Fuel crisis brings Sri Lanka to its knees

13 August 2021, Brandenburg, Grünheide: Elon Musk, Tesla CEO, stands at a press event on the grounds of the Tesla Gigafactory. The first vehicles are to roll off the production line in Grünheide near Berlin from the end of 2021.

SPRING HILL, Fla. - Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed the "Parental Rights in Education Act" into law during a visit to Classical Preparatory School in Spring Hill. The bill bars instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity for young public-school students.It is one of the more hotly-contested pieces of legislation drafted this session in Tallahassee.

With cases in China at their highest level in 2 years due to the more transmissible Omicron COVID-19 variant, officials in China's biggest city, Shanghai, yesterday announced a two-part lockdown to do mass testing.

CLEARWATER, FLORIDA - MARCH 19: Manager Joe Girardi #25 of the Philadelphia Phillies enjoys a pregame ceremony prior to the Spring Training game against the Toronto Blue Jays game at BayCare Ballpark on March 19, 2022 in Clearwater, Florida. (Photo b CLEARWATER, Fla. - Philadelphia Phillies manager Joe Girardi says he thinks pitching around the majors in April will be a battle of attrition following the shortened spring training.The Phillies open the regular season at home on April 8 against the Oakland Athletics, the first of 13 straight days of games."I think that’s a pretty good way of putting it, you know," Girardi said Monday before the Phillies played Baltimore in spring training.

Adult COVID-19 patients also infected with the flu are four times more likely to require mechanical ventilation and 2.4 times more likely to die than if they had COVID-19 alone, finds a UK study published late last week in The Lancet.

TOPSHOT - US actor Will Smith (R) slaps US actor Chris Rock onstage during the 94th Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on March 27, 2022. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP) (Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images) LOS ANGELES - The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences says it condemns the actions of Will Smith during Sunday night’s Oscars and it will launch a formal review of his slapping of presenter Chris Rock.In a statement Monday, the film academy said it will also "explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law."RELATED: Will Smith slaps Chris Rock after Jada Pinkett Smith joke, then wins best actor OscarSmith stunned the Dolby Theatre crowd and viewers at home when he took the stage during Rock’s remarks after the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, Smith’s wife. Rock turned to Jada Pinkett Smith, Smith’s wife, and said, "Jada, I love you.

NEW YORK - A 73-year-old man was shoved to the ground from behind and kicked in a broad daylight robbery attempt in Midtown Manhattan.The NYPD says it happened Sunday just before 11 a.m. on 8th Ave.Police say the elderly man was inside a convenience store buying lottery tickets when an unidentified man walked up to him and tried to grab his wallet out of his hand.The victim resisted and kept his wallet and the other man left the store.Get breaking news alerts in the free FOX5NY News app!  |  Sign up for FOX 5 email newslettersThe 73-year-old left the store and then began crossing the street when the man ran up behind him and shoved him to the ground.

COVID-19 pandemic driven by the BA.2 subvariant.While the province’s public health director has been reluctant to confirm a new wave, Dr.

Style expert Suzie Wall has a full breakdown of the top trends from the red carpet during the 94th Annual Academy Awards.

Guelph, Ont., police are seeing an increase in cryptocurrency investment scams and trying to warn the community about some of the ways people are losing money.

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) modeling study used data from 59 US case investigation and contact tracing (CICT) programs to estimate that the programs prevented 1.11 to 1.36 million COVID-19 cases, and 27,000 to 34,000 hospitalizations over 60 days in winter 2020-21, well before the Delta and Omicron variant surges. The researchers collected data from Nov 25, 2020, to Jan 23, 2021, f

Wastewater samples of COVID-19 RNA show the more transmissible BA.2 subvariant of Omicron now comprises most of the detected virus in three cities.BA.2 accounts for 78.9 per cent of all detected virus samples in Saskatoon, up from 34.1 per cent in the previous reporting period.The subvariant comprises 81.1 per cent of the virus detected in Prince Albert, increasing from 17.9 per cent. And it makes up 68.6 per cent of the wastewater in North Battleford, increasing from 49.4 per cent.

