India's Q2 GDP growth slows to 6.3% as Covid effect fades

A Scots council tenant fears for the health and safety of his family due to mouldy walls in his home.

The latest statistics from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show that by the end of October, there were more than three million people across the UK claiming Personal Independence Payment (PIP). The regional breakdown includes nearly 330,000 claimants living in Scotland, 2.6 million in England and 226,000 in Wales.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka's Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera on Tuesday (27) announced that the country's Attorney General granted approval to award a coal tender to an Indonesian company with a joint local partnership to supply coal to the island nation from February 2023.The Minister said that nine suppliers had placed bids for the tender, and the Indonesian company was selected as it was the lowest bid."They grant a credit period of 180-days.

Expert said that owing to the fact that samples are few, the chances of finding new variant is slim. With COVID continuing to surge worldwide, one of the biggest worries currently is the rise of new variants. All viruses mutate, and the higher the rate of the infection, the easier it is to mutate.

Crude prices also gained amid supply concerns in the US as winter storm has hit energy production across the country New Delhi: International crude oil prices rose on Tuesday as China’s plans to relax quarantine norms for inbound travellers revived hopes of demand recovery. The February contract of Brent on the Intercontinental Exchange was trading at $84.76 per barrel, higher by 1.00% from its previous close. The February contract of the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rose 0.80% to $80.20 a barrel.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has decided to award a subsidy of Rs. 15,000/- ($42) each to low-income earning agriculture-based families across seven districts, said the Department of Government Information on Tuesday (27).This allowance will be awarded to agriculture-based families living in the districts of Jaffna, Mullaithivu, Mannar, Trincomalee, Vavuniya, Moneragala and Batticaloa districts.Minister Mahinda Amaraweera noted that the allowance will be for families that earn a monthly income less than Rs.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka's President has appointed two new secretaries for key ministries.President Ranil Wickremesinghe appointed MMPK Mayadunne as the Secretary to the Ministry of Transport & Highways.

7) There is NO cause for alarm in India. [7/18] Explaining why, we continue to have > 98% population with natural immunity.

Name Change In another sign of downgrading the impact of the virus, the government changed the Chinese name of Covid-19 from “new coronavirus pneumonia" to “new coronavirus infections." Omicron’s much reduced virulence compared to the ancestral strain that emerged from Wuhan means most people are sickened with only mild upper respiratory tract infections, authorities said. “The new coronavirus will linger in nature for a long time to come," according to the statement.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), with funding through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), will distribute 36,000 metric tonnes of Triple Super Phosphate (TSP) fertilizer to all paddy farmers in Sri Lanka through the Ministry of Agriculture. The amount of TSP provided per farmer will be determined based on the area they cultivated in the 2022/2023 Maha cultivation season.The distribution list, along with the land extent cultivated during this Maha season, has been published and displayed at all Agrarian Service Centres of the Department of Agrarian Development. FAO invites all eligible paddy farmers to visit their respective Agrarian Service Centre and ensure their details have been incorporated. The distribution lists will be displayed until 5 January 2023, and the date of fertilizer distribution will be shared through the Agrarian Service Centres.

I have a basic health insurance policy with a coverage limit of ₹5 lakh. However, I want to upgrade to a better plan to get higher coverage. What is the most effective way to increase the amount insured? - Name withheld on request With today’s medical inflation rate, which is growing approximately 10% every year, ₹5 lakh sum insured is an incredibly low amount for health insurance.

₹800+ GST+ hospital charges according to sources. Bharat Biotech’s iNNOVACC is now available on CoWin, priced at ₹800 for private hospitals and ₹325 for a government hospitals. The country’s first intranasal covid vaccine will be rolled out in the fourth week of January as a booster dose for those above 18 years of age, said the company spokesperson.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Sri Lankan Embassy in Moscow, Russia has announced that Red Wings, one of the leading private airlines of the Russian Federation, will start charter flight operations to Mattala International Airport in Sri Lanka, with effect from the 28th December 2022.This is the third Russian Airline serving direct flights to Sri Lanka, said the Sri Lankan Embassy.On December 26th 2022,  Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Russian Federation Prof. Janitha A.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The man who was found stabbed and shot in the mouth in Kaduwela was identified by Sri Lanka Police, and he is a resident from Upper Biyanwala in Kadawatha.Information has come to light that the man had left his house with a friend on Sunday (25) night.Sri Lanka Police said that the man is currently being treated at the ICU of the Colombo National Hospital.Police Spokesperson SSP Nihal Thalduwa told News 1st that the severely injured man was lying on the road by a group of locals on Monday (26) morning.He said that the man is a heavy drug addict.

