Japan: Latest News

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13.03.2023 / 15:33

Silicon Valley Bank crisis: Feds move in to help

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The U.S. government took extraordinary steps Sunday to stop a potential banking crisis after the historic failure of Silicon Valley Bank, assuring all depositors at the failed institution that they could access all their money quickly, even as another major bank was shut down.The announcement came amid fears that the factors that caused the Santa Clara, California-based bank to fail could spread. Regulators had worked all weekend to try to find a buyer for the bank, which was the second-largest bank failure in history.

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Epoch Everlasting Play recalls more than 3.2M toys due to choking hazard; 2 deaths reported

Epoch Everlasting Play LLC recalled all of its Calico Critters flocked animal figures and sets that were sold with bottle and pacifier accessories from 2000 to 2021 on March 9 due to a choking hazard. (U.S.

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Japan provides additional funding for food and nutrition

COLOMBO – The Government of Japan has contributed an additional US$6.6 million to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to provide critical food and nutrition assistance to over one million Sri Lankans.Through this funding, WFP will provide families with food baskets comprising rice, pulses and cooking oil, to meet half their monthly food needs for a period of two months. The donation will also be used to procure maize and soybean for the production of Thriposha, a fortified food product, for a period of four months, which will be supplied to pregnant and breastfeeding mothers and young children at risk of malnutrition. Mizukoshi Hideaki, Ambassador of Japan to Sri Lanka said, “We are pleased to announce that the Government of Japan has decided to provide additional humanitarian support to Sri Lanka in this critical moment.

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Japan destroys H3 rocket minutes after launch over 2nd-stage failure

TOKYO - Japan’s space agency intentionally destroyed a new H3 rocket minutes after its launch Tuesday because the ignition failed for the second stage of the country's first new rocket series in more than two decades.Coming three weeks after an aborted launch due to a separate glitch, the H3's failure was a setback for Japan’s space program — and possibly for its missile detection program — and a disappointment for space fans who were rooting for Tuesday's retrial.The H3 rocket with a white head blasted off and soared into the blue sky from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan as fans and local residents cheered. It followed its planned trajectory and the second stage separated as designed, but the ignition for it failed, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said.JAXA officials apologized for the failure, and said it sent a command to destroy the rocket about 14 minutes after liftoff as there was no hope for it to complete its mission.Japan's next-generation H3 rocket failed after liftoff on March 7, 2023, with the space agency issuing a destruct command after concluding the mission could not succeed.

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Finally, there's hope for long COVID treatment. Here's what it is

Ensitrelvir can shorten symptoms of mild to moderate COVID-19 by about a day Ensitrelvir, a new antiviral drug, has been shown to shorten symptoms of mild to moderate COVID-19 and moreover, it has the potential to prevent long COVID, study has shown. Here's all you need to know about the drug, can it really prevent long COVID and why the experts are still skeptical about it. Ensitrelvir has been developed by Shionogi in Osaka, Japan and they claim that it shorten symptoms of mild to moderate COVID-19 by about a day and reduce the number of days people test positive for coronavirus. The trial data was presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections. The trial involved roughly 1,200 people and aimed to determine whether the drug could accelerate recovery.

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USDA proposes new requirements for 'Product of USA' labels

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released a proposed rule with new requirements on "Product of USA" labels in an effort to increase transparency and help ensure consumers understand where their food comes from. Announced Monday, the proposed rule allows the voluntary label "Product of USA or "Made in the USA" claim be used on meat, poultry and egg products only when they are derived from animals born, raised, slaughtered and processed in the U.S. "American consumers expect that when they buy a meat product at the grocery store, the claims they see on the label mean what they say," agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement.

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Sen. Mike Lee suspended by Twitter; Musk says error

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 30: U.S. Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) asks a question of former FBI Director James Comey at a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 30, 2020 in Washington, DC.

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Wreckage of US Navy submarine from World War II found off Japan’s coast

Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) confirmed the identity of a wreck site off the coast of Hokkaido, Japan, as USS Albacore (SS 218) on February 16. (Naval History and Heritage Command / FOX Weather) WASHINGTON - The wreckage of a U.S.

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Hong Kong model Abby Choi: Ex-husband, relatives charged with murder after body parts found

An ex-husband of Hong Kong-based model Abby Choi, along with three of his relatives, were charged with murder on Sunday in connection to her grisly death — with the official charges coming only days after several dismembered body parts believed to belong to Choi were discovered by police.Choi’s ex-husband, Alex Kwong, 28, his brother Anthony, 31, and their father, Kwong Kau, 65, have been charged with murder, as per the Hong Kong public broadcaster RTHK. The outlet also reported that Kwong’s mother Jenny Li, 63, was charged with perverting the course of justice.

