Progressive: Latest News

Bruce Willis attends the Comedy Central Roast of Bruce Willis at Hollywood Palladium on July 14, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images) Actor Bruce Willis has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, an untreatable disease and the most common form of dementia in people under 60.Willis’ family announced the diagnosis on the Instagram page of Demi Moore, Willis’ ex-wife, and in a statement on the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration's website.

North Carolina man developed an "uncontrollable Irish accent" until his death after being treated for prostate cancer, according to research published in the British Medical Journal.The patient, who was only identified as a man in his 50s, was presumably afflicted with foreign accent syndrome (FAS) after receiving androgen deprivation therapy and being prescribed abiraterone acetate/prednisone.The report said the man lived in England during his 20s and had friends and distant family members from Ireland, but had never visited the country or spoken with the foreign accent."His accent was uncontrollable, present in all settings and gradually became persistent," the four researchers wrote in their report, adding that it first began 20 months into his treatment.WALKING DEAD SYNDROME AND OTHER RARE CONDITIONS THAT BAFFLE DOCTORS AND RESEARCHERSSeveral similar cases have been studied across the globe in recent years, but this was reportedly the first case of FAS described in a patient with prostate cancer and the third described in a patient with malignancy.The researchers believe his voice change was caused by a condition called paraneoplastic neurological disorder (PND), which happens when cancer patients' immune systems attack parts of their brain, muscles, nerves and spinal cord."Despite chemotherapy, his neuroendocrine prostate cancer progressed resulting in multifocal brain metastases and a likely paraneoplastic ascending paralysis leading to his death," they wrote.Even as his condition worsened, the accent remained until his death months later. The report said the man did not have any neurological examination abnormalities or psychiatric history.

PHOENIX - Almost a year after it was announced that he was stepping away from acting, Bruce Willis' family announced that the actor has been diagnosed with a form of dementia called frontotemporal dementia (FTD)."Unfortunately, challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease Bruce faces. While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis," the family wrote.Here's what you should know about the disease Willis has been diagnosed with.When it was announced that Willis was stepping away from acting in 2022, his family revealed that the actor was diagnosed with aphasia.According to the Mayo Clinic, aphasia is a disorder that affects how a person communicates."Aphasia usually happens suddenly after a stroke or a head injury.

Hollywood stars have publicly shared their support for Bruce Willis, 67, following his dementia diagnosis.On Thursday (February 16), Bruce's family announced that he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia and released a “painful” statement explaining the condition.Since news of his diagnosis made its way around social media, the Die Hard actor has been inundated with messages from celebrity friends as they showed their support.READ MORE: Hollywood star Raquel Welch dies aged 82 after 'brief illness' as tributes pour in“Sending love [yellow heart emoji],” Selma Blair wrote in response to Demi Moore’s post as she uploaded a personal statement.Elsewhere, Queen Latifah said: “God bless you, my brother, we love you!!! all the best,” she wrote. “Thank you and your family for all the entertainment!!!” “Sending you and your family all my love, always,” Ireland Baldwin wrote in a comment on Bruce’s daughter Rumer’s post.Meanwhile, Aaron Paul wrote that Bruce is “such a damn legend” in his comment before adding: “Love you so much my friend! [love heart emoji] Sending hugs to you and that beautiful family of yours,” before finishing with: “Your pops is such a damn legend.”To stay up to date with all the latest news, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.That 70s Show star Wilmer Valderrama also penned: “Sending you all my love,” while Dancing With The Stars Sharna Burgess replied: “Sending you all so much love,” followed by a love heart emoji.