COLOMBO (News 1st) –  Multiple factions allege that motives to commit fraud are linked to the state's delay in procuring coal on time for the continuous operation of the Norochcholai Coal Power Plant, which is the main power plant in the entire country.A coal shipment is expected to reach Sri Lanka on the 5th of January 2023, and according to marine traffic data the bulk carrier with coal had left a port in Mozambique on Sunday (25) bound to Sri Lanka.What is the Coal Crisis & why is coal so important to us?The coal shipment bound to Sri Lanka from Mozambique will determine if the Norocohcholai Coal Power will continue to operate, as it generates a lions share of the electricity demand in the country.A shortage of coal will eventually lead to a complete shutdown of the power plant.The bulk carrier Darya Rama carrying a shipment of coal had left the Port of Maputo in Mozambique at 7:40 AM on Sunday (25), and it expected to lay anchor off the coast of Puttlam at around 4:00 PM on the 5th of January 2023.The vessel was originally scheduled to dock in Sri Lankan on Wednesday, however certain delays had pushed back its arrival date to somewhere between the 3rd and 5th of January 2023.The Chairman of Lanka Coal Company (Private) Limited on the 22nd of December 2022 said that when this shipment reaches Sri Lanka, the existing stocks of coal would have already been exhausted.How much of coal does the Norochcholai Coal Power Plant need to operate on any given day?The Norochcholai Power Plant has three generators, and each of these generators will require 2,500 MT of coal.

₹104 crores to enable government hospitals to stock up on life-saving medicines. Sisodia said, "This amount has been approved by the government to ensure that there is no shortage of any medicines in government hospitals and they are well prepared to deal with an emergency." Delhi has recorded 2,007,159 Covid cases and 26,521 deaths since the pandemic started in early 2020.

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

The covid-19 surge in China has triggered concern among Indian exporters as it may add to the softening of demand from Western countries The covid-19 surge in China has triggered concern among Indian exporters as it may add to the softening of demand from Western countries. China, India’s largest trading partner, reported an 11% decline in imports in November, and the latest outbreak could further hit exports of Indian goods. While experts noted that the impact on Indian exports from the outbreak in China would not be immediately visible, as orders for the next quarter have been received, China’s decision to stop publishing daily covid-19 data has created significant uncertainty about the severity of the spread.

HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i Department of Health has placed orders to supply participating healthcare providers with updated COVID-19 bivalent vaccines for children as young as six months of age.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued emergency use authorization for keiki-sized vaccines Thursday, December 8.

Gary Friedkin who starred in Happy Days and Star Wars has died at 70 after a lengthy battle with COVID-19.The veteran actor passed away with family at his side at Hospice House in Youngstown, Ohio due to complications from the novel coronavirus.He had previously endured a challenging three-and-a-half weeks battling COVID-19 in the medical intensive care unit (ICU) at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital, according to his obituary in the Tribute Chronicle published earlier this week.

Oh, no! Bam Margera has been hospitalized due to a very serious case of pneumonia and COVID-19!

A Lanarkshire primary school has earned passing grades from education chiefs after a recent inspection.

Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, held bilateral talks with Sri Lankan Foreign State Minister Tharaka Balasuriya on Monday (5) to discuss cooperation in maritime security and safety and blue economy investment."Indonesia and Sri Lanka need to better increase economic cooperation," Pandjaitan said at the meeting, which was held on the sidelines of the Archipelagic and Island State Forum (AID) in the Indonesian resort island of Bali.The two countries need to make optimal use of bilateral cooperation to open up opportunities to promote the development of their economy, including maritime resource-based economy, he added."We warmly welcome and are ready to participate in boosting the two countries' economic growth.

de facto police sieges of residential complexes and the rounding up of even those who merely came into contact with covid-positive people to send them off to institutional quarantines. In response to widespread protests since late November against these excesses of a surveillance state, the government allowed major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou to relax rules significantly, with even home quarantine allowed and access to malls and other places eased.

