Canada launches 1st ever 2SLGBTQI+ action plan: ‘Past the 100 days, but we’re here’

Some long COVID patients suffering symptoms including fatigue and shortness of breath are showing signs of autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, suggests a Canadian study that builds on similar findings elsewhere.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) approved the Ceylon Electricity Boards' (CEB) request for power cuts of 2 hours & 20 minutes from 23rd to 25th September as follows:Groups ABCDEFGHIJKLPQRSTUVW:1 hour during daytime  1 hour and 20 minutes during the nightApproval for extended power cuts was granted after considering the unavailability of old Laxapana Stage 1, lack of fuel availability at Westcoast, and due to sudden increase in demand.

PHILADELPHIA - Investigators with the Philadelphia Police Department are searching for a man wanted in connection with a robbery at a Chestnut Hill bakery. According to authorities, the robbery happened on September 16 at 2:40 a.m. Officials say an unknown man parked a black Nissan Altima at Baker's Cafe located on the 8000 block of Germantown Avenue before pulling on the doors until he could get in. The man stole $1,000 from the store before pulling off in the same vehicle, according to police. MORE LOCAL HEADLINESThe vehicle involved is described as a Black Nissan Altima with the driver-side back brake light out and a missing front passenger-side hub cap. Anyone with information is urged to contact Philadelphia Police at 215-686-8477 or submit an anonymous tip online. 

PHILADELPHIA - A $100,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to a conviction in a November 2021 homicide in East Mount Airy. According to Philadelphia Police, the Citizen Crime Commission is offering $80,000 and the City of Philadelphia is offering the remaining $20,000 reward. PREVIOUS: Police: Man, 30, shot and killed in East Mount AiryAuthorities say the fatal shooting took place on November 26, 2021, around 8:41 p.m. Police say an offender dressed in dark clothing was seen walking in the area of Ardleigh Street and East Mt.

A study has said that most coronavirus-infected patients who experience long Covid recover within 12 months, irrespective of the severity. The study said that while 75 per cent of the patients recovered within 12 months of getting infected with the virus, the rest (25 per cent) of the patients still experienced one of the three most common symptoms. Long-Covid-19 conditions can include many ongoing health problems that can last weeks, months, or longer.

Hurricane Fiona shaping up to be ‘potentially severe event’ for Atlantic Canada “This storm is shaping up to be a severe event for Atlantic Canada and eastern Quebec,” read a 9 a.m. update from Environment Canada.“Most regions will experience some hurricane force winds.”Fiona is expected to to turn to the northeast and then accelerate, reaching Sable Island on Friday night as it transitions to a post-tropical storm.It is then forecasted to make landfall over eastern mainland Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island on Saturday morning.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) said that it made a payment for a shipment of 41,000 MT of Diesel.The shipment reached Sri Lanka on the 7th of September 2022.In the meantime, the CPC further noted that the unloading of a petrol shipment will commence on Thursday (22) evening.Moreover, the Corporation said that payments have been made to the Crude oil vessel scheduled to arrive in the country in November.There are sufficient reserves in the country, CPC adds.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Lanka Coal (Private) Limited says it will not sign a contract with the supplier it selected to supply coal to Sri Lanka on long-term credit.A senior official attached to Lanka Coal (Private) Limited says the decision was reached as the supplier had failed to place a performance bond of 37 million dollars.He added that the supplier did place the performance bond due to the prevailing credit risk and legal conditions.Therefore, the required coal will be imported to Sri Lanka through Swiss Singapore which bid for the tender.Senior Spokesperson to Swiss Singapore says 50 percent of the tender was procured last year, and the remainder will be procured this year.Although plans were in place to procure the remainder after December this year, steps are now being taken to expedite the process.Accordingly, orders have been placed for five shipments carrying 60,000 metric tonnes of coal each.The first shipment is due to reach Sri Lanka between the 20th and 25th of October.Lanka Coal (Private) Limited says if Sri Lanka decides to purchase coal from the selected supplier on long-term credit, the country would benefit USD 30 from every metric tonne of coal imported to Sri Lanka.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Cabinet has agreed to recruit 10,000 workers from Sri Lanka after taking into account the state of the country which has been hit by an economic crisis, Malaysian Human Resources Minister M Saravanan said.According to Minister for Human Resources Datuk Seri M.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Secretary-General of Parliament Dhammika Dasanayake said that the appointment of three secretaries to Ministries and an ambassador was approved by the Committee on High Posts of Parliament recently (20).Accordingly, the Committee on High Posts of the Parliament has approved the appointment of Rodney Manoranjan Perera as the new Sri Lankan Ambassador to Japan.Furthermore, appointments of Mr. B.L.A.J. Dharmakeerthi as the Secretary to the Ministry of Plantation, Mr.

