Amber alert issued; Deep depression likely to intensify into cyclonic storm

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Department of Meteorology says that several spells of Showers will occur in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central and North-Western provinces and Galle and Matara districts.Showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places in the Uva province and Ampara and Hambantota districts during the afternoon or night.The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.Condition of Rain:A few showers will occur in the sea areas off the coast extending from Colombo to Matara via Galle.Winds:Winds will be north-westerly or variable in direction.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka issued a clarification regarding the implementation of the Social Security Contribution Tax on electricity bills. As per the Social Security Tax Act, electricity supply by Ceylon Electricity Board is subject to Social Security Contribution Tax.Accordingly, the Ceylon Electricity Board will charge the said tax from the 1st of October, 2022 on the purchase of electricity by the parties including consumers who receive electricity from the Ceylon Electricity Board. "As the electricity tariffs were revised recently, we suggested the Ministry of Finance exempt electricity consumption from this tax. The Ministry of Finance has informed us that according to the relevant Act, the electricity supply of the Ceylon Electricity Board is subject to this tax.

Earlier, it was said that the incident was an accident involving the explosion of a gas-powered car. Sources now indicate that Mubeen was not driving a gas vehicle, but a petrol vehicle and the early triggering of the cylinder could have been an accident.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Department of Meteorology has issued an amber advisory for severe lightning for evening today (25).Accordingly, thundershowers accompanied by severe lightning are likely to occur at several places in Uva and Eastern provinces and in the Mullaitivu district.Moreover, there may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Hindus across the World Celebrate the Deepavali Festival today (24).Diwali (also called Divali or Deepavali) is a “festival of lights” that celebrates the triumph of light over dark and good over evil, and the blessings of victory, freedom, and enlightenment. The name comes from Sanksrit dipavali, meaning “row of lights.” On the night of Diwali, celebrants light dozens of candles and clay lamps (called diyas), placing them throughout their homes and in the streets to light up the dark night. In most of India, Diwali consists of a five-day celebration that peaks on the third day with the main celebration of Diwali. In other places where Diwali occurs, usually only the main day is celebrated.Diwali is primarily celebrated by followers of the Hindu, Sikh, and Jain faiths.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Meteorological Department has issued an Amber alert for strong winds and rough seas, especially for multi-day boats in the deep of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea areas. According to the Meteorology Department, the depression over north Andaman Sea has concentrated in to a deep depression and located near latitude 15.60N and longitude 88.40E (East central Bay of Bengal) Sunday (23) morning.It is very likely to move northwestward and intensify further into a cyclonic storm over central Bay of Bengal.Subsequently, it is also very likely to move North-northeastwards and cross Bangladesh coast around 25th October.Wind speeds will be (60-70) kmph and can increase up to 80 kmph in sea areas between (12N – 20N) and (85E – 100E).

COLOMBO (News 1st) – ASP Naleen Dilruk and SSP Roshan Dias were issued summon on Friday (21) to appear in court on 08th November.They were issued summons when a personal complaint filed by the president of the Young Journalists' Association, journalist Tharindu Jayawardena, was called before Fort Magistrate Thilina Gamage.Summons were issued to ASP Naleen Dilruk and SSP Roshan Dias, who were suspected of disrupting a protest march from Galle Face towards Hultsdorf.Attorneys-at-law Manujaya de Silva and Jayantha Dehiyattage, in addition to Saliya Peiris PC presented facts on behalf of the plaintiff, Tharindu Jayawardena.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – A discussion on the challenges faced by the construction sector and proposed plans to address these issues were held at the Presidential Secretariat under the patronage of President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Thursday (20) afternoon.The problems faced by the construction sector under the current economic situation were discussed at length and special attention was paid to the delays in the construction of middle-income housing projects as well as road construction projects.During the discussions, attention was also paid to the issues that have arisen about the contractors, banks and other financial institutions.The President drew the attention of the officials to the program to be followed for the maintenance of the construction sector and job security in the sector while proposing the appointment of a committee to discuss the matter further and make recommendations.Those engaged in the construction sector also requested the President to establish a special task force for the upliftment of the construction sector.Minister Bandula Gunawardena, State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna, Senior Presidential Adviser on National Security and Chief of Presidential Staff Sagala Ratnayake, President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake, Senior Economic Advisor to the President R. H.

