India: Latest News

COLOMBO (News 1st) – India’s Minister of External Affairs Dr S. Jaishankar met with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Friday (20) morning where both sides had agreed to implement a joint program between Sri Lanka and India.President Ranil Wickremesinghe welcomed the Indian External Affairs Minister at the President's Office where the duo engaged in cordial discussions.Prior to the official meeting, President Wickremesinghe hosted the visiting Indian External Affairs Minister Dr Jaishankar for breakfast and tea at his official residence at Paget Road, Colombo.During the official meeting held between the President and Indian Foreign Minister Dr S.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The bilateral agreement related to raising the limit of the High Impact Community Development Project (HICDP) implemented in Sri Lanka with the support of the Government of India was signed during the meeting between Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. Jaishankar and Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe in Colombo on Friday (20).The Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, Mahinda Siriwardena, signed the agreement on behalf of Sri Lanka and the Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Gopal Baglay signed on behalf of India.This agreement guides many community development projects in Sri Lanka with the support of the Government of India.This agreement related to community development projects in Sri Lanka was signed in May 2005.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – India's External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar said that the full implementation of the 13th Amendment and early conduct of provincial elections are critical for political devolution.He was speaking in Colombo on Friday (20) alongside Foreign Minister Ali Sabry, and with President Ranil Wickremesinghe present at the President's Office."He President briefed me on the political devolution and his thinking.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – India's External Affairs Minister  Dr. S.

Physical activity benefits even those at higher risk for complications People who exercise regularly had lower rates of hospitalization and death from Covid-19 in a study published recently in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

COLOMBO (News 1st) –  India's External Affairs Minister Dr. S.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie J.

'Gloomy emotions'  China's leader has expressed similar concern about the impact of the outbreak on rural areas during the holidays. "Xi said he was primarily concerned about rural areas and rural residents after the country adjusted its Covid-19 response measures," state news agency Xinhua reported Wednesday -- a reference to the relaxing of China's strict virus curbs last month. He "stressed efforts to improve medical care for those most vulnerable to the virus in rural areas", Xinhua said.

COLOMBO (News 1st) –  India's External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar will pay an official visit  Sri Lanka on Thursday (19).Dr.

New Delhi: Lengthy school closures due to the pandemic have undone years of gradual gains in learning levels among India’s school-age students, with a major education report released on Wednesday reporting elementary reading and maths skills comparable to pre-2012 levels. Nearly 43% of class V students tested by education non-profit Pratham Education Foundation could read a class II level text and 26% could divide numbers. In 2012, the figures were 47% and 25%, respectively.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka Police said the target of Wednesday (18) afternoon shooting down 6th Lane in Kotahena was a relative of wanter underworld gangster 'Kimbula Ele Guna'.Two armed on a motorcycle fired several shots at a person inside a car that was parked down 6th Lane in Kotahena at around 1:30 on Wednesday (18) afternoon.CCTV cameras captured the incident, and the car fleeing the hail of bullets.A 30-year-old man identified as Raveendran Deepan, a resident of Jinananda Mawatha Kotahena, was injured in the shooting.The man who is also known as Dileepan is a relative of wanted underworld gangster Sinniah Gunasekara commonly known as Kimbula Ele Guna.Sinniah Gunasekara commonly known as Kimbula Ele Guna is currently detained by the Indian National Intelligence Agency in Tamil Nadu.Kimbula Ele Guna's relative who was injured in the shooting in Kotahena was admitted to the Colombo National Hospital for treatment.Thereafter, according to a spokesperson from the National Hospital, Dileepan's relatives had beaten up a man who made inquiries about the injured man.This man too was admitted to the Colombo National Hospital accident ward for treatment.An individual identified as Sajith Ranga aka Mabima Ranga was killed when two men on a motorcycle opened fire at him close to the Kalu Palama in Peliyagoda on Tuesday (17) morningOn the 15th of January, a 36-year-old man was gunned down by motorcycle gunmen in the Kumbuka area located along the Piliyandala – Horana Road.On the 11th of January, a similar homicide was reported from Panamura.On the 31st of May 2022, two men were targetted by motorcycle gunmen in Fort, Colombo and since then over 50 people have been gunned down in Sri Lanka.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – India has told the International Monetary Fund that it confirms its strong support for Sri Lanka's prospective EFF-supported program.According to a letter seen by News 1st from Indian authorities to IMF Chief Kristalina Georgieva, India had noted it will commit to supporting Sri Lanka with financing/ debt relief consistent with restoring Sri Lanka's public debt sustainability under the IMF -supported program and ensuring that the program is fully financed as projected by IMF staff."In this context, we commit to continuing negotiations with the Sri Lankan government along with the Paris Club on a medium-to-long term debt treatment through maturity extension and interest rate reduction or any other financial operations that would deliver similar financing/ debt relief," noted the letter.According to this letter seen by News 1st, India says that the financing/ debt relief provided by Export-Import Bank of India will be consistent with restoring debt sustainability under the IMF-supported program."We look forward to continuing cordial and in-depth discussions with the Sri Lankan authorities, IMF and the Paris Club with a view to finalizing the specifics of this financingj debt relief in the coming weeks," the letter added. However, it had noted that the Sri Lankan authorities are expected to seek equitable debt treatments from all commercial creditors and other official bilateral creditors, as well as adequate financing contributions from the multilateral development banks. Sri Lanka requires the backing of China and India – its biggest bilateral lenders – to reach a final agreement with the IMF on the $2.9 billion loan that is essential to help the country emerge from its worst financial crisis in seven