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'Take It Down' helps teens remove explicit images from internet

A girl is posting photos to WeChat taken in Japan. (Getty Images) (Getty Images)(AP) - "Once you send that photo, you can’t take it back," goes the warning to teenagers, often ignoring the reality that many teens send explicit images of themselves under duress, or without understanding the consequences.A new online tool aims to give some control back to teens, or people who were once teens, and take down explicit images and videos of themselves from the internet.Called Take It Down, the tool is operated by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and funded in part by Meta Platforms, the owner of Facebook and Instagram.The site lets anyone anonymously — and without uploading any actual images — create what is essentially a digital fingerprint of the image.

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Russell Crowe, girlfriend refused service at Australian restaurant for not meeting dress code

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 28: Russell Crowe and girlfriend Britney Theriot are seen at the Women’s Singles Final match between Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan during day 13 of the 2023 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Januar Russell Crowe and his girlfriend Britney Theriot were reportedly turned away from a Japanese restaurant in Australia recently because they didn’t meet the "smart casual" dress code. The "Gladiator" actor’s manager Grant Vandenberg told the Daily Mail Australia the couple had gone to the Mr. Miyagi fusion establishment in Melbourne for a "quick bit to eat." "He (Russell) went there wearing a brand new Ralph Lauren polo having just played a game of tennis and was turned away,' Vandenberg said.

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Japan to deliver diesel worth $ 46 Mn for Sri Lankan hospitals

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka and Japan singed Exchange Notes for a humanitatrian grant of USD 46 Million.Mahinda Siriwardena, the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, and Mizukoshi Hideaki, the Ambassador of Japan, signed an Exchange of Notes to secure a humanitarian grant of USD 46 million. The purpose of the grant is to provide diesel fuel to public hospitals throughout Sri Lanka. The signing ceremony took place at the President's Office, with President Ranil Wickremesinghe in attendance.Under this agreement, the Government of Japan has committed to supplying 20 million litres of diesel fuel.

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Unbelievable ‘Wheel of Fortune’ fail makes audience groan in disbelief

A contestant on Monday night’s episode of Wheel of Fortune made an error so shocking it prompted one audience member to shout out what everyone was thinking: “What!?”

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Mysterious sphere washes up on Japanese beach, triggering speculation

A large, mysterious steel sphere has washed up on a Japanese beach, prompting mass speculation from locals and sleuthing netizens as to what the object may be.

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Many Sri Lankans borrowing money or spending savings to survive

COLOMBO (News 1st); One in three households, 33% of Sri Lankans are food insecure according to WFP’s Household Food Security Survey (December 2022).It added that nearly seven in ten households are adopting foodbased coping strategies such as relying on less preferred food, limiting portion sizes and reducing the number of meals. In addition, over eight in ten households are turning to livelihood coping strategies such as borrowing money or spending savings.WFP’s Market Functionality Index for December showed that commodity prices continue to be volatile. Several markets have also reported scarcity of items including cereals.According to the Colombo Consumer Price Index, headline inflation (year-on-year) for January 2023 was 54.2 percent, down from the 57.2 percent in December 2022.

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Trinco Port commences night operations with state-of-the-art technology

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Trinco Night Navigation Operations Project at the Trincomalee Harbour was launched recently, and is now in operation.Trincomalee Harbour, a natural deep-water harbor, is considered the fifth largest natural harbor in the world. Despite its world-class recognition among industrial and tourist ports, the development and operations of the Port of Trincomalee were hampered due to the rapid development of the Port of Colombo and the lack of potential to perform night operations. Vessels calling at the port at night had to enter the port during the daytime of the following day, after anchoring at the out-harbor waters during the previous night, which caused interruptions to port operations and their efficiency.As a result of fruitful discussions between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Government of Japan in 2017, the two governments entered into an agreement to implement a grant aid under the Japanese Non-Project Grant Aid Program 2017, also known as the Economic & Social Development Program. Accordingly, this grant aid of 01 billion Japanese Yen was provided for the Night Navigation Operations Project at the Port of Trincomalee, which included a state-of-the-art Vessel Traffic Management System, Radar Equipment, Lighthouse Equipment, 16 Navigation Buoys, 02 Mooring Buoys, 02 400KV Generators, 14 Fire Pumps with machinery, and a Pilot Vessel provided by the Japan International Cooperation System (JICS) with the assistance of the Government and the People of Japan.The Trinco Night Navigation Operations Project, which includes all of this equipment and facilities, was handed over for operations on February 17, 2023, at a function held at the Port of Trincomalee.

