Education Minister meets with Russian Deputy PM

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The National Dengue Control Unit noted that multiple areas across seven provinces in Sri Lanka have been declared at Dengue High-Risk Zones.According to the latest data from the National Dengue Control Unit attached to the Ministry of Health Piliyandala, Homagama, Maharagama, Pitakotte, Kaduwela and Gothatuwa areas in the Colombo District have been declared as Dengue High-Risk Zones.13 MOH areas in the Gampaha District including Attanagalle, Biyagama, Divulaptiya, Ja-Ela, and Kelaniya have been declared as  Dengue High-Risk Zones.The Beruwala and Kalutara MOH areas in the Kalutara District are also Dengue High-Risk Zones.Three MOH areas in the Kandy District also are Dengue High-Risk Zones, while the same number exists in the North and Eastern provinces.Sri Lanka has recorded over 63,500 dengue cases so far in 2022, and a majority of these cases are from the Western Province.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – In recent months people were gunned down by mysterious shooters and concerns were raised on matters like how did these criminals get their hands on such weapons and who owned them.On Thursday (10) night, Sri Lanka Police arrested a man for the possession of weapons and ammunition prepared to be used in a crime in Deenagoda, Beruwala.The man was arrested close to the Berwala Railway Station for suspicious behaviour and based on the information extracted during questioning his house was searched, where the weapons and ammunition were discovered.Sri Lanka Police said they discovered a Repeater Shotgun, a 0.22 mm firearm, and a locally manufactured weapon.Police said that the locally manufactured firearm has been upgraded to be used as a sniper rifle with laser targetting.In addition, Sri Lanka Police said that the barrel used for this weapon was manufactured in Germany and was modified to fit 0.22 mm bullets.In addition to these three weapons 101 bullets compatible with a 12-bore shotgun, and 489 .022 mm bullets were found in the possession of the 49-year-old suspect.In 2018, the suspect was arrested by police on weapons manufacturing charges.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Attorney Nuwan Bopage was named as the 59th suspect in the case filed in court for illegally entering the President's House in Colombo.Upon considering the submissions made by the Colombo Central Crimes Investigation Bureau the Fort Chief Magistrate ordered to name the Attorney as a suspect.Attorney Nuwan Bopage is one who repeatedly represented Wasantha Mudalige and Venerable Galwewa Siridhamma Thero who are detained under the controversial Prevention of Terrorism Act.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated two business associates of a sanctioned al-Qa’ida financial facilitator and external operations plotter. The two individuals designated today are Mohamad Irshad Mohamad Haris Nizar and Musab Turkmen, who conducted businesses activities to assist Ahmed Luqman Talib (Talib), who was previously designated by OFAC for facilitating the international movement of individuals and finances in furtherance of al-Qa’ida’s objectives. Australian authorities arrested Talib on March 25, 2021, and days later charged him with plotting incursions into foreign states for the purpose of engaging in hostile activities.“Treasury is taking this action to further disrupt a transnational al-Qa’ida financial facilitation and operational plotting network,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Seven newly appointed Ambassadors and a High Commissioner to Sri Lanka presented their credentials to President Ranil Wickremesinghe at the Presidential Secretariat on Friday (11).Accordingly, His Excellency Mr. Federico Salas Lotfe, the Mexican Ambassador to Sri Lanka, His Excellency Mr.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Authorities in Vietnam have reported that the skipper of the large migrant boat that was rescued by its Navy was not among those who were rescued.Vietnam media quoting the rescued Sri Lankans reported that the captain of the iron-hulled ship LADY R3 abandoned the boat after it started drifting at sea, and then did not return.A border guard commander of Ba Ria – Vung Tau province had also confirmed the information.A Sri Lankan man had reportedly said that his group had traveled from Sri Lanka to Myanmar and from there they had boarded the LADY R3 boat to travel to Canada by sea.It is unclear if all 303 Sri Lankans traveled together or in groups to Myanmar, and how they made it to Myanmar, as investigations are pending.Before 303 Sri Lankan citizens were rescued by the Helios Leader Vessel on the afternoon of November 6th, their ship had been stalled for nearly 40 hours, unable to maneuver and was drifting freely. On the afternoon of November 8th, when the SAR 413 vessel from the Vietnamese Coast Guard organized to welcome the 303 Sri Lankan citizens from the Helios Leader vessel to shore, initially four men got off the ship, the rest refused to get off despite the persuasion of the Honorary Consul of Sri Lanka, who took an entire hour to pursuade them to leave the Japanese freighter.At this time, the authorities considered the option for these four people to return to the Helios Leader, but they refused and said that if they returned, they would be beaten. Thereafter, all 303 Sri Lankans were taken off the Helios Leader in batches and brought ashore.For humanitarian reasons, the Ba Ria – Vung Tau Provincial Command for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control and Search and Rescue has arranged for 303

