Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for local government

Covid-19 update: The country's death toll climbed to 5,30,608 with three fatalities, including one reconciled by Kerala. India has reported 389 coronavirus infections, taking the cumulative Covid-19 tally to 4,46,71,219 on Saturday, while active cases declined to 5,395, according to the Union Health Ministry data.  The country's death toll climbed to 5,30,608 with three fatalities, including one reconciled by Kerala, according to the ministry data.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka's Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said that electricity tariffs will be increased, again."No matter who becomes, President, Finance Minister, or Government we cannot avoid another hike in tariffs.," he told Parliament on Friday (25) adding that Sri Lanka will not receive rainfall in 2023 as it did in 2022.Therefore, according to the Minister it costs Rs. 56.90 to generate a unit for the CEB to deliver around clock electricity."We charge Rs.

With a steady decline in covid cases, several state governments have eased travel norms and mandatory wearing of masks NEW DELHI: India reported 365 fresh coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, pulling down active cases to 5,516, according to an update by the Union health ministry on Friday. Total reported cases in the country since the pandemic hit in 2020 now stands at 4,46,70,830, and death toll at 530,604. Active cases account for 0.01% of total reported infections, while the recovery rate stands at 98.80%, according to the health ministry.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Government of China has donated 10.6 Million liters of Diesel to Sri Lanka for farmers and fisheries in Sri Lanka.The "Super Eastern" vessel carrying diesel is scheduled to arrive in the country form Singapore to the Port of Colombo tomorrow (26).The embassy earlier tweeted that China will donate 10.6 million liters of diesel to farmers and fishermen in remote areas of Sri Lanka, to upgrade livelihood in the most affected sectors of agriculture & fishery. The shipments are scheduled between November and December, and will be distributed to the needed asap.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lankan Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa told Parliament on Friday (24) that he did not apply for the post of Prime Minister, during the tenure of Gotabaya Rajapaksa.Sajith Premadasa said that the Former President repeatedly requested him to accept the post of Prime Minister, and four conditions were put forward to Rajapaksa for the establishment of an interim short-term government.• President must resign from his position during a stipulated minimum period of time;• Implement and enact the 19th constitutional amendment within a period of two weeks, with the support of all political parties;• Implement the provisions in the Constitution within a minimum time period to abolish the executive presidency; and• Call for a parliamentary election to allow the public to form a permanent government after implementing the constitutional amendments and rebuilding the community life and ensuring the rule of law.Sajith Premadasa said he wrote to then-President Rajapaksa citing these four conditions to accept the post of Prime Minister, and did not request or apply for the post of Prime Minister.Sajith Premadasa was responding to a comment made by President Ranil Wickremesinghe in Parliament on Thursday (24).'Our Opposition Leader also said today that I asked for this presidency. I didn't ask for this.

Covid-19 update: The death toll has climbed to 5,30,604 with one death each reported from Delhi, Gujarat and Karnataka in the last 24 hours. India has reported 347 fresh Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the cumulative tally to 4,46,70,830, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday. With this, the country's active caseload declined to 5,516, which constitute 0.01 per cent of the total infections.

Murdered Logan Mwangi was failed during the Covid lockdown - when multiple opportunities were missed by social services to save the schoolboy, a safeguarding review has found. The five-year-old was brutally killed by family just weeks after he was "stepped down" from the child protection register.

I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! is facing chaos after production has been hit with a Covid-19 outbreak just days before the series finale.

I’M A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! has been hit by a Covid outbreak just days before the final on Sunday. Bosses on the ITV show have ramped up safety measures, which include wearing masks around the camp at all times, after two members of staff tested positive for coronavirus earlier this week.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – President Ranil Wickremesinghe emphasized that he will never allow violence and anarchy to prevail under the guise of human rights, adding that if any party engages in such an attempt, the security forces will be used to suppress it completely.Under such circumstances, the President emphasized that everyone from the lower officer of the army to the rank of field marshal is obligated to fulfil their responsibility.   President Ranil Wickremesinghe said this, delivering a special statement in Parliament. (24). 'Our Opposition Leader also said today that I asked for this presidency.

The Global Times report. He stressed that the variant has resulted in cluster infections in nursing homes, construction sites and schools as the cases of COVID-19 were particularly reported in Chaoyang, Changping, Haidian, Fengtai and Tongzhou. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu of the WHO cited the same as the primary reason for the same.  "The virus is evolving, changing its behaviour," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu.

