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Coronation Street? We’ve got just what you’re looking for if so, with a brand new image gallery packed full of pictures, previewing what’s happening on the cobbles next week. You don’t have to thank us, honestly. The week in question (May 22 to 26) is an emotional one for Faye Windass (Ellie Leach), who feels trapped by Craig Tinker (Colson Smith) in the wake of Jackson Hodge’s decision to leave the eponymous street with Miley.

PHILADELPHIA - The Pennsylvania State Police provided updated totals on recent road-rage related shootings, and they're asking for the public's help in investigating and preventing interstate shootings. In the last three years, authorities say there has been an increase in the number of road rage-related shootings on the interstates surrounding Philadelphia. In 2020, Pennsylvania State Police say they investigated only four interstate shootings, but in 2022, that number spiked to 20. Officials say this year is on pace to match or surpass last year's totals with troopers reporting that they've already responded to ten interstate shootings. There have been a total of 40 reported road rage-related shootings since 2020 and of those 40, eight victims were struck by gunfire, according to State Police.

NEW YORK - Real New Yorkers tend to have a distinctive way of speaking. But some believe "New York English" may disappearing. "Some of the features that have been traditionally associated with New York City English are diminishing," explained Michael Newman, a professor of linguistics and chair of the Department of Linguistics and Communication Disorders at Queens College of the City University of New York.

HOUSTON - An industrial plant fire continues to go up in flames in Deer Park.Preliminary reports of a type of explosion at theShell Deer Park industrial plant at 5900 SH-225 at East Beltway, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX 26 APPAn Environmental Duty Representative at Shell Deer Park shared this statement: "We are currently experiencing fire within one of our units. The incident is being handled within the boundaries of this facility and there is no threat to the community from this incident.

's Nick Thompson announced he started a nonprofit to help reality TV stars in the wake of allegations of mistreatment on the hit Netflix show.Thompson, who appeared on season 2 of and married before divorcing co-star Danielle Ruhl, took to Instagram on Thursday and announced he's a founding board member and executive director of outreach for the UCAN Foundation, which aims to «provide mental health and legal support to past, current, and future reality TV contestants.»Thompson explained in a lengthy caption that, no, he and fellow reality TV stars didn't sign up to be food and water-deprived, allegations made by several of his co-stars, including his ex.  «I signed up for a 'psychologically-based' love experiment sold as 'different from other reality shows,'» he wrote in his caption. «Love is Blind S1 made a believer out of me, and I thought the experience could work for me if I went with good intentions and stayed true to myself.»Thompson went on to say that the «vetting» process «included psych tests and evaluations, background checks, and assurances the cast members selected is 'ready for marriage.'» He also claimed being told that the psychologist that conducted his evaluation spoke to his therapist to verity the ethics and conditions of the show out of concern it would diminish his progress.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. government shared three recently-declassified UFO videos this week, part of the more than 650 potential sightings that officials are examining.  Sean Kirkpatrick, director of the Defense Department's All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), said of that number – about half of them appear to be especially interesting and anomalous.Kirkpatrick testified on Wednesday before the Senate Armed Services Committee's Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities.

SAN FRANCISCO - Before Nima Momeni allegedly stabbed high-profile tech executive Bob Lee three times with a kitchen knife, he drove his victim to a secluded area, fuming over some dispute involving his younger sister and vowing to "come down hard" on him, prosecutors alleged in court papers released Friday. Prosecutors outlined the hours before the deadly April 4 encounter, describing Lee hanging out with Momeni's younger sister, Khazar, and other friends, in a court motion seeking to detain the 38-year-old defendant in custody. The San Francisco district attorney's office charged Momeni with murder and an enhancement of using a knife after police arrested him at his Emeryville home on Thursday morning. Momeni made his first court appearance on the charges Friday but did not speak. His sister, Khazar Momeni, and her husband, Dr.

