Never recommended to postpone elections, says IMF

Brad Pitt hasn't officially been diagnosed with the condition, known as prosopagnosia, the dad-of-six believes he has it. "Nobody believes me!" the 59-year-old told GQ Magazine. In an earlier interview, with Esquire in 2013, Brad revealed the challenges that come with face blindness.

Pope Francis during the General Audience in St. Peters Square.

X Factor finalist Amelia Lily has opened up to fans about an ongoing health issue which keeps her awake "all night," after suffering for seven years. Amelia, 28, shared a post on her Instagram Story about an injury she has been suffering with since 2016 and asked for recommendations from anyone with similar problems.The singer, who found fame on the ITV talent show in 2011, wrote: "I've been suffering with a shoulder injury now since 2016 and it's got worse and worse.

VENICE, CA - JUNE 09: California Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer (L) and actress Rosario Dawson attend the grand opening of the MedMen marijuana dispensary shop on Venices Abbot Kinney Boulevard on June 9, 2018 in Venice, California. (Photo by Ama SAN FRANCISCO - It could cost California more than $800 billion to compensate Black residents for generations of over-policing, disproportionate incarceration and housing discrimination, economists have told a state panel considering reparations.The preliminary estimate is more than 2.5 times California’s $300 billion annual budget, and does not include a recommended $1 million per older Black resident for health disparities that have shortened their average life span.

PHILADELPHIA - Deadly gun violence continues to plague the city of Philadelphia and the everyday lives of its residents, and now the issue has trickled even further into the schools of innocent children.The School District of Philadelphia says 99 of its students have been shot so far this school year, 18 of them killed and 81 others wounded.That number increased this week after a 15-year-old student was gunned down and killed on his way to Simon Gratz High School in Nicetown on Monday.A tragic day for the entire community as school officials say students witnessed the deadly shooting and ran into school. All Mastery schools closed Tuesday for a day of healing."That trauma lasts," said Scott Gordon, CEO of Mastery Simon Gratz High School.

A total of 2,208 cases were recorded on October 28 last year India recorded a single-day rise of 2,151 new coronavirus cases, the highest in five months, according to the Union health ministry. As per the data updated, the active cases increased to 11,903 on Wednesday.

CLEVELAND (AP) - Two men accused of stuffing fish with lead weights and fish fillets in an attempt to win thousands of dollars in an Ohio fishing tournament last fall pleaded guilty Monday to charges including cheating.The cheating allegations surfaced in September when Lake Erie Walleye Trail tournament Director Jason Fischer became suspicious when the fish turned in by Jacob Runyan, of Broadview Heights, Ohio, and Chase Cominsky, of Hermitage, Pennsylvania, were significantly heavier than typical walleye.A crowd of people at Gordon Park in Cleveland watched as Fischer cut the walleye open and found weights and walleye fillets stuffed inside.RELATED: Ohio fishing scandal: 2 men caught cheating at tournament charged, prosecutors sayAs part of a plea deal, Runyan and Cominsky pleaded guilty to cheating and unlawful ownership of wild animals and agreed to three-year suspensions of their fishing licenses. Cominsky also agreed to give up his bass boat worth $100,000.Prosecutors agreed to drop attempted grand theft and possessing criminal tools charges.Both men are scheduled to be sentenced May 11.

It’s a sad day for Wendy Williams fans…

PHILADELPHIA - An innocent animal was found injured and terrified after local animal advocates say its was left for dead in an Overbrook shooting Monday night.Reports of a dog hit by a car prompted a response to the 1200 block of South 54th Street.

Additional boosters, beyond the primary course and first booster, have been recommended only for people at the highest risk of developing severe Covid-19 disease The World Health Organization said Tuesday it is no longer recommending additional Covid-19 vaccine booster doses for regular, medium-risk adults, saying the benefit was marginal. For such people who have already received their primary vaccination course and one booster dose, there is no risk in having further jabs but the returns are slight, the WHO's vaccine experts said.

The World Health Organization has said it is no longer recommending additional Covid-19 vaccine booster doses for regular, medium-risk adults, saying the benefit was marginal.