A rapidly spreading Covid strain has been dubbed the Nightmare Variant after it was found to double infections in a matter of days.

12 Years a Slave. This led to the start of her remarkable film and theater career playing memorable roles. But after Nyong’o won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, she experienced “panic” and serious health issues.

Canada is facing some “difficult days ahead,” but whether or not the government expects the economy to tip into recession will be reflected in the feds’ upcoming fall forecast, Chrystia Freeland says.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – International slavery continues to be a modern day curse that plagues our world.News 1st has for many years battled against international slavery, with a particular focus on Sri Lankan Domestic Workers who are all too often held captive in the Middle East.In the recent past, News 1st has warned that Sri Lanka's current economic crisis would result in increasing numbers of Sri Lankan women being trapped into slavery as thousands more venture overseas to escape poverty.  Now our worst fears have been realised.News 1st brings to you the shocking revelation that more than 50 women have been sent into slavery in Dubai by two job agencies in the central cities of Anuradhapura and Kurunegala, in a report filed by News 1st's Nisal Sooriyarachchi, and Naveksha Gunasekera.A foreign employment agency in Anuradhapura has trafficked more than 50 women to work as virtual slave labour in the state of Dubai where most of them are currently been held against their will in atrocious conditions. Several women who who fell victim to this scam have revealed that the agency headed by 3 women living in Dubai. Thushara Nilmini, a resident of Anuradhapura, who finally made her way back to Sri Lanka after falling victim to the scam, said that between 50 and 60 women who went abroad for domestic work are being held captive in various areas of Dubai. Chandrika, who asked that her full name not be revealed, has gone to work as a domestic worker in Dubai and is currently in a destitute state there. News 1st managed to obtain a telephone interview while she is in Dubai.She said that they stayed at the agency for about a month, and barely got anything to eat. "Then they stationed us at this safe house.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Supreme Court on Wednesday (19) granted permission to issue notice on Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to appear in court on the 15th of December 2022 over the case filed over the enforced disappearance of social activists Lalith & Kugan, back in 2011.Sri Lanka's Supreme Court on Wednesday (19) granted permission to issue notice on Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to appear in court on the 15th of December 2022 after a fresh petition was filed requesting to annul the Court of Appeal’s decision preventing the enforcement of an order issued by the Jaffna Magistrate's Court on former President Rajapaksa with regard to the enforced disappearance of Lalith Weeraraj and Kugan Muruganandan in 2011 within the Jaffna High Security Zone.Earlier, the Supreme Court had granted permission to the complainant to sent notice to then Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa to appear in court on Wednesday (19).Attorney Nuwan Bopage apearing for the complainant requested permission from the Supreme Court to sent notice to the Wijerama Mawatha residence of the Former President, as it has come to light that Rajapaksa is no longer living at his residence located in Mirihana.Permission was granted to re-issue notice on the Former President by the Supreme Court Judge-bench comprising of Justices Gamini Amarasekara, Yasantha Kodagoda and A. H.

Covid-19 cases between 10 -16 October compared to the previous week. XXB was discovered in Singapore in August. It is a hybrid of Omicron's BA.2.75 and BJ.1 sub-variants.