US actor Will Smith (R) slaps US actor Chris Rock onstage during the 94th Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on March 27, 2022. (Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images) NEW YORK - Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars provoked intense opinions online, especially from comedians who felt it was an assault on their art."Let me tell you something, it’s a very bad practice to walk up on stage and physically assault a comedian," Kathy Griffin wrote on Twitter. "Now we all have to worry about who wants to be the next Will Smith in comedy clubs and theaters."The violent exchange began when Rock took verbal aim at Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, saying, "Jada, I love you.

Will Smith appears to slap Chris Rock onstage during the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 27, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Neilson Barnard/Getty Images) WASHINGTON - On Sunday night, a man with a verified Twitter account with the same name as actor Will Smith wasn’t expecting the kind of 15 minutes of fame he experienced on social media. People upset with actor Will Smith after he slapped comedian Chris Rock during the Oscars for a joke Rock made about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith, started posting comments on what they assumed was the actor’s official Twitter page. But what they didn’t realize is the Smith they were coming after is a podcaster based in San Francisco, California. RELATED: Will Smith slaps Chris Rock after Jada Pinkett Smith joke, then wins best actor Oscar"Real talk, I’m not the person you’re upset/happy with.

CHEYNEY, Pa. - Cheyney University's women's basketball team made history in 1982 when it made it to the NCAA Division I championship game. Although the team lost to Louisiana Tech, they remain the only team from a historically Black college or university to play for an NCAA Division I basketball championship. Cheyney University celebrated the team over the weekend with an event to honor the 40th anniversary of the historic game. The significance of the 1982 game is not lost on the team's former players, especially when the team was ranked second in the nation and had a 23 game winning streak. "We realized we were the first HBCU to get there, you know," Valerie Walker told FOX 29. "It was very important for us to get there. We got there.

TRENTON, N.J. - Members of the Trenton community gathered Sunday afternoon to release balloons in remembrance of SeQuoya Bacon-Jones, the nine-year-old who was shot and killed at Kingsbury Square late Friday night.Police responded to reports of gunfire around 7:30 Friday evening after arguments and fights broke out in a large group. When police arrived on scene, a 9-year-old girl, later identified as Bacon-Jones, was found suffering from a gunshot wound.Bacon-Jones was transported to Capital Health Regional Medical Center where she was pronounced dead around midnight.Shirelle Jones, Bacon-Jones’ aunt, says that this sort of gun violence has no place in this city and that it's "unbelievable" that kids are not safe to play outside."She was energetic when she came into a room.

Traffic cameras showed a line of stopped traffic near Pottsville, Pennsylvania, about 12:15 p.m. Monday, March 28, 2022.

PHILADELPHIA - Homicide detectives with the Philadelphia Police Department are investigating after a man was fatally shot in Kensington. Police say the incident happened on the 800 block of East Willard Street around 10:54 p.m.

all drugs.  "Parents should really be aware of what this language is - it's like a different language," explained Bill Bodner, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s Los Angeles Field Division. He said that teens can now buy drugs online or on social media, pay with apps like Zelle or Venmo, and have the drugs delivered without their parents’ knowledge.

A U.S. Marine Corps carry team carries the transfer case containing the remains of Marine Gunnery Sgt. James W.

LVIV, Ukraine - Ukraine is prepared to declare its neutrality and consider a compromise on contested areas in the country’s east, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said ahead of another round of talks set for Tuesday on stopping the fighting. But he said only a face-to-face meeting with Russia's leader can end the war. While hinting at possible concessions, Zelenskyy also stressed that Ukraine's priority is ensuring its sovereignty and its "territorial integrity" — preventing Russia from carving up the country, something Ukraine and the West say could now be Moscow's goal.Russia has long demanded that Ukraine drop any hope of joining the Western NATO alliance, which Moscow sees as a threat.

US actor Will Smith (R) slaps US actor Chris Rock onstage during the 94th Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on March 27, 2022. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP) (Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images) LOS ANGELES - The entertainment world is buzzing Monday from one of the most bizarre and stunning Oscar moments ever, with best-actor nominee Will Smith smacking Chris Rock in the face on the Dolby Theatre stage after the comedian made a joke about Smith's wife, actress Jada Pinkett Smith.Rock was on stage Sunday night to present the Oscar for best documentary feature, but he peppered in some jokes, including one referencing Pinkett Smith's bald head, suggesting she would be starring in a sequel to "G.I.

