Food Inflation spiked to 94.9% in September 2022

COLOMBO (News 1st) – A special petition was filed with the Supreme Court today challenging the Inland Revenue (Amendment) Bill that was added to the Parliament agenda on the 21st of October 2022.The petition was filed by Athula Saranga Ranaweera, a General Manager of a leading private company in Sri Lanka and seeks a determination from the Supreme Court that the Inland Revenue (Amendment) Bill is inconsistent with the constitution of the country.The petitioner has named the Attorney General as the respondent.The petitioner claims that if the Inland Revenue (Amendment) Bill is passed it would cause grave injustice to the professionals and the general public.Therefore, the petitioner is seeking a Supreme Court determination on the Inland Revenue (Amendment) Bill stating that clauses 15, 16, 22, 29,36, and 39 must be removed from the Bill or a Special Majority is required in Parliament for the passage of the Bill.The petition was filed through Attorneys H.M.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Bar Association of Sri Lanka says that the enactment of the 21st Amendment must not be used as an excuse or mechanism to discontinue Chairpersons and members of Commissions whose services helped establish public faith in such Institutions. The Bar Association went on to note that the 21st Amendment to the Constitution regrettably does not completely restore the status quo ante which prevailed prior to the 20th Amendment to the Constitution and does not place adequate checks and balances on the powers of the Executive President. It noted that the 20th Amendment to the Constitution rolled back the checks and balances which were introduced by the 19th Amendment on the exercise of executive power.The Bar Association of Sri Lanka calls upon the President, Prime Minister, Speaker, Leader of the Opposition, and all political parties represented in Parliament, to firstly ensure the integrity of nominations to the Constitutional Council and to ensure that such nominations are devoid of partisanship and in a manner that will inspire public confidence.The BASL noted that for this purpose, it is important to ensure that the non-ex-officio members of the Constitutional Council appointed from among Members of Parliament and from among non-Members of Parliament be done in a transparent and open manner and to also ensure that those appointed will be acceptable to the members of the public and be persons of the highest integrity and reputation.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Ceylon Electricity Board on Thursday (27) said that the 2.5% Social Security Contribution Tax will be added to the monthly electricity bill with effect from 1st October 2022.As per the Social Security Tax Act, electricity supply by Ceylon Electricity Board is subject to the Social 2.5% Security Contribution Tax.Accordingly, the Ceylon Electricity Board will charge the said tax from the 1st of October, 2022.The Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission Janaka Ratnayake said that the PUCSL suggested the Ministry of Finance exempt electricity consumption from this tax. The Ministry of Finance has informed the PUCSL that according to the relevant Act, the electricity supply of the Ceylon Electricity Board is subject to this tax.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Two chartered flights of essential medicines gifted by China will arrive in  Colombo on Thursday (27).The Chinese Embassy in Colombo said that the value of the essential medicines is 35 million RMB (1.8 billion LKR). The two chartered flights carrying essential medicines donated by China to Sri Lanka both departed Chengdu in North West China for Colombo earlier on Thursday (27th).The Chinese Embassy said that in June, and September 2022 China donated 23 Million RMB (1.2 bln LKR) worth of medicines to Sri Lanka.With a total volume of 151.25 cubic meters and a weight of 28.64 metric tons, the consignment consists of:1) 15,000 vials of Human Albumin Solution; 2) 330,300 doses of Rabies Vaccine for Human Use (Vero Cell) Freeze-dried; 3) 7,500 vials of 23-Valent Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine (PPSV23); 4) 22,020 vials of Human Immunoglobulin (ph4) for IV use; 5) 170,240 syringes of Recombinant human granulocyte Colony-Stimulating factor injection.The consignments will be officially handed over to Sri Lankan authorities later on Thursday (27).