Elon Musk has claimed that the names of new Covid variants are giving him inspiration for the names of future children.The world’s richest man was responding to a story discussing how variants of Omicron are appearing differently around the globe, rather than just as a single strain.On Twitter, Shibetoshi Nakamoto – the pseudonym for the person behind the cryptocurrency Dodgecoin – posted a screen grab from the article along with a caption.READ MORE: Elon Musk says World War Three could be on the horizon as Putin prepares his nukes“Did Elon Musk name these new covid variants[?]” they asked.Musk appeared to deny that he was in fact the person behind the naming, but did it admit it was giving him inspiration.He replied: “Definitely giving me kid naming ideas”.Musk has a bit of a track record of unusual baby names.In May 2020, the Tesla founder shared a snap of his and musician Grimes’s newborn son.The accompanying caption revealed that the baby boy’s name was “X Æ A-12 Musk” – something that people still find impossible to pronounce.X Æ A-12 was the couple's first child together.Some people were convinced the name was pronounced as “X Ash Archangel”, in reference to a Lockheed aircraft that is nicknamed Archangel.On Twitter, one fan mused: "How do you pronounce that even? Like you can't just go "Come here X AE A-12", like is it pronounced John or Smith.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Iranian competitive climber Elnaz Rekabi received a hero's welcome on her return to Tehran early Wednesday, after competing in South Korea without wearing a mandatory headscarf required of female athletes from the Islamic Republic.Rekabi's decision not to wear the hijab while competing Sunday came as protests sparked by the Sept. 16 death in custody of a 22-year-old woman have entered a fifth week.

Car Seat Headrest has announced that he’s cancelled his upcoming US tour and performances at the When We Were Young festival due to health issues.The band, fronted by Will Toledo, were set to begin a tour tomorrow (October 20) in Pioneertown, California which was set to run for the next week and incorporate three sets at Las Vegas’ When We Were Young.Taking to Twitter, Toledo revealed that ongoing health issues have forced the cancellation of the tour. He wrote: “After another month of struggling to regain my health, I am currently forced to face the fact that my body lacks the basic levels of functionality necessary to leave the house most days, let alone embark on a tour.“As a result, we are unfortunately forced to pull out of the When We Were Young festival dates, and cancel our upcoming California tour.

Diwali and other upcoming festivals to prevent a spike in cases.  In a statement, the BMC said the festival season is a “critical period" as there may be a tendency to ignore COVID-19 safe behaviour during festivals due to large gatherings, events, fairs and crowds in enclosed and non-ventilated spaces. 1) The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) asked citizens to get vaccinated against the viral infection, if not done so till now   2) The Mumbai civic body has also asked all  to get booster dose, and wear face masks in crowded places and follow other COVID-19 protocols.

CYPRESS, Texas - A regional Amber Alert for five missing children out of Tomball has been lifted. According to deputies, the two suspects, Zaikiya Duncan and Jova Terrell, were captured by the Louisiana State Police around 5 p.m. Tuesday.MORE MISSING PERSONSDeputies said the children were found at a relatives house and have been deemed safe by Louisiana State Police. It all started with officials said two twin 16-year-old children said they escaped their home where they were allegedly handcuffed late Monday.

PHILADELPHIA - In a city struggling with violent crime, the Philadelphia City Controller’s Office has found that there are fewer police officers now than in recent years. "In total, we have over 640 fewer officers available for duty than we had 5 years ago," City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart explained in an interview with FOX 29’s Jeff Cole. Of the 6,000 Philadelphia police officers, Rhynhart reports on 2,500 are assigned to patrol the city’s streets. Broken down of 21 police districts, the controller’s office found that number left just 11 to 22 cops on the beat at any one time - per district - in a department budgeted at more than 750 million dollars at the time of the review.PPD Uniform Officer Staffing Levels (Philadelphia Office of the Controller) "That amount of money, when it comes down to it, there’s only 11 to 22 officers at any given time per district," Rhyhart said. "That feels outrageous in a city that is overrun with gun crime. How has that happened, how has that gotten to be like that?" Cole asked. "What needs to happen is that every position needs to be looked at," Rhynhart replied. Rhynhart’s audit on police spending and practices came at the urging of City Council after Philadelphia was rocked by protests in the aftermath of the police-killing of George Floyd.So, why are there so few cops?Average Number of Officers on No Duty, Quarterly since FY 2009.

Matt Goss, 54, was voted off Strictly Come Dancing last week in a dance-off against Coronation Street's Kym Marsh. As the singer recorded his new Christmas single The Beautiful Unknown, Matt took time to speak to Express.co.uk about his time on the show and the criticisms he received from not "smiling enough".

