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FILE - An elderly man sits on his electric scooter in the city park. (Ronny Hartmann/picture alliance via Getty Images)Loneliness may make our biological clock tick faster.Being lonely and feeling unhappy can accelerate the aging process more than smoking, according to a recent article published in Aging-US."We demonstrate [that] psychological factors, such as feeling unhappy or being lonely, add up to one year and eight months to one’s biological age," said lead author Dr.

Canadian Food Inspection Agency is asking Canadians to keep an eye out for an invasive bug that could spell disaster for the country’s wineries and fruit growers.The spotted lanternfly is a pest native to China that has been making inroads in the United States since 2014.Thus far, the small grey-and-red insect with spotted wings has not been found alive in Canada. Avian flu outbreaks confirmed on B.C., Alberta farms after brief pause in cases But in early September, hundreds of adults were found in a residential area in Buffalo, N.Y., just 45 km away from the Canadian border.The reports set off alarms at the CFIA, which in a tweet last week asked Canadians to report any sightings of the pest on this side of the border “immediately.”The insect feeds on sap, mainly from fruit trees, and can cause serious harm to orchards and vineyards.“We’re becoming more and more concerned about the proximity to Canada, and particularly our grape-growing industries, because this is a pest that has had significant impacts on the grape and fruit industry in the United States,” said Diana Mooij, a specialist in the invasive alien species program within the CFIA.The first North American sighting of the pest was in Pennsylvania in 2014, and since then, a tracking program monitored by Cornell University has documented the pest in 14 U.S.

COVID-19.Transport Canada said the existing rules for masks will come off Oct. 1"We are able to do this because tens of millions of Canadians rolled up their sleeves and got vaccinated," Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said.Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said the negative attitudes of some passengers have made it hard for airlines and crews to enforce the mask mandate in recent months, and cited that as a factor in the decision.Government officials also confirmed Canada is dropping the vaccine requirement for people entering the country at the end of the month.

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - SEPTEMBER 16: President of Cuba Miguel Diaz Canel speaks during the annual shout of independence (Grito de Independencia) as part of the independence day celebrations on September 16, 2021 in Mexico City, Mexico.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Chinese Government handed over eight state-of-the-art CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease) Screening Vehicles (mobile labs) worth Rs. 660 million to the Ministry of Health on Monday (26).QI Zhenhong, the Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka, officially handed over the mobile laboratory buses to the Minister of Health, Dr.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Minister of Power and Energy noted that the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) will respond legally to the Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) on the accusation of quality of Crude oil.Minister Kanchana Wijesekera tweeted that the CPC has adequate stocks of Diesel & Fuel Oil.Further, the extended Power Cuts were requested by Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) due to a breakdown at Lakshapana, and insufficient funds at CEB for diesel & fuel oil & Hydro management.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York recently.Wang Yi expressed, China and Sri Lanka are each other's, strategic cooperative partners. The two countries have always shared weal and woe and sincerely helped each other. This year, which marks the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Sri Lanka and the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Rubber-Rice Pact, is of great significance for inheriting the past and ushering in the future. China is ready to work with Sri Lanka to carry forward the traditional friendship, consolidate strategic mutual trust and deepen and expand pragmatic cooperation. Congratulations to Sri Lanka on its initial results in stabilizing the situation and easing difficulties. China has provided medicines, rice, fuel, and other emergencies humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka, and will continue to offer assistance within our capacity to help Sri Lanka overcome temporary difficulties.Sabry said that the Sri Lanka-China friendship has a solid foundation. China has provided strong support for Sri Lanka's economic and social development for a long time. In particular, China has offered timely help to Sri Lanka when it encountered difficulties. Sri Lanka will never forget that.

HOUSTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 08: Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the National Baptist Convention on September 08, 2022 in Houston, Texas. The National Baptist Convention was formed in 1886, and gathers church members and leaders from around the WASHINGTON (AP) - Attending funerals on behalf of the United States is normally a straightforward assignment for a vice president, but Kamala Harris will confront controversy at nearly every turn as she visits Asia for the memorial honoring former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.American allies are seeking clarity after mixed messages over whether President Joe Biden would send troops to defend Taiwan from a Chinese invasion, a potential conflict that could swiftly engulf the rest of the region.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Chinese special cargo plane carrying essential medicines and medical equipment donated by China to Sri Lanka arrived on the island on Saturday (24).The duty manager of Bandaranaike International Airport stated that this special cargo plane arrived on the island from Beijing, China last night.China has made these donations in view of the issues and shortages experienced concerning essential medicines and medical equipment in Sri Lanka.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Japan, one of Sri Lanka's main creditors, will back the South Asian nation as it seeks to restructure about $30 billion of its foreign debt and find a way out of a crippling economic crisis, Tokyo's envoy to the country said on Friday.Reaching an agreement with creditors is key to Sri Lanka securing a $2.9 billion bailout package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF)."Japan stands by Sri Lanka in support of the debt restructuring negotiation process so that Sri Lanka can reach the final agreement with the IMF," Ambassador Hideaki Mizukoshi said in an interview.Japan holds around $3.5 billion of Sri Lanka's total bilateral debt of about $10 billion, amounting to 4.4% of the island's GDP, according to government and IMF data.Japan is also a major trading partner."Japan intends to play a constructive role with other creditor countries, including China and India," Mizukoshi said.Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis in decades, with severely depleted foreign exchange reserves leading to prolonged shortages of essentials, including fuel and food.The financial turmoil is the result of economic mismanagement and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic that upended Sri Lanka's lucrative tourism industry.Although Japan will support the debt negotiation process, Mizukoshi said that talks on large infrastructure projects will only be resumed after Sri Lanka's economy recovers."In the future, when this economic crisis is over and the economic conditions are in good shape, we can restart that kind of discussion," he said.Sri Lanka suspended a $1.5 billion Japanese-funded light rail project for the commercial capital Colombo in 2020, citing financial problems.Regional rival China has built ports,

COLOMBO (News 1st) – A plane transporting essential medicines is scheduled to arrive in the country from China today (23).Medical Technical Services Director at the Ministry of Health Dr. Anwar Hamdani said the stock of medicines includes rabies vaccines for a period of six months.Essential medicines for kidney patients and cancer patients are also included in the consignment.Dr.

Japan has announced that it will lift tough Covid restrictions on foreign tourists, reopening the borders after two-and-a-half years.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) said that it made a payment for a shipment of 41,000 MT of Diesel.The shipment reached Sri Lanka on the 7th of September 2022.In the meantime, the CPC further noted that the unloading of a petrol shipment will commence on Thursday (22) evening.Moreover, the Corporation said that payments have been made to the Crude oil vessel scheduled to arrive in the country in November.There are sufficient reserves in the country, CPC adds.

After a 5-week drop, global COVID-19 cases stabilized last week, though deaths continued to decline, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today in its weekly update on the pandemic.

China has long been a coveted assignment for business executives and diplomats, a prestigious posting in a rising power and a valuable addition to one’s résumé.

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, PENNSYLVANIA - AUGUST 28: Baseballs are shown stacked before the Little League World Series consolation game between the Asia-Pacific Region team from Taipei City, Chinese Taipei and the Southeast Region team from Nolensville, Ten PHILADELPHIA - A Utah boy who suffered a serious head injury after falling from a bunk bed during last month's Little League World Series in Pennsylvania has returned home from the hospital and his family is suing the league and the company that made the bed.Easton Oliverson, 12, of Saint George, Utah, suffered a skull fracture and bleeding on the brain in the Aug. 15 fall at a players dormitory in Williamsport.

(THE HINDU) – China has offered Pakistan’s visiting Army Chief technical help as the country deals with record floods but did not announce any substantial financial assistance that its “all-weather” ally has been seeking.Both Pakistan and Sri Lanka, facing financial stress, have been engaged in long-running talks with Beijing for assistance, but with negotiations in both cases having made little headway, both countries have turned to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Their new IMF commitments are now likely to impact their owed payments to China, which has lent the two countries more than $26 billion in the past five years.Following talks in Xi’an between Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and China’s Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe, the Chinese side expressed willingness to provide technical assistance for flood relief work, Pakistan’s official Inter-Services Public Relations said.Chinese State media quoted Gen.