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The need for peaceful co-existence and unity among the races is felt more strongly than at any time in history, in our country where different races live together and children in all parts of the island are working together without discrimination, Defence Secretary General Kamal Gunaratne said on Wednesday (26).The National Cadet Corps (NCC), including in the North and Eastern Provinces, is doing silent service to build harmony among nationalities supporting the government's program after lasting peace was restored in the country.The Defence Secretary made these remarks while gracing as the Chief Guest of the passing out parade of NCC Hermann Loos & De Soyza Championship – 2022 held at the NCC Training Centre at Rantembe.The Defence Secretary also said there is an opinion in society that children who are engaged in cadet activities during school period acquire leadership qualities, discipline, the persistent performance of their duties, the ability to face challenges and live with self-confidence when socializing as adults and it reflects well through them.He congratulated the cadets who won the national championship as well as all the other cadet platoons who competed very well in the competition. He also paid his gratitude to their parents for directing their children to the training activities of the NCC and for being a great strength to them.General Gunaratne in his address said that our children should be prepared to face the emerging world as future employment sector is undergoing a massive transformation and accordingly, digital technology methods such as artificial intelligence, intelligent automation, robotics etc.

Irvine will be the site of a national mental health facility for 12-18-year-olds with complex difficulties requiring a high level of care.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The budget for the year 2023 will be presented to Parliament on the 14th of November 2022.The decision was reached when the Parliamentary Committee on Business met on Thursday (27) morning.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – An extraordinary gazette was issued increasing the Companies' Regulations and Societies regulations fees.The extraordinary gazette was issued by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, as the Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies.The extraordinary gazette on increasing the Companies' Regulations and Societies' regulations fees was issued on Wednesday (26).The fee for the registration of a Private Limited Company has been increased to Rs. 4,600.00/- from Rs. 4,000/-.The new fee for the registration of a Public Limited Company is Rs.

Mailboxes sit outside of a Morris Plains, New Jersey post office on August 17, 2020 in Morris Plains, New Jersey. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images) Columbus Day commemorates Christopher Columbus’ historic exploration voyage to the Americas, though the holiday has seen a recent shift in observance to becoming Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Indigenous Peoples’ Day is intentionally celebrated on Columbus Day in a call-out to the violence and harm Columbus and other explorers of the age brought about to the Americas.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Emigration and Immigration Department says that more than 700,000 passports have been issued within the first 9 months of 2022.The Deputy Controller and Media Spokesperson of the Department, Piyumi Bandara stated that 700,733 passports have been issued during the relevant period.This number is significant in comparison with the previous year, as only 300,000 passports have been issued within the full 12 months of 2021.Immigration and Emigration Department data shows that the number of foreign passports issued in the year 2021 is 392,032.According to the data, passports were issued for 409,919 men and 290,814 women within the first nine months of 2022.The highest number of foreign passports were issued in the month of August, which is 115,286.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka's foreign reserves have risen to USD 1,777 million within September, from USD 1,717 in August.According to the data released by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, this is a 3.5% rise of reserves in the country.Sri Lanka currently have USD 1,682 million in foreign asset reserves within the country, and USD 25 million in gold assets.In June Sri Lanka’s reserves rose after five months, with the officials reserves increasing to USD 1,920 million. According to CBSL statistics, the official reserves have been on a steady decline since December 2021, when it was last estimated at USD 3,139 million.

FILE - A car goes through a drive thru at a Taco Bell restaurant. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)QSR Magazine, a publication that provides in-depth information about the fast food industry, released its 2022 drive-thru report which outlines the fastest drive-thrus in the United States, among other things.

Children who had an underlying illness were at greatest risk for severe COVID-19 and death, but those who were vaccinated were fairly well protected, according to an observational study presented this week at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference & Exhibition in Anaheim, California.Researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

FILE - A Christmas tree stands in a terminal at Leipzig-Halle Airport on Dec. 23, 2021, in Schkeuditz, Saxony, Germany. (Photo by Sebastian Willnow/picture alliance via Getty Images) Inflation has sent U.S.

COLOMBO (News 1st) –  Sri Lankan authorities have decided to postpone the 2022 G. C.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Ministry of Health has decided to conduct a study on the quality of food being consumed by Sri Lankans.Its Food Control Unit said the study hopes to establish the quality of both imported and locally produced foods.The unit also said that more than 25 types of essential foods will be selected for this study, and the collection of samples is to start next month.In recent weeks concerns were raised over the quality of food items being imported to Sri Lanka, and thus the Health Ministry decided to conduct a study on the different types of food consumed by Sri Lankans.

