COVID-19 News & Perspective

Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/WireImage PHILADELPHIA - Eight-time Grammy award winner Usher will join Philadelphia's Roots Picnic as a special guest performer, Live Nation exclusively told FOX 29. The Roots Picnic will take place at The Mann in Fairmount Park from June 2nd to June 4th. Usher is taking the place of Diddy, who was set to co-headline the event with The Roots and Lauryn Hill.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is set to publish an update on guidance relating to eye conditions.

Sri Lanka is showing “tentative signs of improvement”, the International Monetary Fund has said, while urging the island nation to reach timely restructuring agreements with its creditors, before the Fund’s first scheduled review in September this year.An IMF mission conducted a staff visit to Sri Lanka From May 11 to 23, to review the implementation of the Fund’s programme aimed at helping Sri Lanka achieve debt sustainability and revive its economy after last year’s economic crash, the worst the country has seen since Independence.In March 2023, the IMF cleared a nearly $3 billion-dollar package for Sri Lanka, asking the country to “step up structural reforms”.The visiting delegation said in a statement that following strong policy efforts, the macroeconomic situation in Sri Lanka is showing tentative signs of improvement, with inflation moderating, the exchange rate stabilising, and the Central Bank rebuilding reserves buffers. However, the overall macroeconomic and policy environment remains challenging.Referring to discussions on progress in debt restructuring, the visiting officials noted that achieving timely restructuring agreements with creditors in line with the programme targets by the time of the first review is essential to restoring debt sustainability.

WASHINGTON - Like the blue and yellow flags that popped up around the U.S. when Russia invaded Ukraine 15 months ago, U.S. popular support for Washington's backing of Ukraine has faded a little but remains widespread, a survey by the University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy and NORC shows.It found that half of the people in the U.S.

Clifton Williams, 64, is pictured in a booking image. (Credit: Louisville Metropolitan Department of Corrections) LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A Kentucky man is accused of shooting his roommate after eating the last Hot Pocket, according to police and local reports. Clifton Williams, 64, was arrested early Sunday in Louisville and charged with one count of second-degree assault.

PHILADELPHIA - A Philadelphia convenience store worker was shot over a struggle over a video game machine, police say. According to authorities, police responded to a shooting in a business in the area of 10th and Wagner in the Logan section of the city just after midnight on Wednesday. Police say officers arrived on scene and found a 53-year-old with a gunshot wound to the arm. Investigators say the man works inside the store doing various jobs for the business. MORE LOCAL HEADLINESOfficials say customers were playing with the video game machine inside the convenience store when they got into a violent struggle with the worker. Chief Inspector Scott Small told reporters the struggle lasted about a minute before a weapon was drawn and the worker was shot. The incident was captured on camera, police say. According to Small, the shooter fled the store after the shooting. The victim was transported to Einstein Hospital in stable condition, per police. This is a developing story.

suspected case in New Jersey have piqued interest in an age-old summer question for beachgoers — is it safe to go in the water?Scientists and researchers who study sharks said the overwhelming answer to that question is yes, it is safe. Potentially dangerous interactions between humans and sharks are uncommon, and serious injuries and deaths from the bites are vanishingly rare, scientists said.Nonetheless, the dramatic nature of shark bites and the stories of survivors, such as Hawaii surfer Mike Morita's tale of fighting off a shark in April, capture the imagination.

UVALDE, Texas - A criminal investigation in Texas over the hesitant police response to the Robb Elementary School shooting is still ongoing as Wednesday marks one year since a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers inside a fourth-grade classroom in Uvalde.The continuing probe underlines the lasting fallout over Texas' deadliest school shooting and how the days after the attack were marred by authorities giving inaccurate and conflicting accounts about efforts made to stop a teenage gunman armed with an AR-style rifle.The investigation has run parallel to a new wave of public anger in the U.S. over gun violence, renewed calls for stricter firearm regulations and legal challenges over authorities in Uvalde continuing to withhold public records related to the shooting and the police response.A memorial is dedicated to the victims of last years mass shooting at Robb Elementary School on April 27, 2023 in Uvalde, Texas.

An American flag flies in front of a cooling tower at the Exelon Corp. Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania, U.S., on Wednesday, April 11, 2018.

Governor of Delaware John C Carney Jr. speaks at the Delaware Memorial Day Ceremony, in New Castle, DE on May 30, 2019.

COLOMBO (News 1st)  – The Department of Examinations informs that if there is any error in the admission card given to the students to appear for the 2022 GCE Ordinary Level examination, the time given to correct it will end at midnight today (24).Commissioner General of Examinations, Amit Jayasundara, mentioned this while joining the Negitimu Sri Lanka program which aired on TV1 this morning.The 2022 GCE Ordinary Level Examination will be held from 29th of May to the 8th June.