NEW DELHI : Nestle India on Wednesday announced the launch of ThickenUp Clear, a food and beverage thickener that can be used to help patients with swallowing difficulties especially in oropharyngeal dysphagia. The launch is part of Nestlé India’s Health Sciences division that sells health-focussed and nutrition products.  “Nestlé India has launched ThickenUp Clear, a food and beverage thickener that can be used to help patients with swallowing difficulties especially in oropharyngeal dysphagia.

Pawar emphasized on the need for strengthening and empowering communities to become resilient to future health emergencies New Delhi: Pandemic policy must be a defining part of our health policy as any health crisis today leads to an economic crisis, minister of state for health and family welfare Bharati Pravin Pawar said on Wednesday. Addressing the first Health Working Group meeting under G20 India Presidency at Thiruvananthapuram, Pawar noted that pandemic prevention, preparedness and response require diverse multi-sectoral, multi-agency coordinated efforts. She emphasized on the need for strengthening and empowering communities to become resilient to future health emergencies.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – India's External Affairs Minister  Dr. S. Jaishankar will pay an official visit to Maldives and Sri Lanka from 18-20 January 2023, confirmed the Indian External Affairs Ministry.Dr.

According to a recent media report, in answer to an RTI inquiry, ICMR and CDSCO acknowledged ‘multiple side-effects’ of COVID-19 vaccinations. The Union Health Ministry has reiterated that only a small percentage of patients who receive the COVID-19 vaccine may develop serious adverse events depending on certain predisposing circumstances, refuting the reports of various side effects of the vaccine.

₹3.6 trillion packaged food market. “During lockdown, we saw in-home consumption growing with home becoming the new social hub. Convenient food products that are high on trust and hygiene along with easy accessibility were key factors for consumers that have contributed to the uptick in demand for packaged snacks," Anshul Khanna, senior director and category head, foods, PepsiCo India, said.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – India formally notified that it would support Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring plan, according to a person with knowledge of the matter, reported Bloomberg News.This would clear a major hurdle for the bankrupt nation to unlock a $2.9 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund.India, one of Sri Lanka’s major bilateral creditors, gave its assurances late Monday (16), the person said, asking not to be identified as the details aren’t public, reported Bloomberg News.An announcement could be made as early as Tuesday, another person said, according to the report.