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 20: Full moon also known as "Hunter's Moon" rises behind the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City, as seen from Jersey City of New Jersey in United States on October 21, 2021. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images LOS ANGELES - Yes, it's that time of year again.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urged clinicians to consider Ebola and other viral hemorrhagic fever illness in the workup of people who have symptoms of the diseases and to immediately take a travel history with an eye toward identifying those who have been in parts of Uganda affected by the recent Ebola Sudan outbreak.In a Health Alert Network (HAN) notice, the CDC said no suspected, probable, or confirmed

In its latest weekly update on the pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today that global COVID-19 cases declined 6% last week compared to the previous week, though the pace of activity increased in the European region, which experienced an 8% rise compared to the week before.Of more than 2.9 million cases reported to the WHO l

Loblaw Companies Ltd. and Silicon Valley start-up Gatik on Wednesday announced the launch of driverless box trucks to deliver select online grocery orders for Loblaw’s PC Express service.

32 Chunk is pictured on Sept. 9, 2022. (Courtesy L.

(Reuters) – Sri Lanka's central bank is likely to maintain interest rates on Thursday in an effort to get a grip on inflation which has remained stubbornly high despite a sharp contraction in the crisis-hit economy.Nine out of 14 economists and analysts polled by Reuters said they expect rates to remain unchanged as the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) waits for the effects of its earlier hikes to filter through to the economy and for inflation to stabilise as the economy cools."The pace of inflation appears to be slowing but it is also largely cost push inflation caused by depreciation and global commodity prices, which a rate hike would have limited impact on," said Dimantha Mathew, head of research for Colombo-based investment firm First Capital.The CBSL has raised rates by a record 950 basis points this year to battle high inflation which is adding to the country's economic woes.However, inflation has remained high, hitting a record peak of 68.9% in September with food inflation climbing to 93.7%.Sri Lanka's economy shrank 8.4% in the quarter through June from a year ago in one of the steepest declines seen in a three-month period, amid fertilizer and fuel shortages.

New statistics from Ohio and Florida published by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) show that Republicans have suffered more COVID-related excess deaths than Democrats, adding to the literature that demonstrates the link between political party affiliation, vaccination uptake, and COVID-19 mortality.To conduct the study, researchers linked voter registration da

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The World Food Program in its report for September 2022 reported that the highest level of acute food insecurity is in the Estate sector.The World Food Program has highlighted the tea production sector as having the  highest level of acute food insecurity in the Estate sector.It is also recorded and among female-headed households, households with no education, and Samurdhi programme beneficiaries.A severe macroeconomic crisis caused acute shortages and spikes in the prices of essential products, including medicines, food, agricultural inputs and fuel, bringing the overall economic activities to a standstill, with major disruptions to agricultural production, said the WFP.It added that acute food insecurity has risen dramatically, as a result of import shortages, soaring prices, livelihood disruptions, reduced household purchasing power and exhaustion of less severe household coping strategies. The WFP said that Food and livelihood-related coping strategies are being widely adopted, including cutting the number of meals consumed in a day, reducing meal sizes, spending savings, and purchasing food on credit. As households exhaust these strategies, more of them are likely to engage in severe means of coping with negative knock-on consequences for food security over the medium term.The World Food Program warned that the situation is likely to deteriorate during the lean season from October 2022 to February 2023.It added that over 6.2 million people (28 percent of the population) are estimated to be moderately acute food insecure and 66 000 people to be severely acute food insecure. Immediate food assistance and livelihood programmes are essential for moderately and severely acute food insecure

Now finding her feet again after being treated for severe depression in 2020, the popular home cook has learnt there is one thing she can always rely on to help get her through the tough times.

It’s election day in Quebec.