Kimberli Jones has been charged with kidnapping for allegedly trying to steal a child from a woman in a Colorado Walmart (Alamosa County Sheriff's Office) A woman in Colorado has been arrested and charged after allegedly trying to kidnap a young child from a mother inside a Walmart but was stopped by quick thinking shoppers.The city of Alamosa, Colorado posted on Facebook that the police department responded to a call of a kidnapping in progress on Thursday and discovered a woman had grabbed a child who didn’t belong to her from a shopping cart."Due to the quick actions of citizens within the store at the time of the incident, they were able to restrain the suspect until law enforcement arrived and reunited the young child back safely to parents," the post said.The suspect has been identified as 50-year-old Kimberli Jones from Blanca, Colorado.POLICE SAY 'GOOD SAMARITAN' PREVENTED FURTHER LOSS OF LIFE IN INDIANA MALL SHOOTING: 'TACTICALLY SOUND'Jones has been charged with kidnapping, menacing, child abuse, and disorderly conduct.The kidnapping, menacing, and child abuse charges are felonies while the disorderly conduct charge is a misdemeanor. ARMED FLORIDA GOOD SAMARITANS DETAIN MAN WHO ALLEGEDLY ASSAULTED, SHOT AT 2 WOMENPolice say the crime was an isolated incident and that the public should not be worried."The Alamosa Police Department would like to thank the brave citizens, Wal-Mart staff, and community for the quick response and for being alert," the post said. LINK: Get updates and more on this story at foxnews.com.

NEW BRIGHTON, Minn. (FOX 9) - Rose Smith, a 5-year-old New Brighton girl, is one of 160 Minnesotans with Angelman Syndrome, a rare neurogenic disorder that impacts about one in 15,000 to 20,000 people worldwide. Rose is a bright, beautiful, loving little girl who is always smiling and giggling."She laughs at all your jokes, and it’s consistent, it’s not like she has an off day," Rose's mother Sierra said. Being almost always happy, with no real tantrums or anger, is one of the wonderful things about Angelman Syndrome. But there are so many challenges her parents face, day and night. Angelman Syndrome is an issue that affects the 15th chromosome. For Rose and others, it means she doesn’t talk at all, there are balance issues, fine motor skills can be a problem, she has seizures and hyperactivity.

(Reuters) – Sri Lanka and India will sign a pact to link their power grids and start negotiations on an upgraded trade agreement within two months, a Sri Lankan diplomat said on Wednesday (15), as the island nation seeks a way out of its worst economic crisis in decades.India has provided some $4 billion in assistance to its southern neighbour since the crisis hit early last year, but Sri Lanka is now seeking to enhance trade and investments as it moves to close a $2.9 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund, the country's envoy to New Delhi told Reuters."We have to have growth, otherwise basically the economy will shrink," Milinda Moragoda, the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India said."As far as growth is concerned, India offers that prospect. So we will have to move on that.

sex-specific differences in a type of immune cell called regulatory T cells, or "Treg cells," and in the production of proteins called antibodies. The "humeral response," the production of antibodies, is dysregulated in Covid-19. Treg cells were suspected to be responsible for this, as their role in the immune system is to regulate other immune cells and suppress their activities to control the strength of the immune response.

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.

Paul Rudd is sharing the great news regarding Jeremy Renner‘s recovery!

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The National Election Commission said that it cannot be satisfied with the status of investigations taking place with regard to the death threats made to three members of the NEC.A senior official at the National Election Commission speaking to News 1st said that various factions are continuing to make undue influence on the NEC in order to delay the Local Government Elections.He added that certain state officials, attached to several State Institutions that should be involved in ensuring a Free & Fair election takes place, are neglecting their duties.The Senior Official said that those who appointed the state officials who are neglecting their duties must be held accountable for the dereliction of duty.The Chairman of the National Election Commission, Attorney Nimal Punshihewa has requested the President to intervene over the death threats made to the members of the National Election Commission.The NEC Chairman in a letter to the President requested that an environment favourable to conduct a free and fair election be created.News 1st also inquired from the Criminal Investigations Department on the progress made with regard to the investigations on the death threats made to members of the National Election Commission.A Senior Official at the CID said that investigations revealed that the threatening phone calls were made from Dubai.He said that a telecommunication analysis reports has been called for from the service providers.

