Alibaba posts lackluster growth, hit by China’s pandemic control measures

#COVID19 hospitalizations have risen 4 weeks in row—now worst in 7 weeks. https://t.co/4vOJbeV1xE Earlier this month, World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared COVID continues to be a public health emergency of international concern.

(With inputs from agencies)  

FILE - Students walk to class at Rice University on Aug. 29, 2022, in Houston, Texas.

FILE - Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge is pictured over the Cooper River to Charleston, South Carolina.

The study found that the testes of the mice that just drank Pepsi or Coca-Cola were significantly increased on day 15 A new study has revealed that high doses of carbonated beverages like Coca-Cola and Pepsi may increase testicle size and testosterone levels. Consumption of carbonated drinks can also reduce the risk of prostate dysfunction and cancer. Previous studies have linked soda consumption to harm to reproductive functions, reduced sperm quantity, and reduced sperm motility.

Jagmeet Singh is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to hold a public inquiry into alleged Chinese election interference, joining several high-profile officials making the same ask.Singh, whose party is upholding Trudeau’s Liberal minority government, said in a statement Monday that while his party accepts the outcome of the 2021 election, serious allegations of foreign interference made in recent media reports need a “thorough, transparent and independent investigation.” Read more: Liberals ignored CSIS warning on 2019 candidate accused in Chinese interference probe, sources say Read next: ‘We kind of missed the landing’: Alberta premier on awkward handshake with prime minister “When Canadians learn about possible foreign interference through leaked documents, confidence in our democracy is put at risk,” Singh said.“The way to stop alleged secret Chinese interference is to refuse to keep their secrets for them.

ANAHEIM, Calif. - A California man made the Guinness World Records book for the most consecutive visits to Disneyland. Jeff Reitz has visited the Anaheim theme park for 2,995 consecutive days; that's a total of eight years, three months, and 13 days.According to Guinness World Records, Reitz started his journey in 2012."It started as a joke between friends when Disneyland announced they were giving an ‘Extra Disney Day’ when they announced the Leap Day 24-hour event in 2012," Jeff told Guinness World Records. RELATED: Reopening of Mickey's Toontown delayed, Disneyland announcesAfter visiting for 366 days, Disneyland presented Reitz with a gift basket along with certificate of Honorary Citizenship. Reitz told Guinness World Records that he hoped to reach the 3,000 consecutive visit mark, but the coronavirus pandemic stopped his Disneyland streak on March 14, 2020. "I have not set a return date yet, but now I think it would be really fun to return with my Guinness World Records title certificate to get pictures where I earned it — inside Disneyland," said Jeff.

A former member of the National Public Health Emergency Team has said that Ireland imposed measures during the Covid-19 pandemic that excessively limited basic freedoms.

Justin Trudeau is under increasing cross-partisan pressure to call an independent inquiry into foreign meddling in Canadian politics.The push for some form of public inquiry isn’t limited to the Liberals’ political opponents, but former senior national security officials and a former close confidant of the prime minister. Read more: Canada needs an inquiry into Chinese election interference: ex-spymaster Read next: Part of the Sun breaks free and forms a strange vortex, baffling scientists “Some form of non-partisan deep look has to happen here,” Gerald Butts, Trudeau’s former principal secretary, told Global News in an interview Sunday.Butts, now the vice chairman of the Eurasia Group, said there are a number of ways the government could commission a non-partisan investigation, including a public inquiry, Royal commission or a commission of inquiry.“We have many tools at our disposal,” Butts said, adding that while recent reports have focused on Chinese political interference, the issue is broader.“It’s not going to get at the heart of the problem if we just pick one election cycle and one country.”Global News reported Saturday that Dick Fadden, the former head of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and a longtime senior national security official, said he could see no “compelling reason” not to hold a public inquiry into foreign interference.

China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) had occurred while the lockdown was just getting underway. "We were completely preoccupied with the COVID challenge. Please appreciate the anonymity of what Prime Minister Modi did.

The department made its judgment with low confidence, highlighting how different agencies remain divided over the origins of Covid-19 The coronavirus pandemic likely arose from a Chinese laboratory leak, the US Department of Energy now says according to media, although the White House maintained Sunday that American intelligence remained divided on the issue. The determination -- noted in a classified report by Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines's office, The Wall Street Journal reported -- marks a shift by the Energy department, which had previously said it was undecided on how the virus emerged.