WASHINGTON - It’s been less than a week since news of highly classified military documents on the Ukraine war surfaced, sending the Pentagon into full-speed damage control to assure allies and assess the scope of the leak.The information on scores of slides has publicized potential vulnerabilities in Ukraine's air defense capabilities and exposed private assessments by allies on an array of intelligence matters, raising questions about whether the leak will erode allies' trust in sharing information with the U.S. or impact Ukraine's plans to intensify the fight against Russia this spring.Overall, the leaked documents present a "very serious risk to national security," a top Pentagon spokesman told reporters Monday.This is a look at what the documents are, what is known about how they surfaced, and their potential impact.The Pentagon is seen from a flight taking off from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on November 29, 2022 in Arlington, Virginia.

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 06: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers attempts a shot as Kevin Love #42 of the Miami Heat defends during the first half of a game at Wells Fargo Center on April 6, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Heat defeated PHILADELPHIA - The Eastern Conference play-in tournament matchups are set, as are the top four seeds in the Western Conference.Also apparently decided: The NBA’s scoring race.Brooklyn sealed the No.

The Mayor of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Shelly Oberoi, gave assurance to the public on Wednesday that MCD is ready to handle any COVID-related situation in Delhi, according to ANI. According to the Mayor, all MCD hospitals have complete COVID-19 facilities, including reserved beds and oxygen cylinders. In addition, the hospitals are equipped to provide RT-PCR and antigen tests.

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - APRIL 02: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers is defended by Brook Lopez #11 of the Milwaukee Bucks during the second half of a game at Fiserv Forum on April 02, 2023 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly PHILADELPHIA - For the second time, the NBA will have an international player as its scoring champion.It will be the second time in as many years.Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid — who was born in Cameroon — is on the cusp of becoming a back-to-back scoring champion, though he and Dallas’ Luka Doncic might take that race down to the wire.Embiid opened up a bit of breathing room on Sunday, when he had 28 points in the 76ers’ loss to Milwaukee while Doncic — who is from Slovenia — scored 28 in the Mavericks’ overtime loss to Atlanta.Embiid now has 2,110 points in 64 games; that’s an average of 32.97 per game.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal assured that there is currently no reason to be alarmed. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday that the Delhi government is monitoring the sudden increase in COVID-19 cases in the city and is ready to handle any situation that may arise.

EVERMAN, Texas - Police in a small Tarrant County town are still trying to locate a 6-year-old boy whose family appears to have left the country without him.Investigators say right now there is no evidence that child has died. Police did acknowledge a rumor that boy may have been sold, but they say at this point there is no proof that is the case."We are investigating all possibilities," said Chief Craig Spencer.

PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia Water Department, in an update regarding a chemical spill in Bucks County, assures the public the tap water is safe to drink and use until Monday, March 27 at 11:59 p.m. Water Dept.

AUDUBON, N.J. - A local Audubon pizza shop is hoping to make a difference for one family by organizing a fundraiser for a little boy diagnosed with leukemia, creating unique pizza boxes."It was just him and I at the emergency room that day," Callen’s mom, Tori Sarlo explained. "Ryan was at work. I hugged him as hard as I could and I just broke down."The family got the diagnosis a month ago.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka's Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe had noted that if Sri Lanka's debt is not restructured, Sri Lanka would have had a foreign debt burden of 06 billion dollars per year for many years to come. "Because it is difficult to pay, the debt payment is temporarily suspended and this process is used to restructure the debt," he told a meeting at the President's Office on Thursday (22)."We are unable to pay under the current terms, so we are asking the commercial institutions and private sectors and the respective governments that have granted us loans, to give us a relief period," he had noted, said the President's Media Division.The PMD also quoted the Central Bank Governor as saying that the first step in that process is the assurance given by the bilateral countries, and the International Monetary Fund has set targets for debt sustainability.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe said that the necessary steps will be taken to pass the best anti-Corruption Act in South Asia in Parliament soon.The President revealed that the cabinet approval for the Bill has already been granted and said that he will discuss it with the Opposition representatives in the future and present it to the Parliament.President Ranil Wickremesinghe said this during a discussion held at the Presidential Secretariat on Thursday (23) with the heads of media organizations.The President's Media Division released the comments made by the President:"Firstly, let me thank everyone of the media for your presence here today. As you know I have requested all of you to be present here to tell you about the IMF agreement.We became a bankrupt country a year ago. This is the first time we have had to restructure our debt with the support of the IMF and our creditors.And this is the first occasion we’ve had to restructure our debt with the support of IMF and our creditors.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe is scheduled to make a special statement in Parliament on Wednesday (22).In addition, the President is expected to table the agreement reached with the International Monetary Fund.In a special statement following the approval of the extended credit facility by the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday (21), President Ranil Wickremesinghe emphasized that Sri Lanka is no longer deemed bankrupt by the world.The President further stated that the loan facility serves as an assurance from the international community that Sri Lanka has the capacity to restructure its debt and resume normal transactions.Additionally, the President noted that the government is working to gradually lift import restrictions on essential goods, medicines, and tourism-related goods, as the foreign exchange situation improves.