PHILADELPHIA - A teenager has been hospitalized after being shot multiple times in the parking lot of a Philadelphia Wawa, police say. According to Philadelphia Chief Inspector Scott Small, police responded to a report of gunshots on the 2500 block of Aramingo Avenue in the Port Richmond section of the city just before 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday. When officers arrived on scene, they found a 15-year-old male who ran into Wawa after being shot, Small says. MORE LOCAL HEADLINESAccording to authorities, the teen was shot in the arm and torso but was conscious. The teen was taken to Temple Hospital, where he is in critical condition, officials say. Surveillance video shows what police believe to be shots fired at a vehicle parked in the parking lot, Small says. A 15-year-old was shot in the parking lot of a Wawa in the Port Richmond section of the city, police say.

Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market. At first it seemed likely that the virus had been transmitted from bats to humans via an “intermediate" animal that was infected outside the city and then sold at the market. This was how SARS first emerged 20 years ago.

Europe's second-top court has today backed Ryanair's challenge against an Italian state aid, approved by the European Union, for airlines hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, siding again with the Irish airline on this issue.

Four Sri Lankan Army soldiers serving the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Mali, known as MINUSMA (UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali) sustained minor injuries following detonation of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Mali on Sunday (21) while Sri Lankan peacekeepers were in an armored vehicle providing security for a logistics convoy.The explosion occurred about 15 km northwest of their camp in Tessalit in the Kidal region of Mali, a landlocked country marred by tribal riots. Reports said the injuries were not serious and they were undergoing medical treatment.Colonel J.M.D.N.C Jayamaha, the Commanding Officer of the Sri Lankan contingent in the MINUSMA said that the blast occurred when Sri Lankan troops on board an armoured vehicle was providing security to a convoy along the road.Meanwhile, Stephane Dujarric, the Chief Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was quoted saying that an immediate search of the surrounding area that followed discovered a second IED which was successfully detonated. He had also gone on record saying that the mission earlier in the day also had detonated another IED discovered some 32 km northwest of the Tessalit camp.The UN staff reported earlier this year that the MINUSMA mission was the most deadly of any world body assignment for the ninth year with 14 personnel killed in 2022.– Sri Lanka Army

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Constitutional Council is scheduled to convene at 12.30 pm on Thursday (25).Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana said the Constitutional Council convened on Tuesday (23), adding that a final decision was not reached regarding the matters discussed.The Speaker said the Election Commission has not been appointed thus far.He added that Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said that the Election Commission should not be changed, at a time an election has not been concluded.The Speaker said all parties should be in agreement to appoint a commission.

COLOMBO (News 1st); A 37-year-old man was gunned down on the Heenatigala Road in Unawatuna, Habaraduwa on Wednesday (24) morning.Police Spokesperson SSP Nihal Thalduwa told News 1st that two unidentified motorcycle gunmen had opened fire at the victim when he was traveling in a three-wheeler with his wife after dropping off their children at school.The victim was a father of three from Kanattawatte in Heenatigala.He was employed as a three-wheeler driver, and once served in the Sri Lanka Army as well.Sri Lanka Police said that the victim was charged with murder and spent time behind bars, and was later released on bail.The wife of the victim was injured in the shooting, and she was admitted to the local hospital.The gunmen had fled the scene following the shooting, and investigations are underway.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Parliament is scheduled to convene at 9.30am on Wednesday (24).The proposal to remove Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka Janaka Ratnayake will be debated in Parliament on Wednesday (24).Janaka Ratnayake was appointed as the PUCSL Chairman on March 14, 2021, by then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.Although the PUCSL proposed alternative solutions to the electricity crisis that arose in 2022 with the severe economic crisis in Sri Lanka, they were not implemented.The conflict with the PUCSL Chairman worsened due to his opposition to proposals to increase electricity tariffs in August 2022 and January.Janaka Ratnayake on both occasions said according to the scientific method of calculating the rates, the tariff can be increased by a lower percentage than the percentage proposed by the government, to provide relief to the people.However, the proposal regarding the removal of the PUCSL Chairman will be debated in Parliament on Wednesday (24), following which a vote will be held in Parliament.Many opposition parties have already announced that they will vote against removing the Chairman from office, while the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna said it will vote in favour of the proposal.