NEW DELHI : Credit Suisse Global Wealth Report released on Tuesday showed that the Gini coefficient for India hit a peak of 82.3 in 2020 and remained the same at the end of 2021. The Gini coefficient is a measure of inequality with a higher figure denoting higher levels of inequality. The Gini remained unchanged in 2021 from 2020 even as the household wealth in India saw a sharp jump for the same period.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – It’s not a secret that we are all broke as a country, and we have to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, said Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe addressing a meeting with the Sri Lankan Diaspora.President Ranil Wickremesinghe who visited the United Kingdom to attend the funeral ceremony of Queen Elizabeth II had met with the Sri Lankan Diaspora in Britain on Monday (19) afternoon." We have already started discussions with the IMF and staff level agreement is there. We have to talk to India, China and Japan and to the private creditors.

(ANI / New Delhi); Sri Lanka High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda on Monday (19) referred to remarks of Mahinda Rajapaksa about the island nation's relations with India and said that the former President of the country used to say that "China is a close friend but India is our brother and sister".Moragoda described the relationship between the two countries as "special" and said India's security interests are "our own security interests"."Rajapaksa used to always say China is a very, very close friend but India is our brother and sister…. Within a family you can have quarrels but finally, it is your family," he said during an interaction at the Indian Women's Press Corps."From Ramayan to Buddhism today, Sri Lanka and India have a long historical relationship.

Also Read: COVID-19 lockdown, mass testing in China despite minor cases - here’s why "Previous research has shown face mask wearing can reduce the risk of spreading and contracting the disease. So, we wanted to create a mask that can detect the presence of virus in the air and alert the wearer," says Yin Fang, the study's corresponding author and a material scientist at Shanghai Tongji University.

FILE - U.S. President Joe Biden arrives for an event in the Rose Garden of the White House Sept. 15, 2022, in Washington, DC.

WASHINGTON : President Biden said the Covid-19 pandemic was over, while reiterating comments that U.S.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ali Sabry will deliver the Sri Lanka statement at the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly on 24 September 2022 in New York.During the visit, he will address several Ministerial levels meetings, such as the Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Conference on Interaction & Confidence Building Measures in Asia, the Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Member States of the Group of 77 & China, the Ministerial Meeting of the Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative, and the NAM Foreign Ministers Meeting. He will also have bilateral discussions with the Foreign Ministers of UN Member States. In addition, he will also meet with the highest level of UN Officials in New York. The Sri Lanka delegation will consist of Foreign Minister Ali Sabry, the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN in New York Mohan Pieris, as well as a senior official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and officials of the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka in New York. The High-level segment of the Session will be held from 20 – 26 September 2022.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The initial executive council meeting of the 'Uththara Lanka Coalition' is due to be held on Sunday (18).Sri Lanka Communist Party Vice President and Member of Parliament Weerasumana Weerasinghe stated that it will be held today at 2 pm at the Communist Party headquarters, and future plans of the coalition will be discussed at the meeting.The coalition also aims to meet with Ambassadors and religious leaders in the near future.On September 5th, several independent Parliamentarians including MP Wimal Weerawansa, MP Udaya Gammanpila, MP Prof.

Queen Elizabeth II‘s death, calls are now being made for the monarchy to release several diamonds currently featured in the British crown jewels.The Kohinoor diamond, also known as Koh-i-noor or Koh-i-Nûr, the Great Star of Africa and the Second Star of Africa diamonds are often seen as symbols of imperialist history. Chinese delegation barred from Queen Elizabeth’s lying in state: report The 105-carat Kohinoor diamond is one of the largest cut diamonds in the world, and was originally mined in India thousands of years ago.The monetary value of the diamond is unclear, though it is startling in both size and sparkle.Despite the diamond’s complicated and mysterious history — and many owners who lay claim to it across India, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan — it now adorns a crown created for Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother to wear during her coronation as queen consort in 1937.The diamond had previously been worn as a brooch by Queen Victoria and was also included in the crowns of Queen Alexandra and Queen Mary.The Kohinoor diamond is on display, still set in Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother’s crown, at the Tower of London.There are reports that Camilla, the Queen Consort, will wear the crown at King Charles’ coronation, but that is yet to be seen.In 2016, the Indian Culture Ministry called for “all possible efforts” to return the Kohinoor diamond to India.

