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COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Minister of Education, Susil Premjayanth has met with the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, Alexander Novak.He met with the Russian Deputy Prime Minister during an official visit to Russia.The two dignitaries discussed obtaining fuel for Sri Lanka at length during the meeting, in addition to the welfare of Sri Lankan students who went to Russia for higher education.The Minister thanked Russia for its support provided to Sri Lanka during the COVID-19 period.

Covid infections in the UK have jumped 31 per cent in 10 days, according to the latest data, with most of the country now seeing a steady increase in virus levels. Experts are warning that the rise is particularly notable among the elderly population.

Most commonly reported manifestations include respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological, gastrointestinal and dermatological symptoms, among others In the months after acute sickness has subsided, people with COVID-19 frequently continue to experience persistent symptoms. This happens to those who weren't even hospitalized due to the infection.  A recent study, published in the scientific journal Nature, shows COVID-19 survivors had a significantly higher incidence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety than the non-COVID-19 cohort.  Furthermore, depression, cognitive deficit, impaired quality of life and general health impairment were significantly more prevalent among COVID-19 survivors for the first 6 months.

READ MORE: Will Liz Truss last longer than Daily Star's 60p lettuce takes new turn as bookies reactPreviously experienced ailments are not necessarily a good guide, as the various strange often present different symptoms.Here are the top 20 symptoms that Brits with Covid are currently experiencing and should watch out for, according to the ZOE Symptom Tracker:Sore throat - 63.55%Runny nose - 53.04%Headache - 53.02%Blocked nose - 52.47%Cough no phlegm - 52.06%Sneezing - 47.02%Cough with phlegm - 45.79%Hoarse voice - 43.86%Muscle pain aches - 29.46%Fatigue - 22.97%Dizzy light headed - 21.11%Altered smell - 19.82%Swollen neck glands - 17.72%Eye soreness - 16.41%Chest pain tightness - 16.26%Shortness of breath - 15.9%Loss of smell - 14.45%Earache - 13.96%Chills or shivers - 12.98%Joint pain shoulders - 11.08%On Friday, official data from the Office of National Statistics revealed that 1.7million Brits currently have the bug.That marked an increase from 1.3million last week.There are an additional 235,829 daily symptomatic cases according to figures from the team at ZOE.To stay up to date with all the latest news, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.With testing no longer free, fewer people are seeking clarification as to whether their illness is Covid or not.With a sore throat being the most common symptom, there is a high chance that could represent a Covid infection – although without testing it is impossible to know and it could be a cold, flu, or even a rarer infection like laryngitis, tonsillitis, strep throat or glandular fever.Health chiefs have advised anyone feeling unwell with potential Covid symptoms to steer clear of elderly friends and relatives.Director of Public Health Programmes at the UK

Covid-19: The death toll due to the viral disease has risen to 5,28,895 with 21 more fatalities, including 16 reconciled by Kerala, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am. With 2,401 fresh cases, India's Covid-19 tally has climbed to 4,46,28,828, while the number of active cases of the infection has gone up to 26,625, the Union health ministry said on Sunday. The death toll due to the viral disease has risen to 5,28,895 with 21 more fatalities, including 16 reconciled by Kerala, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am.

Russian military firing range near Ukraine, killing 11 and wounding 15 others, before getting killed, the Russian Defense Ministry said.The ministry said in a statement that the shooting took place in the Belgorod region in southwestern Russia that borders Ukraine. It said that the two men from an unnamed ex-Soviet nation fired on soldiers during target practice and were killed by return fire.The ministry called the incident a terrorist attack.

Chick-fil-A dressings available at retail stores (Chick-fil-A Inc.) ATLANTA - Chick-fil-A is once again making the venture from the drive-thru to the grocery isle.The Atlanta-based restaurant chain says customers will be able to purchase 12-ounce bottles of Chick-fil-A's most popular salad dressings starting this month.So which dressings will be available?: They include Avocado Lime Ranch, Garden Herb Ranch, Creamy Salsa, and Zesty Apple Cider Vinaigrette.There is a slight catch. For now, the dressings will only be sold at select retail stores in Cincinatti and Tennessee.