COLOMBO (News 1st) –  Sri Lankan president Ranil Wickremesinghe said that as a policy it is accepted that a government should not be running businesses, except that the government will stay in the financial sector.He said on Thursday (23) that the government will build the state-owned banks and make them stronger, however, they will be operated as commercial banks."We won't mind giving a part of the minority shares to the deposit holders,' said the President adding that it will bring some discipline.He said the future digital economy will be export oriented with social protection, which is also environmentally friendly for a Blue-Green economy."We need to go ahead. We can't be begging anymore and we can't be asking for countries for loans any more.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lankan Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Sabry told the Indian Ocean Rim Association session in Bangladesh on Thursday (24) that Sri Lanka is poised and is well positioned to be one of the major trading hubs of the Indian Ocean, addign that the country has demonstrated manifestly significant openness to trade and commerce.He emphasised the significance and necessity of actively engaging with the countries of the Indian Ocean Rim to mutually advance the economic and commercial interests of Sri Lanka as well as to maintain peace and stability in the region of Indian Ocean. He further stressed that Sri Lanka’s commitment to the matters that concern the Indian Ocean region remains one of the key cornerstones of the current economic and foreign policy of Sri Lanka. Minister highlighted that Sri Lanka is strategically positioned at the centre of one of the busiest sea lanes of the world, adding that Sri Lanka’s traditional and ancient links with the countries of the IORM go back many centuries and empirical evidence reveals that Sri Lanka’s geographical centrality markedly facilitated and aided maritime commerce and trade over the centuries.Given its progression as an Indian Ocean Hub, Sri Lanka has emerged as one of the most pivotal shipping lanes since two-thirds of the petroleum products and half of the container shipments of the world criss-cross close to the Southern coast of the Island.The Minister apprised the member states at the Council of Ministers of the IORA concerning Sri Lanka’s efforts in sustainable and efficacious usage of maritime resources and immense ocean pollution challenges as well as projects and programs implemented to safeguard the coastal belt and the Indian Ocean. This is to

With a steady fall in covid cases across the country, several state governments have eased travel norms and mandatory wearing of masks. NEW DELHI: India reported 408 fresh coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, while active cases fell to 5,881, according to an update by the Union health ministry on Thursday. Total reported cases in the country since the pandemic hit in 2020 now stands at 4,46,70,483, and death toll at 530,601.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ali Sabry, left for Dhaka, Bangladesh on 23 November 2022 to attend the 22nd Meeting of the Council of Ministers (COM) of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). Foreign Minister Sabry is expected to address the IORA Council of Ministers on 24th  November 2022 as the current Vice Chair of the IORA.

With discerning cinema audiences having moved online for entertainment, niche films in international languages are struggling to find takers in cinemas. With discerning cinema audiences having moved online for entertainment during covid pandemic, smaller, niche films in several international languages are struggling to find takers in cinemas. These include small scale Hollywood films or movies from Korea and Iran that were originally popular in the big metros like Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru and could make up to Rs.

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

Ice Cube lost out on a $9 million project — all because he refused to do the responsible thing and get the COVID-19 vaccine before filming started.

It was a match made in heaven for a pair of keyworkers who tied the knot after winning their £10,000 dream wedding thanks to their hard work during the pandemic.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Government has taken steps to release 74 bowsers of kerosene on Wednesday (23) to meet the fuel needs of the fishing community.Presidential Director General for Community Affairs Keerthi Tennakoon was quoted by the President's Media Division as saying that 49 private sector filling stations, 18 cooperative filling stations and 7 other filling stations will continue to distribute kerosene to fishermen.The Provincial Chief Secretaries and Governors were entrusted the task of distributing fuel to the fishing community from Tuesday (22).

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka's Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe said that the Central Bank cannot make popular decisions, and making popular decisions is the job of the government."When you listen the budget debate these days, there are a lot of allegations on the Central Bank saying that CBSL contracted the economy and this model is not sustainable, and as a result the people are suffering," he said while speaking at the 40th Annual General Meeting of the Sri Lankan Apparel Exporters Association in Colombo on Tuesday (22).He said as the Governor of the Central Bank he is the person who is in charge of the monetary policy, and would not like to creep into or encroach someone else's authority in terms of the fiscal policy.

A Lanarkshire teacher has been left unable to read books after a crippling long COVID battle.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament on Wednesday (23) that he would not dissolve the house until stability returns to the country and vowed not to allow another Aragalaya to change the country's government. He said he would deploy the military and use emergency powers if necessary.The President accused the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) and its leader Kumar Gunaratnam of being responsible for the attempt to capture parliament on the 13th of July 2022.

