Power Cut for multiple areas; Supply to be restored by 9 PM

Former President Donald Trump speaks during the 'Save America' rally at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds on January 29, 2022 in Conroe, Texas. Trump's visit was his first Texas MAGA rally since 2019.

DOVER, Del. - Delaware’s universal indoor mask mandate ends Friday morning, as their school mask requirements remain in effect through next month.Earlier this week, Gov. John Carney signed a revision of the State of Emergency order that lifted the state’s universal mask mandate, effective at 8 a.m. Also in Monday's revision to the State of Emergency order, Governor Carney temporarily extended the mask requirement in both public and private K-12 schools and child care facilities. As a result, that requirement will expire at 11:59 p.m.

Simon Cowell will miss the next round of auditions for Britain's Got Talent as he has contracted Covid-19.The 62 year old will be unable to judge the latest round of hopefuls on the ITV talent show while he self-isolates. A spokesperson for the music mogul confirmed the news to Mail Online, saying: "Simon was unable to attend filming today as he was isolating at home after testing positive for Covid-19." Current rules for contracting Covid-19 state people need to isolate for ten days but may leave after five if certain conditions are met. Alesha Dixon, David Walliams and Amanda Holden were spotted heading in to film the show and will be left with golden buzzer duties until the show's creator returns.

COLOMBO (News 1st): The foreign exchange shortage experienced in Sri Lanka will be short-lived, said the country’s Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa.Speaking to officials at the Finance Ministry of Friday (11), Rajapaksa said the government expects to minimize the effects the forex shortage might have on the people.On Monday (7) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa instructed the officials to take steps to immediately release the containers containing essential items at the custody of Customs.The President also appointed a committee headed by Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa to ensure that there is no shortage of essential commodities including food, and this committee met for the first time on Friday (11).A statement from the Finance Ministry noted that though there is a shortage of Milk Powder, Gas, Wheat Flour, and Cement in the local market, there are sufficient stocks of all other essential items and there will be no shortage.In addition, the tax reliefs granted by the government for essential food items not being enjoyed by the people were discussed and it was revealed at the meeting that errant traders abuse the concessions granted by the government and sell goods at exorbitant prices.The implementation of a new mechanism to expedite the release of essential commodities including food to the market, and to regulate and oversee this matter, was also discussed.

PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia police are investigating after they say six people were stabbed inside if a Kensington home as they slept Friday morning.The incident happened around 4 a.m. on the 3000 block of North Front Street. Police say a family member went from bedroom to bedroom stabbing the six victims with two different knives that were described as kitchen knives.FOX 29’s Steve Keeley reports that all six of the stabbing victims are between the ages of 26 and 46. A 46-year-old woman is in critical condition after suffering stab wounds to the head and neck during the incident.

From symptoms to subvariants, UN health agency explains all that you need to know about Omicron

PARIS :

France will deploy thousands of police in and around Paris and set up checkpoints at toll stations on major roads leading into the capital to keep so-called "Freedom Convoy" motorists out, the city's police force said.

₹9.57 lakh crore for the economy was far sharper than ₹2.12 lakh crore in GDP growth that was lost in 2008-09 global financial crises, yet the government was able to contain consumer price inflation (CPI) to within 6.2% as opposed to CPI ballooning to 9.1% during the global financial crisis.

Britain without taking any coronavirus tests starting Friday after the government scrapped one of the final restrictions imposed over the past two years in response to Covid-19.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Thousands of Sri Lankan health workers continued their strike action for the fifth consecutive day on Friday (11), despite a court issuing an order against a nurses trade union that is also taking part in the strike.Health workers in Sri Lanka have been staging demonstrations and strikes since November 2021 to draw attention to the issue of salary anomalies.Their major demands include the rectification of salary anomalies, higher allowances, and an increase in overtime rates.Supplementary and paramedical services, nursing services, and professionals from 16 health services including medical laboratory technologists, pharmacists, radiologists, public health inspectors, and family health officers are participating in the indefinite strike.Thousands of poor patients who visited government hospitals were turned away, as a result.A Sri Lankan court on Thursday (10) issued two enjoining orders preventing the strike action by the Government Nursing Officer’s Association from continuing.The Attorney General filed an action against the Government Nursing Officer’s Association and its president Saman Rathnapriya, seeking an enjoining order from the court to immediately suspend the trade union action of the said union.The Attorney General appraised the court of the present deplorable conditions in hospitals due to patient care being severely affected.District Court Judge of Colombo Aruna Aluthge issued two enjoining orders preventing the union from continuing the said trade union strike endangering the lives of the patients.As a result of the strike, over this week the activities at the Colombo General Hospital, Kandy General Hospital, 24 Teaching Hospitals, 26 General Hospitals, 46 Base Hospitals, 410 District

Prince Charles getting Covid again should be "ringing royal alarm bells," according to an expert who warns of some "regal whiplash". The 73-year-old is set to snatch an almost 200-year record by becoming the oldest person to be crowned monarch.