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 25: An entrance sign near the main gate at Howard University October 25, 2021 in Washington, DC. Students have complained about mold and poor conditions in some dorm rooms and over 100 students have been staging a weeks-long WASHINGTON - A White student at Howard University’s law school is suing the institution for racial discrimination, alleging the school created a "hostile education environment."Michael Newman, the plaintiff, attended Howard University School of Law starting in the fall semester of 2020 and remained there for just two years until he was expelled in September 2022.

File Image of a clinical support technician extracting swab samples. (Photo by Jane Barlow - WPA Pool/Getty Images) The U.S.

Saturday Night Live monologue last night (February 25), Woody Harrelson shared conspiracies about COVID vaccines, leading to debate online.The episode’s host has previously called mask wearing during the pandemic “absurd” and sharing articles linking supposed “negative effects of 5G” with the outbreak of COVID.At the end of his monologue, he used a film pitch with the “craziest script” as a metaphor for the COVID pandemic, lockdowns and rollout of vaccines, though never used the word COVID or vaccine.Harrelson said: “So the movie goes like this. The biggest drug cartels in the world get together and buy up all the media and all the politicians and force all the people in the world to stay locked in their homes.

A hotel chain operated by the businessman bidding to buy Manchester United FC netted £3.1million in public Covid-19 grants - despite him being worth billions, it's been revealed.

Canada needs a public inquiry into allegations of Chinese election interference, Canada former spymaster says.

MP Professor Channa Jayasuma says a group from the SLPP have requested the Freedom People's Alliance to support moves to appoint Mahinda Rajapaksa as Prime Minister.He was responding to questions raised at an event in Anuradhapura on Saturday (25).

A Hamilton resident has won a prestigious Prince’s Trust award after battling her depression, anxiety, and OCD to starting her own baking business.

Justin Trudeau’s office, warning them that one of their candidates was part of a Chinese foreign interference network.According to sources, the candidate in question was Han Dong, then a former Ontario MPP whom Canada Security Intelligence Service started tracking in June of that year.National security officials also allege that Dong, now a sitting MP re-elected in 2021, is one of at least 11 Toronto-area riding candidates allegedly supported by Beijing in the 2019 contest. Sources say the service also believes Dong is a witting affiliate in China’s election interference networks.Three sources with knowledge of the investigation said Dong emerged as a successor to MP Geng Tan as the 2019 Liberal candidate in ways the service found suspicious.

Two soldiers patrol the area as the first anniversary of the war between Russia and Ukraine nears in Irpin, Ukraine on February 22, 2023. (Ignacio Marin Fernandez/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) TAIPEI, Taiwan - One year into Russia's war against Ukraine, China is offering a 12-point proposal to end the fighting.The proposal follows China's recent announcement that it is trying to act as mediator in the war that has re-energized Western alliances viewed by Beijing and Moscow as rivals.

PHILADELPHIA - Court records show a local organization posted bail for one of two 14-year-olds accused of beating an elderly man to death with a traffic cone last summer in North Philadelphia. James Lambert, 73, was walking on the 2100 block of Cecil B. Moore Avenue on June 24 around 3 a.m.

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.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The distribution of China-aided school uniform material commenced on Thursday (23) in Colombo.First 3 million meters were dispatched to 1.34 million students in Northern, Eastern, North Central and Uva Provinces in Sri Lanka during an event attended by Education Minister Susil Premajanth and the Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka.The Minister and the Ambassador were noted carefully inspecting the school uniform materials donated by China before the dispatchment to different provinces of Sri Lanka.A total of 3,420,714 students across Sri Lanka, regardless their gender, ethnicity or religious belief, will get the China-Aid school uniform for the coming school year 2023.Second batch of the donation comprising of  6 million meters had left China in 44 shipping containers, and will arrive Sri Lanka next week.

PHILADELPHIA - Court records show a local organization posted bail for one of two 14-year-olds accused of beating an elderly man to death with a traffic cone last summer in North Philadelphia. James Lambert, 73, was walking on the 2100 block of Cecil B. Moore Avenue on June 24 around 3 a.m.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.