An undated image shows Leonard Glenn Francis. (Credit: U.S. Marshals Service) SAN DIEGO - A defense contractor nicknamed "Fat Leonard" who orchestrated one of the largest bribery scandals in U.S.

slam into Atlantic Canada this weekend as a powerful post-tropical cyclone.Fiona remains a Category 4 hurricane in the western Atlantic with maximum sustained winds around 130 mph, an intensity it first achieved early Wednesday, which makes Fiona the Atlantic's strongest hurricane of the 2022 season so far.Any hurricane that is rated Category 3, 4 or 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is classified as a major hurricane.As of early Thursday morning, Hurricane Fiona was centered less than 500 miles southwest of Bermuda and was moving north-northeastward at 13 mph, a track which will take the major hurricane near Bermuda and then into Atlantic Canada.HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER ON TVTracking Hurricane Fiona.(FOX Weather) Bermuda has been placed under a Hurricane Warning.A Hurricane Warning means sustained winds of 74 mph or higher are expected within the warning area and is typically issued 36 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds (39-plus mph). These high winds are likely to be accompanied by storm surge, coastal flooding and/or river flooding.According to the National Hurricane Center, Hurricane or Tropical Storm Watches will likely be required for portions of Atlantic Canada by later Thursday morning.WHAT TO DO WHEN HURRICANE OR TROPICAL STORM WATCHES AND WARNINGS ARE ISSUED FOR YOUR TOWNA Hurricane Warning is in effect for Bermuda.(FOX Weather) According to the FOX Forecast Center, the peak impacts in Bermuda are expected between Thursday night and Friday morning as the center of Hurricane Fiona passes to the west of the archipelago.Those impacts in Bermuda will include hurricane-force winds (74-plus mph) and 2 to 4 inches of rain, as well as large, pounding surf and storm

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Under Secretary for Political Affairs of the U.S.

FILE - Kia Motors Corp. vehicles bound for export await shipment as the Hyundai Glovis Co.

NEW JERSEY - Whoever said New Jersey people aren't happy, clearly hasn't seen this list!New Jersey has been named the No. 5 "Happiest State in America" for 2022, according to a poll by Wallethub.The study looked at all 50 states across 30 key metrics - including depression rate, share of adults feeling productive, income growth and unemployment rate.MORE HEADLINES:New Jersey cracked the Top 5 ranking with an overall score of 61.71.

PHILADELPHIA - Homicide detectives with the Philadelphia Police Department are investigating a shooting that left one man dead early Thursday morning. According to police, the shooting occurred on the 400 block of North 35th Street around 12:30 a.m. Officials say officers received several 911 calls reporting a shooting. Responding officers say they found an unresponsive 23-year-old man lying on the sidewalk with one gunshot wound to the neck. Police transported him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead just after 1 a.m., per authorities. MORE LOCAL HEADLINESAccording to Chief Inspector Scott Small, four spent shell casings were discovered near the victim. Police say one bullet went through the first-floor window of a nearby apartment. The apartment's two occupants were asleep during the time of the shooting and they were not injured, officials say. No one inside the apartment was hurt, authorities say. Small says Drexel University police also responded, but the victim is not believed to be a student. Police continue to investigate and say numerous private surveillance cameras will be evaluated as the investigation continues.

COVID-19 in Ontario is even lower than the relatively small numbers many experts had expected.Shots for the youngest age group have been available for two months, but only about six per cent of those kids have had their first dose.Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Kieran Moore, said that is lower than the numbers he thought he would see by this point.“I certainly want more families to consider immunizing their children from six months to four years of age,” in particular, children at high risk, he said in an interview.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – President Wickremesinghe joined the 23rd Colombo National Book Fair at the BMICH this morning (22).He noted that a special book exhibition including books and documents of rare and historical value that have been taken from Sri Lanka to foreign countries is expected to be organized in conjunction with the 75th Independence Commemoration.The President also said that he expected to obtain the support of the Sri Lanka Book Publishers Association for the Independence Commemorative Book Exhibition.The President, who arrived at the book exhibition this morning, was received by the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Book Publishers Association, Samantha Indivara, and the group.Sri Lanka Foundation Chairman Saman Athaudahetti, members of the Book Publishers Association,  Vijitha Yapa, H.D.

Covid condition.  Noting that Covid-19 infection can increase the likelihood of health related issues, Dr Ashok Seth, Chairman, Fortis Escorts Heart Institute said, in a report released earlier this month, that a study found an increase of 60% in the incidents of heart-related issues and neurological disorders. Dr Seth told ANI, “There is a large data from the west, which has noticed that over a period of a year and more than a hundreds and thousands of patients study, there was a 60 per cent increase in the incidents of heart attacks or even strokes compared to the normal population at the same period of time.