Shaquille O’Neal has assured fans he’s “fine” after sparking concern by sharing a photo of himself in a hospital bed on Sunday.

There are two types of this synthetic urine, and they are:If you decide to purchase synthetic urine, we recommend that you purchase any of the Quick Luck and Sub Solutions from the market. These products are considered the most effective that you can find, and you do not have to worry about mixing anything as they are already premixed. The best out of these two products is quick luck. However, many people who would like to use this product to pass their drug test might not be able to purchase it.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The United States of America has welcomed the approval of Sri Lanka’s IMF package."Great news & an important step on the road toward economic recovery," tweeted US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung on Monday (20).She said that the Sri Lankan government will need to continue reforms and conclude debt restructuring agreements to ensure the program – and the economy – stay on track.She noted that structural & lasting reforms that address good governance & transparency are critical to ensure all citizens of Sri Lanka can prosper.IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva also noted that she was very pleased the Executive Board of the IMF had approved about $3 bn of IMF support for Sri Lanka’s economic policies & reforms. She said that it was an important milestone with International Creditors coming together to help to restore debt sustainability. "Crucial to unlock Sri Lanka's growth potential," she added.The International Monetary Fund said that it will enable an immediate disbursement equivalent to about US $ 333 million for Sri Lanka under EFF program, following Executive Board approval on Monday (20).The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved today a 48‑month extended arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) with an amount of SDR 2.286 billion (395 percent of quota or about US$3 billion).Sri Lanka has been hit hard by a catastrophic economic and humanitarian crisis.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The IMF Executive Board approved Sri Lanka’s program under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) that will enable Sri Lanka to access up to $7 billion in funding, reported the President's Media Division.President Ranil Wickremesinghe has expressed his gratitude for the support of the IMF and other international partners, said the PMD.It added that the President committed to full transparency in all discussions with financial institutions & creditors, & to achieve sustainable levels of debt through prudent fiscal management & an ambitious reform agenda.The IMF program is critical to achieving this vision & will help to improve Sri Lanka's standing in international capital markets, making it an attractive country for investors, talent, & tourists, said the President's Media Division.Earlier this month, Sri Lanka received IMF-compatible financing assurances from its official creditors, including Paris Club members, India and China, allowing the IMF to convene an Executive Board and consider Sri Lanka’s request for a loan.The program is expected to provide much-needed policy space to drive the economy out of the unprecedented challenges and instill confidence amongst all the stakeholders.President Ranil Wickremesinghe welcomed the announcement:“In the 75 years of Sri Lanka’s independence, there has never been a more critical period for ou economic future. Our official creditors have declared their support following continuous and positive engagements over the last few months, and we are pleased that the IMF Executive Board approved our program, enabling Sri Lanka to access up to US$ 7 billion in funding from the IMF and IFIs.

Robert Smith of The Cure performs at OVO Arena Wembley on December 12, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Shlomi Pinto/Getty Images) The Cure's lead vocalist Robert Smith is fighting back against Ticketmaster and its excessively high concert fees.After Ticketmaster received much criticism for the hefty price tag on their concert fees, Smith took to Twitter to share an update with his fans and expressed his resentment towards the company."I am as sickened as you all are by today's Ticketmaster 'fees' debacle.

Taylor Swift performs onstage for the opening night of "Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour" at State Farm Stadium on March 17, 2023 in Swift City, ERAzona (Glendale, Arizona). (Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management) Taylor Swift opened her highly anticipated Eras Tour with an epic concert in Phoenix, Arizona, Friday night.The 33-year-old singer kicked off her first tour since 2018, performing 44 songs from ten albums over three hours, 15 minutes."I can't even go into how much I've missed you," Swift told the crowd of around 80,000 fans at State Farm Stadium, per BBC.When the hitmaker first announced her tour on Instagram in November, she said, "It's a journey through all of my musical eras of my career."Taylor Swift performs onstage for the opening night of "Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour" at State Farm Stadium on March 17, 2023 in Swift City, ERAzona (Glendale, Arizona).