An art project to commemorate the thousands of people who died from Covid-19 has opened in Dublin.

Danielle Brooks celebrated the opening night of her Broadway show The Piano Lesson just days ago and she sadly has to take a break from performing as she just tested positive for COVID-19.

Covid-19 which is slowly rising. In its health bulletin, the health department informed that now total cases of the Covid-19 virus in the city stand at 20,04,787, while the death toll is 26,506. The city saw 112 cases on Friday with a test positivity rate of 1.75% while on Thursday, the number of cases was 130, with a positivity rate of 1.84%.

The country’s active caseload currently stands at 26,618 which constitutes 0.06% of the country’s total positive cases, the ministry said. New Delhi: India recorded 2,430 new cases of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, according to the union health ministry. According to the data shared by the health ministry, the total recovery rate reached around 98.76% and total recoveries reached 4,40,70,935.

Russia’s war in Ukraine is proving to be “one of the biggest threats” to the world economy at the moment, according to Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.Freeland, who also serves as Canada’s finance minister, made the comments to reporters in Washington, D.C., on Friday following the annual meetings of the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund (IMF), which put out a stark world economic outlook earlier this week.“One of the biggest threats, not only to the lives of Ukrainians right now, not only to the sanctity of the international rules-based order, but also to the world economy today is Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” Freeland said.“There’s one simple thing that could happen that would make the global economy much more secure, and that is for Russia to get out of Ukraine.” As IMF warns of economic slowdown, Canada’s labour market could be critical buffer The IMF cited the war in Ukraine on Tuesday as one of the drivers for cutting its global growth forecast for 2023. High energy and food prices, inflation and sharply higher interest rates, also factored in to the IMF’s report, which indicated a third of the world economy will likely contract by next year.Russia’s war in Ukraine has been raging for close to eight months since the wide-scale invasion began on Feb.

Covid-19 has been with us for almost three years now.

Covid-19: The daily positivity rate was recorded at 1.01 per cent. The weekly positivity rate was recorded at 1.07 per cent. India saw a slight drop in Covid cases with 2,430 infections reported in the last 24 hours, according to Union Health Ministry data updated on Saturday.  This slight drop comes a day after the country reported 2,678 cases yesterday.

get a test through the free NHS programme.You must provide your employees with personal protective equipment free of charge if your risk assessment shows that PPE is needed in their role.If the employee has to buy their own PPE because you cannot provide it, you must reimburse them for it.You do not have to pay tax or National Insurance if you provide your employees with PPE or reimburse them for the cost of buying their own.If you do not reimburse the cost, your employee cannot claim tax relief on the expense.

FOX CHASE - Philadelphia police are investigating a fatal hit-and-run accident that killed a pedestrian.Officials say the accident happened Friday night, just before 8 p.m., on the 7900 block of Verree Road, in Philadelphia’s Fox Chase neighborhood.Police were called to the location after a man was hit by a driver in a dark blue Ford Edge heading south.MORE HEADLINES:Philadelphia Police Inspector D.F. Pace stated officers viewed surveillance video from businesses nearby and saw the victim, a man in his 60s, standing on the west side of the 7900 block of Verree and then make his way into the street.

SAVANNAH, Ga. - Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and his Republican challenger, Herschel Walker, will meet Friday night for their only debate in Georgia's marquee Senate contest, just days before in-person early voting begins.The 60-minute session, which will take place before a live audience, comes in the wake of reports that Walker paid for a girlfriend to have an abortion in 2009 before later fathering a child with her.

HARRISBURG - Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania's Democratic nominee for governor, has smashed the state’s 2-decade-old campaign spending record as he competes against Republican Doug Mastriano, who was on track to spend less than a tenth as much.The race between Shapiro and Mastriano may test how powerful that campaign spending is in one of the nation’s highest-profile races for governor. One candidate has spent more money than any other gubernatorial nominee ever in Pennsylvania, and the other has spent less than any other in at least the past two decades.The money raised by Shapiro has enabled him to run TV ads every day dating to April, helping him lead in polling since the race began.