New Delhi: India reported 513 fresh covid-19 infections in the last 24 hours, leading to a decline in active cases to 6591 nationwide, the union health ministry data showed on Wednesday. Over the span of three years, the country has seen in excess of 44.9 million infections and lost over 531,849 individuals to virus-related complications. Health specialists are noting that current hospital admissions predominantly involve elderly individuals with pre-existing health conditions, reinforcing the need for people to receive their booster shots if they haven’t done so already.

toxic chemical BPA in their sports bras, shirts, shorts and leggings, according to a United States consumer watchdog group.The Center for Environmental Health (CEH) on May 17 sent out legal notices to eight athletics brands after testing showed high amounts of bisphenol A (BPA) in the clothing they sold. This comes months after the group previously issued legal notices to a handful of other athletic companies and alerted consumers about the issue.Brands that were tested included Adidas, Athleta, Champion, Fabletics, Kohl’s, New Balance, Nike, Patagonia, Pink, The North Face and Reebok.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Ministry of Education said the distribution of uniforms to school children for 2023 will be completed before June 12.The Ministry of Education said under the first phase, uniform material donated by China were distributed to school children in the Northern, Eastern, Central and North-Western provinces.3,561,000m of the 3,831,000m of uniform material supplied by local suppliers have been distributed so far.The remaining 27,000m of uniform material is being distributed in Galle, Kalutara and Chilaw, under the final phase.The Ministry of Education said the requirement for school uniforms is 12,694,000m and it will be distributed among 4.2 million school children and student monks.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Controller General of the Immigration and Emigration Department, Harsha Ilukpitiya said that measures will be taken to immediately report the Chinese National who arrived in the country with two passports.He said that INTERPOL confirmed that the Guinea Passport that was in the possession of the Chinese National was forged.The Controller General of the Immigration and Emigration Department, Harsha Ilukpitiya said that the Chinese Passport is a genuine document.On Tuesday (23), the Chinese National, who arrived in Sri Lanka on the 18th of May with two passports, was arrested.The Chinese National who was detained by Immigration and Emigration at the Katunayake Airport was later detained following a letter addressed to the Controller General of the Immigration and Emigration Department, by State Minister Arundhika Fernando.The Chinese National was in the possession of a Guinea Passport, and a Chinese Passport.State Minister Arundhika Fernando had requested the Chinese national be released upon considering the Chinese Passport, citing that he was in Sri Lanka to invest in a housing project.The Controller General of the Immigration and Emigration Department, Harsha Ilukpitiya said that the Chinese National was arrested, and investigations are underway with assistance from the Chinese Embassy and INTERPOL.

Brittany Snow is opening up about the challenges she's faced over the last year since her split from Tyler Stanaland.In a new interview with , Snow detailed the trying time, and while she didn't reference her divorce from the  star directly, she said there was no way she would've been able to get through that difficult period without the support of her friends — particularly her  co-stars, many of whom she said became «family.»«Thank god for my friends,» Snow said. «I don't know if I would have made it without them.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lankan Parliamentarian Ali Sabri Raheem who was detained by customs was fined Rs. 7.5 Million for the possession of gold and several other items.Puttlam District MP Ali Sabri Raheem was detained by Sri Lanka Customs on Tuesday (23) morning for the possession of Gold Biscuits.Ali Sabri Raheem was detained by Sri Lanka Customs at the Katunayake Airport upon arriving from Dubai on Tuesday (23) morning.He was detained for the possession of 3.5 kg of Gold Biscuits valued at over Rs.

Jeff Bridges is opening up about his recent health struggles.In the latest issue of  , on which Bridges serves as the cover star, the 73-year-old actor got candid about battling COVID-19 while undergoing chemotherapy after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in October 2020.«I got this letter from the chemo place informing me I had contracted COVID,» Bridges revealed. «I had no immune system to fight it.

AUSTIN, Texas - Attorney General Ken Paxton is calling on Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan to resign, saying the Republican from Beaumont was "in an obviously intoxicated state" while presiding over the House.But Paxton's call for Phelan's resignation comes as a House committee revealed it's investigating Paxton and his office over a push to use taxpayer money to pay off his settlement with a group of whistleblowers.So far, the attorney general is the highest state official calling for Phelan to resign. Phelan's office fired back, saying a committee is investigating Paxton's office, and they said his comments were an attempt to "save face."Video from the House floor at the end of a 14-hour session on Friday night showed Phelan appearing to slur his words on the House floor while debating an amendment to a Senate bill. The video quickly went viral online over the weekend.Paxton, who is also a Republican, issued a statement on Tuesday about the incident:"After much consideration, it is with profound disappointment that I call on Speaker Dade Phelan to resign at the end of this legislative session.