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Why Paid Menstrual Leave Is Good for Your Health, According to an Expert

.The US and UK currently don't offer this benefit as standard, but we hope that more governments will take inspiration from Spain—as well as Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, South Korea, and Zambia—in accommodating the impact of periods on our health.Studies have found that the workplaces ignoring the impact of periods on an employee affects productivity considerably, as well. that people who menstruate tend to work through their period pain, and it makes them less productive.

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JICA to resume projects after IMF deal is finalized

COLOMBO (News 1st); JICA is set to resume its ongoing projects in Sri Lanka no sooner the IMF package on debt restructuring finalized, said the Prime Minister's Media Division.Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena urged the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to recommence all the ongoing projects that are temporarily halted due to fiscal issues.He made this request when Director General of the South Asia Department of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Teruyuki Ito met him on Monday (20).Teruyuki Ito assured the Prime Minister that JICA projects would be resumed no sooner the debt restructuring programme is finalized by the International Monetary Fund.12 JAICA projects worth US$ 2.5 billion have been temporarily halted due to the fiscal crisis. The JICA delegation had expressed satisfaction over the progress in debt restructuring plans, in which Japan also played a major role.The Prime Minister thanked JICA Director General for the continuous assistance provided to Sri Lanka for several decades for water treatment, sewerage, sanitation and solid waste treatment projects in several cities and towns. He also requested JICA to provide assistance in new areas such as renewable energy and electrification of public transport and railways.Prime Minister Gunawardena also briefed the JICA delegation about the steps taken to improve transparency and accountability in project implementation by enacting required legislations as recommended by the Committee appointed by the President. He added that a Budget Act would be passed to ensure continuation of nationally important projects and policies despite change of governments in power.

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Presidents Day: A look at some notable presidential speeches in US history

Presidents Day is a federal holiday in the U.S. celebrated on the third Monday of February each year. The day recognizes George Washington’s birthday, as well as honors the history of the American presidency and all of those who have served as our nation’s leader. RELATED: Presidents Day 2023: What’s open, closed and where to find dealsFrom Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address to Ronald Reagan’s "tear down this wall" speech more than a century later, here are some famous presidential remarks of the past.The two-minute speech was given by President Abraham Lincoln following the Battle of Gettysburg during a cemetery dedication for the Union war dead on Nov.

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Japan’s Mitsubishi, Taisei scale back in Sri Lanka

TOKYO/MUMBAI — Japanese companies like Mitsubishi Corp. and Taisei Corp.

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Married but living apart? Canadian experts weigh in on Japan’s separation marriage trend

At a time when divorce and separation is increasingly on the rise among some groups in Canada, unique concepts like “separation marriage” and “weekend marriage” are taking over in one part of the world.

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North Korea makes new threats, US bombers fly after missile test

People walk past a television showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at a railway station in Seoul on February 18, 2023. - (Photo by ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP via Getty Images) North Korea said Sunday its latest intercontinental ballistic missile test was meant to further bolster its "fatal" nuclear attack capacity and threatened additional powerful steps over upcoming military drills between the United States and South Korea.The United States responded by flying long-range supersonic bombers in a show of force later Sunday for separate joint exercises with South Korean and Japanese warplanes.Saturday’s ICBM test, the North’s first missile test since Jan.

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N. Korea fires missile near Japan as US, S. Korea prepare for drills

People walk past a television showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at a railway station in Seoul on February 18, 2023. - North Korea fired a suspected long-range ballistic missile on February 18, South Korea's mi SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea on Saturday fired a long-range missile from its capital into the sea off Japan, according to its neighbors, a day after it threatened to take strong measures against South Korea and the U.S.

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How to survive: Nuclear fallout

LOS ANGELES - 'How to Survive' is a series where experts explain how to survive everything from natural disasters to everyday issues that affect us all.The peril of nuclear war — and its aftermath — has been an ominous threat looming over mankind since the 1940s. While the politics and the players may have changed through the years, the one constant has been the sheer destructiveness of the weapons.Now, many Americans are, for the first time in their lives, contemplating the possibility of a nuclear attack and how to survive it."If anything like [a nuclear attack] does happen – defense systems fail, nukes that large hit the United States – it's going to be really, really terrible," said Thomas Coyne a professional survival instructor who teaches courses at and owns California Survival Training.Nuclear bomb blast.