Shania Twain shared her very scary experience with Covid pneumonia, which got so bad that she had to be air-evacuated to a hospital for treatment.The Queen of Country Pop, 57, revealed that after getting sick during the height of the pandemic she was struggling to breathe at which point her husband Frédéric Thiébaud, 53, organized an air lift from their home in Lake Geneva, Switzerland.'It was progressively getting worse. My vital signs were getting worse… and in the end I had to be air evacuated,' the star — who recently opened up about the childhood sexual abuse she experienced — told The Mirror in a new interview.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Wednesday the 25th of January went down in history as the day in which a majority of the country's public and private sector employees were met with the highest income tax ever-imposed on the monthly salary, and allowances.Some of those working in the public and private sector and got taxes shared horror on social media platforms, noting that in addition to the existing deductions for loans, the new tax had left them with a very low take-home salary.The government's controversial new tax law, the Inland Revenue (Amendment) Act, was passed in Parliament last year.The new tax regime imposes an extraordinary maximum 36% tax bracket on monthly income, with the lowest bracket starting at 6% for those earning over Rs. 100,000/- per month.To protest against the unjust tax policy, a Black Protest Week was launched by the Professionals' Trade Union Alliance, and it will end on Friday (27).Doctors in the public service, university teachers, bank employees, engineers and professionals belonging to 15 organizations that form the Professionals' Trade Union Alliance launched a campaign against the unjust tax regime.The Professionals' Trade Union Alliance warned that if this tax regime continues, the country would experience a mass exodus of its professionals who would seek beneficial employment opportunities elsewhere.Effective from 1st January 2023, the progressive personal income tax rates would be 6%, 12%, 18%, 24%, 30% and 36%.The new tax regime will impose an extraordinary maximum 36% tax bracket on monthly income, with the lowest bracket starting at 6% for those earning over Rs.

 (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.

clinician, has long been a powerful tool “for unpacking and making sense of our thoughts and feelings,” says , a licensed marriage and family therapist in New York. Sometimes it can feel like the latest in mental health treatment is overwhelmingly tech-heavy or experimental—hello, and and post-traumatic stress disorder—but the recent rise in interest surrounding writing therapy feels refreshingly grounded and old school. “There are numerous studies linking journaling about our thoughts and feelings to a decrease in symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress,” says , a licensed marriage and family therapist in California.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Parliamentarian Channa Jayasumana says the Freedom People’s Alliance will never join with the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna.He said that all progressive movements that follow the middle path and love the country, have joined to form the Freedom People’s Alliance, and it would eventually become a powerful political force in the country."When our alliance was formed, one of the main agreements among the groups was not to join with the SLPP under any circumstance," he added.He also said "We have no intention of landing the helicopter in Medamulana"The Sri Lanka Freedom Party, Freedom People's Congress, Uththara Lanka Sabhagaya, as well as 12 parties and 62 groups came together to form a new alliance to contest the upcoming local government election.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Police teams investigating the death of businessman Dinesh Schaffter were summoned by the Police Chief for a meeting on Wednesday (28).IGP C.D.

Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera, RSP **, USP, ndu, psc, was appointed as the 25th Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy on 18th December 2022, after being elevated to the rank of three-star Admiral.The appointment was made by President Ranil Wickremesinghe.Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera is a product of the Royal College, Colombo. He joined the Sri Lanka Navy in the Executive Branch in 1987 as an Officer Cadet of the 05th Intake of the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University. He was awarded the ‘Sword of Honour’ for the best in the batch upon successful completion of naval training from the Naval and Maritime Academy, Trincomalee. He was commissioned in the rank of Acting Sub Lieutenant in 1989 and graduated from the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree (Defence Studies) with honours.In pursuing academics, he has completed a Post Graduate Diploma in International Relations at Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies and has also been conferred with a Master’s in Science Degree (Defence Studies) in Management from the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University. He also holds a Master’s Degree of Maritime Policy with Distinctions from the University of Wollongong, Australia.

(Reuters) – The executive board of the International Monetary Fund is not expected to formally approve Sri Lanka's $2.9 billion bailout before year-end, a key step required for the embattled country to receive funding, two sources familiar with the matter said.Seeking a way out of its worst economic crisis in decades, Sri Lanka reached an IMF staff-level agreement in June with the deal subject to approval and contingent on Sri Lanka authorities following through with previously agreed measures.Sri Lanka said in September it expected the board to approve the deal by year-end. Progress has been slow in recent months, and Sri Lanka's finance minister acknowledged last month the request might extend into January.Sri Lanka has to secure prior financing assurances from creditors, put its heavy debt burden on a sustainable path and increase public revenue before the global lender will disburse the funds.