SOMERS POINT, N.J. - "Taco Tuesday" is a phrase that's become nationally known for weekly specials at bars and restaurants, but one Jersey Shore eatery claims it coined the term and it has the trademark to prove it.Owners of Gregory's Restaurant in Somers Point will tell visitors that it's the birthplace of "Taco Tuesday." Those catchy words first made an appearance over 40 years ago in the summer of 1979. "The first night we sold 15 orders, now we have served over 2M tacos in these 40-some years," Co-owner Gregory Gregory said. The longstanding restaurant trademarked the term "Taco Tuesday" in 1982, way before it gained fame on Twitter and Instagram or became a special at your favorite taco joint. MORE LOCAL HEADLINESSince then, Gregory's Restaurant is the only business in New Jersey that can legally use the term in advertising. The Taco John's chain has the trademark for all other 49 states. But now, Taco Bell - a multi-billion dollar fast food giant with a marketing department that once concocted the Taco Bell Chihuahua - is making a push to strip the trademark.They filed paperwork with the U.S.

MAPLE SHADE, N.J. - Nearly 200 foster children and young adults were celebrated Tuesday night during a group birthday party some of them never had moving through the foster car system. The event was organized by Burlington County Toys for Tots, that spent the last several weeks collecting donations to make the birthday celebration possible. "I'm excited, it's emotional fo me just to see their faces," Toys for Tots Coordinator Gina Capate said. The children were welcomed in and chose a toy, then received a backpack full of treats and snack.

Amanza Smith has received a clean bill of health.

video. He says watching the video doesn't make him afraid of boating but proves how his safety checks saved him and convinced him to be the spokesperson for the 2023 Safe Boating Week Campaign.Hunter Bland was 21 and said he felt invincible on a January morning during a college bass fishing tournament. He and his partner completed all the safety checks and were heading across the water, going 50 to 55 mph.

PHILADELPHIA - Pop singer Demi Lovato and rapper Ludacris will take the stage at Wawa's annual Fourth of July concert on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The Wawa Welcome America Festival is two weeks long celebration across the city that features free family-friendly events, like Wawa Hoagie Day and four different nights of fireworks. The festivities will culminate with a concert on the Parkway headlined by GRAMMY award-winning singer Demi Lovato, whose catalog includes songs like "Heart Attack and "Sorry Not Sorry."Ludacris, an Atlanta-based rapper who is known for songs like ‘Act a Fool’ and ‘Roll Out', will perform ahead of Lovato. In addition to the concert on the Parkway, there will be other smaller concerts, including former Miss America Vanessa Williams singing patriotic music at Independence Mall on July 3. More information about Wawa's Welcome America Festival events can be found on their website.

California is grieving after a good Samaritan was struck and killed by a car when he helped a mother duck and several of her ducklings cross a busy intersection on Thursday evening.Casey Rivara was reportedly hit by a teenage driver at the intersection of Stanford Ranch Road and Park Drive in Rocklin, Calif., local police announced.Rivara, 41, reportedly parked his own vehicle at the intersection when he noticed the waddling ducks struggling to cross the street where the speed limit reaches 45 kilometres per hour. Others waiting at the intersection took photos of Rivara as he bent over to guide the line of eight to 10 ducklings to safety.Many onlookers clapped, honked and cheered for Rivara at the stopped intersection, as per the Washington Post.Though the mama duck and her fuzzy ducklings reached the sidewalk unharmed, Rivara was hit before he could return to his vehicle.

PHILADELPHIA - A 15-year-old and two other teenagers were injured by gunfire Tuesday afternoon in North Philadelphia, according to police. Officers from the Philadelphia Police Department were called to the intersection of Diamond and Gratz streets just after 4 p.m. for reports of a shooting. Police found two teens, 15 and 17, suffering from gunshot wounds to the legs and drove the boys to Temple University Hospital where they were placed in stable condition. An 18-year-old, who police say was also shot in the leg, arrived at Temple Hospital in a private vehicle and was also placed in stable condition. No arrests were reported immediately following the triple shooting.

PHILADELPHIA - The School District of Philadelphia argues, in the wake of recent closures of city schools due to asbestos, it’s focused on the problem and inspecting school buildings.School officials called reporters to district headquarters Tuesday to hear from Victoria Flemming, one of the officials leading the effort to inspect for asbestos and do repairs. School officials said they are spending tens of millions of dollars to pay private firms to inspect school buildings with a goal of 50 per month. Six schools have been recently closed when asbestos was found disturbed in the buildings. Vare Middle School, Frankford High School and Mitchell Elementary School remain closed.MORE LOCAL HEADLINESThe district was noncommittal when asked if they're bracing for more closures from the upcoming inspections that Flemming called "a step in the right direction."Most of Philadelphia’s more than 300 school buildings, with an average age of 73-years, have asbestos around pipes, in floor tiles, and in plaster. The substance becomes a health hazard when disturbed.