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COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Ali Sabry, PC said that four more countries have stepped forward to provide debt restructuring assurances to the International Monetary Fund.He tweeted that Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Hungary, and Kuwait have given debt restructuring assurances to IMF. The Foreign Minister is in the UK to attend the Commonwealth Day celebrations.Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ali Sabry will participate in the 22nd Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers Meeting (CFAMM) at the Commonwealth Headquarters, Marlborough House, London on 15 March 2023. This year’s CFAMM will engage the Foreign Ministers in discussing joint responses to shared challenges such as the need to build resilience for peaceful and sustainable societies, climate financing for environmental sustainability and leveraging intra -commonwealth trade and digital connectivity for economic recovery, food, and energy security.On the sidelines of these events, Minister Sabry will have a call on the Rt Hon James Cleverly, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth Development Affairs (FCDO), bilateral meetings with Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Ann Marie Trevelyan, Minister of State for Indo – Pacific FCDO and Lord Mervyn Davies of Abersoch, Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy for Sri Lanka. The Foreign Minister will also participate in an afternoon tea hosted by Rt Hon Lord Naseby at the House of Commons and deliver remarks on Sri Lanka’s relations with the UK to a cross section of British Parliamentarians organized by the Sri Lanka High Commission in London together with Sri Lanka Tea Board.

NEW YORK - Governments in the U.S. and Britain are taking extraordinary steps to prevent a potential banking crisis after the failure of California-based Silicon Valley Bank prompted fears of a broader upheaval.U.S.

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.

the historic failure of Silicon Valley Bank, assuring depositors at the failed financial institution that they would be able to access all of their money quickly.The announcement came amid fears that the factors that caused the Santa Clara, California-based bank to fail could spread, and only hours before trading began in Asia. Regulators had worked all weekend to try and come up with a buyer for the bank, which was the second largest bank failure in history.

(Reuters) – Sri Lanka aims to announce a debt-restructuring strategy in April and step up talks with commercial creditors ahead of an International Monetary Fund review of a bailout package in six months, the nation's central bank governor told Reuters.The crisis-hit island has secured financing assurances from all its major bilateral creditors, including India and China, and so has set the stage for the IMF to give its final approval for a $2.9 billion, four-year bailout package on March 20, the multilateral lender said on Tuesday.The bailout is the culmination of months of negotiations as Sri Lanka looks to emerge from its worst economic crisis in more than seven decades."When you see the staff level agreement published – that will contain our commitment to debt restructuring and that will also reveal medium-term debt targets for us to restore debt sustainability on a long-term basis," central bank Governor P. Nandalal Weerasinghe said on Thursday."So somewhere in April we will announce … how we are going to meet those medium-to-long-term (debt) targets.

 Sri Lanka’s rupee, which became the world’s best performing currency this year amid hopes of an International Monetary Fund bailout, may resume declines and lose a fifth of its value against the dollar by end-2023, according to Fitch Solutions.“We are optimistic that Sri Lanka will be able to secure an IMF board approval by early 2Q-2023,” said Seah Wang Ting, country risk analyst at Fitch Solutions. Nevertheless, there’s potential for disruptions after the initial board approval as authorities may find it challenging to stay on track with the IMF program amid a weakening economy and a local election likely on the horizon, he said.Fitch maintained its forecast for the rupee to weaken to a record low of 390 per dollar by year-end.