The researchers at Boston University have claimed that they have developed a Covid-19 strain that inflicts severe disease and has  80 per cent kill rate. The ones that are dominant across the world such as the sub-variants of Omicron are said to be mild when it comes to their severity. To develop the most lethal Covid strain, the researchers, according to a report, extracted the spike protein from Omicron and genetically engineered it into the strain of Covid-19 which was first detected in China’s Wuhan and tried it on mice.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka Navy’s Auxiliary Ship A 521 on a dedicated search and rescue mission,  this afternoon (18th October 2022) re-established communication links with the naval craft with which the Navy had no means of connection for about a month, since September 17th, when it was on a special surveillance operation off the southern coast.After communication with the craft was lost, a dedicated search and rescue operation was launched from 26th September by Navy’s Fast Attack Craft and Offshore Patrol Vessels. The search operation was also augmented by air assets of the Sri Lanka Air Force.

A mum who named her child after the Covid lockdown insists she "regrets nothing" - and doesn't care that people may not like it.

coronavirus pandemic – and has "no regrets".Jodi Cross had been trying to fall pregnant with her husband Rob for a year.And as life slowed down for the furloughed hairdresser during the pandemic, she had more time to focus on planning for a baby. READ MORE: Mum banned from Halloween bash by 'Karens' after planning Jeffrey Dahmer costume for baby The couple, from Wixams, Bedfordshire, were delighted to find out they were expecting their first daughter during the second lockdown.She they decided to call her baby Lockie – short for lockdown.Jodi, 36, said: "We had been trying for a year to get pregnant and lockdown meant I was furloughed and Rob was working less."I think we just relaxed a bit because we had so much more time than we normally would, and then we found out I was pregnant."When she was born there was the new strain of Covid coming about – Omicron – so we knew she'd be a lockdown baby."So we named her Lockie for lockdown – we really liked the name, and lockdown was a good time in our lives because it was so relaxing."If it wasn't for the pandemic, the pair may not have fallen pregnant so quickly.Rob, 36, moved in with Jodi as the nationwide lockdown began in March 2020.Jodi recalled: "I ended up taking over a little salon during lockdown because I had been on furlough a long time."By this point we had been trying for a year and thought pregnancy wasn't going to happen so started to focus on work instead."A week later I found out I was pregnant."The couple were overjoyed – and got hitched in secret when Jodi was seven months pregnant.Their baby was born last November and they decided to celebrate her conception by calling her Lockie.Jodi said: "We know lots of people didn't enjoy lockdown but for us, it was a

US federal health authorities are gearing up for a widely-expected resurgence of coronavirus during winters. The BQ.1 variant of Covid-19 has already outpaced many rival strains in European nations from England to Germany, where the Covid wave has resurged. Previously, the CDC bundled BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 with their shared parent BA.5.

Also Read: New Covid variant alert: Meet omicron's newest cousin, BF.7 The state health department said people must not ignore flu-like symptoms and should get medical advice at the earliest. The earliest possible COVID-appropriate behaviour must be followed by everyone.

COVID strain that has an 80% kill rate following a series of similar experiments first thought to have started the global pandemic that began in China. The variant, a combination of Omicron and the original virus in Wuhan, killed 80% of the mice infected with it, the university said. When mice were only exposed to Omicron, they experienced mild symptoms.The research was conducted by a team of scientists from Florida and Boston at the school's National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories. They extracted the spike protein from Omicron and attached it with the strain first detected at the onset of the pandemic that began in Wuhan, China.

