India helped 80 crore people with free ration during COVID-19, but not freebies: UP CM

COLOMBO (News 1st) – President Ranil Wickremesinghe pointed out that using children as shields in demonstrations is a serious offence according to the law of the country and advised the Sri Lanka Police to take immediate measures to prevent the perpetuation of such conduct.President Wickremesinghe issued these instructions during the special discussion held at the Presidential Secretariat on Tuesday (12) on the protection of children’s rights.Highlighting sub-section 13 of Article 27 of the Constitution, “The State shall promote with special care the interests of children and youth, to ensure their full development, physical, mental, moral, religious and social, and to protect them from exploitation and discrimination,” the President emphasized that protecting children is the prime responsibility of a government.Steps were also taken to assign the responsibilities of child protection to the Sri Lanka Police and related government institutions.The President upheld the need for an Act to protect children’s rights to prevent them from being used for sexual activities and protect their fundamental rights. He also advised the officials to discuss this issue with the Attorney General to take necessary steps in this regard.The President drew attention to the detention of the children, who were among the people who were arrested for illegally migrating to India, and therefore separated from their parents. He said that this situation needs to be rectified immediately and arrangements made to return the children to their parents.The President also requested special attention to be paid to the education of children in orphanages and the protection of their rights and advised the officials to submit a report on those with special

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Court of Appeal on Wednesday (12) set a date to issue the order with regard to the writ petition filed by former President Maithripala Sirisena requesting to annul the notice issued on him to appear at the Fort Magistrate's Court on 14th October where he is named as a suspect in the Easter Sunday Terror Attacks case. Accordingly, the Court of Appeal will issue the relevant order at 9:30 in the morning on 14th October.A bench comprising of Justices Sobitha Rajakaruna and Dhammika Ganepola issued the order after the petition was taken up in Court today.Additional Solicitor General Rohantha Abeysuriya appeared on behalf of the Attorney General while President's Counsel Rienzi Arsecularatne represented the plaintiffs including Rev. Fr.

no one matched all six numbers on Tuesday. The current jackpot, which also comes with a $248.7 million cash option, would be the 11th-largest prize in the 20-year history of the game, according to lottery officials. The current Mega Millions prize began Aug. 2 after a $1.337 billion ticket was won in Illinois on July 29.The winning numbers are drawn for the second-largest Mega Millions jackpot in history, $1,28B, took place on Friday, July 29, 2022.In addition to the massive jackpot in July, four other top prizes have been awarded so far this year — beginning with $426 million in California on Jan. 28, officials said.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne today (12) formally handed over the letter of appointment to Rear Admiral Jayantha Kularatne, who was appointed as the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Navy, and expressed his best wishes.Rear Admiral Jayantha Kularatne is a proud product of Mahanama College, Colombo. He joined the Sri Lanka Navy in 1987 as an Officer Cadet of the 16th intake, in the Executive branch. On successful completion of his basic training at the Naval and Maritime Academy, Trincomalee, he was commissioned as a Sub Lieutenant in 1989.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Welfare Benefit Fast Track Program ‘Leave No One Behind’ targeting low-income families, which was initiated as per the instructions of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, has so far received 2.3 million applications, according to the Welfare Benefit Board.The applications are being promptly entered into the system through Welfare Benefit Information Units established in 341 Divisional Secretariats throughout the country and as of today (12), 624,714 applications have been entered into the system.It is expected that the 600,000 families that have been downgraded to the low-income category, in the face of the second COVID-19 wave and the economic crisis faced by the country, as reported by the United Nations Development Program, are also eligible to apply for this Welfare Benefit Fast Track Program. This is in addition to the 3.3 million families that are currently receiving welfare benefits or those who are already on the waiting list.Accordingly, it is estimated that 3.9 million families would apply for this social welfare program.

PHILADELPHIA - A vehicle was left riddled with bullet holes after police say a shooting erupted in Germantown Wednesday morning.Police say a 38-year-old man was shot multiple times on the 100 block of East Duval Street around 3 a.m.He reportedly drove himself to a local hospital, where he is said to be in critical condition.MORE HEADLINES:The vehicle he was driving was shot at about 20 times, according to police.

PHILADELPHIA - Emergency crews are on the scene after police say three SWAT officers were shot as a barricade situation unfolded in North Philadlphia Wednesday morning.Police say shots rang out while officers were serving a homicide arrest warrant on the 800 block of 10th Street.Three SWAT officers were reportedly shot and injured, and transported to a local hospital.MORE HEADLINES:SkyFOX was live over the emergency situation where police say a barricade situation unfolded following the shooting.Three people were handcuffed by police as FOX 29 arrived at scene.The circumstances surrounding the shooting are unclear at this time, and the condition of the officers is unknown.This is a developing story.