Lanarkshire charity EK Dementia Carers Group has revealed it is under intense pressure post-pandemic as it fights to continue to provide a much-needed service to the local community amid the current cost of living crisis.

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

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Sri Lanka Police Special Task Force arrested a 27-year-old man from Thamankaduwa, Gallella for possessing 118 stones believed to be gems.The STF said that the raid was carried out on the Akkaraipattu main road following an intelligence tip received by the officials of the Kalavanchikudi camp.Therefore, 188 stones of various colours suspected to be gems were seized from the possession of the suspect.In addition, a Gemstone Testing and Identification device were taken into custody.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Several civil organizations visited the Chinese Embassy in Colombo to request China to support Sri Lanka's debt restructuring efforts.However, the Chinese Embassy in Colombo reportedly refused to accept the letter from the civil organizations.The Liberal Democratic Youth Collective, The Sarvapakshika Aragalakaruwo (A movement formed after the people's struggle) and several other groups visited the Chinese Embassy in Colombo to request China to support Sri Lanka's debt restructuring efforts.Sri Lanka Police did not allow the activists to approach the Embassy and hand over the letter.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – A Sri Lankan court on Friday (11) imposed a travel ban on State Minister of Tourism Diana Gamage.The Colombo Chief Magistrate ordered to prevent the State Minister from travelling overseas until the 17th of December 2022.The case filed against the citizenship of the State Minister was called up via a motion that was filed by Attorney Gunaratna Wanninayake and several other counsels.On Thursday (10) the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court ordered the OIC of the Criminal Investigations Department to immediately investigate whether State Minister Diana Gamage is remaining in Sri Lanka without a valid visa, and submit a progress report to the court on the 15th of December.Attorney Gunaratna Wanninayake told reporters outside the court that attempts were made earlier to undermine this investigation.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka's Defence Secretary General Kamal Gunaratne during an inspection visit made to the CSD Headquarters in Katubedda on Thursday (10) noted that in addition to the three-armed forces and the police, the Civil Security Department (CSD) also contributed a lot for the dawn of peace, that the people rejoice today.The Defence Secretary while addressing CSD staffers recalled the hardships experienced during the conflict also mentioned the dedicated service rendered by the former CSD members during the battle to eradicate terrorism from the island.  “Those pointed their finger towards the armed forces during the recent turmoil weren’t aware of the hardships their parents had gone through during terrorist war”, he said citing several recent incidents.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) said that 60,000 MT of coal was imported to the country on Thursday (10) and unloading will take place on Friday (11).CEB Spokesperson Andrew Navamuni said the shipment of coal was from South Africa and so far three coal shipments have reached the country in recent weeks.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Gopal Bagley and the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung were seen at the Lanka IOC Terminals in Trincomalee together accompanied by diplomatic staff on Thursday (10).The Indian High Commission in Colombo said that the diplomats were welcomed by the staff at Lanka IOC who briefed the two diplomats on its operations that contribute to energy security of Sri Lanka.The Indian High Commissioner also flagged off the first delivery of Lanka Super Diesel from the Trinco Terminal for Sri Lankan market. 