SAN DIEGO - Phillies fans traveling to San Diego for the National League Championship Series won't have to look hard to find Philadelphia's most popular hometown comfort food. More than 2,500 miles away from his hometown in Delaware County, Joe Crescenzo is whipping up Philly Cheesesteaks at his Philly-themed shop in San Diego. The Sharon Hill native has lived across county from more than 40 years, but he hasn't forgotten his roots. He even has authentic Amaroso rolls shipped to his home away from home. The Southern California shop looks more like a South Philly deli, with Eagles gear proudly displayed and Philly staples like Rocky and Tasty Cakes adorning the walls and countertops. Joe Crescenzo has started his Philly Cheesesteak shop in San Diego in the '70s.

more contagious. Kerala Health Minister Veena George stated that two new variants of Covid-19- XBB and XBB1 are more contagious than earlier ones. She requested everyone in the state especially the elderly ones or those suffering from co-morbidities to be careful and wear masks properly for protection against the virus.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka Navy said it has sought the assistance of neighboring countries to locate the Sri Lanka Navy boat that went missing with six Sri Lankan sailors.Navy Spokesperson Captain Indika De Silva told News 1st that information about the missing boat was relayed to the authorities in India, Maldives, Indonesia, and Australia assuming that the Sri Lanka Navy boat may have drifted into international waters.The Sri Lanka Navy boat with six sailors had been engaged in operations to monitor suspicious activity in the Southern Coast of Sri Lanka and had left Sri Lanka on the 16th of September, and has been missing for exactly one month.On the 17th of September 2022, the Sri Lanka Navy lost all communication with the boat in question, and the Navy Spokesperson said that search and rescue operations are continuing to locate the missing sailors and the boat.

Sore throat, congestion, fatigue, cough and runny nose continue to be the most reported symptoms Covid has been surprising us with a new variant every few months. Of course,  Omicron has changed the course of COVID pandemic. Following the emergence of this variant, the symptoms related to it have become much milder, but in terms of how they spread, each one seems to be fitter than its predecessor.  And the newest cousins in the block are BA.5.1.7 and BF.7., again which are said to have greater transmissibility which brings concerns of a new wave during Diwali.  The latest Omicron subvariant BF.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The National Building Research Organization (NBRO) has issued landslide warnings for six districts as follows;Level 3 (Red);Ingiriya, Walallawita, Palindanuwara & Bulathsinhala DS in Kalutara district.Ambagamuwa Ds in Nuwara Eliya district.Kalawana, Eheliyagoda DS in Rathnapura District. Level 2 (Amber);Warakapola, Ruwanwella & Dehiovita DS in Kegalle district.Dodangoda, Horana, Bandaragama, Millaniya, Mathugama & Agalawatta DS in Kalutara district.Rathnapura, Elapatha, Nivithigala, Kiriella, Ayagama, Pelmadulla & Kuruwita DS in Rathnapura District.Level 3 (Yellow);Seethawaka & Padukka DS in Colombo District.Baddegama DS in Galle District.Kalutara, Beruwala, Panadura & Madurawala in Kalutara District.Bulathkohupitiya, Mawanella, Deraniyagala, Yatiyanthota in Kegalle District.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Meteorological Department says that the current heavy rains are expected to continue, due to the influence of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ – The region where the Northern Hemispheric wind and the Southern Hemispheric wind converge) located in the vicinity of the island.Accordingly, showers or thundershowers will occur at times in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central and North-Western provinces and in Galle and Matara districts. Heavy showers above 100 mm can be expected at some places in Western, Sabaragamuwa and Central Provinces and in Galle and Matara Districts.Showers or thundershowers will occur elsewhere over the Island during the afternoon or night.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – President Ranil Wickremesinghe emphasized that all should join together to solve the people’s food issues, casting traditional party politics aside.The President made this observation addressing the public officers at an awareness program on the multi-sector mechanism to empower rural economic revitalization centers to ensure food security and nutrition at Hardy Advanced Technological Institute Auditorium in Ampara this morning (15).The President further noted that no one would be allowed to starve despite the fact that the country is going through a very difficult time and pointed out the importance of successfully implementing the national food production program to prepare for a possible global food crisis in 2023.The president also said that the agriculture modernization program would be implemented from next year concurrent to the food security program.The implementation of the multi-sector mechanism to empower rural economic revitalization centers to ensure food security and nutrition in transforming the Ampara District also into a prosperous one with a blooming community was also discussed at length.The Ampara district contributes 22 percent to the national paddy harvest and discussions were also focused on making the paddy cultivation in the Yala and Maha seasons a success.It was also special feature that the President paid special attention to the issues faced by the government officials during the field work. The president was made aware of issues related to the agriculture and fisheries industry in the Ampara district and he directed the officials to address those issues.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka Navy as of now has kept 36 relief teams ready to extend relief measures to people, in the backdrop of inclement weather conditions reported in several areas of the island.Following the directives of Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne, the Western Naval Command has sent 02 relief and rescue teams to Rathnapura and 04 teams to Kalutara, on standby.In addition, 21 more relief and rescue teams in the Western Naval Command and 09 similar teams in the Southern Naval Command have been kept on their toes for swift deployment, if need be.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Disaster Management Center says that three people have died, while over 55,000 have been displaced due to the continuing inclement weather conditions.Moreover, the DMC warned to expect more severe weather on Sunday (16).Meanwhile, an amber advisory has been issued for Western, Sabaragamuwa and Central Provinces and Galle and Matara Districts by the Meteorological Department.According to the Meteorological Department, the current heavy rains are expected to continue, due to the influence of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ – The region where the Northern Hemispheric wind and the Southern Hemispheric wind converge) located in the vicinity of the island.Showers or thundershowers will occur at times in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central and North-Western provinces and in Galle and Matara districts.Heavy showers above 100 mm can be expected at some places in Western, Sabaragamuwa and Central provinces and in Galle and Matara districts.Showers or thundershowers will occur elsewhere over the Island during the afternoon or night.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Several roads have been inundated due to the prevailing showery condition across Sri Lanka.Assistant Director of the Disaster Management Centre (Kalutara district) said water levels, in a section along the Aluthgama – Mathugama road near the Welipenna Interchange of the Southern Expressway, measured up to 1.5 feet.