NEW YORK (FOX NEWS) - Dane Partridge, an Idaho father and U.S. Army veteran, died this week while "fighting for freedom in Ukraine," his family announced. His father, Dennis Partridge, wrote on Facebook on Saturday that his son was in a coma after being critically injured by a Russian tank blast. Partridge was being treated at Kyiv military hospital and was taken off life support on Tuesday, his family announced. TWO AMERICANS DEAD IN UKRAINE, OFFICIALS SAY"He was a fine soldier who fought with valor and bravery on the battlefield," his family wrote on Facebook.

A study of 30 million people in the United Kingdom finds that 0.4% of people who completed their primary COVID-19 vaccine series had severe breakthrough infections, compared with 0.2% of booster recipients, during Omicron variant predominance.The study, published today in The Lancet, also shows that older adults

US COVID-19 indicators continue to slowly fall, but multiple new Omicron lineages are steadily cutting into the dominance of BA.5, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its latest update.

Robbie Coltrane, who played a crime-solving psychologist on TV series Cracker and the beloved half-giant Hagrid in the Harry Potter movies, has died.He was 72.Coltrane’s agent Belinda Wright said he died Friday at a hospital in Scotland. She did not provide a cause.Coltrane came to fame as a hard-bitten detective in the 1990s series Cracker, for which he won best actor at the British Academy Television Awards three years running.

Total Covid-19 infections in the UK have risen 31 per cent, the biggest percentage jump since June. Most of the country is now seeing a steady increase in virus levels.

On national television, Biden administration spokesperson John Kirby mounted a feeble attempt to explain the president’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for the military. Kirby, a retired Navy admiral, had no acceptable answers when pressed about the administration’s "folly" and the perilous impact the mandate is already having on our national security. Remarkably, Kirby perpetuated the narrative that the military’s mandate must remain in place while admitting with a straight face that he was quarantined for 10 days due to his current bout with COVID-19, despite being vaccinated and double boosted.

The U.S. extended the public health emergency status for the COVID-19 pandemic Thursday, weeks after President Biden's controversial remarks declaring the pandemic was "over."  The move extends the order through Jan.

An analysis of 11 longitudinal UK studies published today in The Lancet Psychiatry links symptomatic COVID-19 to psychological distress, depression, anxiety, and lower life satisfaction that didn't abate by 3 months.

Omaha, Nebraska public schools are employing $460,000 in federal funding allocated for COVID-19 relief to invest in social emotional learning (SEL) throughout the district, a practice that is popping up across the state and the country, Parents Defending Education found. "The pandemic’s impact has taken a toll on students in particular, contributing to an increase in mental health problems since 2020, according to statewide and national data," the Omaha World-Herald reported earlier this month.

With employment insurance premiums set to rise in the new year, both employers and workers are calling on the federal government to step in and rescue the program from the considerable amount of debt it has fallen into since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The people who carry the gene are less likely to experience a breakthrough infection Vaccines are the best way people can protect themselves against Covid but experts said that ones with a particular gene have a bigger antibody response following vaccination than others. Pointing out at a gene called HLA-DQB1*06, scientists say ‘About 30 to 40% of the UK population have this type.’ The people who carry this gene are less likely to experience a "breakthrough infection" over this time period.

Ringo Starr shared a heartbreaking update with fans on Thursday, announcing he was diagnosed with COVID-19 for a second time and therefore would be canceling the rest of his tour. "I'm sure you'll be surprised as I was.

Sir Ringo Starr has axed the rest of his North American tour after testing positive for Covid for a second time in two weeks. The legendary Beatles drummer, 82, had only just announced earlier this week that he would be ‘on the road again’ after testing negative.

on Twitter Thursday night, revealing the remaining dates of his North American tour with his All Starr band have been scrapped.“I’m sure you’ll be as surprised as I was I tested positive again for Covid the rest of the tour is off I send you peace and love Ringo,” Starr wrote alongside a selfie.The shows affected by the news include a handful of California gigs starting Oct. 14 in San Jose, Paso Robles and Los Angeles as well as two dates in Mexico City on Oct.