The oral antiviral drug Paxlovid is safe and effective for treating COVID-19 and carries no additional risk of viral rebound beyond other treatments, according to a meta-analysis published late last week in the Journal of Infection.Paxlovid is recommended for treating patients who have mild or moderate

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Asia’s highest inflation rates and ongoing fuel scarcity continue to threaten food security in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka continues to experience an unprecedented economic crisis with high inflation, rising commodity prices, power shortages and scarcity of fuel.The World Food Program said that Asia’s highest inflation rates and ongoing fuel scarcity continue to threaten food security in Sri Lanka. According to the World Food Programme (WFP), an estimated 6.2 million people in Sri Lanka are facing moderate to severe acute food insecurity, with one in every four households applying negative coping strategies such as reducing the number of meals per day, reducing expenses on other essential things such as healthcare or withdrawing children from school. Female-headed households are seen to be particularly hard it, as are the urban poor and people working in the estate-sector.The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that given the deteriorating food security and nutrition situation in Sri Lanka and the strong likelihood that the upcoming Maha season will not produce sufficient yields, several countries have pledged further assistance, especially towards improving food security and the critical inputs for the agriculture sector. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced an additional US$20 million in humanitarian assistance, bringing USAID’s total assistance to nearly US$92 million since June of this year. The United Kingdom pledged £3 million in lifesaving support going mostly toward food security and supporting farmers, while the EU released €1.5 million in humanitarian aid which will mainly be utilized for multipurpose cash assistance.The final

From scary to funny to cute and even tasty, there’s no shortage of costume choices for your cat or dog this year. FOX TV Stations searched Chewy, Amazon and Walmart online so you don’t have to.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The restaurant owners' association says that although the price of petrol has decreased, the prices of foodstuff at bakeries and restaurants will not be decreased.Its Chairman, Asela Sampath stated that the price of food and drinks including milk tea can be reduced only if the prices of other services in the market are reduced.The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation on Saturday (1) took steps to reduce the price of petrol.

PHILADELPHIA - Four men were struck by gunfire as shots rang out less than a block from a hospital in Northeast Philadelphia early Saturday morning.Police say the quadruple shooting erupted out he 5000 block of Frankford Avenue, which is just feet away from Jefferson Frankford Hospital.Four men were reportedly brought to the hospital by private vehicle after being shot.A 20-year-old man is in critical condition after suffering a gunshot in the face. He was transferred to Jefferson University Hospital.MORE HEADLINES:Three other victims are in stable condition: a 50-year-old man shot in the chest; a 38-year-old man shot in the ankle; and a 36-year-old man shot in the hand.No arrests have been made, and no weapon recovered.

In a remote pocket of the Laurentian mountains of Quebec, a Greek Orthodox nun answers the door in the rain.

Uganda's health ministry on Twitter today reported four more lab-confirmed Ebola Sudan cases, as well as one more death in a patient with a confirmed infection. The developments push the country's overall total to 54 cases, 35 of them confirmed and 19 listed as probable. The latest death brings Uganda's fatality count to 25, 7 in confirmed patients and 18 in people who had probable infections.Officials said 427 contacts have been ident

The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant is much more transmissible among household members than Delta, with an estimated secondary attack rate (SAR) from thrice-vaccinated index patients of 46%, compared with 11% for Delta, finds a study published today in Nature Communications.The SAR is the percentage of contacts who become infected by an in

Those who have suffered from food poisoning will be well aware of how unpleasant an experience it can be.

Senior federal bureaucrats examined whether cryptocurrencies protect against inflation not long after Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre made the claim as a candidate in the Conservative leadership race, according to an internal government document.

An espresso stands with a saucer on a wooden table. (Photo by Silas Stein/picture alliance via Getty Images) Thursday, Sept.

COLOMBO (News 1st) –  Sri Lanka secured a resounding win against the Maldives in Game 5 of the 2022 South Asian Basketball Association Women's Championship 2022.Match 5 of the South Asian Basketball Association Women's Championship 2022 between Sri Lanka and the Maldives took place on Wednesday (28) evening in Male, Maldives in front of a packed crowd including the Maldives President, and Vice President.Sri Lanka took the lead at end of the first half with a score 46 – 22 .Sri Lanka continued to dominate the game and won 72 – 59.

Also Read: Heart dysfunction, COVID-19 booster vaccines in India have no links, say experts The public service honour went to Lauren Gardner, an engineer who studies the spread of diseases. Her lab team developed the COVID-19 tracker when the coronavirus began to spread internationally in January 2020. The dashboard evolved into a useful tool that today tracks cases, deaths, immunizations, and other things on a global scale.

President Joe Biden speaks during the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, DC, Sept. 28, 2022.