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The National Fertilizer Office says that a cargo vessel carrying 22,000 MT of fertilizer is scheduled to arrive in the country from Malaysia next week.The Director of the National Fertilizer Office Chandana Lokuge says that the relevant fertilizer will be used for the maha season cultivationEarlier, 13,000 MT of Urea fertilizer was brought to Sri Lanka and the relevant fertilizer was distributed to farmers across the country.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena announced in Parliament yesterday (10) that special security arrangements as done in previous years will be implemented in connection with the Budget speech for the year 2023 to be made by the Minister of Finance on Monday the 14th of November 2022.Accordingly, today (11) the entire Parliament building including the restrooms and wardrobes of the Members of Parliament will be subjected to security inspection.On the 14th, when the budget is presented in Parliament, galleries will be restricted only to the Diplomatic Corps. As the Members’ car park will be kept closed on this day the vehicles of the Members will be directed to the relevant Car Parks. The Speaker also requested the Members of Parliament to arrive in Parliament on that day in a Chauffeur-driven vehicle as far as possible. The speaker also informed that Valet parking of the self-driven vehicles of the Members of Parliament will be attended to by the Chauffeurs of the Parliament Staff who will be deployed at the Members’ Entrance.In addition, special traffic arrangements will be adopted by the Traffic Police and the nearest Police Stations in the area on this day. The speaker also informed that the cooperation of all Members of Parliament is kindly expected towards the aforementioned special security arrangements.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – A special meeting was held in Parliament to discuss the draft bill for the establishment of the Budget Office of the Parliament.The special meeting was attended by the Party leaders and members of the Committee on Parliamentary Business.    The Members of Parliament who were present had a lengthy discussion on the draft bill related to the establishment of the budget office of the parliament. Also, it was decided to meet again in two weeks after further study of this bill.

MATT Hancock MP has been slammed by I'm A Celebrity viewers after offering up a "cringey" excuse for breaking Covid rules. The shamed former health secretary was exposed by The Sun last year when he cheated on his wife Martha Hoyer Millar with his closest aide Gina Coladangelo, 43 - breaking his own lockdown rules in the process.

I'M A Celebrity viewers turned on Babatúndé Aléshé after saying he believed a bonkers conspiracy theory about the Covid vaccine - before making a VERY quick U-turn. The Celebrity Gogglebox star was having a frank discussion with Matt Hancock MP about rumours that swirled during the coronavirus pandemic. Babatunde told Matt: “I’m a conspiracy theorist.

“There’s a very visceral gut reaction to Matt Hancock as he’s there as a very famous face of the time that was miserable for the entire country and we’re still living with the consequences of.“There will be people watching whose grief is still very, very raw from losing people.“They won’t see that rawness of grief and sadness in the way that Matt Hancock is behaving on screen, because he’s laughing and having fun and trying to get to know a new group of people,” she added.“I think if they don’t see that, they are going to not feel healed in any way.

Kate Garraway has shared her reaction to seeing former Health Secretary Matt Hancock on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! after her husband's health battles.

Drew Barrymore revealed she has COVID-19 and will be sitting out of her talk show The Drew Barrymore Show until she has recovered, adding that she feels 'good.'The 47-year-old actress announced Ross Matthews and 50 Cent will be taking over her show until she is back in the Instagram post shared on Thursday morning.'So only good news to reports!!! Maybe some other special surprises too!' Drew added, alongside a selfie from bed with her cat. Get well soon: Drew Barrymore revealed she has COVID-19 and sitting out of her talk show The Drew Barrymore Show until she has recoveredDrew was laying on her bed sporting eye glasses besides her cat Lucky.The mom of two wrote: 'I've got covid and lucky the cat! I'm good and will be back soon.