The minister was speaking at the Health Ministers’ Conclave held on the occasion of Universal Health Coverage Day. New Delhi: “The Community Health Officers (CHOs) are the pivotal link operating at the cutting edge and delivering primary health care services at the grassroots. They are the health army at the field.

'Resilient' Celine Dion is 'focusing on her health and children' after being diagnosed with rare neurological condition Stiff Person Syndrome, which causes her muscles to tense uncontrollably.The 54-year-old singer moved fans to tears as she revealed she had the incurable neurological condition in an Instagram post on Thursday - which has forced her to postpone her European tour.A source told People on Friday: 'Celine is overwhelmed and moved by the outpouring of love and support from her fans,'It's been a very difficult time and she has a hard road ahead of her, but she is doing everything she can to get back on stage and see her fans.' Heartbreaking: 'Resilient' Celine Dion is 'focusing on her health and children' after being diagnosed with rare neurological condition Stiff Person Syndrome, which causes her muscles to tense uncontrollably. The 54-year-old singer moved fan 'They have always been there for her.

BENGALURU : Shipra Misra is chief executive and managing director of Delhi Research Implementation and Innovation (DRIIV), the umbrella body for the Delhi NCR Science and Technology (S&T) cluster. In an interview, she talks about the progress the foundation is making with Project SAMEER to control air pollution in Delhi, the move to introduce solar-powered interoperable electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare, among other things.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – President Wickremesinghe says that the world is still no closer to the implementation of a universal action plan to combat climate change. issued a statement President Wickremesinghe yesterday (29) issued a statement after participating in the COP 27  United Nations Climate Change Conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt earlier this month.The President was critical of the countries that were historically accountable for the greatest damage and who are capable of meaningful contributions but who have stymied the furtherance of climate action.Following is the statement issued by President Ranil Wickremesinghe“For 27 years, world leaders have been meeting under the COP framework to confront the greatest threat to the future of humanity – climate change. Yet, we are no closer to the implementation of a universal and collaborative plan of climate action as mandated by the COP process.

(Reuters) – Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen resigned as head of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Saturday after her strategy to frame local elections as showing defiance to China's rising bellicosity failed to pay off and win public support.The elections for mayors, county chiefs and local councillors are ostensibly about domestic issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic and crime, and those elected will not have a direct say on China policy.But Tsai had recast the election as being more than a local vote, saying the world is watching how Taiwan defends its democracy amid military tensions with China, which claims the island as its territory.The main opposition party the Kuomintang, or KMT, was leading or claimed victory in 13 of the 21 city mayor and county chief seats up for grabs, including the capital Taipei, compared to the DPP's five, broadly in line with expectations and similar to the results of the last local elections in 2018."The results failed our expectations. We humbly accept the results and accept the Taiwanese people's decision," Tsai told reporters at party headquarters as she quit as party head, which she also did after 2018's poor results."It's not like the DPP has never failed before," Tsai, who will continue serving as president until 2024, added.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lankan Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Sabry told the Indian Ocean Rim Association session in Bangladesh on Thursday (24) that Sri Lanka is poised and is well positioned to be one of the major trading hubs of the Indian Ocean, addign that the country has demonstrated manifestly significant openness to trade and commerce.He emphasised the significance and necessity of actively engaging with the countries of the Indian Ocean Rim to mutually advance the economic and commercial interests of Sri Lanka as well as to maintain peace and stability in the region of Indian Ocean. He further stressed that Sri Lanka’s commitment to the matters that concern the Indian Ocean region remains one of the key cornerstones of the current economic and foreign policy of Sri Lanka. Minister highlighted that Sri Lanka is strategically positioned at the centre of one of the busiest sea lanes of the world, adding that Sri Lanka’s traditional and ancient links with the countries of the IORM go back many centuries and empirical evidence reveals that Sri Lanka’s geographical centrality markedly facilitated and aided maritime commerce and trade over the centuries.Given its progression as an Indian Ocean Hub, Sri Lanka has emerged as one of the most pivotal shipping lanes since two-thirds of the petroleum products and half of the container shipments of the world criss-cross close to the Southern coast of the Island.The Minister apprised the member states at the Council of Ministers of the IORA concerning Sri Lanka’s efforts in sustainable and efficacious usage of maritime resources and immense ocean pollution challenges as well as projects and programs implemented to safeguard the coastal belt and the Indian Ocean. This is to

