Steel trident from World Trade Center erected at Pennsylvania museum to pay tribute on September 11

Belarusian human rights activist Ales Bialiatski speaks after he and the Belarusian human rights organization Vjasna were awarded the 2020 Right Livelihood Award during the 2020 awarding ceremony in Stockholm on Dec. 3, 2020.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) approved power cuts of 2 hours and 20 minutes from 08th – 10th October as follows;Groups ABCDEFGHIJKLPQRSTUVW:1-hour during daytime1-hour and 20-minutes during the night

COLOMBO (News 1st) – On Thursday 6th October, Asia Rugby President, Qais Al Dhalai received Roshan Ranasinghe, Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs of Sri Lanka at the Asia Rugby offices in Dubai to discuss matters relating to the suspended Sri Lanka Rugby.The discussions were mainly focused on finding solutions for the problems regarding the governance of the game in Sri Lanka and the discussion led to a request from the Honorable Minister for Asia Rugby to allow Sri Lanka Rugby National Teams to take part in Asia Rugby tournaments.Qais Al DhalaiQais Al Dhalai, the Asia Rugby President said “On 22 May 2022, the Sri Lanka Olympic Committee President Suresh Subramaniam met me in Dubai to discuss the matters concerning the suspension of Sri Lanka Rugby by the continental federation where I pledged my support for the Sri Lanka Rugby athletes to return to the field sooner than later. I visited Sri Lanka teams in Coventry a few days prior to the commencement of the Commonwealth Games and I was delighted to see both the men's and women's teams performing well in the global area.”He added “Today, I am delighted to receive Honorable Roshan Ranasinghe the new Sri Lankan Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs at the headquarters of Asia Rugby in the UAE – Dubai and thanking him for his commitment, dedication and passion towards sport and rugby in specific.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Today is Day 3 of the 6th Edition of the Gammadda Door-to-Door Program, and the Gammadda teams were deployed across three districts today as well.The Gammadda teams engaged in the Door to Door program are currently based in the Jaffna, Matale, and Kalutara Districts.The team in the Kalutara District visited the Thebuwara West Village in the Dodamgoda Divisional Secretariat.This village is constantly flooded due to the effects of the Kalu River. Villagers state that these are the results of illegal constructions that obstruct the waterways. They further added that this is a result of negligence by the authorities. Another Gammadda Team is in the Matale District today. The main issue these villagers are facing is that the main access road to the village has not been renovated. Gammdda teams are in the Jaffna District as well. Most villagers in the most rural areas in the Jaffna District face an issue: the lack of access to clean drinking water. A water purification project commenced 5 years ago.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Minister of Justice Dr.Wijayadasa Rajapaksa says the latest resolution adopted on Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council would have an effect on the proposed IMF bailout as well as the GSP+ concession. The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Reforms attributes the change of stances Sri Lanka as a nation adopted from time to time and the breakdown of the general public's trust in its leaders to the UNHRC resolution being passed.The Minister warned that this development has pushed Sri Lanka into a perilous situation. The resolution presented at the 51st Session of the UNHRC by the core group on Sri Lanka was passed yesterday.9 out of the 19 facts presented in the resolution concerned the economic crisis in the country and recent violations of human rights.20 countries voted in favour of the resolution while 7 opposed it. 20 countries including India, Japan and Nepal abstained from voting. The Minister of Justice pointed out that he will continue to hand in hand with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to expedite steps to introduce democratic reforms while working with the international community through a mutual understanding.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – About 140 organizations worldwide asked the International Monetary Fund to issue at least $650 billion more in reserves to help its member nations grapple with “multiple historic, overlapping, and generally worsening crises.”Allocating more IMF reserve assets known as special drawing rights, or SDRs, “would immediately make hundreds of billions of dollars available to nearly all low- and middle-income IMF member countries without debt or conditions and only requires political will on the part of the fund’s board” the organizations said in a letter to the IMF’s board of governors and its executive board Thursday.Pressure is mounting on the IMF to act as the world’s most financially fragile countries, from Argentina to Ukraine, have burned through the extra IMF reserves they got last year, raising calls for a fresh injection to help them weather higher interest rates, food and fuel costs. In July, key Democratic congressional allies urged President Joe Biden’s administration to support a new injection of resources for countries at the IMF to help them deal with the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.With 345 million people facing acute food insecurity — more than double the number in 2019 — and rising interest rates making it more expensive for nations to pay back their dollar-denominated debt as the greenback strengthens, mass anger is triggering instability in many countries and has even led to the ouster of leaders in nations such as Sri Lanka.Signatories to the Thursday letter include the International Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO, the largest US labor federation.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Gammadda declared open a clean water project in Rambakepuweva, Anuradhapura on Friday (7) morning as yet another effort taken by Gammadda to quench the thirst of those who are suffering.The Rambakepuveva village, located in Anuradhapura Kebithigollawa Divisional Secretariat is home to more than 400 families and their main livelihood remains paddy farming.However, due to lack of clean drinking water, the villagers have been facing problems for several decades now.The decision was made to assist them in gaining access to clean drinking water after they voiced their concerns to Gammadda.Therefore, Gamadda with the financial assistance of Harsha De Seram from Colombo 02, and Anoja Pradeepa, and Kanishka Priyantha De Silva from Colombo 6 stepped in to construct a drinking water project for the people in Ramba-kepu-wewa.The water treatment projects was constructed with the expertise of the Sri Lanka Navy, and the advise of the Ministry of Health,.