Only Fools and Horses star Sir David Jason has revealed he recently collapsed after contracting "seriously bad" Covid-19.The TV legend, 82, was speaking to BBC Breakfast presenter Jon Kay about his new book, when he revealed that he recently collapsed while getting out of bed one night when he had covid-19 during the Summer.The Open All Hours star said: "I got it seriously bad."Because all the muscles weren't working, I collapsed and I fell against the radiator... I was so weak, I couldn't get up."READ NEXT: Only Fools, Skins and Gavin and Stacey - British TV remakes that flopped in the USSaying that he tried to get out of bed to go to the toilet, Sir David explained that he had to use the bed to try and stand up as his muscles "weren't working.""I crawled to the bed.

Chloe Ferry recently found herself in a state of confusion after she mistook the reading on her negative coronavirus test as a positive one. On Tuesday evening (Oct 11), the 27-year-old Geordie Shore star took to Instagram to inform her followers that she and her mother Liz were feeling under the weather.After being advised to take a Covid test, Chloe was left distraught when she thought she had contracted the virus due to one line being present on her results.READ MORE: Chloe Ferry branded 'most beautiful' as she wows in nude bodysuit following splitHowever the TV personality quickly returned to her platform to share that she read the test incorrectly.Speaking directly to the camera she said: "If I do not laugh, I'm going to scream."She continued: "So obviously me and mum got the same bug, so we just done a Covid test, but we started panicking thinking 'oh my God like what if we've got Covid, I've been around my friends' like we just started thinking the worst."So we've done the Covid test, we're both as thick as each other honestly.

PHILADELPHIA - A pedestrian was injured after police say a driver caused a crash while under the influence early Wednesday morning.Police say the driver slammed into a parked car, then hit a woman walking on the 3300 block of Kensington Avenue around midnight.MORE HEADLINES:The driver was reportedly under the influence at the time, and arrested on the scene.The woman broke her leg, and is said to be in stable condition at a local hospital.

PHILADELPHIA - Today is the day to take part in all those outdoor fall activities!A cool morning will make way for some beautiful weather as temperatures are set to reach a high of 72 degrees. Sun will take over the skies for most of the day, until clouds start to increase later this evening.However, in Atlanta, a chance of thunderstorms could mean a rain delay for the Phillies game today!Back in Philadelphia, Wednesday's clouds will turn to storms with heavy rain expected throughout the day.

Also Read: Be prepared for a more dangerous Covid that beats vaccines BF.7 can escape the antibodies from earlier illnesses or vaccinations better than the many other omicron sub-variants, according to two studies. The new variation known as the "Omicron spawn" is growing quickly and might take over within a few weeks, researchers warn. The prevalence of BF.7 has doubled in the United States over the past two weeks, rising from 0.8% to 1.7%.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka Railways said that steps have been taken to increase the security of trains that are in operation.Railways General Manager W. A.

Shanghai reported 38 new infections, all of which were found in its quarantine system. The country that first reported Covid-19 cases in December 2019, now remains the only major government that is still grappling to control the spread of the fatal virus.  Several schools across the city have suspended in-person classes as the fear of Covid-19 infection spread grows.  At least five districts have closed entertainment venues, including cinemas, bars and gyms, in an effort to stamp out transmission, according to statements issued by Covid prevention offices.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Sri Lanka Police Illegal Assets Investigations Division arrested one person over a money scam of over Rs.11.6 million.According to the Police, the suspect has used social media to scam people across the country, to obtain gifts and cash deposits.The 30-year-old suspect is a resident of Angoda.He will be produced to the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court today (12).

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Showers or thundershowers will occur at times in Western, North-Western, Central and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in Galle and Matara districts, said the Department of Meteorology adding that thundershowers accompanied by severe lightning are likely to occur at several places in Uva, Eastern, Northern, North-central, and Central provinces. Fairly heavy showers above 75 mm may occur at some places in these areas.There may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers. The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by lightning activity. 