MEXICO CITY - Migrants fearing deportation set mattresses ablaze at an immigration detention center in northern Mexico, starting a fire that left 39 dead, the president said Tuesday following one of the deadliest incidents ever at an immigration lockup in the country.Hours after the fire broke out late Monday, rows of bodies were laid out under shimmery silver sheets outside the facility in Ciudad Juarez, which is across from El Paso, Texas, and a major crossing point for migrants. Ambulances, firefighters and vans from the morgue swarmed the scene.Thirty-nine people died and 29 were injured and are in "delicate-serious" condition, according to the National Immigration Institute.

People are more health conscious than ever these days and have a wealth of information at their fingertips to help keep them alive and kicking.

NEW YORK - North Carolina-based First Citizens will buy Silicon Valley Bank, the tech industry-focused financial institution that collapsed earlier this month, rattling the banking industry and sending shockwaves around the world.The deal could reassure investors at a time of shaken confidence in banks, though the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and other regulators had already taken extraordinary steps to head off a wider banking crisis by guaranteeing that depositors in SVB and another failed U.S.

Toronto-area MP Han Dong is at the centre of a political firestorm following a Global News report that he allegedly spoke with a Chinese diplomat in 2021, advising Beijing to delay freeing Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, according to two intelligence sources.

Russia has struck a deal with neighboring Belarus to station tactical nuclear weapons on its territory but will not violate non-proliferation agreements, President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday.

Lea Michele‘s 2-year-old son, Ever, is on the mend. The 36-year-old Broadway star took to her Instagram Stories on Friday to share an update on her little boy’s condition as well as her return to her leading role as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl.

In this photo illustration, the image of Elon Musk is displayed on a computer screen and the logo of twitter on a mobile phone in Ankara, Turkiye on October 06, 2022. Muhammed Selim Korkutata / Anadolu Agency Twitter CEO Elon Musk reportedly sent a notice to staff early Wednesday morning to remind them that working from home is not acceptable.According to Platformer managing editor Zoë Schiffer, Musk emailed employees at 2:30 in the morning, writing that "office is not optional." In the email, he complained that half of the San Francisco headquarters was empty the day before.Musk is not a fan of remote work.

Covid-19 that is circulating is a mutated version of the Omicron sub-variant. We need to remain alert but there is no need to worry. Each new variant is isolated and it is tested whether our vaccines are effective against it or not.

"something bad happened" to her as she issued a tearful update to fans. The Channel 4 Made in Chelsea star spoke out on her Instagram Story. Channel 4 Made In Chelsea star Louise has suffered PTSD ever since her traumatic birth.

India has identified three important health priorities under the G20 Presidency and all of these are focused on universal health coverage and relevant to the Centre's response for TB elimination New Delhi: There is an urgent need of a vaccine against tuberculosis and it important to fast-track its development, expand manufacturing capacities and help countries with easy access, said Mansukh Mandaviya, Union health minister, in his address during the 36th board meeting of the Stop TB Partnership held on Saturday. Highlighting the importance of a TB vaccine in the global fight against the disease, Mandaviya urged the baord of Stop TB Partnership to deliberate on this and take up the matter at the UN High Level Meeting on universal health coverage in September this year.

FILE-Jars of peanut butter sit on a store shelf. (Cliff Grassmick/Digital First Media/Boulder Daily Camera via Getty Images) The Transportation and Security Administration has defined peanut butter as a liquid, but travelers can’t bring it in their bag unless it meets a size requirement. "You may not be nuts about it, but TSA considers your PB a liquid.

Lea Michele's 2-year-old son, Ever, is on the mend. The 36-year-old Broadway star took to her Instagram Stories on Friday to share an update on her little boy's condition as well as her return to her leading role as Fanny Brice in«Thank you for all your well wishes this past week,» Michele captioned a photo of a sleeping Ever in his hospital bed.

₹143.30 crore from its existing shareholders,  The remaining 40 per cent shareholding will be acquired in future as per certain terms and conditions, said Sun Pharmaceutical in its regulatory filing. “Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Limited (which includes its subsidiaries and/or associate companies) (“Company") has entered into an agreement to acquire 60% shareholding in Vivaldis Health And Foods Private Limited from its existing shareholders with remaining 40% shareholding to be acquired in future as per certain terms & conditions," said the company. It will be a cash transaction and is expected to be completed by May 2023.

