Chinatown apartment fire: Dozens of fire crews battling two-alarm blaze

COLOMBO (News 1st); A Criminal Gangster was shot dead by police during a shootout in Yakkala.Police Spokesperson, Senior Superintendent of Police Nihal Talduwa said that a T56 firearm was also found in the possession of the deceased suspect.According to reports, the gunned-down gangster was identified as Ihala Vithanage Joseph Kumara alias Elpitiye Joseph (41).It is reported that he was a close associate of Underworld Gangster Ganemulla Sanjeewa, and is suspected to have carried out the shooting at Bastian Mawatha, Colombo on 30th May 2022.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Ceylon Electricity Board has warned that there can be delays in restoring the supply of electricity following outages.The Ceylon Electricity Board said the delays in restoring sudden breakdowns can be attributed to the fuel shortage to attend to such matters.The CEB said it would deploy its vehicles based on priority needs, and requests the General Public to take necessary measures to prevent inconveniences.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka has decided to lift the ban on the Qatar Charity.Qatar Charity is the main charitable arm of the Qatar Government, and was banned in Sri Lanka following various allegation.Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera tweeted that he met with the officials of the Qatar Charity on Wednesday (29), and conveyed the message that the Defense Ministry has informed the Attorney General its decision to lift the ban on the fund which was imposed in 2019.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Mahanayake Theros in a letter to the President have called for the 22nd Amendment to the constitution to be passed immediately to form a genuine all-party government.It is wise for all the party leaders to come together for a certain period for the welfare of the general public, and the President, as well as all the Party Leaders, must agree to the following 10 points, said the Mahanayake Theros.1. All-Party Government must be limited to six months.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lankan Muslims will celebrate the festival of Hajj on the 10th of July, confirmed the Colombo Grand Mosque on Thursday (29).

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Secretary General of Parliament Dhammika Dasanayake said that the Parliament is scheduled to meet on the 4th, 5th and 6th of next week.This was decided at the Committee on Parliamentary Business held under the chairmanship of Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana, Speaker of Parliament.On the 4th, from 10.00 am to 3.30 pm, the entire period is allotted for 50 Questions for Oral Answers that could not be taken up in Parliament previously due to various reasons.Furthermore, Parliament is scheduled to convene on the 5th of July at 10.00 am.Accordingly, Regulations under the Foreign Exchange Act, no. 12 of 2017, Two Orders under the Sri Lanka Export Development Act No.

Covid travel restrictions could return for several countries this summer, causing disruption to people's holidays, according to Good Morning Britain's resident GP Dr Hilary Jones. Over the last two years, the sudden introduction of restrictions has seen holidaymakers scramble back to the UK as quickly as possible.

COLOMBO (News 1st);  Sri Lanka’s fuel crisis is worsening to a level where unarmed people are being subject to beatdowns from Police and Military Personnel while waiting in line for fuel for days.It is reported that these ugly scenes are taking place when the Police and the Military intervene in the fuel distribution disregarding the fact that the common man has been waiting in line for days to access limited amount of fuel.An incident where the Commanding Officer of the Wehera Army Camp in Kurunegala kicked back a man, took place when people who were in line for many days questioned why they were not given fuel, and why the military was obtaining fuel.The incident took place at the Yaggapitiya Filling Station located along the Dambulla – Kurunegala Main Road.Sri Lanka Army Spokesperson Brigadier Nilantha Premaratne speaking to News 1st said the Army had launched an internal investigation on the Lieutenant Colonel alleged to have carried out the assault.The Army Spokesperson said that the incident had taken place when a group of people who had scolded military personnel in profanity, were being escorted to the Police.He said that two people who behaved in an unruly and violent manner were handed over to the Police, adding that a certain group is attempting to create such incidents to bring disrepute to the Army.