COLOMBO (News 1st) –  Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said that the decision to lower the retirement age of Public Sector employees to 60 years will have to be reconsidered, and the matter will be moved to the Cabinet of Ministers for discussion.It was proposed in the Interim Budget 2022 to amend the retirement age of state sector employees to 60 years, from the 65 years age requirement implemented in 2021.Accordingly, all Government employees aged 60 years or above must retire by December 31st, 2022.Many factions have raised concerns citing that lowering the retirement age in such a manner would threaten to the existence of many sectors.The Ministry of Public Administration issued the circular on the new retirement age of state employees, a week ago.Sri Lanka Railways said that as per the new circular over 250 Railway Workers will have to go on retirement.Sri Lanka Railways warned that is a solution is not provided soon, operations will be hampered from January 2023.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Today’s exchange rates from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka:USD Buy 359.1876 Sell 369.9235GBP Buy 401.5695 Sell 417.3688EUR Buy 350.3877 Sell 365.1473JPY Buy 2.4695 Sell 2.5700AUD Buy 234.9426 Sell 245.9917

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Government Medical Officers Association points out the decision to retire state sector employees after the age of 60 has put the lives of patients receiving treatment in hospitals at risk because many doctors will be forced to retire from December.The GMOA says as a result of this decision scheduled surgeries will have to be abandoned. The Association of Medical Specialists said that nearly 300 specialist doctors will have to retire from public service on or before December 31st of 2022 as per the circular issued by the Ministry of Public Administration amending the retirement age of state employees. The Association revealed that under the directive, 43 specialists of the Colombo National Hospital, 30 specialists of the Kandy National Hospital, 17 specialists of the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital, 15 specialists of the Lady Ridgeway Children’s Hospital, and 09 specialists of the Apeksha Hospital will have to retire.It was proposed in the Interim Budget 2022 to amend the retirement age of state sector employees to 60 years, from the 65 years age requirement implemented in 2021.Accordingly, all Government employees aged 60 years or above must retire by December 31st, 2022.

It is possible, but not certain, that Ireland will face a "twindemic" of Covid-19 and flu this winter, according to the HSE's Chief Clinical Officer.

Mama June Shannon is in the hospital after a recent health scare.

MSME minister Narayan Rane said both organizations can leverage their expertise and create excellent opportunities for MSMEs in healthcare sector New Delhi: Andhra Pradesh Med Tech Zone (AMTZ), India’s largest life-saving medical devices manufacturing cluster, has signed a memorandum of understanding with National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) for cooperation in the healthcare sector. Union Minister for MSME Narayan Rane said the MoU is a significant step for enhancing competitiveness of MSMEs in healthcare sector.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Investigations were conducted today (22) regarding a complaint made to the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) regarding the arrest of Veranga Pushpika de Silva.The complaint was filed by the Union of Young Journalists and the Union of Trade Unions and Mass Unions.A group of Sri Lanka Police officers had also called the HRCSL today (22).

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka's Supreme Court has made its determination on the The Petroleum Products (special provisions) amendment bill.The Supreme Court determination was announced to the house on Thursday (21) by the Speaker.The determination is as follows: A: Clause 3 (2) of the bill is inconsistent with the article 12 (1) of the constitution, and it may only be passed by a special majority required under the provisions of paragraph 2 of article 84.The inconsistency will cease if the composition of the committee is changed, to include the following:– Secretary to the Ministry in charge of the subject of Economic Policy Development  – Secretary to the Ministry in charge of the subject of Investment PromotionB: Clause 7 of the bill is inconsistent with articles 3 & 4 of the constitution, and may be passed only by a Special Majority required under the provisions of paragraph 2 of article 84, and approved by the people at a referendum by virtue of the provisions of article 83 of the constitution.The bill as a whole is inconsistent with Article 12 (1) of the constitution.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka's Cabinet of Ministers are yet to be briefed on the IMF Staff-Level Agreeement that was reached with official recently, President Ranil Wickremesinghe has informed the Speaker.The Speaker said the President has noted that though an agreement was reached between the IMF Staff and Sri Lankan Officials, it has to be approved by the Executive Board of the IMF."Before that discussions need to happen with the other creditor countries, and their reports also need to be added and until such time it will not be decided by anybody," the Speaker informed the house."So, before that there will a cabinet briefing once the President receives all the details. The opposition, the Speaker, interested parties will be invited for that briefing.