COLOMBO (News 1st); U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is urging other leading economies to move faster in resolving debt crises that threaten a growing number of countries.Yellen made the comments in a meeting Thursday with India’s finance minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, on the sidelines of a meeting of financial leaders of the Group of 20 major economies, the Treasury Department said in a statement.U.S.

aviation website and social accounts, but the original source was not immediately clear. In officially releasing the photo Wednesday, the Department of Defense merely said it was taken by a "U.S.

A large, mysterious steel sphere has washed up on a Japanese beach, prompting mass speculation from locals and sleuthing netizens as to what the object may be.

Amazon.com Inc. closed a $3.9 billion deal to acquire an operator of primary-care clinics, joining an array of companies betting on physicians and medical services to broaden their reach in healthcare.

COLOMBO (News 1st); If the Local Government Election is not held as planned, all Local Government Bodies will be moved under the control of the Commissioner from the 20th of March, as the tenure of the Local Government Institutions ends on that day.Public Administration & Home Affairs Secretary Neel Bandara Hapuhinna stated that accordingly, the secretaries of local councils and municipal councils as well as municipal commissioners are expected to carry out the administrative activities of those institutions.The petition filed against holding of the local government election is scheduled to be called up at the Supreme Court on Thursday (23).Based on the decision taken by the Supreme Court, the election commission will meet  on Friday (24) and take a decision.As of now, the postal poll related to the election has been postponed indefinitely due to the failure of the government printer to deliver the required ballot papers.The Government Printer took that step due to the non-payment of the required money for printing ballot papers.Recently, Sri Lanka's National Election Commission informed the Supreme Court that obstacles have arisen with regard to conducting the Local Government Election on the 9th of March 2023 as planned. 

four-day workweek in the U.K. show showed significantly reduced rates of employee stress and illness while maintaining productivity.The six-month trial, billed as the world’s largest of its kind, included 61 companies that committed to a 20% reduction in working hours for all staff — with no drop in wages.

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.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe instructed the officials to speed up the Minipe Left Bank Canal Rehabilitation Project (MLBCRP), which has been delayed for over three years owing to various reasons, and to provide its benefits to the farmers before the next Maha Season.The President provided these instructions on Sunday (19) while joining an observation tour of the Minipe Anicut construction site.President Wickremesinghe, after inspecting the plan of the project, also inquired from the engineers about the operation of the project.The President also pointed out the possibility of obtaining the support of the students of engineering faculties in Sri Lanka for the future work of the project.The existing anicut is not sufficient to release water to the left and right bank canals when water is released twice a day from the Rantambe Hydro Power Plant during peak demand for electricity. Due to this, in order to provide more reliable and continuous water supply to Minipe agricultural lands, the Minipe Dam was raised by 3.5 meters and the renovation of the 74 kilometers-long main canal on the left bank of Minipe, was commenced.After the reconstruction of the Minipe Anicut, constant water supply to farmers will be ensured and the cultivation land on both sides of the left bank of Minipe could be cultivated without obstruction in the Yala-Maha Seasons while providing benefits to 15,000 farmer families.The cost of the project is Rs. 3,000 million and the construction work is carried out by China Gexhouba Group Company Limited (CGGC).Minipe Anicut, which was built in 1948, was last renovated in 1980.

China is “deeply worried” about the escalation of the Ukraine conflict and the possibility of the situation spiraling out of control, China’s foreign minister Qin Gang said on Tuesday.

COLOMBO (News 1st); China will continue to support relevant financial institutions in actively working out the debt treatment, said Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Monday (20)."The Export-Import Bank of China has already provided Sri Lanka with a letter to express support for its debt sustainability.

Oil rose on optimism that China’s recovery is gathering pace following the end of the nation’s restrictive Covid Zero policy late last year. Oil rose on optimism that China’s recovery is gathering pace following the end of the nation’s restrictive Covid Zero policy late last year.

NEW DELHI : Sporting events have joined weddings to become major contributors to the post-pandemic rebound in the hotel sector in India, according to a report. This has led many companies to respond with enhanced value propositions and earnings to capture the rising demand. Hotels and resorts are also no longer apologetic about charging commensurately for the facilities and services they deliver, according to the ‘India Hotel Market Review 2022’ report by hospitality consultancy Horwath HTL.

PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 08: Trea Turner # 7 of the Philadelphia Phillies smiles during his introductory press conference at Citizens Bank Park on December 8, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) PHILADELPHIA - The past few years have been a bit of a whirlwind for Trea Turner. They included a World Series title in Washington, a trade to Los Angeles — and then an 11-year, $300 million contract that brought him back to the NL East.The one constant amid all that: Turner has played with some pretty impressive teammates.