High-flow oxygen didn't significantly lower death rates beyond those of standard oxygen therapy in COVID-19 patients with respiratory failure, according to a multicenter randomized clinical trial published yesterday in JAMA.As part of an ongoing trial, researchers enrolled 711 patients who had

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The latest report from the World Food Program reveals that four in ten housholds in Sri Lanka are consuming inadequate diets.The World Food Program said that the intensifying economic crisis continues to threaten food security, and the persistence of high food and fuel prices has pushed food further out of each. The WFP warned that in the face of inaction, the situation could deteriorate even further.Highlighting the fact that diets are in a precarious state among Sri Lankans, the World Food Program said that four in ten  households are facing insufficient food  consumption, with many consuming far less diverse diets as food prices remain high across the country.To date, WFP has received a total of US$29.35 million from the  governments of Australia, Italy,  Japan, New Zealand, Norway, United States and  Switzerland, as well as from the UN Central  Emergency Response Fund, private sector partners, and multilateral donors. This represents nearly half of its emergency appeal for US$63 million. 

A report published yesterday in Clinical Infectious Diseases describes a new SARS-CoV-2 mutation that confers resistance to the COVID-19 antiviral drug remdesivir in two persistently infected kidney transplant recipients treated with immunosuppressive drugs.NYU researchers identified the V792I RNA-dependent 25 RNA polyme

hot dog-and-soda combo deal of $1.50 will remain in place despite record-high inflation. At an earnings call, Galanti said the profit margins the company is seeing in the gas and travel sectors allow Costco to make up for losses at the food court. "Those things help us be more aggressive in other areas, or as you mentioned, hold the price on the hot dog and the soda … forever," Galanti told an analyst from Truist Securities. Galanti said Costco was fortunate in that it did not struggle like other businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. "The enormity of the improvement in the bottom line … we’re better than we were two years ago," he said. FILE - Close-up of signs listing prices at Costco food court, including the price for Costco's hot dog and fountain soda combination, in Danville, California, on July 3, 2022. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images) The retailer’s famous $1.50 hot dog-and-soda combo has remained unchanged since it was first introduced in the 1980s.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The United States Permanent Representative to the UN Food and Agriculture Agencies in Rome, Ambassador Cindy McCain says support will be provided for Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture in Sri Lanka.The United States Permanent Representative to the UN Food and Agriculture Agencies in Rome, Ambassador Cindy McCain met with Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera at the Ministry of Agriculture, which also saw the participation of US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chang. Meanwhile, The United States Permanent Representative to the UN Food and Agriculture Agencies in Rome, Ambassador Cindy McCain, and US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung met with the Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Aruni Wijeywaradane yesterday. US Ambassador Julie Chung noted the USA will continue its support to strengthen the economy of Sri Lanka. 

Canadian Food Inspection Agency is asking Canadians to keep an eye out for an invasive bug that could spell disaster for the country’s wineries and fruit growers.The spotted lanternfly is a pest native to China that has been making inroads in the United States since 2014.Thus far, the small grey-and-red insect with spotted wings has not been found alive in Canada. Avian flu outbreaks confirmed on B.C., Alberta farms after brief pause in cases But in early September, hundreds of adults were found in a residential area in Buffalo, N.Y., just 45 km away from the Canadian border.The reports set off alarms at the CFIA, which in a tweet last week asked Canadians to report any sightings of the pest on this side of the border “immediately.”The insect feeds on sap, mainly from fruit trees, and can cause serious harm to orchards and vineyards.“We’re becoming more and more concerned about the proximity to Canada, and particularly our grape-growing industries, because this is a pest that has had significant impacts on the grape and fruit industry in the United States,” said Diana Mooij, a specialist in the invasive alien species program within the CFIA.The first North American sighting of the pest was in Pennsylvania in 2014, and since then, a tracking program monitored by Cornell University has documented the pest in 14 U.S.

A new study based on COVID-19 patients in France shows high reinfection rates among people with different Omicron subvariants, including BA.1, BA.2, and BA.5. The study is published as a research letter in Emerging Infectious Diseases.The research group conducting this stud

Global economic growth is slowing more than was forecast a few months ago after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as energy and inflation crises risk snowballing into recessions in major economies, the OECD said today.