Two years after hospital release, nearly 20% of COVID-19 survivors in Wuhan, China, reported persistent, new-onset, or worsening symptoms, finds a study published yesterday in JAMA Network Open.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) noted that payments have been made for three vessels that were anchored in the Port of Colombo.The CPC announced that the unloading of fuel from the relevant vessels will commence today (16).Accordingly, the respective vessels include 37,000 MT of Diesel, 100,000 Crude oil, and 20,000 MT of Petrol.Meanwhile, on average 4,000 MT of Diesel and 3,000 MT of Petrol are distributed throughout the country, the CPC said.

In this photo illustration the Chinese video-sharing social networking service company TikTok logo seen displayed on a smartphone with an economic stock exchange index graph in the background. Budrul Chukrut/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) The ongoing concerns about TikTok’s use of U.S.

The Artemis I rocket is seen from the Kennedy Space Center Press Site flagpole, near the countdown clock. (FOX photo) WASHINGTON - It's not just rocket fuel propelling America's first moonshot after a half-century lull. Strategic rivalry with China's ambitious space program is helping drive NASA’s effort to get back into space in a bigger way, as both nations push to put people back on the moon and establish the first lunar bases.American intelligence, military and political leaders make clear they see a host of strategic challenges to the U.S.

(ABC) – The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) says the world has never been in a better position to end the COVID-19 pandemic."We are not there yet. But the end is in sight," WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters, in his most upbeat assessment since declaring an international emergency in January 2020 and describing COVID-19 as a pandemic three months later.The virus, which emerged in China in late 2019, has killed nearly 6.5 million people, including more than 14,000 in Australia.Deaths from COVID-19 last week were the lowest since March 2020, the WHO reported.But Dr.

New COVID-19 cases worldwide fell 28% last week—marking a fifth straight week of declining cases—and COVID-related deaths dropped 22% from the previous week, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in its weekly update today.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka will NOT participate in any military alliance, and certainly does not want the problems of the pacific coming in to the Indian Ocean, said President Ranil Wickremesinghe in Colombo on Wednesday (14).Wickremesinghe speaking on Sri Lanka's position in the geo-political stage said the country's importance has appreciated and depreciated.However, he said that the geo-politics of the Indian ocean has unfortunately made Sri Lanka the punching bag for Hambantota. "It is not a military port. Though we are a commercial port it shows our strategic importance that many people come to conclusions which are unwarranted," he said.The President said that he hopes the next agreement Sri Lanka come to with China will not cause such speculation and such agreements will only be about debt reduction for Sri Lanka. "We don't participate in military alliance, and we certainly do not want the problems of the pacific coming in to the Indian Ocean.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) says that it has not been able to make payments to the fuel vessels anchored in the Sea of Sri Lanka, due to a shortage of dollars.A Crude Oil vessel has been anchored at the Colombo Harbour for over three weeks, and Sri Lanka is yet to make payments for the vessel.Further, two vessels carrying diesel have been anchored in the Port of Colombo for over a week.An official at the Ministry of Power and Energy said that steps will be taken in consultation with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) to access the necessary dollars to pay for the ships.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Chinese Ambassador Qi Zhenhong held a productive discussion with Asian Development Bank (ADB) South Asian Department Director General Kenichi Yokoyama and its Sri Lanka Mission Director Chen Chen on Tuesday (13).They exchanged views on Sri Lanka's current economic situation and the revitalization plans etc.

COLOMBO (News 1st); China said that it firmly supports Sri Lanka in safeguarding national sovereignty and independence, maintaining social stability and realizing economic recovery in a statement to the 51st Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council on Monday (12) in Geneva.Resolution 46/1 of the Human Rights Council is a product of politicization, said the Chinese delegate to the UNHRC adding that "It does not follow the principles of impartiality, objectivity and non-selectivity.

A systematic review and meta-analysis today in Vaccine finds no link between COVID-19 vaccines and infertility in men or women.Researchers at a Rome hospital analyzed 29 studies from China, Isr

COVID-19 vaccine officially got underway Monday, with the Middlesex-London Health Unit announcing extended hours of operation at one of its vaccination clinics to meet demand and get as many shots into arms as possible.The province announced its rollout of the bivalent doses, with people considered most vulnerable, including those 70 and older, long-term care residents, health-care workers, pregnant people 18 and older, and Indigenous people, eligible first.Those eligible in London and Middlesex can book appointments to receive the bivalent booster through the health unit’s online booking portal, or by calling 226-289-3560. All Ontarians 18 and older will be eligible as of Sept.