COLOMBO (News 1st) – MTV Channel (Pvt) Ltd, the network that owns and operates Sirasa TV, Shakthi TV, TV-1, News 1st and Stein Studios, has been appointed as the Official Television Rights Holders in Sri Lanka for the FIFA World Cup, which is expected to be the most-watched sporting event in world history. The 64 matches in 29 days between 32 nations will air primarily LIVE on TV-1, the network’s islandwide sports and infotaiment channel, whilst also being selectively simulcast and re-aired on Shakthi TV and Sirasa TV.  Viewers can tune in to TV-1 on the following UHF frequencies: Colombo 58Nuwara Eliya 59Nuwara Eliya Town 29Matale 53Kandy 51Deniyaya 53Ratnapura 54Jaffna 34Badulla 58Matugama 53 The dazzling opening ceremony is scheduled to commence at 8:00 p.m. Sri Lanka time on Sunday, 20th November, followed immediately by the first match between hosts Qatar and Ecuador at 9:30 p.m.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – All the opposition parties and groups in Parliament made an official request from the National Election Commission to call for Local Government Elections on time.Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa led a group of leading opposition lawmakers to the National Election Commission premises on Tuesday (15) morning to hand over a letter.The Samagi Jana Balavegaya, Sri Lanka Freedom Party, Freedom People's Congress, Uttara Lanka Sabhagaya, Democratic Left Front, Independent Group led by MP Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, National People's Power, All Ceylon Makkal Congress, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, Tamil National Alliance, Tamil Progressive Alliance, Nawa Sama Samaja Party, as well as the Frontline Socialists Party that is not represented in parliament signed the letter.The letter signed by 21 parties and groups represented in parliament, and not represented in the house notes that if a response is not received to the joint request it will be assumed that the National Elections Commission is also planning on delaying the local government elections.The letter notes that if that is the case, necessary actions will be taken.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court ordered the OIC of the Criminal Investigations Department to immediately investigate whether State Minister Diana Gamage is remaining in Sri Lanka without a valid visa, and submit a progress report to the court on the 15th of December.The order was made when a case filed challenging the citizenship of Diana Gamage was taken up in court on Thursday (10).Attorney Gunaratna Wanninayake told reporters outside the court that attempts were made earlier to undermine this investigation.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it continues to monitor the progress of the passengers of Sri Lankan origin who were rescued and bought to the Port of Vung Tau in Viet Nam on 08 November 2022.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the Sri Lanka Navy that they had received information about a vessel carrying approximately 303 persons believed to be Sri Lankans which was in distress in the waters between the Philippines and Viet Nam on 07 November 2022.  Sri Lanka Navy having contacted the vessel, informed that the crew had abandoned the vessel with the passengers onboard. On the initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in coordination with the Sri Lanka Navy and the Sri Lanka Missions in the Philippines, Singapore and Viet Nam together with the regional Maritime Rescue Coordination Centers (MRCC) based in Singapore, the rescue efforts were coordinated, said the Foreign Ministry.Subsequently, the Japanese-flagged vessel, “Helios Leader”, having been contacted by the Singapore MRCC, rescued the passengers from the distressed vessel. The passengers were handed over to Viet Nam authorities at Vung Tau Port in South Viet Nam.The screening of the passengers will be done by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in coordination with the Viet Nam authorities and the Sri Lanka Embassy in Viet Nam.