I'm A Celebrity campmate Mike Tindall is reportedly being investigated for potentially breaching the show's strict Covid-19 rules.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The ‘Muthu Raja’ tusker at the Kande Viharaya Temple in Aluthgama was handed over to the Thailand Embassy in Sri Lanka to be sent overseas for treatment.‘Muthu Raja’ is one of the two tuskers which were donated to Sri Lanka from Thailand by former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge, ‘Muthu Raja’ will be sent to Thailand for treatment.The tusker was at the Kande Viharaya Temple in Aluthgama for the past 25 years and fell ill several times.The tusker's feet and legs were covered with fertilizer bags in recent times after wounds were reported on its feet.On Wednesday (9) Thai Embassy Officials visited the tusker to inquire into its current condition.The tusker will be flown to Thailand after being kept at the Dehiwala Zoological Garden for a few days of treatment.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe President told the Parliament on Thursday (10) that the IMF had requested not to release the agreement reached between Sri Lanka and the International Monetary Fund until the current round of negotiations are complete.The President said that previously when the country approached the IMF, talks were only with the International Monetary Fund, however, this time around discussions need to take place with other countries as well."Japan is speaking India and China because they are not members of the Paris Club. Amendments may take place," the President told the house"IMF says don't release it till we finish this round of negotiations. I won't put anyone in to trouble.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – A Backbench Business Committee debate on the UK response to the human rights and economic situation in Sri Lanka took place on Wednesday (9) in the House of Commons chamber.UK MPs called for Sri Lanka to cut down on its military spending to overcome the economic crisis.UK MP Elliot Colburn noted that for Sri Lanka to be rescued, it needs to reduce its military spending, which stands at $1.86 billion per annum. "All of Sri Lanka’s projections for emerging out of the economic crisis are predicated on the country retaining its generalised scheme of preferences and trade concession. That annual trade concession is worth more than $500 million and has boosted Sri Lanka’s exports to EU member states over the years," said the MP adding that however, Sri Lanka has failed to meet the key labour and human rights requirements for receiving that preferential treatment, and the EU recently issued a warning that it is set to lose its concession if it continues to ignore its obligations. "As a key stakeholder at the IMF, the UK Government should propose conditions on any IMF financial assistance for Sri Lanka during the current economic crisis, including that Sri Lanka should carry out a strategic defence and security review to reduce its military spending, remove the military from engaging in commercial activities, meet the criteria for GSP+, and re-engage with the UNHRC process.

Scotland’s Health Secretary met with A&E staff and management at Wishaw General where he received a “blunt” reminder of the pressure they are currently under.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka's Supreme Court on Thursday (10) ordered for the converner of the Inter-University Student's Federation Wasantha Mudalige to be produced to a Magistrate immediately.In addition, the Supreme Court also ordered for Mudalige to be produced to the Judicial Medical Officer of the Karapitiya Hospital.Wasantha Mudalige is being detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act for 90-days, and the orders were made when a Fundamental Rights application challenging his detention was taken up on Thursday (10).The application was called up in the presence of Justices Vijith Malalgoda, and S.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka's Criminal Investigations Department will conduct investigations on all complaints related to ragging, announced Sri Lanka Police on Thursday (10).Sri Lanka Police said that the Chief of Police had ordered the CID to conduct future investigations concerning three separate complaints on ragging as per the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure.Sri Lanka Police said that a second-year student from the University of Kelaniya was assaulted by three students from a union and the victim had filed a complaint with the Kiribathgoda Police.In addition, six fellow students who are said to have instructed the aforementioned students to file the complaint had been detained at the student dormitory, questioned and beaten by another group of students, and a complaint on the matter was filed with the Kiribathgoda Police, said a statement from Sri Lanka Police.Further, a complaint has been filed with the Peradeniya Police over committing ragging by directing pornographic material to a student at the University of Peradeniya via social media.Sri Lanka Police said that the Inspector General of Police had instructed all senior officers that the CID will conduct investigations on future complaints on ragging, and police stations are required to forward such complaints to the CID.