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Japanese grant of USD 38 Mn for Sri Lanka’s Health Service

COLOMBO (News 1st); Japanese Government has decided to award a grant of USD 38 Million for an uninterrupted essential and emergency health service, said Cabinet Spokesperson Minister Bandula Gunawardena on Tuesday (14).Speaking to reporters during the weekly briefing to announce Cabinet Decision, the Minister said under Japan's Economic and Social Development Programme to Sri Lanka the funds will be made available for the purchase of fuel, especially diesel, which is of paramount importance to the country's health sector.

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Major vehicle recall in Sri Lanka over faulty airbags

COLOMBO (News 1st); Three leading local car dealers have decided to recall a large number of vehicles over faulty airbags and for upgrades.The Commissioner General of the Department of Motor Traffic Nishantha Anurudhdha Weerasinghe told News 1st that discussions are underway with all other dealers to rectify the faulty airbag issue.Millions of vehicles ranging from a variety of makes and models across the world are being recalled due to faulty airbags made by a Japanese auto parts maker.The Commissioner General of the Department of Motor Traffic Nishantha Anurudhdha Weerasinghe told News 1st that vehicles that fall under the recall category are currently in use in Sri Lanka.He said that a special meeting will take place on Tuesday (14) with local car dealers to address the issue.It has now been confirmed that vehicles with defective airbags that can increase the risk of injury, fail to protect occupants, or cause a driver to crash have been sold across the world, and these include Sedans and SUBs.Although vehicles belonging to the relevant make and models have been recalled overseas to rectify the issue, in Sri Lanka, those vehicles continue to operate in the streets.The Commissioner General of the Department of Motor Traffic Nishantha Anurudhdha Weerasinghe said that local vehicle importers have decided to recall 47 vehicle models with faulty airbags to rectify the issue.These include the following:Honda: 33 Models from 9 vehicle types Mitsubishi: 8 Models from 3 vehicle types Toyota: 6 ModelsHowever, across the world, over 100 vehicle models have been recalled to rectify the airbag issue, and they include the following:Mazda: 7 vehicle categories Benz: 10 vehicle categories Mitsubishi: 6 vehicle categories Subaru: 5

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Japan to drop mask guidance, relax Covid strategy

Japan's government will drop its recommendation to wear masks indoors and downgrade its medical classification for Covid-19, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said today.

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More countries imposing COVID rules on travelers from China

battles a nationwide outbreak of the coronavirus after abruptly easing restrictions that were in place for much of the pandemic.Australian health authorities said Sunday that from Jan 5. all air travelers from mainland China, Hong Kong or Macao will need to show a negative COVID-19 test taken within two days of their departure.Canadian authorities announced similar measures that will also come into effect Jan.

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IMF Insists on Creditor Assurances to Unlock $2.9 Billion Sri Lanka Bailout – Report

Bloomberg: The International Monetary Fund said its approval for a $2.9 billion loan to bail out crisis-riddled Sri Lanka will depend on the island nation securing assurances on debt relief from its bilateral creditors.“Sri Lanka continues to engage with official bilateral creditors to obtain financing assurances and also continues to advance domestic reforms,” an IMF spokesperson said in a statement on the progress of its Extended Fund Facility to the South Asian nation. “As soon as adequate assurances are obtained and remaining requirements are met, including by the Sri Lankan authorities, the EFF arrangement for Sri Lanka can be presented to the IMF’s Executive Board for approval.”The Paris Club – an informal group of rich western creditors — and India have provided formal support to the multilateral lender for the loan recast, leaving China — Sri Lanka’s biggest lender — as a holdout.

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India reports 128 new Covid cases in the last 24 hours

Under the Covid vaccination drive, more than 220.56 crore vaccine doses have been administered to people across the country so far. In the last 24 hours, around 1,60,769 vaccine doses were administered New Delhi India has reported 128 new Covid cases in the last 24 hours, according to the union health ministry data. The total number of Covid cases reached 4.47 crore, with 530,745 Covid-related deaths since the onset of the Covid pandemic.