₹1,854.5 crore, lower than consensus estimates. This is the first decline in Divi’s revenue in the last 20 quarters, said analysts from Nuvama. Operating deleverage coupled with high energy costs meant that the Ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) margin fell fast.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka's Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said that it impossible to activate the Sectoral Oversight Committees in Parliament in the absence of representatives from the Opposition.Speaking to News 1st the speaker said the leader in the opposition was repeatedly informed to make the appointments to those committees, however, a positive response is yet to be received.Recently, the Sri Lankan Parliament gave the green light to activate 17 Parliamentary Sectoral committees, and the speaker said he hopes to complete the appointment of representatives to the committee during the next parliament week.President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Thursday (3) pointed out that although the formation of the National Assembly has been concluded to bring far-reaching systematic changes, satisfactory progress has not been made with regard to other proposals.The President has indicated this in a letter to Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena.The establishment of a National Assembly and the appointment of three committees related to public finance and banking were proposed under far-reaching systematic changes.In addition, it was also proposed to appoint the Banking and Financial Services Committee, the Economic Stabilization Committee and the Committee on Ways and Means related to banking affairs, as well as to delegate five youth representatives for the Sectoral committees and to establish the Parliamentary Budget Office.President Ranil Wickremesinghe has expressed that although 17 Parliamentary Sectoral committees should be established as indicated by these proposals; the chairpersons have not been designated for them and the criteria for selecting the youth representatives to be appointed for this purpose has yet

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka's Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said that it impossible to activate the Sectoral Oversight Committees in Parliament in the absence of representatives from the Opposition.Speaking to News 1st the speaker said the leader in the opposition was repeatedly informed to make the appointments to those committees, however, a positive response is yet to be received.Recently, the Sri Lankan Parliament gave the green light to activate 17 Parliamentary Sectoral committees, and the speaker said he hopes to complete the appointment of representatives to the committee during the next parliament week.President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Thursday (3) pointed out that although the formation of the National Assembly has been concluded to bring far-reaching systematic changes, satisfactory progress has not been made with regard to other proposals.The President has indicated this in a letter to Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena.The establishment of a National Assembly and the appointment of three committees related to public finance and banking were proposed under far-reaching systematic changes.In addition, it was also proposed to appoint the Banking and Financial Services Committee, the Economic Stabilization Committee and the Committee on Ways and Means related to banking affairs, as well as to delegate five youth representatives for the Sectoral committees and to establish the Parliamentary Budget Office.President Ranil Wickremesinghe has expressed that although 17 Parliamentary Sectoral committees should be established as indicated by these proposals; the chairpersons have not been designated for them and the criteria for selecting the youth representatives to be appointed for this purpose has yet

