to leave for the Philippines to preside over the meeting of the Governors of the Asian Development Bank.During his visit to the Philippines, President Wickremesinghe will hold discussions with the President of the Philippines Bongbong Marcos and the President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Masatsugu Asakawa.The President is scheduled to return to the island upon completion of his official tour on the 30th of September.Senior Advisor to the President on National Security and Chief of Staff to the President Sagala Ratnayake, Director of International Affairs Dinuk Colomboge, Director of Media Shanuka Karunaratne, Director of Sustainable Development Randula Abeyweera and Private Secretary to the President Sandra Perera will accompany the President on his official tour.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka is due to meet on Monday (26) to discuss the gazette notification issued designating several areas in Colombo as High Security Zones.Several parties, including the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) and the Center for Policy Alternatives (CPA) have already expressed concern in this regard, in relation to its legitimacy.On Friday (23), Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe declared multiple areas in Colombo as High Security Zones.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – President Ranil Wickremesinghe has issued instructions to resume the program of awarding scholarships through the President’s Fund to students who have passed the G.C.E O/L examination and have become qualified to follow the G.C.E A/L examination.Accordingly, it has been decided to award scholarships to 2,970 students from the 99 Educational Zones. It has also been decided to select 30 qualified scholarship winners from each of the 99 education zonal offices of the island.The selected scholarship winners are expected to be offered a bursary of Rs.5,000/- per month for a maximum period of 24 months until they appear for the G.C.E A/L) examination.Once the results of this year’s G.C.E. (Ordinary Level) exam is released and the G.C.E Advanced Level classes commence, applications for scholarships will be called through newspaper advertisements.

₹45,294 crore have already been made under it. Inaugurating "Arogya Manthan 2022" to commemorate four years of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri-Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) and one year of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission implementation, he stated that 19 crore beneficiaries currently have Ayushman Bharat cards (ABDM). "Earlier 1-1.5 lakh Ayushman cards were made daily, now 4-5 lakh are made daily, my target is to make 10 lakh cards everyday," Mandaviya said.

(With inputs from agencies)