Colombo-Wadduwa Railway line not renovated for a century

READ MORE: Beatles legend Ringo Starr, 82, forced to cancel two gigs after 'sudden illness'But it was revealed today that the illness was in fact covid after the star's representation shared an update on his health."Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band were forced to cancel their recent shows at Four Winds Casino in New Buffalo Michigan and at Mystic Lake Casino in Prior Lake, MN due to illness," the update said.They added: "It has been confirmed today that Ringo has Covid and the tour will be on hold while Ringo recuperates."They went on to say that the drummer is "recovering at home" and hopes to resume the tour "as soon as possible."The band were also forced to postpone their Sunday night show in Minnesota and announced the sad news to their fans on Twitter.They said: "He and the band send peace and love to all the fans who were planning to come out and see the show," before confirming as rescheduled date would be announced soon.A statement shared by the venue on Facebook confirmed the original news that Saturday night's show would be cancelled.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Fuel Distributors' Association says that it will step away from placing orders for fuel from 8 AM on Tuesday (4)This is in protest against the decision taken by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation to recover the 45% discounts awarded to Fuel Distributors.Kapila Naotunna, the Secretary of the association said that they will refrain from placing orders against this move. The Private Tanker Owners Association said that it will only deliver fuel stocks that have already been ordered.

The sun sets behind a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft at Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of the Crew-5 astronaut launch. (Image: SpaceX) CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Operations at Florida's spaceport are getting back to normal after Hurricane Ian's rampage throughout the state. NASA and SpaceX are now targeting Wednesday, Oct.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Starting in January, it wiill no longer be illegal to jaywalk in California, after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill decriminalizing it.The new law, the Freedom to Walk Act, says you can cross the street anywhere outside of an intersection, but only if it's safe to do so.Police will still be able to stop or ticket you if crossing the street puts you in danger of being hit.The author of the bill, Assemblyman Phil Ting, (D-San Francisco,) argued jaywalking bills are arbitrarily enforced, and unequally impact poor people and people of color."It should not be a criminal offense to safely cross the street.

PHILADELPHIA - John Whitehead's untimely death came more than 20 years after his song "Ain't No Stopping Us Now" topped the charts, but his murder remains unsolved nearly another 20 years later."I feel like I did 18 years ago. It still hurts," his daughter Lakia said.

Katie Couric provided an update after receiving her stage 1A breast cancer diagnosis in September.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Police Sergeant who foiled a money heist in Thambuttegama was rewarded on Monday (3).Police Sergeant Buddhika Kumara was hailed a hero when he prevented a heist of Rs. 22.3 Million in Thambuttegama disregarding his own safety.The Police Sergeant was invited to the Ministry of Public Security on Monday (3) where he was recognized for his bravery by the Minister of Public Security, the Inspector General of Police, and other Senior Ranks of Sri Lanka Police.Police Sergeant Buddhika Kumara was promoted to the rank of Sub-Inspector and was awarded a cash prize of Rs.

PHILADELPHIA - Homicide detectives with the Philadelphia Police department are investigating a double shooting that left a woman dead and a man hospitalized Monday morning, police say. According to authorities, the shooting occurred on the 5800 block of Angora Terrace in Southwest Philadelphia around 5:17 a.m. Officials say officers responded to a residence and found a woman, 48, unresponsive on the floor of a second-floor hallway with a gunshot wound to the back. Medics pronounced the woman dead on scene at 7:30 a.m., according to police. MORE LOCAL HEADLINESAnother man, who is listed as a John Doe, was found in a middle bedroom on the second floor with a gunshot wound to the head and left eye, authorities say. According to officials, he was transported to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where he is listed in critical condition. Police say two firearms were recovered from the scene and no arrests have been made at this time This is a developing story.

In this undated surveillance image released by the Stockton Police Department, a person is shown from behind, in Stockton, Calif. Rewards totaling $85,000 have been offered for information leading to an arrest in five fatal shootings since July in St STOCKTON Calif., - Rewards totaling $85,000 have been offered for information leading to an arrest in five fatal shootings since July in Stockton, Calif., that investigators believe are related, police said.After reviewing surveillance footage, detectives have located an unidentified "person of interest" in the killings, Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden wrote on the department’s Facebook page Saturday. Police released a grainy still image of a person filmed from behind, dressed all in black and wearing a black cap.The latest killing occurred shortly before 2 a.m.