COLOMBO (News 1st): The JVP and the Frontline Socialists Party have condemned a letter purportedly sent by the IGP to the Defence Secretary, that included intelligence related content.JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said the IGP had sent a letter to the Defence Secretary on the 27th of June 2022, stating that on the 5th and 6th of July a foreing intelligence service will attempt to detonate bombs in either the north or south, during the Black Tiger commemoration.He said that the letter notes that it is attempted to blame the LTTE for these attacks, and that the VIPs in the north, and staff from foreign agencies have been told NOT to attend any event on those two days.Dissanayake said the government must disclose to the country the information that it received, and how the information was received, and if not is this an attempt to suppress the dissent against the government.He said that the letter also notes that the JVP and other opposition groups are attempting to launch attacks on politicians and MPs.Anura Kumara Dissanayake said these attempts being made to curtail the people’s protests agains the government.He alleged the government rather than solving the issues in the country, is merely attempting to tarnish the various political movements through such petty efforts, or may be event wanting to create such a situation in the country.Duminda Nagamuwa from the Frontline Socialist Party also speaking on the same letter to the Defence Secretary alleged that the government prepared such letters, and the government launches the said attacks mentioned in the letter.He said following the next protest President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will be forced to step down, and these measures are being taken to crackdown on

Ryanair had its busiest month ever in June as it flew 15.9 million passengers, up by 203% from just 5.3 million a year earlier and topping a previous high set in May.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Managing Director of Lanka IOC Manoj Gupta told News 1st that the token system for fuel was suspended due to certain issues.However, a spokesperson for the Lanka IOC filling station owners said that fuel will be sold for tokens today.The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation said that a Diesel Shipment will reach Sri Lanka on the 12th of July.Uvais Mohamed, the CPC Chairman told News 1st that a shipment was ordered from a Singapore based company.In addition, a Petrol Shipment from Malaysia will reach Sri Lanka on the 20th of July, and attempts are being made to secure the arrival at an early date.Ceylon Petroleum Storage Terminals LTD said that it would provide fuel for essential services today as well.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Supreme Court today ordered the Attorney General to prepare a report detailing the sectors that a given priority in fuel purchasing, and distribution.The Attorney General was ordered to submit this report before the 12th of July 2022.Th Supreme Court made the order after taking into consideration two Fundamental Rights applications filed by the Bar Association of Sri Lanka.The applications were called up in the presence of Justices Vijith Malalgoda, Mahinda Samayawardena, and Arjuna Obeysekera.

Stray Kids have postponed two dates from the North American leg of their ongoing ‘Maniac’ tour after three members contracted COVID-19.Over the weekend on July 2, Live Nation announced on Twitter that the group’s Atlanta (July 3) and Fort Worth (July 6) shows have been postponed after three members of the boyband tested positive for COVID-19 on the same day.“Lee Know, Felix and I.N received positive results on self-testing kits performed on July 2 (local time), thus immediately visited a hospital to receive PCR tests and were diagnosed with COVID-19,” wrote Live Nation. The concert organiser also shared that the boyband, along with all staff members of their tour had been undergoing daily self-testing.Live Nation noted that all members of the group had received three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, and had been staying in single rooms throughout the tour.

Living with COVID-19 plan, the focus of this new phase is on protecting those who are most at risk from the virus.A new set of guidance from UKHSA provides important public health advice for people with symptoms of respiratory infections, such as COVID-19; people with a positive COVID-19 test and their contacts; and advice on safer behaviours for everyone. UKHSA has also published a set of public health principles for businesses, organisations and employers to consider in managing the risk to their workforce from respiratory infections, such as COVID-19.Dame Jenny Harries, Chief Executive of UKHSA, said:As we learn to live with COVID, we encourage people to keep following simple steps to help keep themselves and others safe.The pandemic is not over and how the virus will develop over time remains uncertain.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe has been re-appointed as the Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) for the next six years with effect from today (4).Dr. Weerasinghe is a career central banker, with extensive experience in Monetary and Exchange Rate Policy.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Minister of Foreign Affairs, Professor G.L. Peiris has assured the Chinese Ambassador that Sri Lanka will continue to stand by ‘one-China policy and pledged Sri Lanka’s unwavering support to protect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.The Foreign Minister met with the Ambassador of China, Qi Zhenhong, on 30th June 2022 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Minister Peiris appreciated China’s continued assistance to Sri Lanka.

The Government has launched a further low cost Covid-19 loan scheme for businesses.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Considering the heavy demand for Consular Services and in order to provide for the public needs in this regard, the Consular Affairs Division of the Ministry of External Affairs will be open to the public on all weekdays, Monday to Friday commencing July 04, 2022.The Regional Consular offices in Jaffna, Matara, Kandy, Trincomalee, and Kurunegala will also follow the same working arrangements.