Kate Garraway and her husband Derek Draper have been through hell over the last two years, but their battle isn't over.When Derek was hospitalised in March 2020, he became the UK's longest suffering Covid patient after spending 13 months in hospital.Kate and former political advisor Derek have been married for 17 years and doting parents share two children, 16-year-old Darcey and 12-year-old William.READ MORE: Kate Garraway in emotional plea as she says there's 'no end' to Derek Draper's careGMB star Kate documented their heartbreaking health journey in her ITV film Finding Derek, which won Best Documentary at the National Television Awards last year.Now, Kate has won for a second year, taking the Authored Documentary category at the 2022 National Television Awards, showing just how much their story has moved the nation.Daily Star has taken a look back at the couple's heartbreaking health journey.Derek was rushed to hospital on March 30 2020 with serious Covid symptoms - but it wasn't until April 3 when Kate shocked viewers with the news.She explained Derek had experienced headaches, numbness in his hand and severe breathlessness where he struggled to hold his breath for longer than ten seconds.The presenter turned to her colleague Dr Hilary Jones for help and he urged her to phone an ambulance, after which he was rushed to intensive care.He was then placed in a medically-induced coma and remained unconscious for 13 weeks while being treated by hospital staff.Kate stayed by her husband's side and kept her viewers updated about his condition on Good Morning Britain.Derek finally woke up from his coma in July 2020, but he would remain in hospital for many more months.Kate was warned by medics that Derek still had a long

2,786 cases yesterday. The death toll due to the disease has gone up to 5,28,857 with 10 fatalities being recorded, including three reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am showed.

Ringo Starr has cancelled the last five dates of his current North American tour, after contracting COVID-19 for a second time in the span of a fortnight.First testing positive for the virus at the start of October, the Beatle was forced to cancel seven shows between Michigan and British Columbia. He returned to the road on Tuesday (October 11) – flanked by the All-Starr Band – performing in Seattle then and in Portland the following night (October 12).It appears that his comeback was premature, though, as Starr has now confirmed he’s again returned to being COVID-positive.

Also Read: Do you have COVID cough? Here’s how to find out US Health Secretary Xavier Becerra announced on October 13 that the extension would be valid until January 11, 2023. Becerra’s statement says that “a public health emergency exists and has existed since January 27, 2020, nationwide". As better care, drugs, and vaccines have been more readily accessible, the COVID-19 pandemic's toll in the United States has dramatically decreased from early in Biden's term when more than 3,000 Americans were dying every day.

Kevin Spacey’s civil sex abuse trial will go on after one of Spacey's lead lawyers tested positive for COVID-19, a judge said Thursday. U.S. District Judge Lewis A.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – In late September it was reported that a Brisbane-based company that invented a smartphone app it says can diagnose COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses by listening to someone cough was purchased by Pfizer for nearly $180 million.ResApp Health Limited uses diagnostic technology developed by Associate Professor Udantha Abeyratne and his research team at the University of Queensland (UQ) to record and analyse a patient's coughs on a smartphone.The app also considers the self-reporting of simple symptoms like a runny nose or fever to diagnose and measure the severity of a range of pulmonary diseases, including asthma and pneumonia.Dr Abeyratne, from the School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, said the research that led to the breakthrough began more than a decade ago with grant funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.“When I open up my lungs, open up the airway, that is what I call an ‘information super highway’, so I wondered whether it’s possible to use cough sounds, advanced signal processing and AI technology to pick out features,” he said.“From the very beginning, I had a big vision to develop scalable, cheap technologies to diagnose pulmonary diseases all over the world – not only in remote sub-Saharan Africa, but even in developed urban cities like New York and Brisbane.”Dr Abeyratne said the smartphone technology, which was developed in consultation with medical practitioners, operates similarly to a doctor using a stethoscope to listen for sounds produced by a patient’s body.“The diagnosis comes immediately, within a minute or so, telling the patient whether they have a particular disease, using only their smartphone – nothing else – and there’s no need for