Colombo (News 1st) – The International Monetary Fund announced on Tuesday (07) that Sri Lanka has received financial assurances from all its major bilateral creditors. This paves the way for the IMF Board to consider the approval of the Staff Level Agreement for financing under the Extended Fund Facility on March 20.Earlier in the day, China gave assurances that it will support Sri Lanka's debt restructuring, clearing the biggest hurdle for the nation to secure a USD 2.9 billion bailout from the IMF. The IMF approval for a USD 2.9 billion loan depended on financial assurance from all Sri Lankan creditors.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka has now received financing assurances from all major bilateral creditors, said Krishna Srinivasan, Director of Asia and Pacific Department of IMF on Tuesday (7).This paves the way for consideration by the IMF’s Board on March 20th the approval of the Staff Level Agreement reached on September 1st, 2022 for financing under an Extended Fund Facility. Approval by the Board would also catalyze financing from other creditors, including the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, he said in a statement.The arrangement will support the authorities’ program of ambitious reforms, that they have already embarked upon, which will help Sri Lanka emerge from its current crisis and set it on a trajectory of strong and inclusive growth, said Krishna Srinivasan, Director of Asia and Pacific Department of IMF.

COLOMBO (News1st) – China has given assurances that it will support Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring, clearing the biggest hurdle for the South Asian nation to secure a $2.9 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund.According to Bloomberg Sri Lanka’s largest bilateral creditor gave written support for the debt restructuring via the Export-Import Bank of China on March 6. Bloomeberg quoted people familiar with the situation as saying the letter meets the requirements of the IMF.China’s backing completes the support Sri Lanka needs from creditor nations to allow the IMF board to approve the loan that was agreed upon by the Fund staff in September. 

Colombo (News 1st) – State Minister of Foreign Affairs Tharaka Balasuriya was amongst the dignitaries present for the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries taking place in Doha, Qatar The event is being held from the 5th to the 9th of this month.State Minister Tharaka Balasuriya met with counterpart Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in Qatar, for a discussion that touched upon many areas including the recognition of the Sri Lankan Engineering degrees by Qatari authorities and Sri Lanka's technical support for Qatari government's attempt to promote cricket in Qatar. Tharaka Balasuriya also expressed Sri Lanka's unwavering support for the Palestinian cause and its people to the President of the State of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas.With ongoing progressions and developments on the new establishment of the Office of Overseas Sri Lankans, the State Minister held a side meeting with HE Antonio Vitorino, Director of IOM in Doha, in which HE Vitorino assured IOM support on the digitalization of the Office of Overseas Sri Lankans as well as continuous support of the IOM with matters pertaining to migration. State Minister Balasuriya also met with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Italy Maria Tripodi. Discussions were held, particularly on bilateral relations between the respective countries.

Economic Research Department to ensuring price and economic stability, and financial system stability, thereby assuring the normalisation of the interest rate structure no sooner the price pressures are sufficiently contained in the period ahead. 

Colombo (News1st) – The Freedom People's Alliance staged a protest at the Welekade junction in Badulla on Sunday (26) demanding that elections be held. Parliamentarians representing the Freedom People's Alliance including Prof. G.L.

COLOMBO (News 1st); US Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen said that the Group of 20 countries need to work together to ease the debt overhang that is holding back too many countries, including Sri Lanka."The IMF estimates that around 55 percent of low-income countries are close to or in debt distress.

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (AP) - Federal environmental regulators on Tuesday took charge of the cleanup from the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment and chemical burn and ordered Norfolk Southern to foot the bill.The Environmental Protection Agency told Norfolk Southern to take all available measures to clean up contaminated air and water, and also said the company would be required to reimburse the federal government for a new program to provide cleaning services for impacted residents and businesses.The EPA warned Norfolk Southern that if the company failed to comply with its order, the agency would perform the work itself and seek triple damages from the company."The Norfolk Southern train derailment has upended the lives of East Palestine families, and EPA’s order will ensure the company is held accountable for jeopardizing the health and safety of this community," EPA Administrator Michael S.

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.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka's Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe has assured that measures are being taken to ensure the safety and protection of the banking industry.He was speaking at the 33rd Anniversary convention of the Associations of Professional Bankers in Colombo on Monday (20)."In this kind of situation (present economic crisis) we all know banks are not in an easy situation like we had in the past.

American activist Erin Brockovich poses for AFP at her home In Agoura Hills, California on March 16, 2021. (Photo by Valeria Macon/AFP via Getty Images) Activist Erin Brockovich says she coming to East Palestine, the site of the freight train derailment where toxic chemicals spilled or were burned off in Ohio more than two weeks ago. Brockovich is holding a town hall on Friday, Feb.