The Canadian government is expected to announce on Monday that it is moving forward with finalization talks towards procuring Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter jet, according to an industry source.

People from every corner of Greater Manchester are being invited to start talking about the future of health and care for themselves and their families. The Big Conversation survey, which launched on Monday, March 28, 2022, is for anyone who lives or works in the 10 Greater Manchester boroughs to take part in.

Hollyoaks after the school bus to the camping trip crashed injuring many of the passengers on board.John Paul' McQueen's (James Suttons) alcohol withdraw symptoms caused the accident following his recent drinking problem.He tried covering this up by claiming that a bird flew towards the windscreen of the vehicle, distracting him from the road and causing him to lose control.The accident has left schoolgirl Freya with life-changing injuries as she waits to find out if she'll ever be able to walk again.Hollyoaks viewers have watched many of their favourites die in tragic circumstances over the years, with many wishing the characters had not been killed off at all.As fans wait to find out more from the fall out of the school bus crash, Daily Star takes a look at some of the Channel 4 soap's most tragic deaths.Sylver McQueen became one of the first deaths of Hollyoaks 2022, after he was caught up in an explosion at Marnie Nightingale's patisserie.Another of Mercedes McQueen's husbands tragically lost their life after he was left to die by stepson Bobby Costello, leaving Hollyoaks viewers in shock and disbelief.Speaking about his exit from the soap, Sylver actor David Tag said he was proud of the way the character was written out of the programme, telling Digital Spy: "When I was told how I was leaving, I thought that was much better. If you go out in a taxi, the option is there for you to go back, but I wanted to go out all guns blazing in an explosion with a big dramatic death as a hero."He also predicted the fan reaction that was to come, adding: "I think people are going to be pretty upset because there isn't much to hate about Sylver.

Phil Collins has played his final gig.Performing at the O2 in London, 71-year-old Collins said his goodbye to fans, making jokes about now having to find a proper job.In their first tour since 2007 Collins - joined by Mike Rutherford on the guitar and bass and Tony Banks on the keyboard - enjoyed the band's final outing years on from the glory they enjoyed in the 1980s and 1990s.Touring the likes of Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool and Newcastle, they've had to postpone three London shows because of issues caused by Covid-19.Collins had to perform while sitting down, having appeared a little frail during his time on the tour.He's been battling health conditions for a decade, which has understandably taken its toll, leaving him reliant on a walking stick or wheelchair.Collins has had to battle more than one problem over the last 13 years - in 2009 he suffered damaged vertebrae.He is understood to have picked up the nasty injury while he was playing, leaving nerve damage in his hands.After surgery he lost his ability to grip his drumsticks, meaning the only way he could play was if they were taped to his hands.Writing on the Genesis website at the time of the injury he said: "Somehow, during the last Genesis tour, I dislocated some vertebrae in my upper neck and that affected my hands."After a successful operation on my neck, my hands still can’t function normally.“Maybe in a year or so it will change, but for now it is impossible for me to play drums or piano."After divorcing his third wife and having retired, Collins admitted he had drinking problems in his 2016 autobiography.He said at the time that he had been sober for three years.In 2017 he announced that he was a type 2 diabetic and would be receiving

Lin-Manuel Miranda. The composer and actor took social media to inform that he would not attend the Oscars because his wife, Vanessa Nadal, tested positive for Covid-19.

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COVID-19 as the province continued to see an uptick in patients being treated for disease Monday.Pandemic-related hospitalizations came to 1,115, a rise of 27 compared with the previous day. In that time, 92 patients were admitted while 65 left.The health department says 53 people were in intensive care units.

L’Oreal Paris has awarded Tara Torchia $20,000 for her non-profit organization, Angels Ink Foundation Manitoba, which funds paramedical tattooing.

The reverberations from actor Will Smith‘s slap at the Oscars continue to vibrate around the globe and on the internet.

COVID on Monday, with 158 in intensive care.This is up by 102 for hospitalizations and an increase of one for ICUs since the previous day, though officials noted not all hospitals reported updated figures due to the weekend.Last Monday, there were 551 hospitalizations with 181 in ICU.According to latest data for hospitalizations from the weekend, 47 per cent were admitted for other reasons but tested positive for COVID-19. For those in ICUs, 24 per cent were admitted for other reasons.