This marked a marginal rise from Sunday, when 16,103 people had tested positive Marking a marginal rise from Sunday, when 16,103 people tested positive, India reported 16,135 fresh COVID-19 cases, pushing the overall caseload to 43,518,564, the Union health ministry said on Monday. As many as 24 people succumbed to the disease taking the total number of fatalities to 525,223. The cumulative tally of active patients continued to rise with 113,864, up from 111,7111 on Sunday.  Meanwhile, with 13,958 people recuperating in the last 24 hours, the total number of recoveries rose to 42,879,477.

jobs because of the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the work environment.“It’s very hard to make the argument that you need to physically come to work five days a week,” said Sarah McVanel, chief recognition officer and founder of Greatness Magnified, a company that helps organizations retain top talent and combat burnout.McVanel says that COVID-19 presented Canadians with a different reality that changed the way people think about work.Grocery store, alcohol sales down in April as prices rose: Statistics CanadaAccording to a report released by Statistics Canada on May 24, the number of job vacancies at the beginning of April hit just over one million, up more than 40 per cent compared to last year amid a tight labour market pushing up wages and fuelling inflation concerns.The agency said on its website that employers in Canada were actively seeking to fill 1,001,100 vacant positions, up 23,300 from March of this year and a gain of 308,000 compared to April 2021.Vacancies in the health care and social assistance sectors reached a record high of 136,800, up five per cent from the peak of three months earlier and up 90.9 per cent compared with the first quarter of 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic pummelled the economy, according to a report by Statistics Canada, which was released on May 21.

NEW DELHI: India recorded 16,135 new covid cases in the last 24 hours, pushing the active caseload to 1,13,864, as per data released by the Union health ministry on Monday. Fatalities stood at 24. The national capital's active cases stand at 3,268, while Maharashtra has 22,485 cases, Haryana has 2,475 cases, and Kerala's stand at 29,527.

A decision to open temporary court rooms in cinemas during the pandemic has cost taxpayers almost £30million, it can be revealed. The Odeon chain has raked in £26,166,092 over the last two years while Vue was paid £1,882,356 by the Scottish Courts service, figures ­uncovered by the Record show.

COLOMBO (News 1st); All Government Schools and Government approved Private Schools across the country will have a holiday from Monday (4) to July 8th, inclusive of both days.The decision was made during a discussion held among officials of the Ministry of Education, Provincial Education Secretaries, and Provincial Education Directors after reviewing the attendance of principals, teachers, and students in the schools during the last two weeks.The Ministry of Education noted that the missing school time during the relevant week will be covered during the upcoming school holidays.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The All Ceylon Filling Station Owners’ Association says that they have paid Rs.700 Million to Ceypetco to obtain fuel, however, they have NOT been given a definite date for delivery.The All Ceylon Filling Station Owners’ Association S. Fernando said that many filling stations are closed due to a lack of fuel.

Due to winter illnesses putting pressure on primary care providers, the Ministry of Health would like to remind employers that they can consider the text messages it sends to people positive with COVID-19 and their household contacts, as proof of needing time off work.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Department of Immigration and Emigration says that the one-day passport issuance service will be implemented in three more districts from Monday (4).Accordingly, the one-day service will be implemented in Vavuniya, Matara, and Kandy districts.At present, the one-day service is operational only at the head office of the Department of Immigration and Emigration in Colombo.Controller General Sarath Rupasiri said that after making an appointment, one-day passport services can be obtained from Vavuniya, Matara, and Kandy district offices.He mentioned that 3,000 people visit Colombo daily to get passports through the one-day service.

SOUTHWEST PHILADELPHIA - A 17-year-old boy was shot in the stomach and is fighting for his life in Southwest Philadelphia.Police were called to the 1900 block of South 67th Street Saturday night, just after 9, on the report of gunshots, according to authorities.Responding officers found the teen with a gunshot wound to his stomach.Police rushed the teen to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center where he was placed in critical condition.Police are searching for the shooter and a motive.