A compound, which is usually found in mouthwashes, can block the entry of the Covid-19 virus into the cells A study has found that some mouthwashes can suppress Covid-19 infection. The researchers have said in the study that some mouthwashes, that contain a chemical known as ‘cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC)’ block the entry of the SARS-CoV-2 virus into the cells, thus, suppressing the infection. The researchers have said that commercially available mouthwashes contain a number of antibiotic and antiviral components that act against microorganisms in the mouth.

A new Covid-19 wave appears to be brewing in Europe as cooler weather arrives, with public health experts warning that vaccine fatigue and confusion over types of available vaccines will likely limit booster uptake.

Good Morning Britain presenter Kate Garraway has said that heer husband Derek Draper “remains very damaged” amid his health battles following on from him contracting coronavirus in 2020. The former political advisor has been in and out of hospital many times in the last couple of years, after he contracted a serious case of coronavirus in March 2020. The virus caused damage to a number of Derek’s organs causing his health to decline after first falling ill over two years ago.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Brussels conducted a tourism promotion workshop in Namur, Belgium recently.The Governor of the Namur Province, Denis Mathen, inaugurated the workshop and spoke in favor of promoting Sri Lanka as a holiday destination for the people in the province. This is the first time a Sri Lanka tourism promotion event has been held in the French-speaking Walloon region.Around 50 tour operators and agents travel journalists, travel media and TV professionals, travel bloggers, social media influencers, representatives of airlines, and decision-makers from the Belgian tourism industry attended the event. The local TV channel, Walloon TV, provided media coverage for the event, which added further outreach to Sri Lanka's tourism.Delivering the welcome address, the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Belgium, Grace Asirwatham said that, popularly endorsed as one of the best tourist destinations in the world, Sri Lanka was an extremely safe, secure, and serene destination for visitors. Further, Ambassador Asirwatham explained the post-COVID-19 situation in the country and informed that the country was fully open to tourists from all over the world. She also prevailed on the travel agencies to include Sri Lanka in their list of countries as one of the best destinations for Belgian travelers.Honorary Consul of Sri Lanka in Antwerp Monique De Decker, Managing Director of Andrew The Travel Company (Pvt) Ltd Mahen Kariyawasan, and Advisor of the Classic Destinations Ruwan De Alwis, made presentations to promote the diverse tourist attractions in Sri Lanka including mainstream and niche products. The administrator of Public Market Michele le Grand-Decharneux shared her best experience with the Sri Lanka