While presenting the award for Documentary Feature (won by Summer of Soul), Chris Rock made a joke about Will Smith‘s wife Jada Pinkett Smith that prompted an unbelievable exchange. After Rock joked to Smith that he was looking forward to a sequel to G.I.

Jada Pinkett Smith attends the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on March 27, 2022, in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage) LOS ANGELES - The Academy Awards audience was left in shock after Will Smith marched onto the Oscars stage on Sunday night and smacked Chris Rock over a joke about wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s appearance.The exchange began when Rock took aim at Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, saying, "Jada, I love you.

A 15-year-old boy was shot twice, including once in the head, Thursday night in Wissinoming.

NCAA Tournament after the Blue Devils had punched their Final Four ticket with a win over Arkansas.They have no choice but to think about it now.The Tar Heels took care of the last of the underdogs Sunday by rolling past 15th-seeded Saint Peter's, setting up a Final Four for the ages in New Orleans: Duke-Carolina for the first time in the tourney, and in retiring Coach K's final appearance on college basketball's biggest stage. The winner gets Kansas or Villanova for the national championship."I saw something that Bill Self said about the regional championship game," Krzyzewski said of his Kansas counterpart, "it really is the biggest game a college coach has to coach, because it gets you into the promised land."For me to have that, I guess it’s 17 times now, that’s a big-time thing for me.

recombinant variant that's mostly delta but contains the spike protein of omicron. "So a good chunk of the virus' spike protein is omicron but the body of the virus is still delta," Nguyen says. 

BEIJING :

COLOMBO (News 1st); Many areas in Sri Lanka will experience 7-hour power outages on Tuesday (29) said the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka.The schedule is as follows:Groups PQRSTUVW:5 hours from 8.30 AM to 6.30 PM2 hrs & 15 min from 6.30 PM to 11.00 PMGroups ABCDEFGHIJKL5 hours from 8 AM to 6 PM2 hrs & 30 min from 6 PM to 11 PMClick here to check at what time you will experience a power cut.

Ukrainian officials say Russian attacks have destroyed 85 per cent of Mariupol and some now say it’s only a matter of time before it falls to the Russians. Meanwhile, we are learning more about the destruction left behind after rockets landed yesterday in Lviv.

PHILADELPHIA - Police are investigating after a man was shot and killed at a Sunoco gas station in Wissahickon Sunday night, marking the city's 120th homicide for the year. Several large bullet holes could be seen in a gas pump as investigators collected spent shell casings left at the scene. According to police, the incident began at approximately 10:58 p.m.

prisoner who died alone in his cell of Covid had his pleas for help left unanswered, his family has claimed.Calum Inglis, 34, who suffered from asthma spent the last four days of his life in prison begging officers for help after contracting coronavirus. Relatives say that Calum was coughing up blood and his requests for medical assistance via the cell intercom were ignored by officers.The family have described the "horror story death" as "preventable" and his mum revealed the heartbreaking messages that show her son saying he felt "90 years old" in his final texts to the family.Inglis died at HMP Addiewell in West Lothian, Scotland just 12 days after testing positive for Covid and his heartbroken family say they have texts and evidence from another prisoner to prove Calum's pleas went unanswered.The family say they are traumatised by the death and believe Calum's death could have been prevented if he had been sent to hospital.His sister Frances Marr, 32, said: "In the last four days of his life he repeatedly requested medical attention via his cell intercom to be promised by the prison officers that 'someone will see you in the morning' - but nobody ever came."His mum Jen, 62, said that "They did nothing for my son and just left him."Dad Alan added: "It's a horror story.

(Reuters) – Sri Lanka has sought an additional credit line of $1 billion from India to import essentials amid its worst economic crisis in decades, two sources said on Monday (28), as the Indian foreign minister began talks with the government of its neighbor.The island nation is struggling to pay for essential imports of food and fuel after a 70% drop in foreign exchange reserves since January 2020 led to a currency devaluation and efforts to seek help from global lenders.New Delhi has indicated it would meet the request for the new line, to be used for importing essential items such as rice, wheat flour, pulses, sugar and medicines, said one of the sources briefed on the matter.“Sri Lanka has requested an additional $1 billion credit line from India for imports of essentials,” the second source said.