Upper Darby Police investigate a shooting they say is domestic-related. UPPER DARBY TOWNSHIP, Pa. - Upper Darby Police report a person is in custody after a domestic-related shooting.Officials said police were called to the 800 block of Hawthorne Avenue, in Upper Darby Township Saturday night, around 8:15, for a reported shooting.Officials said, in a tweet, police were investigating a shooting related to a domestic incident.

A gunman opened fire inside a busy shopping mall in the Danish capital on Sunday, killing several people and wounding several others, police said.

Today we are reporting 6,498 community cases and 487 current hospitalisations.

PASADENA, Calif. - Esteban Chavez had worked at UPS for four years. His family says he had dreams of moving up in the company, perhaps getting into management.

NORTHFIELD, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Northfield Police Department is asking for the public's help finding a six-year-old girl after her mother was found dead in their home this weekend.Police said they responded to a call around 11:50 a.m. Saturday at a residence in the 600 block of Maple Brook Ct and discovered Lisa Wade, 39, who died of an apparent suicide.

WYNNEWOOD, Pa. - Music filled the air for a patriotic party in the streets of Wynnewood, in Montgomery County, Sunday.Hundreds of people came out to celebrate at the Penn Wynne Independence Day Parade and Carnival.There was a wide variety of fun, family activities, including pony rides, moon bounces and yummy food.The crowning touch was the parade and a perfect way to celebrate the 246th birthday of the United States.

Image: Jeff Brinker to FOX Television Stations "I didn’t want to come to terms with why I ate the way I did, why I had an unhealthy lifestyle," Brinker said in an interview with FOX TV Stations.In 2016, Brinker had weight loss surgery and saw some success — he lost about 100 pounds — but he "fell back into old habits" pretty quickly."I never addressed the issue between the years of what I was supposed to be eating," he said.Image: Jeff Brinker to FOX Television Stations Brinker’s children, both in the Air Force and "very fit," had pleaded with him to lose weight for years. He had started to "whittle it down a little," he said, but it was a trip to his doctor’s office in September 2021 that fueled his incredible weight loss journey."He asked if I wanted to be on diabetes medication, then started rattling off a list of other medications.

TORONTO (AP) — Toronto Blue Jays first base coach Mark Budzinski will be away from the team following the death of his eldest daughter, Julia.

AKRON, Ohio (AP) - A Black man shot and killed by Akron police officers in a hail of bullets following a vehicle and foot pursuit was unarmed at the time of the shooting, but a shot appeared to have come from the vehicle during the pursuit, and officers said they feared he was preparing to fire when they discharged their weapons, authorities said.Police on Sunday released video the mayor called "heartbreaking" of the pursuit and shooting of Jayland Walker, 25, while pleading for peace and patience from the community while the state investigation into the shooting continues. It was not yet clear how many shots were fired, but Walker sustained more than 60 wounds.

HOUSTON - The Austin, Texas, woman accused of killing cyclist Anna Moriah Wilson is in jail in Harris County awaiting transport back to Travis County.34-year-old Kaitlin Armstrong arrived at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston Saturday after being arrested by US Marshals in Costa Rica last week. Armstrong is charged with murder in the shooting death of 25-year-old Moriah Wilson at a home on Maple Avenue in East Austin on May 11. Armstrong was captured Wednesday in a remote Costa Rican beach town after 43 days on the run.

NORTHFIELD, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Northfield Police Department is asking for the public's help finding Elle Ragin after her mother was found dead in their home Saturday.Police said they responded to a call around 11:50 a.m.

ALTOONA, Pa. - A Pennsylvania prosecutor has ruled that a late police sergeant was justified in using deadly force that resulted in the accidental shooting death of a jail guard during a hostage situation at a county courthouse last fall.Authorities said an inmate had been taken from the Blair County jail to the courthouse in Altoona for a hearing in November when he allegedly disarmed corrections officer Rhonda Jean Russell. A police sergeant fired a shot at the inmate but hit 47-year-old Russell, a 14-year veteran who was pronounced dead at UPMC Altoona.District Attorney Pete Weeks said last week that the use of deadly force by the police sergeant, who officials said died several months later of natural causes, was justified under the law.