PROSPECT PARK, Pa. - Prospect Park Police are investigating a theft against an elderly woman who they say was simply gardening in her front yard when she was taken advantage of by two suspects. On September 12, police say an 83-year-old woman was approached by two suspects, who they later identified as Anthony Miguel, 29, and Tasha Delmaro, 31, at her home in Prospect Park. Authorities say the suspects asked the woman about the RV that she had in her driveway as a way to distract her while she was mindlessly gardening. While the woman was chatting with Delmaro about the RV, authorities say Miguel asked the victim if he could use her bathroom and she gladly agreed and let him inside. Instead of using the bathroom, officials say Miguel took all the jewelry he could from the victim's home. Prospect Park Police Chief David Madonna says the suspects showed absolute cruelty in committing this crime as they even used their children as bait for the victim. "This is a woman who was so kind and so trustworthy that she actually gave snacks to the children that were in the backseat of the car.

deadly stabbing spree in Saskatchewan earlier this month died in police custody after ingesting drugs, Global News has learned.Multiple police sources have told Global News Myles Sanderson fatally overdosed shortly after his arrest by RCMP on Sept. 7, which came after a four-day-long manhunt that covered the entire province.RCMP have only said Sanderson went into “medical distress” following a police takedown of his vehicle, and was later pronounced dead in hospital despite life-saving measures performed by officers and paramedics.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Americares, one of the world’s leading nonprofit providers of donated medicine and medical supplies, has generously donated more than $773,000 USD worth (an estimated 279,476,100.28 LKR) of urgently needed medical supplies for the people of Sri Lanka. The donation was made consequent to the request made by the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Washington D.C., and under the purview of Ambassador Mahinda Samarasinghe.This donation consists of essential medicines, including prenatal and lactation vitamins, chronic disease medications, intravascular catheters, syringes, and gloves that are urgently required from the Ministry of Health. As a result of facilitating this kind deed, an MOU was signed between the Ministry of Health in Sri Lanka and Americares enabling future donations to take place. A formal certificate handover ceremony took place at the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Washington, D.C.

India reported 5,443 new Covid-19 cases and 26 fatalities in the past 24 hours, according to an update by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Thursday. As a result, active cases currently stand at 46,342. The active caseload comprise 0.10 per cent of the total infections.

State Pension provides essential financial support for nearly 12.5 million older people across the UK, including 981,399 living in Scotland. This regular payment is available for those who have reached the UK Government’s eligible retirement age, which is now 66 for both men and women, and have paid at least 10 years worth of National Insurance Contributions.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Litro gas says that new domestic gas cylinders will not be distributed to the local market until DecemberThis is due to the ongoing project introduced by Litro Gas for Sri Lankan expatriates to place orders for gas cylinders, on behalf of their relatives in the country. This project has been implemented due to the shortage of dollars.Meanwhile, the Chairman of litro says that the demand for cooking gas has decreased, as people have opted to use gas sparingly.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilization of military reservists for the war in Ukraine.Flights filled up quickly and the prices of tickets for remaining connections sky-rocketed, apparently driven by fears that Russia’s borders could soon close or of a broader call-up that might send many Russian men of fighting age to the war’s front lines.Tickets for the Moscow-Belgrade flights operated by Air Serbia, the only European carrier besides Turkish Airlines to maintain flights to Russia despite a European Union flight embargo, sold out for the next several days. The price for flights from Moscow to Istanbul or Dubai increased within minutes before jumping again, reaching as high as 9,200 euros ($9,119) for a one-way economy class fare.

PHILADELPHIA - Two people are dead and four others are hurt following a spate of nighttime shootings across Philadelphia on Wednesday.Officers from the Philadelphia Police Department responded to the 700 block of East Clearfield Street around 9:30 p.m. for reports of a triple shooting. Police say a 20-year-old was shot in the foot and two others, ages 17 and 22, were shot in the leg.

PHILADELPHIA - A Delaware County man is crediting his overindulgence at a Philadelphia Phillies dollar dog night promotion with saving his life. Bill Finn said he went to the fan-favorite promotion at Citizen's Bank Park last September with a goal to pack in as many hot dogs as he could. "I was going for my record, like eight," Bill told FOX 29's Chris O'Connell. The next morning Bill woke up with a wicked stomach ache that he attributed to a hot dog hangover, but his symptoms persisted for more than a week. MORE LOCAL HEADLINES"A week or two he still is not feeling better, and I’m like are you have to go to the doctor but a typical male he didn’t want to listen to me," Bill's wife Heather said.One doctor's visit lead to several over the next few days, and a month later he was diagnosed with stage-4 Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma, otherwise known as blood cancer.Bill started his chemotherapy treatment days before he and Heather welcomed their firstborn son, Ryker. Over the next seven months, he received aggressive radiation and chemotherapy. About a year after what Bill calls a life-saving dollar dog night, the Phillies invited him back to Citizen's Bank Park where he got to go on the field and meet Phillies' legend Charlie Manuel."I went back to work.