The country's cumulative Covid tally has gone up to 4.46 crore (4,46,81,233). India has recorded lowest single-day Covid-19 cases since March 2020, with the country reporting 89 new coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours, according to the Union Home Ministry data updated on Tuesday.  With this, the country's cumulative Covid tally has gone up to 4.46 crore (4,46,81,233). The active cases declined to 2,035 that comprise 0.01 percent of the total infections.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka's High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda met with the National Security Advisor of India Shri Ajit Kumar Doval, on Monday (16).The High Commission said that duo discussed matters pertaining to India-Sri Lanka relations.  The discussion focused on mutual strategic interests of the two countries and priority areas for cooperation, it added.The meeting took place as part of the regular and ongoing dialogue between the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka and the National Security Advisor of India, noted the High Commission.The meeting took place days ahead of the reported visit of Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S.

(With inputs from PTI)

The World Health Organization expressed appreciation for China’s sharing of Covid-19 data after Beijing reported around 60,000 Covid-related deaths over the past month, providing the first major accounting of the death toll since the country lifted pandemic restrictions.

Edited excerpts: There is a lot of talk of a possible fourth wave as China is seeing sudden surge. What is the situation in India? We have observed during the last six weeks, the covid-19 cases have not increased. In fact, as a result of enhanced testing from the middle of December, the number of testing is now between 200,000 to 250,000 per day.

Covid-19 continues to spread en masse in several coutnries across the globe.

BEIJING : The World Health Organization has appealed to China to keep releasing information about its wave of COVID-19 infections after the government announced nearly 60,000 deaths since early December following weeks of complaints it was failing to tell the world what was happening. The announcement Saturday was the first official death toll since the ruling Communist Party abruptly dropped anti-virus restrictions in December despite a surge in infections that flooded hospitals. That left the WHO and other governments appealing for information, while the United States, South Korea and others imposed controls on visitors from China.

India Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday (12) aid that Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have shown their keenness to import ethanol from India.The minister of road transport and highways said that he discussed about ethanol with the government of both the countries—Sri Lanka and Bangladesh."I was able to discuss this matter with PM of Bangladesh and even the Sri Lankan minister.

I don’t want to buy health insurance but want a critical illness plan where I can get the full sum insured irrespective of the actual cost for several diseases. I got this information from an insurance agent. Please let me know how does critical illness insurance work. Also, why should one have regular health insurance if there is a critical health policy? —Name withheld on request A critical illness plan is a fixed benefit plan.

₹2,400 per tonne from the previous week to align with global prices, while India rebar prices rose by ₹1,800 a tonne. However domestic HRC prices are at modest discounts to Chinese imports, but at a premium to the imports from South Korea and Japan.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.

Long Covid subtype impacting cardiac and renal systems was the most common—34% of patients fell into this category Even though infections related to COVID are significantly mild now, what it still worrying is the long-term effects of the disease, i.e long COVID.  Till now, much about the condition has remained unclear, including how long it lasts and researchers have been studying the symptoms to understand more about the disease. Now, a new study has revealed that there are as many as 4 subtypes of long COVID, and many of the symptoms are serious.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe will virtually attend the 'Voice of Global South Summit' in India.Ranil Wickremesinghe will be among 20 world leaders who will participate in the two-day summit, which has the theme “Unity of voice, unity of purpose”, and will bring together developing countries on a common platform.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the virtual Voice of Global South Summit on Thursday (12).The summit will provide a platform to developing countries to present their priorities and challenges related to developmental issues.The summit envisages 10 sessions, four on Thursday and six on Friday.Each session is expected to witness the participation of leaders and ministers from 10 to 20 countries.Modi will chair two sessions for heads of state and government, one each at the start and conclusion of the summit.The summit is also part of India’s effort to strengthen its credentials as a representative of the Global South.According to the Hindustan Times, the Indian external affairs ministry said last week that more than 120 countries were being invited to the summit, though there was no clarity on the confirmed participants.