Love Island's Siannise Fudge was in floods of tears as she spoke out about her health scare that led to her being hospitalised as well as dropping two stone in weight.The ITV star, 27, who appeared on the 2020 series of the love finding programme, bravely spoke out about her struggles with "severe anxiety and depression".She took to Instagram sharing a candid post about her 12 month mental health battle that she'd kept under wraps until now.READ NEXT: Ronan Keating was 's***ing' himself ahead of son going into Love Island's Casa AmorTo showcase how far she'd come on her journey, Siannise shared an image of herself from eight months ago and a picture of herself now - looking happy, healthier and totally reformed.Addressing her 1.7m followers, the TV starlet explained: "To my amazing family. I have been waiting for the right time to speak about something that I had been living with and couldn't find the courage to share it, but thankfully now I feel ready."I feel I have a responsibility to share this because somehow it might help one of you and that's all I want from this."To give anyone suffering the belief that you can overcome your obstacles in life.

Love Island star Siânnise Fudge has bravely opened up about her mental health struggles in a brutally honest social media post that aimed to break the taboo surrounding anxiety. The 27 year old star shot to fame after appearing on series 6 of the popular ITV2 dating show back in 2020, where she quickly won over fans at home with her stunning looks and charming personality.

Rylan Clark has reassured worried fans that his mum Linda is okay after she sparked concern with her appearance on Celebrity Gogglebox. Linda had appeared on the Channel 4 show with a drip attached to her arm on Friday night. “Had a lot of people ask, Mum is fine, she has a tpn line for a feed… to do with her Crohn’s.

Wimbledon singles champion Martina Navratilova has said she is 'gutted' to have missed out on attending the 100th anniversary of SW19's Centre Court this afternoon after testing positive for coronavirus. Navratilova only tested positive for the virus this morning ahead of the long-awaited celebrations at lunchtime, before Heather Watson kicked off play on the court with an unfortunate loss to Germany's Niemeier. The tennis legend tweeted: 'I am gutted I can't be there' ahead of the celebration, which featured a surprise appearance from Sir Cliff Richard and finished with a live performance from British singer Freya Ridings.

NEW DELHI :   The health ministry is working on an initiative—called Nikshay Mitra— that will allow individuals to adopt Tuberculosis patients and look after their nutritional and medical needs in a bid to break the stigma surrounding the disease in India. The ministry has created a digital platform on a public-private-partnership on which anyone in India can register themselves. “The idea is to destigmatize the TB diseases and it can be done only by community support, better treatment and care for TB patients by adopting them.

People have been urged to wear masks again in crowded and enclosed spaces, amid fears that hospitalisations from coronavirus could hit an 18-month high. The warning, which came from senior health official Dame Dr Jenny Harries on Sunday (June 3), came just days after it was reported that Manchester's hospitals were among those seeing a huge influx in positive admissions from the virus.

FILE PHOTO - An undertaker approaches a cold storage room where remains of COVID-19 patients are stored at the AVBOB mortuary in Soweto, on July 24, 2020. (Photo by Marco Longari / AFP via Getty Images) JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (AP) - Police are investigating after more than 30 bodies, some decomposing, were found inside a southern Indiana funeral home.Police in the Louisville suburb of Jeffersonville responded to Lankford Funeral Home and Family Center on Friday evening and found 31 bodies, including some some "in the advanced stages of decomposition," Maj.

PHILADELPHIA - A woman is dead after police say a driver struck her on a Germantown street, then fled early Sunday morning.Police say the 31-year-old woman was crossing the intersection at Germantown and Coulter streets when she was hit by an oncoming car around midnight. The car, possibly a white SUV, reportedly fled the scene leaving the fatally injured woman behind. Surveillance footage is being surveyed for more information about the vehicle.Less than two weeks ago, another woman was killed in a hit-and-run at this exact intersection. Dia Lee, 21, was crossing Germantown Avenue on Culter Street on June 20 when police say a speeding Tesla struck her and kept driving.

Even neighbours Pakistan and Bangladesh have fared better at a time the World Health Organization warned that the pandemic ‘is far from over’, with a fresh spike in new covid cases seen in 110 countries India lags far behind its developing-country rivals in the covid-19 booster vaccination race, even as cases have seen a steady uptick in the past fortnight. The poor show comes even as the country started its ‘precaution’ dose inoculation drive around the same time as some of the other countries, shows a Mint analysis. For every 1,000 people, India has managed to administer just 32 boosters, i.e.