PHILADELPHIA - The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is sounding the alarm on a growing number of antisemitic acts across the country, including states in the northeast with large Jewish communities.During a Thursday Zoom call, ADL leaders said antisemitic acts of intimidation, harassment, vandalism and assault are at an all-time high since the organization began keeping track in 1979. "Attitudes are up to a 30-year-high and incidents are up to the highest we've ever seen them – it's a toxic combination," an ADL spokesperson said. ADL data showed New Jersey was the state with the third most antisemitic incidents last year, tallying more than 400. The breakdown includes 250 incidents of harassment and 150 acts of vandalism.MORE LOCAL HEADLINESApproximately 120 incidents took place in non-Jewish K-12 school in New Jersey, according to the data. In Philadelphia, there have been attacks on Jewish cemeteries and synagogues, as well as mosques and churches.

NEW YORK - Manhattan District Attorney (DA) Alvin Bragg responded to several leading House Republicans’ requests for information on the probe into former President Trump, saying the former president "created a false expectation" of his potential arrest.Bragg’s general counsel sent a five-page letter to GOP House committee chairmen Jim Jordan of Ohio, Bryan Steil of Wisconsin, and James Comer of Kentucky regarding their request for documents and testimony in the Trump investigation.Bragg's office is investigating whether Trump was involved in paying hush money to Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign. The DA’s office informed the court that the grand jury, who potentially could deliver an indictment, would convene again at 12 p.m.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Postal Voting for the 2023 Local Government Election has been further delayed.The Election Commission in a statement on Thursday (23) announced that postal voting scheduled for the 28th, 29th, 30th  and 31st of March, and the 3rd of April 2023, will not go ahead as planned. 

COLOMBO (News 1st); State Minister Indika Anuruddha commended the efforts made by President Ranil Wickremesinghe during a media briefing convened by the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna.He told reporters that it was Basil Rajapaksa who recommended that Wickremesinghe be handed over the task of taking the IMF program forward. "The initial step was taken during the Gotabaya Rajapaksa administration. We had a few people in the Viyath Maga who were dragging the president's feet.

MP Gamini Lokuge was appointed as Chair of the Committee on Public Petitions on 21.03.2023 at the Committee meeting held in Parliament.Yadamini Gunawardena proposed the name of Gamini Lokuge whilst Jayantha Katagoda seconded it.Addressing the committee, the newly appointed Chairman said that he will pay special attention to cases where the recommendations given earlier by the Committee on Public Petition were not implemented and take further action for that. The chair who recalled that he had previously served as the Chairman of the Committee on Public Petitions, which plays a very important role in achieving justice for the public, said that he would dedicate himself to that in the future as well.

Coffee contains caffeine, a stimulant, which is widely regarded as safe for healthy adults at about 400 milligrams per day, or roughly the equivalent of four or five cups brewed at home.Coffee has been associated with multiple health benefits and even a lower risk of dying, based on large studies that observed participants’ behavior. Despite research that has shown moderate coffee consumption doesn’t raise the risk of heart rhythm problems, some professional medical societies still caution against consuming caffeine.The latest research:Researchers outfitted 100 healthy volunteers with gadgets that continuously monitored their heart function, daily steps, sleep patterns and blood sugar.

Lea Michele apologized to fans on Wednesday, explaining she would be missing two "Funny Girl" Broadway performances because of her 2-year-old son’s "scary health issue."  "I'm so sorry but unfortunately I will be out of @FunnyGirlBwy today," the "Glee" star, who has been starring in the Broadway revival of the 1964 musical, wrote on her Instagram stories Wednesday. "We are at the hospital with our son dealing with a scary health issue that I need to be here for."  She added, "I'm so sorry.

LOS ANGELES - A potential tornado ripped through parts of Montebello late Wednesday morning, causing damage to multiple buildings in the area, the National Weather Service Los Angeles confirmed. The potential twister touched down in the area of South Maple Avenue and Date Street, near Vail Ave., just after 11:20 a.m.  A tornado ripped through parts of Montebello Wednesday morning, damaging multiple buildings.A possible tornado heavily damaged several buildings in Montebello Wednesday, with video from the scene showing portions of rooftops being ripped off industrial structures and debris swirling in the air.Video shared with FOX 11 shows windows blown out of multiple cars in a parking lot of an industrial area in Montebello.Images from SkyFOX showed multiple cars were damaged, fences destroyed, and roofs of buildings torn off. Footage from the scene shows at least seven buildings were destroyed by significant rooftop damage.