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Today’s exchange rates from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka:USD Buy 359.1671 Sell 369.9156GBP Buy 399.4396 Sell 415.2984EUR Buy 349.8950 Sell 364.6177JPY Buy 2.4607 Sell 2.5639AUD Buy 228.9209 Sell 239.7898

What’s behind this new wave? Schools started back during the first week in September, and while this may now be contributing to the new wave, infections started increasing too early for schools to be the primary driver. One possibility could be people returning from overseas holidays. A recent ONS analysis found travelling abroad was one of the strongest risk factors for testing positive.

Kate Garraway has opened up on her husband’s illness on ITV’s new show DNA Journey and things took an emotional turn as she spoke about her partner.The Good Morning Britain presenter appeared on the show alongside her ITV colleague Alison Hammond and the pair set about retracing their ancestry.However, the topic soon turned to her husband’s ill health and Kate made herself very vulnerable for the programme.READ MORE: Kate Garraway says ITV star Alison Hammond 'texted her everyday' during 'difficult time'Garraway bravely spoke about Derek on DNA Journey and heartbreakingly said that “2020 was a devastating year”.She continued: “With Derek, he got very sick very early on in the pandemic and has remained very damaged.

States have been asked to continue monitoring incoming international travelers, undertake constant genome sequencing and step-up vaccination. NEW DELHI: India reported 1,997 new covid cases in the last 24 hours, the Union health ministry said in an update on Friday, pulling down active caseload to 30,362.

Mexico state of Guerrero, officials said Thursday.Residents began burying the victims even as a video posted on social media showed men who identified themselves as the Tequileros gang claiming responsibility for the mass shooting.The Guerrero state security council said gunmen burst into the town hall in the village of San Miguel Totolapan Wednesday and opened fire on a meeting the mayor was holding with other officials.Among the dead were Mayor Conrado Mendoza and his father, Juan Mendoza Acosta, a former mayor of the town. Most of the other victims were believed to be local officials.The walls of the town hall, which were surrounded by children’s fair rides at the time, were left riddled with bullets.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Ministry of Health has decided to conduct a study on the quality of food being consumed by Sri Lankans.Its Food Control Unit said the study hopes to establish the quality of both imported and locally produced foods.The unit also said that more than 25 types of essential foods will be selected for this study, and the collection of samples is to start next month.In recent weeks concerns were raised over the quality of food items being imported to Sri Lanka, and thus the Health Ministry decided to conduct a study on the different types of food consumed by Sri Lankans.

COLOMBO (News 1st) –  Sri Lankan law enforcement personnel recovered 6.7 kg of heroin hidden inside a house in Siddhamulla, Piliyandala on Thursday (6) night.Police Spokesperson SSP & Attorney Nihal Thalduma told News 1st that the heroin was discovered following the interrogation of a suspect who was arrested earlier in Ambalangoda.He said that the suspects linked to the heroin discovery had fled the area.

Chrystia Freeland said Thursday while speaking on the bill at the Senate Committee.“This relief is really needed by people. That’s why I am very grateful to all the MPs in the House of Commons who decided to support the measure,” added Freeland, who sponsored the bill.The enactment amends the Income Tax Act in order to double the Goods and Sales Tax/Harmonized Sales Tax (GST/HST) credit for six months.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – A meeting of party leaders will be held today (7) at the parliament complex under the leadership of Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana.Final decisions will be made on the matters scheduled for next week during the parliament session.