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lankan authorities held a virtual meeting with Sri Lanka’s official creditors on Thursday (3). The meeting was chaired by the Secretary to the Treasury and the Ministry of Finance, K M Mahinda Siriwardana, and the Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Dr. P.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The EU-Sri Lanka Sixth Working Group on Governance, Rule of Law and Human Rights met in Colombo on 28 October 2022 and the European Union has encouraged tangible progress by Sri Lanka on its GSP+ commitment.The Working Group meeting took place in the context of regular bilateral interactions between Sri Lanka and the European Union (EU). The two sides discussed the recent developments in Sri Lanka and the EU, and the implementation of relevant action and legislative initiatives regarding the promotion and protection of human rights. Sri Lanka briefed the EU on progress in reconciliation.The EU re-affirmed its commitment to support Sri Lanka’s efforts to successfully overcome the current unprecedented economic crisis, including the necessary reforms and social protection measures, which would mitigate the adverse impact of the crisis and lead the country towards sustainable growth and prosperity.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the United States, concurrently accredited to Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago Mahinda Samarasinghe met with Secretary-General of the Organization of American States (OAS) Ambassador Luis Almagro, recently at the Organization’s Headquarters in Washington DC. He presented letters of credence as a permanent observer to the Organization, one of 71 countries with this status. During the interaction with the Secretary-General (a former Ambassador, Foreign Minister and Senator from Uruguay), the Sri Lankan Ambassador briefed him on the steps being taken by the Government of Sri Lanka to overcome the present economic challenges and the progress achieved to date.The Ambassador adverted to Sri Lanka’s relative lack of resident diplomatic representation in OAS countries with only four Missions operating in the 35 member states (United States, Canada, Brazil and Cuba). He inquired of the Secretary-General if Sri Lanka could use the good offices of the OAS to expand and strengthen ties with the other states, to which the response was encouraging and positive.The potential for further enhancing trade with OAS countries was also mentioned during the discussion. The Secretary-General welcomed such initiatives.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – It was decided at the National Council Sub-Committee on Identifying Priorities in Formulating Short, Medium and Long Term Policies held recently (26) under the chairmanship of the Member of Parliament Namal Rajapakse to introduce Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure the performance of government institutions.In order to streamline the government mechanism efficiently, the committee emphasized the need to prepare metrics to review the progress of government agencies and government officials.Thus, it was decided to discuss this matter with all the other services including the administrative service in the next week and start formulating policies.Officials representing the Ministry of Public Administration Home Affairs Provincial Councils and Local Government and Sri Lanka Administrative Service Association were present at this meeting.State Minister Ashoka Priyantha, Members of Parliament  Pavithradevi Wanniarachchi, Wajira Abeywardana and Sagara Kariyawasam were also present.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Select Committee of Parliament to look into and report to Parliament its recommendations to ensure gender equity and equality with special emphasis on looking into gender based discriminations and violations of women’s rights in Sri Lanka held discussions regarding the progress of drafting the proposed Bill entitled “Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment” followed by a presentation to review findings on the implementation of the multi sectoral National Action Plan to address Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) 2016-2020.These discussions were held at the said Select Committee chaired by (Dr.) Sudarshani Fernandopulle, Member of Parliament recently (20).The Select Committee members agreed to send the draft inclusive of all recommendations discussed at the Select Committee to the expert committee assigned for the purpose within two weeks under the purview of the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs.The Select Committee also acknowledged the progress of the implementation of the multi sectoral National Action Plan to address Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) 2016-2020 and directed and requested the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs to incorporate contextualized initiatives to the new plan.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera informed the National Council that the report of the committee on to the restructuring of the energy sector will be submitted to the National Council within two weeks.At the same time, the Minister informed that the National Council is also expected to be informed about the proposed measures to be taken for the various energy generation projects proposed to be launched by the Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority and the Ceylon Electricity Board.The National Council met on 20th October under the Chairmanship of the Speaker of the Parliament, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana, Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and the Chief Opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella.Institutions such as the Sri Lanka Electricity Board and Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority were called before the National Council where the officials presented ideas and proposals related to the progress of the energy sector.MP Namal Rajapaksa, as the Chairman of the National Council sub-committee on identifying short and medium-term programs related to National Policy, and the Chairman of the National Council sub-committee on identifying short and medium-term programs related to Economic Stabilization, Patali Champika Ranawaka informed the National Council about the progress and the expected future work of the committees.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Deputy Director of the Asia and Pacific Department of the International Monetary Fund, Anne-Marie Gulde-Wolf has said that Sri Lanka will remain a middle-income country despite the decline in GDP.Speaking at an IMF press conference on the Asia and Pacific Region’s Economic Outlook, the Deputy Director of the Asia and Pacific Department of the IMF responded to questions raised about Sri Lanka's progress toward debt restructuring negotiation, the IMF's program timeline, and whether Sri Lanka could be downgraded to low-income status.She pointed out that it is difficult to predict a timeline because the process of debt negotiations takes time, and mentioned that timelines differ depending on who the creditors are and what is involved. "We certainly are supporting the process as much as we can. And we hope that everybody can work expeditiously to get a process underway, and discussions have started, including with support of all bilateral creditors that are involved," she said. Anne-Marie Gulde-Wolf further speaking noted that with regard to the other multilateral lenders, the IMF is working very closely with the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Asian Investment Bank, on programs for Sri Lanka, which would assist in closing the financing gap. "But I want to say also very importantly that the policies under the other multilateral lenders in their areas of expertise will be important to resolve Sri Lanka's longer term growth problems," Anne-Marie Gulde-Wolf emphasized.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – A USD 100 million Line of Credit has been extended by the Government of India to install rooftop solar panels at select institutions.A progress review meeting was recently held at the Ministry of Power on the project recently, and according to the Minister Kanchana Wijesekara,  rooftop solar will be used to equip government institutions, schools, hospitals, universities, educational and vocational training institutions, military and police stations, district secretariats, regional secretariats and places of religious worship. In addition to the Minister and State Minister of Power and Energy, officials from the High Commission of India, Sustainable Energy Authority and Ceylon Electricity Board participated in the event.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – State Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe met with the World Bank Vice President for the South Asia Region, Martin Raiser, and a World Bank delegation during the World Bank Annual Meetings 2022, to discuss options available to recover Sri Lanka's economy.The discussions were focused on the current creditworthiness of Sri Lanka, which is no longer entitled to source funding through the World Bank’s International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), instead to work with the International Development Association (IDA) rating, which will grant Sri Lanka to obtain concessional loans. This process, which will entail a "reverse graduation" to IDA, will move Sri Lanka from an IBRD-only country to an IDA country.However, Sri Lanka will remain listed as a middle-income country.The IMF/WB also emphasized that access to this potential new concessional funding remains linked to deep reforms, an IMF program, and progress with a comprehensive debt treatment the process by the authorities of Sri Lanka. The VP and the WB Delegation said that sustained improvements in economic and social conditions by the Sri Lankan government could pave the way for Sri Lanka to graduate from IDA in the future.