China will still have a role to play as the operations will require some component imports from China. Global technology supply chains were disrupted this year, as China locked down Shanghai, which is a technology hub, following its zero-Covid policy.

coffee or coffee sweetened with sugar were less likely to die during a seven-year follow-up period.  The latest findings are published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. While previous studies observing the health effects of coffee have found that coffee consumption is associated with a lower risk of death, it did not distinguish between unsweetened coffee and coffee consumed with sugar or artificial sweeteners.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Samantha Power says that it is imperative that all of Sri Lanka's creditors, most notably the People's Republic of China, cooperate in the debt restructuring process openly and on comparable terms with each other.She noted that as Sri Lanka seeks to emerge from this economic crisis, the United States – as a creditor and as a member of the Paris Club – stands ready to participate in the restructuring of Sri Lanka's debt."When debt becomes unsustainable, as it so clearly has in Sri Lanka, the stakes of that cooperation can mean the difference between life or death, prosperity or poverty," the Former US Ambassador to the UN said speaking to reporters in Colombo on Sunday (11).She also said that it is important in changing the habits that gave rise to the accumulation of such debt in the first place, not only of restructuring debt."As Sri Lanka's largest export market, I think we uniquely can appreciate the value of all that Sri Lanka has to offer, the value of Sri Lankan industry, the value of apparel, the value of its burgeoning technology sector, its burgeoning renewable efforts in energy.

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

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Minister of Power and Energy has met with World Bank Country Manager yesterday (9) at the Ministry of Power and Energy.Further, the Minister said that the World Bank Technical experts in the Energy sector joined online.Productive discussions were carried out on the Proposed reform plans of CEB & CPC, Technical & financial assistance for development, Renewable energy, and transformation of the Energy sector.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Chief of International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva urged for large creditor nations such as China to show leadership and move rapidly to enable debt relief to countries such as Sri Lanka.Speaking to CNBC during her visit India, the IMF Chief said that about 25% of emerging market economies in distress, and Sri Lanka has been such a case for a long time. Pointing out that over 60% of low-income countries are at distress due to this, and even middle-income countries with strong fundamentals have fallen into a dire situation. What happened to these countries was that the frequency of shocks they faced increased, the IMF Chief said; "shock, upon shock, upon shock. Even countries with strong fundamentals, are becoming vulnerable," she said.Therefore, the lesson which should be learned is prudent fiscal policies, sound buffers and building resilience to shocks, Georgieva said.Referring to countries such as Malawi, IMF Chief Georgieva said that the country is experiencing a food shortage, a fuel shortage, and a debt crisis, which makes the entry of IMF even harder. "My message to the creditors, especially large creditors such sa China; 57% of loans to low-income countries is from China, or the private sector, which is even a bigger creditor, is that you have done a needy job to provide financial resources for growth, that is not necessarily bad.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The most challenging issued face by Sri Lanka today amid an economic, and political crisis is food security and hunger, and this was highlighted in a recent paper produced to the Cabinet of Ministers.It also states that the situation would grow even worse in the future.Quoting the United Nations, the Cabinet Paper also noted that 1.7 mn Sri Lankans seek immediate food assistance.Sri Lanka used to be known as a country that was self-sufficient in rice. So, how did it fall to its present state?After Sri Lanka invoked a complete ban on Chemical fertilizers, it simply gave away Rs.

CHESTNUT HILL - People across the Delaware Valley are sharing stories of encounters with Queen Elizabeth and for one local couple, Her Majesty was a familiar face."She was always tinier than one expected, but she did have those magical blue eyes and beautiful skin. She was something to behold," Jean Wedgewood, Lord Piers Wedgewood’s widow said.Wedgewood, of Chestnut Hill, recalls meeting Queen Elizabeth II over the years.

FILE-CNN political anchorman Bernard Shaw announces his upcoming retirement from the network on November 10, 2000 in Atlanta, Ga. (Photo by Erik S.