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court is beginning its new term, welcoming the public back to the courtroom and hearing arguments for the first time since issuing a landmark ruling stripping away women’s constitutional protections for abortion.Monday's session also is the first time new Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the court's first Black female justice, will participate in arguments. And the public is back for the first time since the court closed in March 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.In this handout provided by the Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States, Members of the Supreme Court (L-R) Associate Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Neil M.

Authorities in the Ukrainian capital have asked residents to resume wearing face masks due to a surge in Covid cases and a health system battered by the Russian invasion.

sex worker rights groups is in Ontario Superior Court Monday asking for several sections of the Criminal Code to be deemed unconstitutional.The Canadian Alliance for Sex Work Law Reform says sections of the law that criminalize advertising sexual services and communicating to buy or sell sexual services violate workers’ Charter rights.

‘Frustrating’ and ‘devastating’: The domino effect of family doctor, LTC shortages on ERs My children were one and three years old when I was blindsided with the diagnosis. I say blindsided because, up until the day my family doctor called to give me the results of my biopsy, everyone had assured me “it’s probably nothing. You’re too young to be diagnosed with cancer.”Technically, they weren’t wrong: breast cancer in women under the age of 40 is rare.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Litro Gas Lanka Ltd said that it decided to reduce the prices of Domestic Gas Cylinders with effect from midnight on Wednesday (5).Litro Gas amends its prices on the 5th of every month, as per the price formula that was introduced.The previous price revision took place on the 5th of September 2022. 

The trial of Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy has been adjourned again after a second juror has tested positive for Covid.

British Prime Minister Liz Truss was forced on Monday into a humiliating U-turn after less than a month in power, reversing a cut to the highest rate of income tax that helped spark turmoil in financial markets and a rebellion in her party.

The risk of suffering from Alzheimer's disease is raised in those over 65 who have had Covid, according to new research.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka's Minister of Power & Energy Kanchana Wijesekera on Monday (3) revealed to Parliament that the price of diesel was not reduced during the recent fuel price revision as only a profit of one rupee was being made per liter."When we compare our import prices with the Singapore Average Price we were making a loss of Rs. 30/- per liter of Diesel.

FILE - Kim Kardashian is seen out on Sept. 9, 2022, in New York City.

WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden on Monday will survey damage from Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico, where tens of thousands of people are still without power two weeks after the storm hit.The Category 1 hurricane knocked out electrical power to the U.S. territory of 3.2 million people, 44% of whom live below the poverty line.RELATED: President Biden, first lady to visit Florida and Puerto Rico to assess hurricane damagePower has been restored to about 90% of the island’s 1.47 million customers, but more than 137,000 others, mostly in the hardest hit areas of Puerto Rico’s southern and western regions, continue to struggle in the dark.

COVID-19 going forward will sit on the shoulders of primary care doctors and nurses if no new variant emerges, but the way that medical care is delivered must be reconsidered, Ontario’s now-defunct science table said Monday in its final bit of advice to the province.The Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table released three briefs that focused on the response to the pandemic by family doctors and nurses.It found patients who weren’t connected with a family doctor or medical team had worse health outcomes during the pandemic. It also found primary care teams better responded to the needs of patients than solo practitioners.Other findings included unequal distribution of primary care access throughout the province, a dearth of data on that same care and major overall communication problems.

DEPTFORD, N.J. - A school bus driver shortage is resulting in a time change for students and staff at Deptford High School. According to an official school letter sent to families of Deptford High School students, the start time will return to 7 a.m."This will allow bus drivers to complete a high school run, followed by a middle school run, rather than both occurring at the same time," the letter said. "With more drivers available, they will no longer need to double back for a second batch of students." The Central and Pine Acres Early Childhood Centers will return to a start time of 9:15 a.m.

I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! star Jack Maynard has been sent to hospital for emergency surgery.The YouTuber, 27, revealed that he had suffered an agonising case of appendicitis, as he updated fans about his health condition from his hospital bed on social media. Posting a selfie donning a face mask, Jack wrote beside it: “Finally back home resting up, being pampered.