COLOMBO (News 1st) – A country’s security is not only ensured militarily but is also secured through food and economic security, President Ranil Wickremesinghe emphasized.The President said this during the progress review meeting of the National Food Security and Nutrition Assurance Program held at the Presidential Secretariat on Tuesday (11).Emphasizing that urgent measures should be taken to provide the country with fuel and food, the President said that if necessary, he could intervene through state security regulations.The President also noted that if the implementation of the food security and nutrition assurance program is hampered due to the collapse of the state machinery, he is ready to intervene at any moment to resolve these issues.President Ranil Wickremesinghe also pointed out the need to modernize agriculture and enact legislation on food security through this program.The multi-sectoral joint mechanism to empower rural economic revitalization centres to ensure food security and nutrition was recently implemented across the island under the theme “No citizen should be allowed to starve due to the lack of food”, on the directives of President Ranil Wickremesinghe.Also, the progress of the program at the district level was examined during this discussion and it was stated that rural economic revitalization committees have been established at the village level in all districts and programs have been initiated to ensure food security and nutrition.Discussions also centred on the issues that could arise during the cultivation process in the relevant districts, while special attention was placed on the supply of fertilizer, land issues, unavailability of seeds and the crop damage caused by wild animals.President

COLOMBO (News 1st) – 9.6 million Sri Lankans have been affected by poverty, revealed a new study by the University of Peradeniya.Professor Wasantha Athukorala of Peradeniya University's Department of Economics and Statistics says that 9.6 million Sri Lankans are currently suffering from poverty.In 2019, nearly 3 million people lived below the poverty line, but that number has increased to 9.6 million in October 2022.Professor Wasantha Athukorala further stated that the study revealed that 42% of the people living in Sri Lanka are currently suffering from poverty.

COVID-19 has finally caught up with Ryan Seacrest.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The movement to protect the rights of pensioners filed a complaint with the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka.The movement to protect the rights of the pensioners claims in its complaint that the government had suspended the gratuity payment for pensioners for more than a year.They say delayed payments have posed economic and social risks to pensioners at large.

States have been asked to continue monitoring incoming international travelers, undertake constant genome sequencing and step-up vaccination. NEW DELHI: India reported 2,139 fresh covid infections in the last 24 hours, the Union health ministry said in an update on Wednesday.

The startup was founded in January 2021 by Samarth Sindhi. It provides solutions for patients with conditions like hair fall, sexual health, and weight loss, among others. Hyderabad-based direct-to-consumer (D2C) startup Good Health Company (Clinic) has secured $10 million in a Series A funding round, led by New York-based venture capital firm Left Lane Capital.

COLOMBO (News 1t) – Sri Lanka will go for power cuts of 2 hours and 20 minutes from 12th – 14th October, said the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka.Groups ABCDEFGHIJKLPQRSTUVW:1-hour during daytime 1-hour and 20-minutes during the night

A brazen Ayrshire business chief has been banned from being a company director for ten years after spending the majority of a Covid loan on herself.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Today’s exchange rates from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka:USD Buy 359.2355 Sell 369.9682GBP Buy 394.4249 Sell 410.2474EUR Buy 345.6770 Sell 360.3244JPY Buy 2.4481 Sell 2.5509AUD Buy 223.1069 Sell 233.9068

COLOMBO (News 1st)-  Former Norwegian government minister Erik Solheim has been appointed as a International Climate Adviser together to President Ranil Wickremesinghe, along with Former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed.He called on President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wednesday (12) and tweeted that the President has a great vision for green economic revocery and for Sri Lankan climate leadership.

COLOMBO (News 1st)- Sri Lanka Police is seeking public assistance to locate and arrest the main suspect responsible for the brutal triple murder in Minuwangoda on 6th October 2022.Police said the suspects is currently in hiding, and his details are as follows:Name: Jayagodage Sanjeewa Don Sanjeewa Lakmal Age: 39 years NIC: 833214292 V Address: 10, Mahindarama Road, Sri Jayawardenapura KotteSri Lanka Police is requesting the public with any available information to contact the following the numbers:SSP Gampaha: 0718 591 608 ASP Gampaha: 0718 591 610 OIC Minuwangoda: 0718 591 612Minuwangoda Triple Murder:A triple homicide was reported from the Minuwangoda on the 6th of October 2022, and reports suggested that these murders are linked to an incident involving a kite and a argument between two boys dating back to 2017.A 51-year-old man and his two sons 23-years-old, and 24-year-old were brutally murdered adding more bodies to a string of murders.Multiple shooters had visited their residence on a motorcycle, and a car and carried out the murder.Unconfirmed reports said that the shooters were impersonating law enforcement personnel, and T-56 assault rifles were used for the murder.The shooters have chased away the mother and sister of the two young men out of the house before carrying out the shooting. 51-year-old Pushpakumara Silva alias Ralahamy died upon admission to the hospital, and his two sons 23-year-old Roshan Maduwanta and 24-year-old Suresh Jeewantha died on the spot.Sri Lanka Police and neighbours revealed to News 1st that a dispute incident involving a kite and a argument between two boys dating back to 2017.The 1st & 2nd Murders:On the 25th of August 2017, a young man was flying a kite in a field in Minuwangdoa

Covid-19: The death toll climbed to 5,28,835 with 13 fatalities which includes four deaths reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated. India reported 2,139 new coronavirus infections taking the total tally of Covid-19 cases to 4,46,18,533, while the active cases declined to 26,292, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday.