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CARAT – 2023 concludes, strengthening maritime cooperation

The Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) – 2023 bilateral exercise successfully concluded in Sri Lanka on 26th January 2023. Hosted by the U.S. Pacific Fleet in partnership with the Sri Lanka Navy, CARAT – 2023 Exercise was held in Colombo, Trincomalee and Mullikulam from 19th to 25th January.The closing ceremony of CARAT – 2023 was held on board ‘USS Anchorage’ at the pier side of Colombo harbour under the auspices of U.S.

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Sri Lanka hopeful of completing debt restructuring in six months

(Reuters) – Sri Lanka is committed to meeting all its debt repayments and is hoping to complete debt restructuring negotiations in the next six months, the country's central bank chief P. Nandalal Weerasinghe said on Tuesday."There has been good progress this month with India already pledging financing assurances.

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Travel rules for Spain, US, Thailand and more from passport to Covid requirements

Holidaymakers who plan to go abroad this year will need to keep up to date about the rules and laws for the destination that they will be visiting.

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US Navy, Marines in Colombo for military exercise this week

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps will commence exercise Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT)/Marine Exercise (MAREX) Sri Lanka 2023 with the Sri Lanka Navy and Sri Lanka Air Force in Colombo.The exercise will commence on the 19th of January, and will end on the 26th of January. CARAT/MAREX Sri Lanka is a bilateral exercise between Sri Lanka and the United States designed to promote regional security cooperation, maintain and strengthen maritime partnerships, and enhance maritime interoperability.

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Easing covid curbs in China good for metals

₹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.

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Covid-19: India reports 170 fresh infections in a day

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.

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Covid negative tests mandatory for flyers from China, 5 other countries from 1 January

On Friday, Covid guidelines were revised by the Centre for passengers arriving on international flights. Negative RT-PCR tests will be mandatory from January 1 to enter India from countries that are seeing massive COVID surge currently. These countries include China, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Republic of Korea, Thailand and Japan.

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Govt asks airlines to modify check-in systems for travellers from China, 5 other countries amid Covid surge

The civil aviation ministry has asked the airlines to modify check-in systems ahead of new Covid norms for travellers from China, 5 other countries The civil aviation ministry on Friday asked airlines to modify their check-in systems for international passengers coming into India as part of the revised Covid guidelines, which makes a negative Covid test report a must for travellers coming from China and five other countries from Sunday. The ministry's direction comes a day after the health ministry decided to make RT-PCR negative test reports compulsory for passengers coming on all international flights from six high-risk countries --China, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Republic of Korea, Thailand and Japan.

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Indonesia scraps mask mandate, finally ending Covid pandemic restrictions

Indonesia has decided to scrap the mask mandate, ending the coronavirus pandemic restrictions Indonesia will do away with indoor mask mandates and remove the requirement to show proof of vaccination when entering buildings, becoming one of the last few countries to completely end Covid-19 restrictions. The changes will take effect from Friday and decision was taken as almost all of Indonesia’s population had immunity against the virus, said President Joko Widodo, who is popularly known as Jokowi. “We once failed in containing Covid, but now we are among the few countries that did not experience a pandemic wave in past 10 to 11 consecutive months," he told a media briefing in Jakarta.

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Lack of info on China's Covid-19 surge stirs global concerns

Moves by several countries to mandate COVID-19 tests for passengers arriving from China reflect global concern that new variants could emerge in its ongoing explosive outbreak — and that the government may not inform the rest of the world quickly enough. There have been no reports of new variants to date, but China has been accused of not being forthcoming about the virus since it first surfaced in the country in late 2019. The worry is that it may not be sharing data now on any signs of evolving strains that could spark fresh outbreaks elsewhere.

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Next 40 days key to assessing spread of covid wave in India

While the Central government has started random sampling and testing of 2% of foreign travellers at Delhi airport, in the last two days, more than 6,000 international travellers have been scanned, out of which 39 passengers have tested covid-19 positive. New Delhi: Government officials warned that the next 40 days would be crucial in determining the possibility of a resurgence of covid-19 cases in India as they urged people to follow safety protocols and complete their vaccination doses.

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Hundreds apply for 20 vacancies in Japan, as number of overseas job seekers rise

COLOMBO (News 1st) – A large number of people visited the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment on Wednesday (28) morning based on a SLBFE advertisement for FREE job opportunities in Japan.However, later it was revealed that the advertisement was posed for 20 vacancies.A long queue was seen leading to the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment in Battaramulla.Job applicants from all across the country had made their way to the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment based on a Facebook post published by the SLBFE.The advertisement was for an awareness program for seat product sewing job opportunities in Japan.Notably, the advertisement did not mention that it was necessary to be fluent in Japanese to apply for the positions.Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment said that only 20 women will be awarded the job opportunities in Japan.The Spokesperson for the SLBFE said that following selection 20 women will be given language training at a four month residential program. "They will be sent for employment only after completing this entire process. There are 20 vacancies at present, and when they are completed we will be looking for more," he added.