Anurag Behar is CEO of Azim Premji Foundation.

BENGALURU : Shipra Misra is chief executive and managing director of Delhi Research Implementation and Innovation (DRIIV), the umbrella body for the Delhi NCR Science and Technology (S&T) cluster. In an interview, she talks about the progress the foundation is making with Project SAMEER to control air pollution in Delhi, the move to introduce solar-powered interoperable electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare, among other things.

Matt Hancock has dropped a number of bombshells in his shameless Covid diaries. The ' I'm a Celebrity ' star discusses a number of topics in his juicy novel including his social distance-busting affair, reports the Mirror.

The danger is a repeat of the economic, financial and political swings that created a boom-bust cycle in the rest of the world Thursday marks two years since the Covid-19 vaccination drive began, yet both the U.S. and the world economy continue to be dominated by issues created by the pandemic.

HONG KONG : China dropped many of its quarantine and testing requirements and curtailed the power of local officials to shut down entire city blocks, as the country’s leaders accelerate plans to dismantle zero-Covid controls in the wake of nationwide protests. Though widely predicted, Beijing’s retreat from its costly and increasingly unpopular pandemic regime has been faster than expected.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka has completely relaxed the restrictions imposed on overseas arrivals during the COVID-19 pandemic.Accordingly, the requirement to produce a COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate by any person arriving to Sri Lanka via any airport or sea port is removed with effect from Tuesday (6).The Director General of Health Services said that the requirement to produce a pre boarding or on arrival negative COVID-19 test (PCR/RAT) by any person arriving to Sri Lanka via any airpoft or sea port is no longer required.If foreign nationals/tourists become COVID-19 positive after arriving to Sri Lanka, they should isolate for 7 days in a private hospital/hotel/place of residence.

COVID-19’s effects on gene activity are caused indirectly, by inflammation, rather than by viral infiltration of the brain Three years have passed since we first came to know about COVID-19 and even now, much is unknown about this deadly virus. A new study has revealed that in case, you suffered from severe COVID infection, there is a high chance that your brain is aging faster than usual.  The study, which has been published in  Nature Aging, points out that gene activity inside the brain is more extensive in people who had severe COVID infections than in uninfected people who had been in an intensive care unit or had been put on ventilators to assist their breathing.

Foxconn Technology Group‘s November revenue dropped 11% from a year earlier after shipments from Zhengzhou, China, the world’s biggest iPhone assembly site, were affected by a Covid-19 outbreak, the company said Monday.

A study published in The Lancet has said that the symptoms of long Covid may change in children and the younger population over time. For the study, the researchers asked children in the age group of 11 to 17 how their health was six months and 12 months after taking the PCR tests. They were also asked to recall their symptoms when they took the tests.

Matt Hancock has accused former Scots bra tycoon Michelle Mone of sending him a "threatening" message after a firm she was helping did not secure a deal during the covid pandemic.

(With inputs from PTI)

People who get Covid after being vaccinated three times tend to display similar symptoms, medical experts have discovered.

Covid-19 update: The death toll has climbed to 5,30,6278 with one fatality being reported from Odisha, data updated at 8 am stated. India has logged 226 new Covid infections in a day taking the tally of cases to 4.46 crore while active caseload has declined by 68 to reach 4,529, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday.

Kym Marsh has become the tenth celebrity booted off Strictly Come Dancing after battling Molly Rainford in the dance-off. The Coronation Street star faced the axe alongside her professional partner Graziano Di Prima after an intense dance-off with the CBBC star and pro Carlos Gu.

The World Health organization (WHO) estimated that 9% of the world population now had some resistance to Covid-19, but warned that a troubling new variant could still emerge. "WHO estimates that at least 90 percent of the world's population now has some level of immunity to SARS-CoV-2, due to prior infection or vaccination," said Tedros, referring to the virus that causes Covid-19 disease. WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said gaps in vigilance were leaving the door open for a new virus variant to appear and overtake the globally dominant Omicron.