pic.twitter.com/lmniGLE9dZA post shared by Ringo Starr (@ringostarrmusic)The devastating news comes just weeks after Ringo's verified Instagram account announced on Oct. 3 that Ringo contracted COVID and, as a result, the tour would be on hold «while he recuperates.» At that point, seven tour dates were affected in Michigan, Minnesota and throughout Canada.Also earlier this month, Ringo announced he and his band recorded a live album at the Greek Theatre.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) says that due to the US sanctions on the MIR payment system, as confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it is NOT in a position to consider favorably, at the current juncture, the request to operate MIR card scheme within the banking system.What is the MIR payment system? MIR is a local payment card in Russia sponsored by the Russian government.The National Payment Card System (NSPK) was established in July 2014 following sanctions against Russia earlier that year, which left Russian cardholders and merchants temporarily unable to transact on international card networks. By December 2015, NSPK had developed the technical infrastructure and commercial agreements to begin card issuance and ATM and POS acceptance for MIR.All Russian banks that are members of the international card networks process and clear via NSPK.

Ringo Starr is cancelling the remaining dates on his tour after testing positive for COVID-19 a second time.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Early Warning and Early Action for All: Leave No One Behind was the theme for this year's national event to commemorate International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction.Sri Lanka marked International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction in Colombo on Thursday (13) stressing the fact that none should be left behind during any disaster situation.The event was graced by Hon Premitha Bandara Tennakoon, State minister of Defence as the Chief Guest, and General GDH Kamal Gunaratne (Retd) Sec to the Ministry of Defence respectively. Video:  

Sir Ringo Starr has cancelled his tour after testing positive for COVID-19 again - just three days after revealing he had tested negative and was getting back on the road.The Beatles icon, 82, took to Twitter on Thursday to share a selfie, captioned: 'I’m sure you’ll be as surprised as I was I tested positive again for Covid the rest of the tour is off I send you peace and love Ringo.'The announcement comes just three days after the singer revealed he had restarted his tour after testing negative for COVID-19 -  after being forced to cancel gigs when he contracted the virus.The positive test means the hitmaker will pull out of shows in San Jose, California on October 14, Paso Robles on October 15, Los Angeles on October 16, and two dates in Mexico City on October 19 and 20. Shock: Sir Ringo Starr has cancelled his tour after testing positive for COVID-19 again - just three days after revealing he had tested negative and was getting back on the roadThis comes days after the musician took to Instagram wearing his negative test as a badge of honour, while thanking fans for their patience.  He threw one hand up in a peace sign while using the other to open his jacket and expose the home testing kit he was wearing round his neck. Sir Ringo captioned the snap: 'On the road again I will see you in Seattle on Tuesday the 11th Portland Wednesday I am negative peace and love everybody thanks for waiting.

Ringo Starr has pulled the plug on his tour after testing positive for COVID-19 for the second time in less than two weeks.

new cost-of-living adjustment (or COLA) is added to Social Security payments.The 8.7% raise is meant to help them with higher prices for food, fuel, and other goods and services. The average recipient will see an increase of more than $140 per month, according to government estimates.But what does the increase mean for the fund that helps pay Social Security benefits? And what should younger generations keep in mind? Here are some As to some Qs.When you work, some of your taxes fund Social Security.

COVID-19 vaccine will soon be available to anyone aged 12 and up in Manitoba.The province announced Thursday the youth-approved Pfizer vaccine will arrive by the end of next week. Manitobans should stay vigilant about COVID-19, as above-average ‘hazard index’ shows The doses are expected to be available at most Manitoba vaccine sites by Oct.

A German study published today in BMJ finds a considerable burden of long-COVID symptoms, especially fatigue and neurocognitive impairment ("brain fog"), at 6 to 12 months—even among young and middle-aged adults who had mild infections.

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected former President Donald Trump’s plea to step into the legal fight over the FBI search of his Florida estate.The justices did not otherwise comment in turning away Trump’s emergency appeal.Trump had pressed the court on an issue relating to classified documents seized in the search authorized by a federal judge of Mar-a-Lago.The Trump team was asking the justices to overturn a lower court ruling and permit an independent arbiter, or special master, to review the roughly 100 documents with classified markings that were taken in the Aug. 8 search of Mar-a-Lago.A three-judge panel from the Atlanta-based U.S.