The group that operates Manchester's AO Arena and Bridgewater Hall made almost 1,000 people redundant during the Covid-19 pandemic and lost over £8m, it has been revealed.

scientist Svante Paabo won this year’s Nobel Prize in medicine Monday for his discoveries on human evolution that provided key insights into our immune system and what makes us unique compared with our extinct cousins, the award's panel said.Paabo has spearheaded the development of new techniques that allowed researchers to compare the genome of modern humans and that of other hominins — the Neanderthals and Denisovans.FILE - Neanderthal researcher Svante Pääbo is pictured on July 9, 2018, in Hamburg. (Photo by Christian Charisius/picture alliance via Getty Images) While Neanderthal bones were first discovered in the mid-19th century, only by unlocking their DNA — often referred to as the code of life — have scientists been able to fully understand the links between species.This included the time when modern humans and Neanderthals diverged as a species, determined to be around 800,000 years ago, said Anna Wedell, chair of the Nobel Committee."Paabo and his team also surprisingly found that gene flow had occurred from Neanderthals to Homo sapiens, demonstrating that they had children together during periods of co-existence," she said.This transfer of genes between hominin species affects how the immune system of modern humans reacts to infections, such as the coronavirus.

FILE - At the 1973 Academy Awards, Sacheen Littlefeather refuses the Academy Award for Best Actor on behalf of Marlon Brando who won for his role in "The Godfather." She carries a letter from Brando in which he explains he refused the award in protes LOS ANGELES - Sacheen Littlefeather, a Native American activist who famously refused to accept the Academy Award for best actor on behalf of Marlon Brando in 1973, has died. She was 75. Littlefeather’s death was announced on Sunday by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

deteriorating health of the 82-year-old leader. He is undergoing treatment in the hospital since 22 August. "Sh Mulayam Singh is currently admitted to Critical Care Unit of Medanta Hospital, Gurgaon, and is being treated by a comprehensive team of specialists," the hospital said in a statement.

The Health Service Executive has launched its winter vaccination programme offering the annual flu vaccine and new Covid-19 booster vaccines, which protect against the Omicron strain.

PHILADELPHIA - J.T. Realmuto's Phillies now need just one more victory — or one more loss by the Milwaukee Brewers — to end Philadelphia's 11-year postseason drought.And the three-time All-Star catcher in his ninth season in the big leagues finally wants a taste of the playoffs himself, too.So of course Realmuto is keeping tabs on what the Brewers do, watching them on a cellphone in the clubhouse after helping Philadelphia beat the Washington Nationals 8-1 Sunday in a game shortened to six innings by a downpour."This is what you play for, obviously.

PHILADELPHIA - Monday will be the perfect day for comfort food as the Delaware Valley sees a chilly day with rain and cold wind chills. Below-average temperatures are set to continue, with morning temps lingering in the low to mid-40s, giving today's forecast the score of a 4 out of 10 from the FOX 29 Weather Authority Team. FOX 29's Sue Serio says an off-shore storm is bringing cold wind chills to the area and heavy downpours to some parts of the area. A Coastal Flood Warning is in effect for parts of the Jersey Shore and Dover, Delaware and a Coast Flood Advisory is in effect for areas around the Delaware River. Days of rain could bring two to four inches to the inland parts of the Delaware Valley, while the shore could see four to six inches of rain. Looking ahead, Tuesday will also be a chilly and rainy day in the Delaware Valley before temperatures increase Wednesday as the sun returns to the forecast. SEVEN-DAY FORECASTMONDAY: High: 53TUESDAY: High: 53, Low: 48WEDNESDAY: High: 64, Low: 52THURSDAY: High: 74, Low: 51FRIDAY: High: 74, Low: 55SATURDAY: High: 58, Low: 47SUNDAY: High: 61, Low: 43

Michael Bratcher in the middle of a skydive. (Credit: Michael Bratcher) ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. - Michael Bratcher knows no limit— not when it comes to age or how many times a person can consecutively skydive in 24 hours.The 59-year-old Air Force veteran from Elizabethtown, Kentucky, recently skydived 100 times in one day on September 26 at Skydive Kentucky. The first jump took place at 6:35 a.m. local time, and he ended his run at 9:05 p.m.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ali Sabry will be traveling to Geneva for the concluding segment of the 51st Session of the Council. The 51st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council is currently ongoing in Geneva and is scheduled to conclude on 07 October 2022.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka Navy's latest Off Shore Patrol Vessel, orginally used by the US Coast Guard called port in Guam.Sri Lanka Navy officially took delivery of the EX-United States Coast Guard Cutter, USCGC Douglas Munro, provided by the United States, on 26th October 2021.Subsequently, she was designated with the Pennant Number P 627 in SLN Fleet and underwent certain modernization equipped to suit the operational needs of the Sri Lanka Navy. The ship departed for Sri Lanka from the Port of Seattle, United States on 03rd September 2022.Having covered a long sea voyage of about 5898 nautical miles (10923km) in the Pacific Ocean, P 627 called at Port Apra in Guam for replenishment on 02nd October.During the passage she is also expected to make port calls at Manila in the Philippines and Changi in Singapore for replenishment and services. Meanwhile, P 627 is scheduled to arrive at the Port of Colombo in the first week of November 2022.