STRICTLY star Kym Marsh is returning for the Quarter Finals TONIGHT after she was forced to miss last's live show week due to Covid. Actress Kym Marsh, 46, began training again this week and will return to Strictly Come Dancing as she and pro partner Graziano, 28, perform a Cha Cha Cha for Musicals Week tonight. Meanwhile, former frontrunner Hamza Yassin's odds of winning Strictly 2022 have fallen away as new data reveals he’s no longer the show's favourite star.

(Reuters) – International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on Thursday that she will travel to Beijing next week with heads of other international institutions to press for quicker action on debt relief for poor and developing countries.The meetings with the country's leadership will focus on China's economic, COVID-19 and debt relief policies and will include officials from China Development Bank and the Export-Import Bank of China, the IMF said."This is the first time, hopefully, we will be able to sit together and discuss the very pressing issues that China, and the world are faced with," Georgieva told the Reuters NEXT conference.Georgieva said that during the Beijing meetings she intends to discuss ways to accelerate China's participation in debt relief for poor and developing countries as the world's largest official bilateral creditor."I am very hopeful that when we have a chance next week to discuss these issues, we will continue on a path of finding better solutions and strengthening the capacity of the common framework to deliver," she said, referring to G20 countries' slow-to-launch common debt restructuring framework.World Bank President David Malpass told the conference that he would join the discussions in Beijing, along with officials from the World Trade Organization, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and others.Georgieva and Malpass have both called for reforms of the common framework to offer heavily indebted countries a freeze in debt service payments when they apply for debt relief and clearer timelines for reaching agreement on debt treatments.Asked if China's slowing growth would limit its appetite for agreeing to debt reductions, Georgieva said she hoped

A new study has revealed that teenagers had a tremendous impact on their mental health due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The findings claimed that pandemic-related stressors have physically aged the brains of adolescents.

Twitter Inc. has stopped enforcing a policy aimed at curbing the spread of Covid-19 misinformation on its platform in the company’s latest move to loosen moderation guidelines on the site.

BEIJING : Chinese police have begun leveraging the powers of the country’s surveillance state to go after demonstrators who participated in rare public displays of defiance over the government’s stringent Covid control policies.

Steven Spielberg was unable to attend Monday night's Gotham Awards in New York due to Covid.The legendary filmmaker, 75, was set to present actress Michelle Williams, 42, with a performer tribute, but had to skip after testing positive for the virus.He was replaced by Paul Dano, 38 — Williams' costar in the Spielberg-directed autobiographical film The Fabelmans — who confirmed the news on stage saying 'Steven got Covid', after it was initially reported by Variety.  Covid: Steven Spielberg was unable to attend Monday night's Gotham Awards in New York after coming down with Covid; Pictured 2022 in HollywoodDuring the presentation, Dano recounted some memories of being at the film’s Hollywood premiere with Williams and how they spoke about being young actors in Los Angeles.

Demonstrations have erupted in Beijing, Shanghai and other major cities Protests are erupting in major cities in China over President Xi Jinping‘s zero-tolerance approach to Covid-19, an unusual show of defiance in the country as the economic and social costs from snap lockdowns and other strict restrictions escalate.

Will Smith has gone viral, but not in a good way. The actor, 54, was planning on surprising an audience who had just watched his film, Emancipation, but ended up testing positive for Covid, sharing a video to show how he took a Covid test prior to the appearance. Will seemed to take the news well, writing a lighthearted 'I went viral' next to the video on social media.  Viral: Will Smith used a lighthearted play on words saying 'I went viral' as the actor revealed he tested positive for Covid-19 Participants at screenings are often required to show negative results before they can attend an event. The action star showed no signs of illness, but bellowed out exaggerated screams of pain as swirled the test swab around his nasal passages, and was shocked when one hour later, he received a positive result. Instead of speaking to the audience in person, the Oscar winner met with them via Zoom, as he sat in front of a laptop.  Surprise: The actor was hoping to surprise an audience who had just watched his new film, Emancipation, but was unable to attend  No signs: The action star showed no signs of illness, and was shocked when one hour later, he received a positive result Zoom: Instead of speaking to the audience in person, the Oscar winner met with them via Zoom, as he sat in front of a laptop.