New York (News 1st); New Fortress Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: NFE) issued a statement following a favorable ruling on Friday, March 4, by the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka.Having considered the merits of all the fundamental rights petitions filed seeking to halt NFE’s development of natural gas power solutions in Sri Lanka, the Court fully dismissed the petitions without further hearing.NFE and The Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (“GOSL”) executed a definitive agreement in September 2021 whereby NFE will invest in energy infrastructure in Sri Lanka and develop a new LNG Terminal off the coast of Colombo.NFE will have gas supply rights to the Kerawalapitya Power Complex and will initially provide GOSL an estimated 1.2 million gallons per day of LNG (~ 35,000 MMBtu) to supply both the currently operational 310 MW Yugadanavi Power Plant and an additional 350 MW (the Sobadanavi Power Plant) which is expected to commence operations in 2023.

COLOMBO (News 1st); 27 Sri Lankans continue to remain in Ukraine and have expressed their unwillingness to leave, revealed Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Professor G. L.

COLOMBO (News 1st); When a Sri Lankan Minister who is a US citizen, negotiates with the United States on behalf of Sri Lanka, it goes beyond reasonable doubt that he will stand for the United States than Sri Lanka, as his property and family are in America, and he can easily return back without consequences after his tenure ends, says former Minister Udaya Gammanpila.Participating in the News 1st ’10 questions’ program, the former Minister alleged that although he did not protest against the 20th amendment when it was introduced, he stated that he fought for the East Terminal of the Colombo Port not to be handed over to foreign investors in the Cabinet.He said that the solutions presented by him to address the crises in Sri Lanka were disregarded as well.He further alleged that Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa, who he dubbed as ‘The Ugly American’ was behind the New Fortress LNG deal, as well as the investments behind the East Container Terminal.The former Minister also said that the Finance Minister wants to take the country to a point where the economy is collapsed, food shortage is imminent alonfg wiith medicine and fuel.He warned that due to these actions at a certain point national assets must be sold to the United States to feed Sri Lankans.Watch the Full Program Here ;

COLOMBO (News 1st); 32 Sri Lankans who were in Ukraine, have been moved out of the country via four separate borders.This was confirmed to News 1st by the Sri Lankan Ambassador accredited to Ukraine.Earlier, the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry said that it continues to closely monitor developments in Ukraine.On Monday (28) the Ministry said it was engaged in the evacuation of approximately forty (40) Sri Lankan nationals, including two (02) students in Ukraine via the Ukraine – Polish border.The process is facilitated by the Sri Lanka Embassies in Warsaw and Ankara, the latter being concurrently accredited to Ukraine.The Ministry has strengthened the provision of resources to the Sri Lanka Embassy in Warsaw in order to ensure the effective facilitation of the evacuation process.The Ambassadors of Sri Lanka in Ankara and Warsaw continue to maintain close contact with the Sri Lankan nationals leaving Ukraine, in order to enable their safe passage and return to Sri Lanka.The Foreign Ministry is also engaged in monitoring the status of Sri Lankan nationals in countries which share land borders with Ukraine.Sri Lanka’s accredited missions are in contact with the relevant Honorary Consuls and Sri Lankan nationals in the respective countries.The Sri Lanka Embassy in Moscow which is concurrently accredited to Belarus continues to be in close communication with the approximately 1,600 Sri Lankan nationals, including 1,556 students studying in over eight (08) universities / higher education institutes in Belarus.Sri Lanka’s Ambassador in Moscow is in direct contact with the relevant university authorities, student and parent groups, as well as other concerned institutions in Belarus, with regard to the safety and welfare of the Sri

COLOMBO (News 1st); A worsening shortage of fuel has brought Sri Lankans of all walks of life to mile-long ques across the island, with little hope for a solution over the coming days.“We have never experienced anything like this in our lifetime. It is a disaster”, noted a senior citizen, forced to queue up for hours for a few liters of fuel.The situation has worsened with farmers, already struck by the fertilizer crisis, left with no fuel for machinery used to harvest crops.