Read more: Liberals ignored CSIS warning on 2019 candidate accused in Chinese interference probe, sources say In an emailed statement to Global News sent Tuesday, Dong confirmed that he had a discussion with Consul General Han, but disputed that he initiated it and also denies that he advised Beijing to delay releasing Kovrig and Spavor from prison.“I raised the status of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig and called for their immediate release,” he wrote.“At every opportunity before they returned home, I adamantly demanded their release to Canada without delay. Any suggestions otherwise are false and are attempts to mislead you and your readers, and slander me.”The Prime Minister’s Office said it only became aware of the two-year-old conversation following Global News’ inquiries about it.PMO spokesperson Alison Murphy wrote that her office “only became aware that a conversation took place after Mr.

Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine has been hospitalized after he was reportedly attacked by a group of men in a South Florida gym on Tuesday.The rapper’s lawyer, Lance Lazzaro, told celebrity news website TMZ that the artist was inside a sauna at an LA Fitness when he was attacked by three or four men without warning. (Ed.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament on Wednesday (22) that he can only speak with the creditors, both multilateral and bilateral, and the private bondholders only if the Parliament is prepared to accept the IMF report.He urged the house to accept the report, and if there are any issues, it can be discussed with the IMF when the delegation returns to Sri Lanka.However, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa noted that the report and the presentation by the President is not means to agree to the program proposed by the IMF."We cannot agree without proper examination and scrutiny, and a proper parliamentary debate," he added while requesting to sit in parliament and listen to the proposals that the opposition puts forward during the debate on the IMF report.He said the opposition is not ready to approve anything without proper examination and scrutiny.However, the President said the house should respond to him by the third week of April whether the parliament would approve the report, so that he could engage in the second round of talks with the IMF.  

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda met with the Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs of India Smt.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka's President Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament that the government will be introducing a serious of reforms after the IMF Executive Board granted approval for a bailout package of the country.Increasing Public Revenue:– Reduce the primary deficit to 2.3% of the GDP by 2025.– Increase the government’s revenue up to 15% of the GDP by 2026 through our measures.– Raised the standard corporate income tax rate to 30% without sectoral tax holidays.– PAYE tax rate was increased from 8% to 15%.– The measures required to reduce the existing tax exemptions on Value Added Tax (VAT) will come into effect by 2025. Further, necessary measures will be taken to remove the simplified VAT system and expedite its reimbursement.–  Steps have also been taken to introduce tax on awards / substitutes and to introduce Estate Duty as a property tax by 2025, while providing an appropriate tax exemption allowance at a minimum.–  Revamping the property tax system and introducing a wealth transfer tax – Introduce a gift and inheritance taxManaging Expenditure:– Increase the allocations provided to cover the expenses through proper management of expenditure.– Adjustments in certain salary scales and pension schemes as part of the impact of inflation within the primary deficit targets.State Enterprises and Energy Cost: – Fuel prices will be determined based on the 2018 Price Formula.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe said the IMF bailout package has opened a new avenue to create a better future for the youth of the country."We have received an opportunity to uplift our motherland," he told the Parliament on Wednesday (22) adding that the bailout of US $3 Billion will be provided across four years. The President said that an immediate disbursement of US $330 Million was received by Sri Lanka from the IMF, noting immediate facilities to the tune of US $7 Billion will be available from the World Bank and other creditor agencies.

Bloomberg:  Sri Lanka’s bailout by the International Monetary Fund will help the bankrupt nation lower its borrowing costs, thanks in part to a change in how the cash can be used, central bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe said, reported Bloomber.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe tabled the agreement reached with the IMF for a bailout package, in Parliament on Wednesday (22). The President also made a special statement to the house. 

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe is scheduled to make a special statement in Parliament on Wednesday (22).In addition, the President is expected to table the agreement reached with the International Monetary Fund.In a special statement following the approval of the extended credit facility by the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday (21), President Ranil Wickremesinghe emphasized that Sri Lanka is no longer deemed bankrupt by the world.The President further stated that the loan facility serves as an assurance from the international community that Sri Lanka has the capacity to restructure its debt and resume normal transactions.Additionally, the President noted that the government is working to gradually lift import restrictions on essential goods, medicines, and tourism-related goods, as the foreign exchange situation improves.