Canada will fare better in the year ahead than some other global economies amid dire warnings Tuesday from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) about a looming downturn, according to economists who spoke to Global News.

A now-former San Antonio police officer was charged Tuesday with two counts of aggravated assault by a peace officer for shooting and gravely wounding a teen who was eating a hamburger in his car in a McDonald’s parking lot.

Danielle Smith, sworn in Tuesday as Alberta’s new premier, said she will shake up the top tier of the health system within three months and amend provincial human rights law to protect those who choose not to get vaccinated.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka's State Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe had attended the G24 Ministerial Meeting during the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.The meeting discussed a variety of new fiscal and economic issues emerged since the Covid 19 pandemic, along with renewed risks and financing burdens on many developing countries.At a time when Sri Lanka together with many other developing nations are facing multiple crises including high food inflation, debt problems and balance of payments issues and it is important to work together with the international community to raise the common voice of developing nations and secure necessary assistance from global financial institutions.The Intergovernmental Group of Twenty-Four on International Monetary Affairs and Development (G-24) coordinates the position of developing countries on monetary and development issues in the deliberations and decisions of the IMF and the World Bank.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Monetary Board, with the concurrence of the Minister of Finance, has promoted Mrs. K M A N Daulagala, Assistant Governor and the Secretary to the Monetary Board, to the post of Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) with effect from 07 October 2022. K M A N Daulagala has over 31 years of service at CBSL in different capacities in the areas of supervision and regulation of non-bank financial institutions, macroprudential surveillance, finance, international operations, risk management, regional development, human resource management and training and development. She has served as the Chief Accountant and Director of Supervision of Non-Bank Financial Institutions and Financial System Stability and has contributed towards strengthening the legal framework and governance in the non-bank financial institutions sector. Prior to the appointment as a Deputy Governor, Mrs.

PHILADELPHIA - A fire quickly consumed a string of row homes in West Philadelphia on Tuesday, putting over a dozen people out of their homes. Velice Hids, who lives on the 200 block of North Hobart Street, says she smelled smoke and heard a loud smack before running to the window to see where the startling noise could have come from. As soon as she looked out her window, she says she saw flames shooting from the row home across the street. "It was jumping from house to house.

student safety and environmental benefits, according to a new study released Tuesday.Applied Information, a developer of connected, intelligent transportation system solutions, hooked up two school buses, one diesel, and the other propane powered, with Connected Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) technology in Alpharetta, Georgia.The technology allowed the school buses to request green light priority at 62 traffic signals along their routes as they each served students in the Fulton County School System.Data showed that both school buses had "a clear and measurable reduction" in travel time, according to firm Kimley-Horn, which prepared the study report."These solutions applied across the national fleet of approximately 500,000 school buses would prove significant time and fuel savings as well as substantial reductions in CO2 emissions," said Bryan Mulligan, President of Applied Information.Officials also say the technology can help improve student behavior aboard the buses and address the school bus driver shortage that about 86% of the nation’s school districts are experiencing."The pilot showed we can use this technology to make our fleet more efficient and serve more students safely in a shorter amount of time, all while reducing our fuel bill and helping the environment," said Trey Stow, Director of Transportation – Operations for Fulton County Schools.Stow said that the district school buses use roughly around 25,000 gallons of fuel a week.

CHERRY HILL, N.J. - The New Jersey Attorney General's Office said it's investigating a fatal officer-involved shooting Tuesday night in Cherry Hill. Officials say the deadly shooting happened around 2 p.m.

PHILADELPHIA - A judge threw out murder charges Tuesday against a former Philadelphia police officer accused of fatally shooting a Black man in the back as he ran. Ryan Pownall, 40, was facing third-degree murder charges in the 2017 shootingof 30-year-old David Jones. Pownall is accused of shooting Jones in the back as he ran from a traffic stop. Court records show that the third-degree charge, as well as reckless endangerment and weapons counts, were ‘quashed’ Tuesday after a motions hearing before a common pleas court. RELATED COVERAGE:FOP Lodge 5 President John McNesby responded to the dropped charges in a statement, reading in-part: "We promised a vigorous defense against all the charges and happy to see that all criminal charges were dismissed...