PHILADELPHIA - One man is dead and another is injured after police say they were shot Wednesday night in Philadelphia's Lawncrest neighborhood. Officers from the Philadelphia Police Department were called to the 5800 block of Rising Sun Avenue around 9:30 p.m.

DOVER, Del. - A 14-year-old Dover girl is making history as she gears up to perform at the Firefly Music Festival in Delaware.The ninth grader, known as DJ Sophia, will be the youngest DJ to ever perform at the festival. The upcoming gig comes after an impressive list of performances involving notable artists, like Meek Mill."The first time going to Firefly and being an artist and performing there, I'm just through the roof excited," said DJ Sophia. The savvy teen, who uses techniques like scratching and juggling beats, has performed at major venues, like Madison Square Garden and M&T Bank Stadium.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) approved power cuts of 1 hour and 20 minutes for today (22) as follows;Groups ABCDEFGHIJKLPQRSTUVW:1 hour and 20-minutes from 6.00 PM – 10.00 PM

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Department of Meteorology says that a few showers will occur in Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and Galle and Matara districts.Showers or thundershowers will occur at a few places in the Uva province and Ampara and Batticaloa districts during the evening or night.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:Showers will occur at several places in the sea area off the coast extending from Colombo to Matara via Galle.Winds:Winds will be south-westerly and wind speed will be (25-35) kmph.Wind speed may increase up to (45-55) kmph at times the sea area off the coast extends from Puttalam to Kankasanturai via Mannar and from Matara to Pottuvil via Hambantota.State of Sea:The sea areas off the coast extending from Kankasanturai to Pottuvil via Puttalam, Colombo, Galle, Matara, and Hambantota may be rough at times.

Does your home or office hold the key to solving the climate crisis? Experts say yes Siddall made the comments Wednesday during an interview in Calgary, where he was attending the grand opening of AIMCo’s new office in that city.AIMCo — which is responsible for the investments of pension, endowment and government funds in Alberta, with $163.8 billion of assets under management as of the end of last year — has approximately 600 employees spread across offices in Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, London, U.K., and Luxembourg.Since the lifting of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, those employees have been able to decide within their individual teams how often they want to come into the physical office — with the company suggesting that two days a week be the “starting place” for that conversation, but no firm rules to that effect.“Our philosophy at AIMCo is we’re all adults,” Siddall said. “Where you do this work doesn’t matter.

Jan. 6 insurrection, her lawyer said Wednesday.Attorney Mark Paoletta said Thomas is "eager to answer the committee’s questions to clear up any misconceptions about her work relating to the 2020 election."The committee has sought an interview with Thomas in an effort to know more about her role in trying to help former President Donald Trump overturn his election defeat.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - Two U.S.

LOS ANGELES - As if there isn’t enough anticipation for the upcoming World Cup in Qatar, groundbreaking K-pop group BTS is reportedly coming out with a brand new song for the event. The group — comprised of members Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM (formerly Rap Monster), Jimin, V, RM and Jungkook — are ambassadors of Hyundai, a sponsor for the World Cup, will be releasing the song as part of the company’s global campaign "Goal Of The Century."On Sept. 20, Hyundai released a teaser for the song on its Instagram page.https://www.instagram.com/p/Ciw1OyQD6-e/"Warm up, stretch your legs and get ready to dance along with BTS and their new edition of ‘Yet To Come’.

NEW YORK (AP) - Mortgage rates have jumped, home sales have slumped and credit cards and auto loans have gotten pricier. Savings rates are slightly juicier, though.As the Federal Reserve has rapidly increased interest rates, many economists say they fear that a recession is inevitable in the coming months — and with it, job losses that could cause hardship for households already hurt worst by inflation.Wednesday, the Federal Reserve sharply raised its key short-term rate by three-quarters of a point for a third straight time, even as its previous rate increases are being felt by households at all income levels.The Fed's latest move has raised its benchmark rate to a range of 3% to 3.25%, the highest level in 14 years.

PHILADELPHIA - Authorities say an argument between a pedestrian and two people inside a car escalated to gunfire Wednesday night on a busy Center City street.Officers from the Philadelphia Police Department were called to the area of 20th and Sansom street around 7 p.m. for reports of a shooting. Police found a 41-year-old man suffering from a gunshot wound to the torso.