Ice Cube confirmed he missed out on a $9 million acting role after he refused to get the vaccination shot for COVID-19.The 53-year-old rapper-actor, appearing on the podcast Million Dollaz Worth of Game Monday, said, 'I turned down a movie because I didn’t want to get the motherf***ing jab.'He continued: 'I didn’t want get the jab - f*** that jab; f*** y'all for trying to make me get it. I don’t know how Hollywood feels about me right now.' The latest: Ice Cube, 53, confirmed he missed out on a $9 million acting role after he refused to get the vaccination shot for COVID-19The comments came more than a year after reports in October of 2021 that he had been passed over for a role in the Sony comedy Oh Hell No as producers wanted all cast vaccinated for the shoot.The entertainer, whose real name is O'Shea Jackson, said he 'turned down $9 million' in not getting vaccinated to appear in the film, which is slated to star Jack Black and be directed by Kitao Sakurai.

₹40,000. This happened because of the pandemic as rents were lower as people working remotely had still not returned to the city. Post-pandemic, rents have surged and this very apartment now commands a monthly rent of ₹50,000-55,000," she said.

Corrie star Kym Marsh has had to pull out of Strictly Come Dancing this weekend after testing positive for Covid.

The second reading of the 2023 Budget was passed in Parliament on Tuesday (22) by a slim majority of 37 votes.Votes in Favor: 121Votes Against: 84Abstentions: 1The debate on the second reading of the Appropriation Bill began on November 15th, and the voting for the second reading took place on Tuesday (22) evening.The debate on the committee stage of the Appropriation Bill is scheduled to be held from November 23rd to December 8th, and the voting will be held on December 8th at 7.00 pm.Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said that all Sri Lanka Freedom Party MPs who are connected to the government decided to vote in favour of the second reading of the budget today (22).Meanwhile, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, the People's Freedom Congress, and the National People's Power have decided to vote against it.The Tamil National Alliance decided not to take part in the voting process for the Second Reading of the 2023 Appropriation Bill.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Sri Lankan government has decided to release 50 fuel bowsers daily to meet the kerosene needs of the fishing community.Last week, the Petroleum Corporation had approved the release of 357 kerosene bowsers to meet the fishing community's needs. However, the fuel stations had only obtained 206 bowsers (58%).

People are being warned that a "highly contagious" respiratory virus could be on the rise during the winter.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Cabinet has granted approval to amend the Local Authorities Elections Ordinance to increase youth representation at Local Government Institutions.Acting Cabinet Spokesperson Shantha Bandara told reporters that Colombo District MP Premanath C.

The Scottish Parliament's COVID-19 Recovery Committee will meet with employees and service users of two Lanarkshire employment support organisations next week.

primary obstacles to luring them back in, but fear of being exposed to the coronavirus remains a factor for one in four workers, and that rate is even higher among some demographics.To stay up to date with the latest Gallup News insights and updates, follow us on Twitter.Learn more about how the Gallup Panel works.

A Scots teacher has been left unable to read books after a crippling long covid battle. Melanie More, 28, struggles with a variety of cognitive and physical issues - leaving her 90 per cent housebound.

A Scots bride has opened up about how she managed to pull of her dream Disney wedding in just six months - despite Covid nearly ruining everything.

India's active cases have also declined to 6,209. Covid-19 cases in India have been declining for the past few days as the country is reporting single-day rise of less than 500 infections.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The vote on the second reading of the budget will be held today (22).The Parliament is scheduled to meet today at 9.30 am and the sessions will be presided over by Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena.Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said that all Sri Lanka Freedom Party MPs who are connected to the government have decided to vote in favour of the second reading of the budget today (22).Meanwhile, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, the People's Freedom Congress, and the National People's Power have decided to vote against it.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Sri Lankan Government’s intention was to resume the negotiations on free trade agreements said Secretary to the President Saman Ekanayake.It is the vision of the President that Sri Lanka will integrate with the global value chains and with the largest economies in South Asia and East Asia and then expand to the east region linking to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).Further, the Secretary to the President invited private sector stakeholders to creatively engage in this development initiative as they are the ultimate beneficiaries.He made these observations during an awareness session on the resumption of negotiations of free trade agreements held for Trade Chambers and Industry Advisory Committees at the Finance Ministry on November (16).Secretary to the Treasury, Secretaries of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Industries, and the members of the National Trade Negotiation Committee also participated.The contours of Global trade have been significantly changed in recent years by bringing regional and global production networks as driving factors of international trade where Sri Lanka has not yet been engaged to tap the potential.

As fresh restrictions are imposed in parts of China against the new outbreaks of the Covid-19 virus, the country has reported its first death in nearly half a year. China saw the death of an 87-year-old man from Beijing, bringing the death count to 5,227. His death was first reported by the National Health Commission.

People in Ayrshire are being encouraged to take advantage of a number of drop-in centres where they can receive Covid-19 boosters and flu vaccines, starting this weekend.