Police say a man is dead after he was shot inside a property in Stenton on Tuesday night.  PHILADELPHIA - Police are investigating a shooting that left one man dead in Stenton on Tuesday night. Just after 8 p.m., police say they responded to the 1400 block of East Sharpnack Street for reports of a shooting inside a property.Upon arrival, police say they found a 58-year-old man who had been shot one time in the back. Medics transported the victim to Albert Einstein Medical Center where authorities say he was pronounced dead at 8:35 p.m. Weapons were recovered in this incident and one male is in custody, according to police. 

Vials of the COVID-19 vaccine bivalent booster from Pfizer-BioNTech (left) and Moderna. (Photo Courtesy of N.Y.

UNITED STATES - SEPTEMBER 24: Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Lt.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Honda says it will build a $3.5 billion joint-venture battery factory in rural southern Ohio and hire 2,200 people to staff it as the company starts to turn the state into its North American electric vehicle hub.Honda, which announced its first Ohio factory 45 years ago, also plans to invest $700 million and add 300 jobs at three of its own Ohio factories to prepare them to start making EVs and components.The battery plant, to be built jointly with LG Energy Solution of South Korea, could see a total investment of $4.4 billion. The plant site is off Interstate 71 in Fayette County, about 40 miles southwest of the state capital of Columbus.In addition, Honda's assembly plants in Marysville and East Liberty, northeast of Columbus, and its engine plant in Anna north of Dayton, will share in the $700 million investment.

Ryan Seacrest? He's tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing the «usual symptoms.» The good news? Being sidelined means the TV host has time to catch up on his shows, especially those involving food.The host took to Instagram on Tuesday and revealed that he's currently in quarantine after contracting the virus a few days ago. Seacrest, 47, expressed shock at how he avoided the virus for so long.In any event, Seacrest will step away from his TV duties for the time being in hopes of making a quick recovery.

Tom Brady is getting candid about maintaining his mental health. During a new episode of his podcast, , Brady broached the topic in a special episode aired on World Mental Health Day Monday.«Everyone has different situations in their life, and children, and you worry about their mental health, you worry about your parents, obviously yourself,» Brady began.

A bout of COVID-19 infection may not be enough for long-lasting immunity as the virus continues to mutate and new variants emerge.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - New Zealand's government on Tuesday proposed taxing the greenhouse gasses that farm animals make from burping and peeing as part of a plan to tackle climate change.The government said the farm levy would be a world first, and that farmers should be able to recoup the cost by charging more for climate-friendly products.But farmers quickly condemned the plan. Federated Farmers, the industry's main lobby group, said the plan would "rip the guts out of small-town New Zealand" and see farms replaced with trees.Federated Farmers President Andrew Hoggard said farmers had been trying to work with the government for more than two years on an emissions reduction plan that wouldn't decrease food production.FILE - A photo taken on August 10, 2022, shows cows being milked on a dairy farm near Cambridge in New Zealand's Waikato region.

Lovecraft Country heartthrob Jonathan Majors has emerged as the latest smoldering cover star of Men's Health.The 33-year-old showcased his chiseled beefcake physique, flexing his astonishing muscles as he posed shirtless on the cover.He wore nothing but a tiny pair of shorts as he rose up out of a swimming pool, shooting his best supermodel stare at the camera for the magazine. Looking fab: Lovecraft Country heartthrob Jonathan Majors has emerged as the latest smoldering cover star of Men's HealthJonathan's shoot for the inside of the magazine showed him engaged in athletic activities including one of him dangling upside down from a set of pull-up bars.The Hollywood hunk, who has two Belgian Malinois called Captain and Hero, appeared in a charming snap with one of his dogs perched across his shoulders.

PHILADELPHIA - City leaders gathered outside Roxborough High School on Tuesday at announce thousands in security funding, two weeks after 14-year-old Nicholas Elizalde was killed and four others were wounded in an ambush shooting that erupted following a football scrimmage. The half million dollars will be used to improve cameras, install new door locks, and place new fire alarms among other improvements. Elizalde's mother joined politicians and educators at the school on Tuesday, and described the pain of losing her son to gun violence plaguing the city. "We’re in a state of emergency," she said.  "We’re in a war and no one has the luxury of sitting on the bench, I was the best mom that I knew how to be, I tucked my son in every night."Inside the school there’s a dream wall where students write of their dreams.