new high of Americans say they believe the pandemic is "over."Most say they think COVID-19 infections will increase "a great deal" (15%) or "a moderate amount" (47%) in the fall and winter months.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court ordered the OIC of the Criminal Investigations Department to immediately investigate whether State Minister Diana Gamage is remaining in Sri Lanka without a valid visa, and submit a progress report to the court on the 15th of December.The order was made when a case filed challenging the citizenship of Diana Gamage was taken up in court on Thursday (10).Attorney Gunaratna Wanninayake told reporters outside the court that attempts were made earlier to undermine this investigation.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Court of Appeal on Thursday (10) ordered the Attorney General to produce all audio and video material of State Minister Sanath Nishantha's comments to the media at a media briefing held on the 28th of August at the SLPP Head Office premises.The material is expected to be produced in court on the 12th of November, and the order was made when a case filed against the State Minister for alleged contempt of court was taken up.The Appeal Court ordered the State Minister to appear in court in person on the 12th of November 2022.Senior State Counsel Hasini Opatha appearing for the Attorney General informed the court that the preparation of the charge sheet against the State Minister is underway and is yet to be completed.State Minister Sanath Nishantha, who is a respondent in the case, appear in court in person on Thursday (10) as per a previous court order.The plant against Sanath Nishantha was filed by Attorneys Priyalal Sirisena, Vijitha Kumara and the Judicial Services Commission.

DigiLocker can be used as a health locker for storing and accessing health records such as vaccination records, doctor prescriptions, lab reports, hospital discharge summaries etc New Delhi: DigiLocker, the authentic documents exchange platform under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, has completed its second-level of integration with Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), the National Health Authority (NHA) said on Thursday. The secure cloud-based storage platform of DigiLocker can be used now as a health locker for storing and accessing health records such as vaccination records, doctor prescriptions, lab reports, hospital discharge summaries etc, stated NHA. DigiLocker had earlier completed level 1 integration with ABDM wherein the platform had added ABHA or Ayushman Bharat Health Account creation facility for its 13 crore users.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Department of Motor Traffic says that the printing of driver's licenses will resume from next Monday (14).Commissioner General of the Department of Motor Traffic Nishantha Weerasinghe says that nearly 500,000 cards were imported to Sri Lanka on Tuesday (8).Due to the lack of cards, nearly 600,000 people were inconvenienced and driving licenses were issued on paper as a temporary measure.

MOSCOW - Basketball star Brittney Griner, who was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison on drug possession charges, is growing increasingly nervous about the prospects of being released, her lawyer said.Griner was in Russia to compete during the WNBA offseason when Russian authorities said she had vape canisters with cannabis oil inside her luggage while traveling through an airport in Moscow in February.The Biden administration reportedly talked about a potential prisoner swap to free her and another American held in a Russian jail, Paul Whelan. But Griner's lawyer, Alexandr D.

COLOMBO (News 1st) –  Sri Lanka's State Finance Minister says that the IMF is committed to working with Sri Lanka.Sri Lanka's State Minister for Finance Shehan Semasinghe tweeted that he, and the delegation concluded their visit to the IMF annual meeting with a bilateral discussion with Kristalina Georgieva, the Managing Director of the IMF.He said the IMF Managing Director commended the government on the difficult, yet essential, reforms that it had undertaken to restore economic stability,He also said that Kristalina Georgieva assured the IMF’s commitment to  work with Sri Lanka to place the country on a stable and sustained growth path as early as possible.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Petroleum Trade Unions have decided to report sick on Tuesday (18).Trade Unions said that they will step away from work on Tuesday (18) Petroleum Products (Special Provisions) Amendment Bill that will be presented to Parliament.Petroleum Trade Unions Alliance Spokesperson Dr.

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.