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Centre okays Bharat Biotech’s intranasal covid-19 vaccine

The vaccine can be administered to individuals who have received primary doses of Covaxin and Covishield Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday approved Bharat Biotech International Ltd’s intranasal covid-19 vaccine, iNCOVACC, for emergency use in adults for both primary and booster shots. The vaccine can be administered to individuals who have received primary doses of Covaxin and Covishield, the two most used vaccines against covid-19 in India. “We have given approval to the intranasal covid vaccine.

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PM calls for strict vigil against covid-19

NEW DELHI : Amid a sudden surge in covid cases globally due to the Omicron BF.7 variant, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has directed state governments to ensure operational readiness of hospital infrastructure, stressed on precaution dose vaccination for the elderly and vulnerable population, and instructed strengthening of surveillance, genome sequencing and testing. Modi, on Thursday, virtually chaired a high-level meeting to assess the covid-19 situation in the country, preparedness of health infrastructure and logistics, status of vaccination campaign and the emergence of new covid-19 variants and their public health implications.

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Covid not over yet; need to be alert, increase booster doses uptake: Mandaviya tells Parliament

In view of upcoming festivals and new year celebrations, states also need to focus on ensuring effective awareness on adherence to covid appropriate behaviour, Mandaviya said New Delhi: With covid-19 cases surging in China, health minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday urged all members of Parliament to help spread community awareness about the pandemic and the need to remain alert. Delivering a suo-motu statement in Parliament on the present covid situation and steps taken by the government to check the pandemic, Mandaviya said, “In the last few days, we have seen an increasing trajectory of covid-19 cases across the world.

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Serum's Adar Poonawalla: China covid news ‘concerning’ but India…

Amid global concern over covid situation in China and dire predictions by research groups that death toll in China could rise to millions, Adar Poonawalla, the CEO and founder of Serum Institute of India, said in a tweet that though news coming out of China is concerning, “we need not panic given our excellent vaccination coverage and track record. We must continue to trust and follow the guidelines set by the Government of India." Serum Institute of India, the maker of Covaxin covid vaccine, has helped India achieve a high degree of vaccination rate against Covid. India is recording about 1,200 new infections a week.

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Stay vigilant, avoid panic, says health ministry amid China covid surge

Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan directed all states/UTs to ensure that as far as possible samples of all positive cases are sent to the designated INSACOG laboratories on a daily basis. New Delhi: A spurt in covid cases in China and a clutch of other countries has prompted central health authorities to direct states and union territories to gear up for whole genome sequencing of positive samples and track variants of the virus through the government’s covid network.

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Sri Lanka to stop sending workers as housemaids; Over 300,000 registered as expats in 2022

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka will stop sending workers overseas to serve as housemaids from March 2023, said the country's Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment Manusha Nanayakkara on Monday (19).He said that a program will be introduced to send Sri Lankans as domestic aides overseas by adopting an international standard.The Minister said that measures will be taken to ensure that Sri Lankans leave for overseas employment via legal channels, and for their earnings to be remitted to the country legally.The Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment said multiple programs will be introduced for the benefit of Sri Lankan expatriates, including the provision of a vehicle import permit, and a pension scheme.Sri Lanka recently opened a special gate named the ‘HOPE GATE’ at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake, for workers leaving and returning from foreign countries, where all necessary facilities are provided to expatriate workers at the airport.The Minister said that for the first time in the history of the country, the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau registered and facilitated over 300,000 expatriate workers in 2022.A majority of these workers have travelled to Kuwait, and that figure is 76,579.In addition, a total of 69,992 people left for Qatar, and another 51,421 people left for Saudi Arabia for employment.A further 4,410 Sri Lankans left for Japan for employment as well.

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United States	Cases: 46 252 513 Deaths: 750 423 Recovered: 0
India	Cases: 34 321 025 Deaths: 459 652 Recovered: 0
Brazil	Cases: 21 835 785 Deaths: 608 235 Recovered: 0
United Kingdom	Cases: 9 215 683 Deaths: 141 607 Recovered: 0
Russia	Cases: 8 494 589 Deaths: 237 619 Recovered: 0