COATESVILLE, Pa. - Officials with Coatesville Area School District announced the school has received numerous threats within the last week.According to authorities, the Chester County District Attorney’s Office, as well as Caln Township police officers are actively investigating at least four different threats to the school.On October 13, the school was put on lockdown after three separate threats regarding weapons were received by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office and then passed on to the school.RELATED COVERAGE:The Chester County Sheriff’s Department searched the school for weapons, but found nothing and school was dismissed.Another threat was received by the school Friday, forcing administrators to cancel school for the day. Officials are investigating the threats.Coatesville was forced to cancel their homecoming football game against Downingtown due to credible threats of violence.

The state of West Virginia is receiving around $1.7 million in federal funding over five years for a behavioral health program treating adults with serious mental illness. The money will be used to serve people living with mental illness who are also living with a physical health condition, chronic disease or substance use disorder, according to a West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources news release.

Troy Fletcher, 15 (Philadelphia Police Department)PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia police have issued a warrant for another suspect in the shooting outside of Roxborough High School that killed a 14-year-old boy late last month. On Friday, police identified Troy Fletcher, 15, as a suspect in the case. He faces multiple charges, including murder, in connection with the shooting. Fletcher is now the fourth suspect to be identified by police following the Sept.

SKYFOX over Vineland High School after a threat prompted a police investigation.  VINELAND, N.J. - Police departments in multiple southern New Jersey towns are investigating threats against schools that prompted lockdowns on Friday morning. In Toms River, police said they received a call regarding a "potential shooting" at Toms River North High School. Authorities say the school was locked down, but the call was later deemed to be an unfounded threat. Police are investigating it as a swatting incident, which occurs when a prank call is placed to draw a large police presence at a specified location. In Vineland, police say they are also investigating a threat. RELATED: 'A cry for help': Public safety officials, mental health experts weigh in on school threatsOfficers responded on scene and checked the school, saying no danger is present to the students and staff. Barnegat High School also received a threat Friday, according to police. Officials say officers responded to the building and found "no indications reports of anything occurring." Bengal Boulevard will remain closed as officers investigate. Surrounding schools in Barnegat were placed in a shelter-in-place status when the threat was reported. Schools in Barnegat are now under normal operations, but Stafford Township Schools have issued a shelter-in-place as a precaution. This is a developing story.