Colombo (News 1st): The law will be strictly enforced against anyone who has trafficked Sri Lankan women to countries such as Oman, Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena told Parliament on Saturday (Nov. 19)."With the special attention of the President, a team was sent to take necessary legal action pertaining to such complaints from countries such as Oman, for one-and-a-half-months.

An Ayrshire politician has blasted what he's described as an 'undemocratic money grab' from the Scottish Government.

Annual growth of USD 3 billion from new export from 2023 to 2032. Foreign Direct Investment of more than 3 billion USD in the next ten years. Creating an internationally competitive workforce with high skills in the next ten years.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The National Council Sub-Committee for Identifying Short- and Medium-Term Programs related to Economic Stabilization said that proposals for the reform of laws related to the economic stabilization of the country will be presented to the country at the end of December.MP Patali Champika Ranawaka, who is also the Chairman of the Sub-Committee said that it is important to discuss whether there are shortcomings in the law among the reasons that led to the country's economic bankruptcy and to discuss the next steps to be taken.The experts who participated in the committee expressed their views on the reforms that should be made in the country's legal system to obtain local and international support to create economic stability in the country, said the Parliament Media Division.The role of the Central Bank, the role and accountability of the Treasury, the role and accountability of the government, and the accountability of government officials, politicians and the business community dealing with them were discussed at the committee. Also, proposals were presented on the need for a large-scale anti-corruption process and the importance of implementing the law on assets and liabilities.Officials of the Ministry of Justice said that 55 new laws and amendments to existing laws are currently underway.The senior lawyers pointed out that due to the Covid pandemic situation, the number of cases pending in the courts is high, so the trials should be managed efficiently.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Countries with large debt burdens are losing even more capital due to climate shocks, and shrinking their fiscal space, and these countries are now looking for other options to ease their burden.Some of these countries are now opting to switch to a debt-for-nature swap deal, which is an arrangement whereby a foreign debt owed by a developing country is transferred to a particular organization, typically in return for the country's committing itself to specified conservation measures.These can be trumped up countries, including Sri Lanka, which has been discussing a deal of up to $1 billion according to people familiar with those talks.Cape Verde, an archipelago nation off West Africa, is meanwhile close to a nature swap that could be worth up to $200 million, said Jean-Paul Adam, a former Seychelles government official who now works for the U.N. Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), providing financing advice to governments.The potential deals for Ecuador, Sri Lanka and Cape Verde, reported here in detail for the first time, point to a jump in interest for this form of financial alchemy, which was conceived decades ago but has remained something of a niche area until recently.Only three of over 140 or so swaps struck over the past 35 years – the first in 1987 – had a value of more than a quarter of a billion dollars, according to global data published by the African Development Bank.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka Police raided a gambling den operated by a ruling party member of the Medagama Pradeshiya Sabha, and arrested eight people. The police noted that the suspect local government member was operating the gambling den in a car park owned by him.

Covid-19: The death toll climbed to 5,30,553 with seven fatalities which includes two deaths reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated. India logged 656 new coronavirus infections taking the tally of Covid-19 cases to 4,46,67,967, while the active cases declined to 7,034, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday. The death toll climbed to 5,30,553 with seven fatalities which includes two deaths reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The government is collaborating with the Californian university system to obtain assistance to modernize agriculture in Sri Lanka and to set up a new agro-technology university, said Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe.He was addressing the 70th anniversary of the United States-Sri Lanka Fulbright Commission Program in Colombo on Wednesday (16).He said that the government discussed with a group of Singaporean investors on Tuesday (15) the supply of food for island nations and Middle East countries which lack their food resources. He said that this was only the start and he issued instructions to find the land for it and modernize agriculture. He said that Fulbright alumni such as Prof Pradeepa Bandaranaike are vital assets in modernizing agriculture. He added that the new agro-technology university will be combined with the Tea Research Institute (TRI), among others, to work with some of the American institutions on how to upgrade research in Sri Lanka.President Ranil Wickremesinghe also said that the government is focusing on improving English language education within the next ten years.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – A document presented to the Sri Lankan parliament for the very first time has revealed that there are 1,283 institutions that come under the government.This includes 29 ministries and 99 departments.State Finance Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya produced a document listing all the government institutions to the Sri Lanka Parliament on Thursday (17).This is the first time in Sri Lankan history that such a document was disclosed to the house.According to the Ministry of Finance, Economic Stabilization, and National Policies, this document was presented as per a promise made by President Ranil Wickremesinghe during his recent budget speech.The government also operates 25 District Secretariats, 9 provincial councils, 341 Divisional Secretariats and 341 local government bodies.According to the document a total of 420 institutions are owned by the government.