The U.S. has dodged a major wintertime Covid-19 surge as the pandemic continues to recede into the background. But the death toll is still growing.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Samagi Jana Balavegaya is preparing to protest in Colombo on Monday (20) afternoon, citing government attempts to delay the election.The Colombo Chief Magistrate Prasanna Alwis rejected a request made by police to issue an order preventing the SJB-led protest from entering several roads within the Cinnamon Gardens police jurisdiction.The Cinnamon Gardens Police made the request from the court citing that offices, residences, schools, and foreign missions are located in the said area and the protests could inconvenience the public visiting those places.The Chief Magistrate noted that if the protestors are conducting themselves in a manner that causes inconvenience to the public, police can use necessary force to prevent those events from taking place and a court order is not necessary.Thereby, the request was turned down.

bird-flu pandemic. How worried should humankind be? Dr Tedros’s warning was prompted by the recent spread of H5N1, a subtype of the influenza virus, from birds to mammals. In recent weeks Peru has reported the deaths of 585 sea lions from H5N1.

new polling from the Angus Reid Institute appears to show.“People feel like tipping is getting out of control,” Angus Reid Institute Research Director David Korinski told The Roy Green Show on Sunday.“I think that it’s compounded by the fact that everything is more expensive.” Read more: 1 in 4 Canadians can’t afford $500 unforeseen expense as inflation bites: report Read next: Part of the Sun breaks free and forms a strange vortex, baffling scientists While 62 per cent of respondents say they’re being asked to tip more, one-in-five also reported leaving a tip of 20 per cent or more the last time they dined out, suggests the polling, which was released Feb. 16.“When you get the tipping machine, instead of 12, 15, and 18 per cent for the suggested tip, it now says 18, 24, and 30 per cent.

China’s alleged attempts to interfere in the vote.Speaking to Mercedes Stephenson on The West Block Sunday, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino pointed to the panel’s findings that the 2019 and 2021 elections were free and fair. But he didn’t clearly answer whether the panel ever saw intelligence that recent media reports have said warned of attempts by China at election interference.“We’ve always been up front with the fact that there is foreign interference, that we need to be eyes wide open and vigilant about (it),” he said.“Did that panel have access to these intelligence reports? Were they aware of what CSIS was aware of?” Stephenson asked.“Our nonpartisan, professional public servants look at the information that they need to make the assessment around the integrity of the election,” Mendicino replied.

A Brahma hen chicken (File Photo by Anthony Souffle/Star Tribune via Getty Images) A senior citizen was found dead in a pool of blood after he was mauled by a Brahma chicken.The Irish Examiner reported that the aggressive chicken had been moved to Jasper Kraus' property after it had previously attacked a child.Kraus, 67, suffered a heart attack after the bird plunged its spur into his leg, causing him to lose pints of blood.A trail of blood led to the chicken house.The attack happened last year but details were just released as part of an inquiry into the unusual incident.Get breaking news alerts in the free FOX5NY News app!  |  Sign up for FOX 5 email newslettersOne of the birds reportedly had blood on its claws and suspected it was the same one that had attacked Kraus granddaughter before being sent to his farm.The extremely large chickens have feathered shanks and their ancestors were originally from the Shanghai area of China before being taken by ships for meat and eggs.The Brahma chicken averages about 10–12 pounds but is known to weigh as much as 18 pounds.

Also Read: Are Covid-19 vaccines affecting the heart? What doctors say Speaking about his claim, a renowned oncologist said cancer cases have been rising by 5 percent annually and it has nothing to do with the pandemic. Former chief of the Indian Medical Association's Goa unit Dr Shekhar Salkar said the number of cancer cases is on the rise with the increase in population across the world.

People walk past a television showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at a railway station in Seoul on February 18, 2023. - North Korea fired a suspected long-range ballistic missile on February 18, South Korea's mi SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea on Saturday fired a long-range missile from its capital into the sea off Japan, according to its neighbors, a day after it threatened to take strong measures against South Korea and the U.S.

A Chinese teenager may be the youngest person ever to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, according to a January study from the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

If you or a loved one is feeling distressed, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The crisis center provides free and confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to civilians and veterans. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.