2,529 new Covid infections. The active cases in the country has now declined to 30,362 from the earlier 32,282, ministry said.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The World Bank on Thursday (6) announced that debt restructuring and the implementation of a deep reform program are critical for Sri Lanka’s economic stabilization.Sri Lanka’s real GDP is expected to fall by 9.2 percent this year and a further 4.2 percent in 2023, said the World Bank in its twice-a-year update, underscoring the need for Sri Lanka to build resilience.Beset with Sri Lanka’s economic crisis, Pakistan’s catastrophic floods, a global slowdown, and impacts of the war in Ukraine, South Asia faces an unprecedented combination of shocks on top of the lingering scars of the COVID-19 pandemic, said the World Bank in a statement titled "Unprecedented Shocks Rattle South Asia, Exacerbating Challenges and Dampening Growth."“Protecting the vulnerable is critical as Sri Lanka fast tracks deep reforms to navigate the deepening economic crisis.The crisis calls for immediate action to protect the poorest and most in need while also focusing on strengthening the social protection system,” said Faris H. Hadad-Zervos, World Bank Country Director for Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka. “In the face of the economic crisis, poverty estimates doubled to 25.6 percent between 2021 and 2022, increasing the number of people living in poverty by 2.7 million.

Albertans will learn later Thursday who the new premier of the province will be.Voting is wrapping up by members of the United Conservative Party (UCP) to select a successor to Premier Jason Kenney. How Alberta’s UCP leadership race works Kenney announced in the spring he was leaving after receiving 51 per cent in a party leadership review.“I’m feeling great.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) approved power cuts of 2 hours and 20 minutes for today (7);Groups ABCDEFGHIJKLPQRSTUVW:  1-hour during daytime 1-hour and 20-minutes during the night

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka will meet with the International Monetary Fund next week for another round of talks, said Governor of the Central Bank Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe on Thursday (6)."Next week, the State Finance Minister, Treasury Secretary and CBSL staff will meet the IMF for talks and we hope to continue with the discussions with creditor nations, and commercial creditors.

PHILADELPHIA - A Philadelphia mother is pleading for answers after police say her son was ambushed by gunfire in broad daylight while sitting outside their home.Theresa Guyton said she is still in shock about the brutal murder of her 19-year-old son Tahmir, who was gunned down Sept. 26 on the 600 block of 13th Street.The Philadelphia Police Department shared disturbing video of the deadly shooting that shows three gunmen emerge from a dark-colored Nissan Altima and ambush Tahmir with over 30 shots."He was shot 27 times," Guyton told FOX 29's Shawnette Wilson.

PHILADELPHIA - As city and community leaders try to find ways to protect kids from the gun violence crisis, a new program at several Philadelphia schools aims to keep students safe after the final bell rings.The folks in the blue vests outside West Philadelphia High School are community members paid to monitor dismissal, as part of the "Safe Path" program just instituted this year at eight Philly schools. The goal is to help reduce violence and make sure kids get home safely.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Department of Meteorology says that several spells of showers will occur in Western, Sabaragamuwa, and North-Western provinces and Kandy, Nuwara-Eliya, Galle, and Matara districts.A few showers may occur in the Jaffna district during the morning.Showers or thundershowers will occur at several places in Uva, Eastern, and North-Central provinces and Vavuniya and Mullaitivu districts during the evening or night.The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.Condition of Rain:Showers will occur at times in the sea area off the coast extending from Kankasanturai to Batticaloa via Trincomalee. Showers will occur at a few places in the other sea areas around the Island.Winds:Winds will be south-westerly and wind speed will be (20-30) kmph.Wind speed may increase up to (50-55) kmph at times in the sea areas off the coast extending from Matara to Pottuvil via Hambantota. Wind speed may increase up to (40-45) kmph at times in the sea areas off the coast extending from Puttalam to Matara via Colombo and Galle.State of Sea:The sea areas off the coast extending from Matara to Pottuvil will be rough at times. The sea areas off the coast extending from Puttalam to Matara via Colombo and Galle will be fairly rough.

Abbey Clancy has shown off the spectacular results of her new health regime in a series of social media posts. The model, 36, has reportedly started daily Pilates sessions followed by a regular collagen drink to keep herself in shape and retain her glowing complexion.

WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden said Thursday that the risk of nuclear "Armageddon" is at the highest level since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, as Russian officials speak of the possibility of using tactical nuclear weapons after suffering massive setbacks in the eight-month invasion of Ukraine.Speaking at a fundraiser for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin was "a guy I know fairly well" and the Russian leader was "not joking when he talks about the use of tactical nuclear weapons or biological or chemical weapons."Biden added, "We have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis." He suggested the threat from Putin is real "because his military is — you might say — significantly underperforming."Marine One carrying US President Joe Biden lands at the Wall Street landing zone in New York on Oct. 6, 2022.

Charlie Hunnam is in the midst of promoting his new Apple TV+ series “Shantaram”, which he filmed on location in India.

PHILADELPHIA - Authorities say two males have barricaded themselves inside a garage in North Philadelphia following a shootout that claimed the life of a teenager. According to police, the deadly exchange of gunfire happened just before 8 p.m.

EL PASO, Texas (AP) - A Mexican citizen was fatally shot at a U.S. Border Patrol station in Texas in the second deadly shooting along the U.S.-Mexico border in less than a week.The man was in custody at the Ysleta Border Patrol Station in El Paso on Tuesday when he was shot, U.S.

​COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka categorically rejected resolution A/HRC/51/L.1 (Rev.1) titled "Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka" tabled by the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Malawi, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and the United States, which was adopted by a vote at the Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva, on Thursday (6).Sri Lanka's Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry delivered the statement on behalf of Sri Lanka as the country concerned and called on the Members of the Council to reject the resolution by voting against it.In support of Sri Lanka’s position opposing the resolution, the delegation of Pakistan called for a vote. Over half of the members of the Council did not support the resolution with 07 countries (Bolivia, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Venezuela) voting against the resolution and 20 countries abstaining on the vote. 20 countries voted in favour of the resolution.Representatives of Pakistan, Brazil, China, Venezuela, Japan and Republic of Korea made statements in support of Sri Lanka prior to the vote.Pakistan said that they share the concerns of Sri Lanka and other Member States that the resolution is intrusive and this level of scrutiny would not be even acceptable to any sovereign state including the Core Group.

The Conservative party has called off an internal probe into how a misogynistic phrase was quietly used to promote Pierre Poilievre’s YouTube videos, as the political pressure mounts on Poilievre for an explanation and apology.

FILE - Tourist admire the Sistine Chapel, ahead of the re-opening of the Vatican Museums, at the Vatican City, on May 03, 2021. (Riccardo De Luca/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)An American tourist on Wednesday threw a tantrum and cracked two Roman busts in the Vatican Museums after officials denied him an audience with Pope Francis.The unidentified tourist, said to be in his fifties, was in the Chiaramonti Gallery when he requested to visit the pope.

NEW YORK (AP) - Amazon will hire 150,000 full-time, part-time and seasonal employees across its warehouses ahead of the holiday season.The announcement, made Thursday, shows the e-commerce behemoth is taking a less conservative approach to its holiday planning than Walmart, which said last month it would hire 40,000 U.S. workers for the holidays, compared to 150,000 in 2021.Amazon, which typically beefs up its operations during the holidays, was looking for the same number of seasonal employees last year.

FILE - Pod of killer whales. (Francois Gohier/VW Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)A research and conservation team based in South Africa claims it has captured the first detailed video evidence of orcas, also known as killer whales, hunting white sharks, according to a recent study. Drone and helicopter footage posted to Sea Search Research & Conservation’s YouTube channel shows clips from May 2022, which captured a pod of five killer whales in Mossel Bay, South Africa, actively hunting and eventually killing a white shark. "This behavior has never been witnessed in detail before, and certainly never from the air," said lead author Alison Towner, a senior shark scientist at Marine Dynamics Academy in Gansbaai, South Africa, in a news release. The footage only shows one hunting event but scientists believe at least three white sharks were killed. While killer whales have been observed hunting other shark species in the wild, this is the first time they were witnessed hunting white sharks in the Mossel Bay area, the news release continued.The study also highlighted the evasive tactics the white sharks took in order to avoid predation, also known as their flight response, which has never been observed before.