BBC – Sri Lanka's central bank has urged China and India to agree a write-down of their loans as soon as possible, reported the BBC on Thursday (12).The crisis-hit Indian Ocean state defaulted on its debt repayments and negotiated a $2.9bn (£2.4bn) bailout.But the International Monetary Fund will not release the cash until China and India first agree to reduce Sri Lanka's billions of dollars of debt.The governor of Sri Lanka's central bank told BBC Newsnight it was in the interest of all parties to act quickly.Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe said: "The sooner they give us finance assurances that would be better for both [sides], as a creditor, as a debtor.""That will help us to start repaying their obligations," he added."We don't want to be in this kind of situation, not meeting the obligations, for too long.

Over 15 lakh passengers have been traced & out of them over 200 passengers have been detected as Covid positive. Owing to the sudden COVID surge globally, Centre is tracing all the airports to ensure that no new variant enters the country.

Sore throat: Currently, it is the most common symptom of COVID and also, the earliest sign to identify that you have contracted the virus.  How does it feel? Usually, the symptom starts affecting the first week itself.  The patients complain of feeling discomfort, pain, or scratchiness in their throats. It can also lead to difficulty in swallowing your food.

The senior Congress leader was admitted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital with a viral infection. Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who was admitted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday around 3 pm, Dr Ajay Swaroop, Chairman Board of Management at the hospital, said.  The senior leader was admitted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital with a viral infection.

Colombo (News 1st) – India won game one of the three match ODI series against Sri Lanka depsite some late heroics by Sri Lankan skipper Dasun Shanaka in Guwahati, India.After the visitors won the toss and chose to field, the home side got off to a blistering start with openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill putting on 143 for the first wicket. The partnership was broken when Gill was dismissed for 70 in the 20th over.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka's Cabinet of Ministers have once again granted approval to import eggs.Trade Minister Nalin Fernando speaking to News 1st said the Cabinet granted approval to his proposal on Monday (9).He said eggs will be imported before the end of the week from India, and the distribution will be handed over to the private sector, while Lanka Sathosa will be involved in the sale of eggs.The government decided to import eggs as a solution to address the high prices of eggs, as the local price of an egg is between Rs. 60/- to Rs.

NEW DELHI : The union health ministry on Monday said that covid-19 positive samples collected from sentinel sites reveals presence of all Omicron variants in the community. The government’s Integrated Disease Surveillance Program (IDSP) sentinel sites referred 324 COVID19 positive samples for sequencing to 22 INSACOG labs.

Given the fresh surge in infections some countries, RT-PCR tests have been made mandatory for flyers coming from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand from 1 January NEW DELHI: India reported 170 new coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, the Union health ministry said in an update on Monday. The country’s active caseload has declined to 2,371, with total reported cases since the pandemic hit in 2020 stands at 4,46,80,094 and death toll at 530,721. Active cases comprise 0.01% of the total infections, and the recovery rate has risen to 98.80%, according to the health ministry.

Some of the world’s most powerful hedge funds and other investors are holding up vital help for crisis-hit Sri Lanka by their hardline stance in debt-relief negotiations after the Asian country’s $51bn (£42bn) default last year, according to 182 economists and development experts from around the world.Instead of geopolitical manoeuvring, all of Sri Lanka’s creditors must ensure debt cancellation sufficient to provide a way out of the current crisis, said a statment from the economists and experts on Monday (9).In a statement the group that said that extensive debt cancellation was needed to give the economy a chance of recovery and that Sri Lanka would be a test case of the willingness of the international community to tackle a looming global debt crisis.The group – including the Indian economist Jayati Ghosh, Thomas Piketty, the author of the bestselling book Capital, and Greece’s former finance minister Yannis Varoufakis – said private sector creditors such as investment companies and hedge funds were preventing a deal.Private creditors own almost 40% of Sri Lanka’s external debt stock, mostly in the form of international sovereign bonds, although the higher interest rates levied on the bonds mean they receive more than 50% of external debt payments.Such lenders charged a premium to lend to Sri Lanka to cover their risks, which accrued them massive profits and contributed to Sri Lanka’s first ever default in April 2022, said the statement."Lenders who benefited from higher returns because of the “risk premium” must be willing to take the consequences of that risk. Indeed, ISBs are now trading at significantly lower prices in the secondary market.