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.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne today (12) formally handed over the letter of appointment to Rear Admiral Jayantha Kularatne, who was appointed as the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Navy, and expressed his best wishes.Rear Admiral Jayantha Kularatne is a proud product of Mahanama College, Colombo. He joined the Sri Lanka Navy in 1987 as an Officer Cadet of the 16th intake, in the Executive branch. On successful completion of his basic training at the Naval and Maritime Academy, Trincomalee, he was commissioned as a Sub Lieutenant in 1989.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – A country’s security is not only ensured militarily but is also secured through food and economic security, President Ranil Wickremesinghe emphasized.The President said this during the progress review meeting of the National Food Security and Nutrition Assurance Program held at the Presidential Secretariat on Tuesday (11).Emphasizing that urgent measures should be taken to provide the country with fuel and food, the President said that if necessary, he could intervene through state security regulations.The President also noted that if the implementation of the food security and nutrition assurance program is hampered due to the collapse of the state machinery, he is ready to intervene at any moment to resolve these issues.President Ranil Wickremesinghe also pointed out the need to modernize agriculture and enact legislation on food security through this program.The multi-sectoral joint mechanism to empower rural economic revitalization centres to ensure food security and nutrition was recently implemented across the island under the theme “No citizen should be allowed to starve due to the lack of food”, on the directives of President Ranil Wickremesinghe.Also, the progress of the program at the district level was examined during this discussion and it was stated that rural economic revitalization committees have been established at the village level in all districts and programs have been initiated to ensure food security and nutrition.Discussions also centred on the issues that could arise during the cultivation process in the relevant districts, while special attention was placed on the supply of fertilizer, land issues, unavailability of seeds and the crop damage caused by wild animals.President

COLOMBO (News 1st) – President Ranil Wickremesinghe says that to live with the qualities that Prophet Muhammad preached and to deal with others with a sense of understanding is a tribute to him, in his message commemorating Milad-un-nabi.The full statement is as follows;The birthday of the Prophet Muhammad who is venerated by the Sri Lankan Muslims as well as the Muslim brethren around the world is celebrated today (09).It is my belief that doctrine of Prophet Muhammad as the religious leader of the Islamic devotees around the world will help to alleviate the situation in the society today more than ever before.To live with the qualities that Prophet Muhammad preached and deal with others with a sense of understanding is a tribute to him rather than attempting to overcome them.The coming of the Prophet Muhammad and his vision signified the protection of the entire human community as well as their respect.

NEW YORK (AP) - The latest government study on teen vaping suggests there's been little progress in keeping e-cigarettes out of the hands of kids.The data seems to show more high school students vaping, with 14% saying they had done so recently, according to survey results released Thursday. In last year's survey, about 11% said they had vaped recently.But experts cautioned that a change in the survey makes it difficult to compare the two: This year, a much higher percentage of participants took the survey in schools, and vaping tends to be reported more in schools than in homes."It continues to be difficult to assess (vaping) trends since the pandemic," said Alyssa Harlow, a University of Southern California researcher who studies youth e-cigarette use.Despite its persistence, vaping appears to be less popular than it was: In 2019, 28% of high schoolers said they had recently vaped.Educators say vaping is still a big problem.Anecdotally, the 2021-22 school year was worse than it was before the pandemic, said Mike Rinaldi, principal of Westhill High School in Stamford, Connecticut.

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) – 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.