I am 28 years old and recently got married. I am covered in my corporate health Insurance policy but want to buy health insurance for my wife. Please advise what options are available and what things I should consider before buying health Insurance. - Sachin It is good to hear that you know the importance of having an insurance plan.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Asia’s highest inflation rates and ongoing fuel scarcity continue to threaten food security in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka continues to experience an unprecedented economic crisis with high inflation, rising commodity prices, power shortages and scarcity of fuel.The World Food Program said that Asia’s highest inflation rates and ongoing fuel scarcity continue to threaten food security in Sri Lanka. According to the World Food Programme (WFP), an estimated 6.2 million people in Sri Lanka are facing moderate to severe acute food insecurity, with one in every four households applying negative coping strategies such as reducing the number of meals per day, reducing expenses on other essential things such as healthcare or withdrawing children from school. Female-headed households are seen to be particularly hard it, as are the urban poor and people working in the estate-sector.The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that given the deteriorating food security and nutrition situation in Sri Lanka and the strong likelihood that the upcoming Maha season will not produce sufficient yields, several countries have pledged further assistance, especially towards improving food security and the critical inputs for the agriculture sector. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced an additional US$20 million in humanitarian assistance, bringing USAID’s total assistance to nearly US$92 million since June of this year. The United Kingdom pledged £3 million in lifesaving support going mostly toward food security and supporting farmers, while the EU released €1.5 million in humanitarian aid which will mainly be utilized for multipurpose cash assistance.The final

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka has been categorized as a FAO – WFP Hunger Hotsport or a major food crisis by the UN GRFC.This was revealed in a recent statement by the International Monetary Fund.Sri Lanka is among the 48 countries designated as Hunger Hotspots that are considered as countries highly exposed to fed insecurity. The other countries include a series of nations in the African Continent. Food insecurity has been rising since 2018. Even before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the increasing frequency and severity of climate shocks, regional conflicts and the pandemic were all taking their toll, disrupting food production and distribution, and driving up the cost of feeding people and families.The situation took an even more dramatic turn with the war in Ukraine.

Mel B today revealed how she 'felt suffocated' at the thought she could have spent the Covid lockdown with her ex-husband and admitted she may have taken her own life. Speaking at a fringe event at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, the Spice Girl told an audience how she 'would have died' if she had still been with her former spouse during the pandemic. The 47-year-old pop star is a patron of the Women's Aid charity, which campaigns on behalf of domestic abuse survivors.

Lindsey Buckingham cancelled the remainder of his UK and European tour dates due to “ongoing health issues”.The former Fleetwood Mac guitarist and singer was currently midway through a run of rescheduled UK gigs, which were due to be played earlier this year before he was forced to postpone the tour after he and members of his live band and crew contracted COVID.After playing the London Palladium on Saturday night (October 1), Buckingham shared a message on his social media the following day, revealing that the remainder of the dates – including a show set for tonight (October 3) in Glasgow – are now cancelled.The message said: “Due to ongoing health issues, Lindsey is regrettably having to cancel the remaining shows on his current European tour.“Refunds will be available from the point of purchase. Lindsey sends his deepest apologies to all of his fans who were planning to attend and hopes to return to Europe in the future.See the message and the cancelled tour dates below.News on Lindsey’s remaining European tour dates.

Covid-19 damaged the DNA in heart tissue, which was not detected in influenza samples. Notably the researchers also found that while Covid-19 and influenza are both severe respiratory viruses, they appeared to affect cardiac tissue very differently. "In comparison to the 2009 flu pandemic, Covid has led to more severe and long-term cardiovascular disease but what was causing that at a molecular level was not known," said Arutha Kulasinghe from the University of Queensland, Australia.