Covid-19 update: The death toll stands at 5,30,720 with two deaths reconciled by Kerala. India has recorded 163 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the cumulative coronavirus tally to 4.46 crore (4,46,79,924), according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday.  With this, the active caseload has declined to 2,423. The active cases comprise 0.01 per cent of the total infections.

(With inputs from agencies)  

NEW DELHI : India will seek to buttress its reputation as the pharmacy of the world to talk about vital health issues, including health emergencies and preparedness, during the G20 Summit this year, union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Thursday. India assumed presidency of the G20 on 1 December last year.

COLOMBO (News 1st) Wanted drug trafficker Kanchipani Imran is on the run from Sri Lankan Authorities and the ‘Q’ Branch of the Tamil Nadu police is actively searching for whether he is hiding in Tamil Nadu. The Q Branch is one of the Criminal Investigation Department wings of the Tamil Nadu Police.Look-out notices have been issued to all airports to prevent the criminal from fleeing abroad.The Sri Lankan government has also sought India’s help to capture Imran. The Central Intelligence Agency has also warned the Tamil Nadu government in this regard.An intensive search is being conducted in 14 coastal districts of Tamil Nadu and fishing village areas.Q Branch Officers told Indian media that its personnel are questioning several local people and fishermen to determine if Imran had sneaked into Rameswaram.A Sri Lankan court has already ordered the guarantors for Najeem Mohammed Imran alias Kanjipani Imran to appear in court.Kanjipani Imran, who is a leading drug trafficker in the country, had fled to India and is now preparing to enter Pakistan from there.Imran's mother, brother, and another individual are listed as guarantors.Kanjipani Imran faces serious charges in Sri Lanka including murder, and he was released on a Rs.

Here’s a list of the new measures different regions are imposing: Hong Kong People traveling from the mainland will need to show a 48-hour negative PCR test result. Traveling via land borders is capped at 50,000 people per day while some land control points, including Lo Wu, will stay shut initially, Chief Executive John Lee said at a briefing Thursday. Thailand Thailand is mandating Covid insurance for foreign visitors from countries that require negative PCR test results before returning home.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday that China's recent Covid-19 outbreak is predominantly led by the Omicron subvariants BA.5.2 and BF.7, which together account for 97.5% of all local infections, while urging Beijing to deliver rapid and regular data on hospitalisation and death.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.

A new Covid strain nicknamed 'the Kraken' is sparking concern around the world.XBB.1.5, a subvariant of Omicron, is already dominant in parts of the US. Now it has started to sweep across the UK and Telangana.XBB.1.5 is a mutated version of Omicron XBB, a strain that was first detected in India in August. Concern about XBB.1.5 is largely based on how it is currently surging in the US.But it has also already been spotted in Britain and other countries around the globe.Experts are concerned XBB.1.5's rapid rise in the US could be caused by mutations that help it to better infect people and dodge protection from vaccination and prior infections.The XBB15 Covid super variant, which is behind the recent wave of Covid infections across the United States and United Kingdom, has made its way to Telangana.The latest genomic sequencing data by Hyderabad-based genetic laboratories attached to Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomic Consortium (INSACOG) have reported 3 XBB15 positive cases in Telangana.Between December and January 2, a total of six XBB14 infections have been reported in India out of which three were from Telangana, two from Maharashtra and one XBB15 infection was from Gujarat.– Input from Agencies