MERCED, Calif. - The suspect in the killing of a Merced family had worked for the victims at one point, according to a relative.A loved one told KTVU that Jesus Salgado, 48, once drove a truck for the family's company.The bodies of 8-month-old Aroohi Dheri, her parents Jasleen Kaur, 27, and Jasdeep Singh, 36; and her uncle Amandeep Singh, 39., were found at an orchard in Merced County two days after they were kidnapped at gunpoint from their business, police said.SEE ALSO: Body language analyzed while slain Merced family kidnapped"Our worst fears have been confirmed," Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke said at a Wednesday night news conference.Warnke said the victims were close to each other when found by a farmworker tending to an almond orchard in a remote area near the town of Dos Palos, a town about 30 miles south of Merced where the family was kidnapped on Monday.A source close to the investigation told KTVU that the two brothers were killed with a machete. The source said Kaur was then shot as she held her baby girl in her arms.

PHILADELPHIA - It’s a common complaint in neighborhoods across Philadelphia – residents are tired of all the trash around their communities. There are some people actually paying for an extra service to get the job done."People are so fired up about this issue, maybe they wouldn’t be opposed to chipping in and paying for it themselves,"Morgan Berman said.The trash problem in Philadelphia is one of the city’s most well-documented and complained about issues.That’s often been the sentiment from small business owners and residents all across neighborhoods in Philly.

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 20: Full moon also known as "Hunter's Moon" rises behind the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City, as seen from Jersey City of New Jersey in United States on October 21, 2021. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images LOS ANGELES - Yes, it's that time of year again.

JUNEAU, Alaska - Two Russians who said they fled the country to avoid compulsory military service have requested asylum in the U.S. after landing on a remote Alaskan island in the Bering Sea, Alaska U.S.

The Cactus Plant Flea Market Box (Credit: McDonald's USA, LLC) McDonald’s adult Happy Meals have gone viral, so much so that McDonald’s staff are drowning in orders and are now begging the public to stop ordering them, according to multiple reports and posts on social media.  The fast-food chain announced Tuesday a collaboration with Cactus Plant Flea Market to create a boxed meal that contains one of four collectible figurines: Grimace, the Hamburglar, and Birdie and Cactus Buddy. Meal options include a Big Mac, or the 10-piece Chicken McNuggets with french fries and a drink. The announcement had adults running (or maybe more like driving) to their local McDonald’s to snag a box. The adult meals are only available for a limited time, which is probably why McDonald’s employees are feeling the sting of handling an avalanche of orders for the specialized meals. People on social media claiming to be McDonald’s workers are venting their frustrations on Reddit and TikTok as orders pile up for the coveted adult Happy Meals and staff struggle to meet demand. One user on Reddit posted under the title: "New Adult Happy-meals are killing me" and said workers need to "literally stockpile them (happy meals) to survive a rush." Another person commented under the Reddit post, saying their McDonald’s location allegedly ran out of boxes the first day they received them and then ran out of toys on the second day.  "And on the third day we had to say the truck doesn’t come till tomorrow.

Infection with a pre-Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant offered 35.5% protection against symptomatic Omicron BA.4 or BA.5 reinfection, while an Omicron infection was 76.2% protective, according to a Qatari test-negative, case-control study published yesterday in a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urged clinicians to consider Ebola and other viral hemorrhagic fever illness in the workup of people who have symptoms of the diseases and to immediately take a travel history with an eye toward identifying those who have been in parts of Uganda affected by the recent Ebola Sudan outbreak.In a Health Alert Network (HAN) notice, the CDC said no suspected, probable, or confirmed