NEW DELHI : Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya and his staff move into new offices at the National Health Authority from Monday to ensure that a million Ayushman cards are created and distributed every day as part of the government’s flagship health insurance scheme Ayushman Bharat PMJAY. The scheme aims to cover over 100 million poor and vulnerable families, or around 500 million individuals, providing a coverage of up to ₹5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization. The move comes amid a slackening in the pace of the roll-out of the insurance scheme, previously thought to be because of the covid-19 pandemic.

nuclear weapons — but should he pull the trigger, his own military might not obey him, according to a  former U.S. ambassador to NATO.That’s because the Russian forces likely know what consequences await them if they do, Kurt Volker told The West Block’s Mercedes Stephenson in an interview, airing Sunday.“He’s been told very clearly by the United States, by NATO, that any use of nuclear weapons — any use — would be met with a devastating response.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe stated that he had recently discussed Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring with the Chinese Finance Minister and he is optimistic that the discussions in this regard would be concluded successfully.The President further mentioned that the delegation headed by the State Minister of Finance, who is currently in Washington, held initial discussions yesterday (15) with the International Monetary Fund and the three main countries, China, India and Japan that have given loans to the country. He said that the government is giving priority to immediately solve the problem of the country’s bankruptcy and to ensure food security.President Ranil Wickremesinghe made these remarks following an observation tour of the cultivated lands in Rathumada-Weerakandawala area in Siambalanduwa Divisional Secretariat this morning (16).The President also discussed the progress of the implementation of the food security program in Monaragala district with government officials.He said that there is no problem with having debates and also recalled the statements made by some people that they would come forward and shed blood and said that one should live before shedding blood.The President mentioned that if a proper program is not implemented to provide food to the people, they will not have to shed blood but will starve to death.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – A delegation from Sri Lanka, including the State Minister of Finance, Shehan Semasinghe, met with the Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Kenji Okamura.The State Minister met with the IMF Director at the annual summit of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, which is currently underway at the United States.The necessary next steps to get the approval of the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund for the proposed Extended Fund Facility have been discussed between the State Minister and the IMF Director at the meeting.Recent economic trends in Sri Lanka were also discussed at length during the meeting.The alternative Executive Director of International Monetary Fund Dr. Chandranath Amarasekara, Central Bank Governor Dr.

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.

Russian military firing range near Ukraine, killing 11 and wounding 15 others, before getting killed, the Russian Defense Ministry said.The ministry said in a statement that the shooting took place in the Belgorod region in southwestern Russia that borders Ukraine. It said that the two men from an unnamed ex-Soviet nation fired on soldiers during target practice and were killed by return fire.The ministry called the incident a terrorist attack.

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) – The former Chairman of the COPE Prof. Charitha Herath today hit back at the former Minister of Justice and the current Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Sabry against his remarks that the Cabinet of Ministers was clueless with regard to the economic crisis. Taking to twitter, the former COPE Chair released a document which included a Notice to the Cabinet by the former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa with regard to the country's foreign currency outflows and the distribution of responsibility on foreign currency inflow. The annexure attached to the document, which included the expected outflows and inflows during 2022, underlined the debt servicing payments, maturing sovereign bonds and expenses with regard to goods imports. Minister Ali Sabry on Friday (14) said that the Cabinet of Ministers "thought everything was ok" and failed to recognise the depth of the economic crisis, and were more invested in their own subjects and portfolios. The former COPE Chairman shared the documents and pointed out that such is evidence that the financial issue was discussed at the Cabinet though no solution was found. "True, first culprit of this disaster is the Cabinet of which Ali Sabry was a part." he tweeted. The incident also sparked more discourse, with several notable figures commenting on the matter, with some pointing out that a his resignation is the alternative to this issue.

TROUP COUNTY, Ga. - A Georgia woman is facing charges after authorities say her dogs violently attacked her mother, which resulted in her death.The incident happened the evening of Oct. 7 on Terrace Drive in Troup County.According to Sheriff James Woodruff, 911 dispatchers received a call around 7:45 p.m.

COVID-19 is “not as deadly” as it once was but suggests residents should look at putting on masks indoors and getting vaccine booster shots as the region enters a fall wave of the affliction.Dr. Mustafa Hirji says the measures are something the community should revisit not only to fight off COVID but other respiratory illnesses, like the flu.“I think every year we should be looking at that when the virus comes back.