Targeted at consumers who are health aware and active, this new product by ABHICL looks at rewarding them for their good health behaviour. Aditya Birla Health Insurance Co.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Parliament will convene this week from Monday (03) to Friday (07).The Secretary-General of Parliament Dhammika Dasanayake stated that the Committee on Parliamentary Business decided to set aside the 6th and the 7th of October to debate the 22nd Constitution Amendment Bill.The 3rd of October is set aside for the purpose of taking up 50 Questions for Oral Answers which were postponed due to various reasons.From 4th to 6th except for Friday 7th October, 9.30 am to 10.30 am is reserved for Questions for Oral Answers.Furthermore, it has been decided to extend the time allotted for the debate pertaining to government business by half an hour from the 4th Tuesday to allocate that time for the independent Members of the Parliament to express their opinions. Accordingly, the time for debating the government business, scheduled to end at 4.30 pm, will extend until 5.00 pm. It was agreed upon to allocate the remaining 30 minutes until 5.30 pm, for the Motion at the Adjournment Time on one day and Questions at the Adjournment Time on every other following day. October 4th from 10.30 am to 5.00 pm Order under the Strategic Development Project Act, No. 14 of 2008 published under the Gazette Extraordinary No.

COLOMBO (News 1st) –  The two men who were arrested for looting a tavern in Danowita, and engaging in a shootout with police were remanded to the 14th of October 2022.The two suspects were subject to an inspection by the Magistrate while they were being treated at the Ragama Hospital.The magistrate had ordered the suspects be remanded until the 14th, and be produced to the Attanagalla Magistrate's Court. On Sunday (2) morning a shootout took place between police, and a gang of thieves who were on the process of looting a tavern in DANOWITA, located along the Colombo – Kandy main road.A woman who was inside a bus traveling from Galunbindunuwewa to Colombo, that was passing the area was caught in the crossfire and lost her life.She was identified at 29-year-old Iresha Shamali from Bentara.The two men who were arrested for looting a tavern in Danowita, and engaging in a shootout with police were remanded to the 14th of October 2022.

From scary to funny to cute and even tasty, there’s no shortage of costume choices for your cat or dog this year. FOX TV Stations searched Chewy, Amazon and Walmart online so you don’t have to.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Former Chairman of COPE Professor Charitha Herath was not included in the list of COPE members announced by the Speaker on Monday (3).Professor Charitha Herath is among the several ruling faction MPs who decided to remain independent and sit with the opposition in Parliament.Professor Charitha Herath tweeted that after a delay of two months COPE member list is out, and as predicted, his name isn't on the list. He said that thieves, deal makers who are in favor of a corrupted system WON for the day, and the people behind the economic crimes wanted him out of their way.Professor Charitha Herath said that the President and the Prime Minister should be ashamed of what had happened.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lankan Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena on Monday (3) announced that 27 members each have been appointed to the Committee on Public Enterprises & Committee on Public Accounts. 

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Ministerial Consultative Committee on Justice is scheduled to meet on the 4th at 2.00 pm in Parliament to consider the twenty-second Constitution Amendment Bill to be debated in Parliament on the 6th and 7th.Members of Parliament will also have the opportunity to present their views and proposals regarding this bill in the committee chaired by the Minister of Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms, (Dr.) Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe.Meanwhile, the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Power and Energy is scheduled to meet at 11.00 am on that day under the chairmanship of Minister Kanchana Wijesekera.The Committee on Public Finance is scheduled to meet on the 3rd at 1.00 pm and the Committee on Ethics and Privileges is scheduled to meet on the 4th at 3.00 pm.Also, a special meeting of the Select Committee of Parliament to look into and report to Parliament its recommendations to ensure gender equity and equality in Sri Lanka will be held on the 5th at 11.00 a.m.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission congratulating President Ranil Wickremesinghe on his election as the President of the Democratic of Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka has assured its support to the government of Sri Lanka for the efforts to overcome the crisis successfully.Issuing a statement, Ursula von der Leyen noted that at a time of unprecedented challenges faced by the people of Sri Lanka, the European Union remains committed to support Sri Lanka’s efforts to overcome the crisis successfully, including the necessary reforms that will bring the country back to a path of inclusive prosperity and lasting national reconciliation.She further stated that in this process, freedom of expression and assembly, dialogue among all stakeholders, as well as respect for the rule of law and fundamental rights will remain essential.She has also made a reference to the assessment by the European Union on the progress made by Sri Lanka on GSP+ commitments.