A man helping a family of ducks get out of a Rocklin street was struck and killed by a driver on May 18, 2023, police said. A man helping ducklings cross a road in Northern California street was struck and killed by a driver, according to police.The man was helping the ducks at an intersection when a teen driver collided with him on May 18 in Rocklin, a Sacramento suburb, the Rocklin police department said.

PHILADELPHIA - There’s a promising new drug for people living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Recently approved by the FDA, Todd Legg participated in an experimental trial for the new drug at Penn Medicine."There’s a lot of people that have no hope, but we do. If we could get that to everybody," said Legg.Legg, 50, lives in the Scranton area and travels to Philadelphia every month for the treatment called Qalsody, formerly known as tofersen.The high school math teacher was diagnosed in August 2020 and entered the trial a few months later in October."Every 28 days we come down, as I say to my students, I get stabbed in the back," said Legg.Legg has a rare form of ALS identified as SOD1-ALS.

PA State Game Commission Warden Tyler Barnes searches a wooded early after multiple residents reported a black bear wondering the Roxborough and Andorra neighborhoods in Northwest Philadelphia, PA in 2019.. (Photo by Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto via Ge WRIGHT TOWNSHIP, Pa. - The Pennsylvania Game Commission is investigating a bear attack that left two young children with injuries. It happened Monday in Wright Township, Luzerne County as the children played in the driveway of their home. The children, ages 5 and 1, were treated for bites and/or scratches at Wilks-Barre General Hospital and later released. State officials say there are few details about the incident or what provoked the attack, but has set up two traps in the area.

EastEnders fans were left heartbroken once again as in Tuesday's episode, young mum Lola Pearce struggled with her speech as her condition worsens. Lola (played by Danielle Harold) has recently returned home to make sure she has more time with her young daughter Lexi, but she has just weeks to live after her palliative chemotherapy failed to work. However, since she has returned home ,Lola's condition has been getting even worse and in Tuesday's episode viewers watched as Lola struggled to speak.

CONCORD TWP, Pa. - Thousands of Delaware County water customers were told to boil their water until further notice after a water main was accidentally ruptured by a construction company Tuesday afternoon. A spokesperson for Veolia Water Company said a contractor that isn't associated with the company accidentally struck a water main on Naamans Creek Road near Route 202. The break initially impacted water service for approximately 2,100 customers, according to the company, but that number was quickly whittled down to just 200. "The process of sampling water, taking it to a lab for testing, could take several days for drinking water to be safe again," a spokesperson said. The rupture caused traffic back-ups and detours on surrounding roadways.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - A Nebraska woman pleaded guilty Monday to burning and concealing a fetus after she took medication to end her pregnancy, while prosecutors move forward with a criminal case accusing her mother of illegally helping with the abortion.Prosecutors said Celeste Burgess gave birth to the stillborn fetus about 29 weeks and five days into her pregnancy. She was 17 at the time, but prosecutors charged her as an adult.Burgess, now 18, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of concealing or abandoning a dead body and prosecutors dropped two misdemeanor charges.

A United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) truck makes deliveries July 23, 2009 in Chicago, Illinois.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex attends the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 6, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Ben Stansall - WPA Pool/Getty Images) LONDON (AP) - A London judge rejected Prince Harry's bid to pay for his own police protection Tuesday, denying the royal's request to challenge the U.K.

Lewis Capaldi has been an open book when it comes to discussing her personal struggles with mental health.

PHILADELPHIA - Four members of a violent Philadelphia street group have been charged for their roles in several shootings, some fatal, that erupted in the city's Strawberry Mansion section nearly two years ago.The District Attorney's Office says the "extremely dangerous" suspects are associated with the "Big Naddy Gang" or "BNG," and are accused in five shootings that claimed the lives of two victims.Officials say they believe the shootings were used by the suspects to "boost their credibility among their contemporaries."

Jelly Roll is giving fans a front-row seat to the story of his remarkable rise. The 38-year-old artist details his struggles with addiction and mental health, and how he's overcome those challenges on his way to the top of Nashville's music scene, in the new ABC News documentary, . «I came out of jail with a plan,» he says in the newly released trailer for the film. «I was gonna put every piece of energy I had into music.

After a decades-long investigation, an unsolved cold case is cracked and the family of a 16-year-old girl from Montreal who was raped and killed finally has answers.

The U.S. surgeon general warned Tuesday of the potential risks of social media to young people, and urged policy makers and technology companies to strengthen standards for adolescents. Dr.