COLUMBUS, Ga. - Nine youths - including a 5-year-old child - were wounded after shots rang out at a gas station in a Georgia city bordering Alabama, authorities said Saturday.Officers from the Columbus Police Department responded about 10 p.m. Friday and found multiple gunshot victims amid a large group of people.Police Chief Freddie Blackmon said at a news conference Saturday that an altercation apparently took place at a party nearby, and it spilled over to the gas station when the shooting began.

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio - A plume of chemicals that spilled into the Ohio River after a fiery train derailment has broken up and is no longer a concern, Ohio's governor said Friday, but worries remain among residents near the disaster site who've complained about lingering headaches and irritated eyes.Despite repeated assurances that air and water testing has shown no signs of contaminants, some around East Palestine, along the Pennsylvania state line, are still skeptical and afraid to return to their homes.Early next week, the state plans to open a medical clinic in the village to evaluate those who are worried and evaluate their symptoms, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced.

(File Photo)  OCEAN CITY, N.J. - New Jersey utility regulators used a controversial law Friday enabling them to bypass local authorities and grant approvals needed for an offshore wind project to proceed.The state Board of Public Utilities granted Orsted, the Danish wind energy developer, approvals toward several easements and permits that authorities in Cape May County had refused to grant the company.They used an amendment to New Jersey's offshore wind law passed in 2021 and signed into law by Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy removing most local control over where offshore wind projects come ashore.

During a discussion held at the Presidential Secretariat on February 16th, President Ranil Wickremesinghe announced that an International Monetary Fund (IMF) EFF loan is expected to be received in March. The President also mentioned that the possibility of reducing bank interest rates is being considered in line with the gradual drop of inflation rate.The discussion was aimed at identifying the issues faced by small and large-scale rice mill owners and finding solutions to resolve them. The rice mill owners brought up the fact that the production cost of a kilogram of rice has increased due to various factors, including the rise in fuel prices, electricity charges, machinery maintenance costs, transportation costs, and all other production and administrative expenses.They noted that they would incur losses by selling their product at the current market price as it is lower than the production cost.The rice mill owners also pointed out the difficulty of paying a high interest rate of 28% on bank loans taken to purchase paddy. It was mentioned that the production cost of a kilogram of paddy has increased due to the rapid increase in prices of the agricultural inputs for paddy cultivation.

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio - The Ohio village upended by a freight train derailment and the intentional burning of some of the hazardous chemicals on board has invited affected residents to a town hall meeting Wednesday evening to discuss lingering questions.And there are still plenty — about the huge plumes of smoke, the persisting odors, the reports of sick or dead animals, the potential impact on drinking water, all the cleaning up. Even as school has resumed and trains are rolling by again, things aren't the same.In and around East Palestine, near the Pennsylvania state line, people are asking whether the air and water around them is safe for people, pets and livestock.

Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal on Tuesday (14) met Sri Lanka's High Commissioner Milinda Moragoda and discussed support for economic recovery through bilateral trade expansion.During the discussion between Minister Goyal and High Commissioner Moragoda, which was held in a very cordial manner, a wide range of issues pertaining to the areas of bilateral trade and commerce, particularly aiming at the economic recovery in Sri Lanka, was discussed, read High Commission of Sri Lanka press release.Mechanisms relating to the expansion of bilateral trade, the ways to establish and promote rupee trade between Sri Lanka and India as a means of economic recovery in Sri Lanka, and the possibility of further bilateral integration in the textiles and garment sector were among the key issues discussed between the Indian Commerce Minister and the Sri Lankan High Commissioner.Moragoda thanked India for the unprecedented support that it has extended to Sri Lanka to mitigate the negative impact of the economic crisis.Recalling India's timely issuance of financial assurances to the IMF, the first creditor to do so, High Commissioner Moragoda emphasized the key role that India could play in the recovery phase of the Sri Lankan economy, added the press release.India sent financing assurances to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), becoming the first of Sri Lanka's creditors to officially back the crisis-hit island nation's debt restructuring programme.This takes Sri Lanka one step closer to getting a crucial USD 2.9-billion package from the IMF, made contingent on "receiving financing assurances from Sri Lanka's official creditors and making a good faith effort to reach a collaborative agreement with private