TRICARE, the health care program for active-duty service members, military retirees, reservists and their families, will drop more than a quarter of the pharmacies in its current network later this month, a move that will force an estimated 400,000 beneficiaries to find new pharmacies. The program said nearly 15,000 independent, community pharmacies will no longer be in the TRICARE network as of October 24.The network will still include more than 40,000 pharmacies across the country.

Omaha, Nebraska public schools are employing $460,000 in federal funding allocated for COVID-19 relief to invest in social emotional learning (SEL) throughout the district, a practice that is popping up across the state and the country, Parents Defending Education found. "The pandemic’s impact has taken a toll on students in particular, contributing to an increase in mental health problems since 2020, according to statewide and national data," the Omaha World-Herald reported earlier this month.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Navy says that a vessel with six sailors, who were engaged in search operations along the southern coast for suspicious vessels, has been missing for about 20 days.Navy spokesperson Captain Indika de Silva said that the sailors left from the Southern Coast on 16th September for the search operation.However, all communication with the naval vessel in question have been broken since 17th September, the Navy spokesperson said.The missing group were identified as sailors attached to the Southern Naval Command.No information about the missing sailors have been received in the operations carried out by the Navy so far

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Department of Meteorology warns cloudy sky is expected in most parts of the island due to the low-level atmospheric disturbance in the vicinity of Sri Lanka.Showers or thundershowers will occur at times in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Southern, and North-Western provinces. Heavy showers above 100 mm can be expected at some places in Western, Sabaragamuwa, and Central provinces and Galle and Matara districts.Showers or thundershowers will occur elsewhere over the Island during the afternoon or night. Fairly heavy showers above 75 mm can be expected in some places.The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.Condition of Rain:Showers or thundershowers will occur at several places in the sea areas around the island. Heavy showers may occur at several places in the deep and shallow sea areas extending from Puttalam to Pottuvil via Colombo, Galle, and Hambantota.Winds:Winds will be south-westerly and wind speed will be (25-35) kmph. A sudden increase of wind speed (up to 60-70 kmph) is expected in the sea areas extending from Puttalam to Pottuvil via Colombo, Galle, and Hambantota due to active cloudiness in the sea area to the south-west and south-east of Sri Lanka.State of Sea:The sea areas off the coast extending from Puttalam to Pottuvil via Colombo, Galle, and Hambantota will be fairly rough at times.The possibility for sudden roughness, associated with a sudden increase in wind speed due to active cloudiness in the sea area from Puttalam to Pottuvil via Colombo, Galle, and Hambantota is high.Naval and fishing communities are requested to be vigilant in this regard in the

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The suspect connected to the attempted assassination in Ahungalle on Wednesday (12) was killed in a Police STF fire on Thursday (13) evening.Sri Lanka Police said a shooting took place close to a sports ground in Ahungalle.Ahungalle Attempted Assassination:It was just after 12 noon on Wednesday (12) when a man in a car opened fire at a three-wheeler driver at the Ahungalle Three-Wheeler Park using a T-56 Assault Rifle.The target of the shooting had scuffled with the shooter before the shooter made a getaway.The man who was injured in the shooting was admitted to the Balapitiya Base Hospital, and he was identified as a 45-year-old male from Gal Vehera in Ahungalle.Sri Lanka Police said officers recovered seven T-56 Assault Rifle bullet casings from the crime scene.According to Police Records since the 31st of May 2022, a total of 32 people were gunned down and 15 people were injured in shooting incidents among criminal gangsters in the Western and Southern provinces of Sri Lanka.This figure excludes the gangster killed on Thursday (13)

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The low-level atmospheric disturbance persists in the vicinity of the island, warned the Met Department.Therefore, the prevailing showery condition is expected to continue during the next 24 hours.Showers or thundershowers will occur at times in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Southern, and North-Western provinces.Heavy showers above 100 mm can be expected in some places in these provinces.