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Withdrawal of restrictions

Boris Johnson ending Covid isolation rules is a "distraction" from the PM's lockdown party scandal, according to a Scots health expert.

SYDNEY :

Charli XCX has said that the criticism she’s received on social media lately has taken a toll on her mental health.The singer-songwriter, who releases her fifth album ‘Crash’ on March 18, issued a statement on Twitter yesterday (February 10) to explain that she’s temporarily stepping back from the platform due to the “negativity” surrounding her current campaign.“I’ve always had a pretty open dialogue with you guys and so I just wanna mention a few things that have been on my mind recently,” Charli began.“I have been feeling like I can’t do anything right at the moment.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The new University of Vavuniya was declared open by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Friday (11).The University of Vavuniya is the 17th State University in Sri Lanka and was established with effect from the 1st of August 2021 via an Extraordinary Gazette on the 8th of June 2021 that elevated the Vavuniya Campus of the University of Jaffna, to a separate state university in Sri Lanka.The new state university was established for the purpose of providing, promoting, and developing higher education in the branches of learning of Business Studies, Applied Science, and Technology Studies.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of he World Health Organization (WHO), Buti Manamela, Deputy Dr Blade Nzimande, Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology of South Africa, Dr Joe Phaahla, Minister of Health of South Africa and Meryame Kitir, Minister of Development Cooperation and Urban Policy of Belgium today visit a number of public and private sector partners that are collaborating to develop and build WHO’s global mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub in South Africa.

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Protester numbers outside New Zealand's parliament have increased as police scaled back efforts to clear anti-vaccine demonstrators involved in violent clashes a day earlier.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka’s Health Ministry has warned against the use of fake vaccination cards to avoid being vaccinated against COVID-19.Dr. Anwar Hamdani, attached to the Health Ministry said information on all those who have been vaccinated are with the Health Ministry, and it is a futile attempt to evade being vaccinated.“Getting vaccinated is a social responsibility and therefore everyone must get vaccinated against COVID-19,” he said.At the same time, the Deputy Director-General of Public Health Services Dr.

Despite key party figures expressing support and posing for pictures with protesters, the Conservative Party is joining pleas to end disruptive blockades against COVID restrictions.

Disruptive blockades protesting COVID-19 mandates are escalating in Ontario, prompting more calls for the province to take action. So why has Ontario Premier Doug Ford been mostly absent over the unrest? Eric Sorensen explains the possible strategy behind keeping a low-profile, as concerns grow over potentially politicizing pandemic strategy.

Ottawa police on Thursday provided an update on their ongoing enforcement measures against trucker protests demonstrating against COVID-19 vaccine mandates throughout parts of the city.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held a meeting with leaders of opposition parties Thursday evening, where he said he briefed them on the latest developments of the trucker convoy protests and blockades.

Unhappy Olympic athletes are calling out organizers of the Beijing Games with a litany of complaints about everything from COVID-19 protocols to inadequate catering.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lankan authorities will meet on Tuesday (18) to discuss the procurement of fuel for an uninterruptible power supply to the island nation.The Ceylon Electricity Board told News 1st that the existing stocks of fuel will only be sufficient to generate electricity until Tuesday (18) morning.On Saturday (15) the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation supplied 3,000 MT of Diesel to the Ceylon Electricity Board for power generation, and the CPC said the fuel was released considering it as an urgent requirement.Minister of Energy Udaya Gammanpila said if the Ceylon Electricity Board needs fuel continuously, it must provide US dollars to the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation.The Minister said if the CEB provides the dollars, the Ministry of Energy is prepared to import and supply the required stocks of fuel for power generation.Minister Gammanpila noted that amidst the prevailing dollar crisis in the country, the CPC goes through serious difficulties to earn USD $400 million every month, to ensure the adequate supply of fuel stocks required for transportation and other industries.He said the Ministry of Energy informed the CEB three months ago that if they require fuel for power generation, they should inform in advance.However, according to the Energy Minister, the CEB has informed the CPC on the 11th of January that they require Diesel from the 13th of January.Minister Gammanpila said the CPC does not possess additional stocks of Diesel to supply on such short notice.He emphasized that the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation is ready to import and supply fuel if the Ceylon Electricity Board provides the necessary dollars, adding that the CEB can also directly import fuel by themselves.

COLOMBO (News 1st); According to the latest SARS-CoV-2 variant report issued by the Allergy Immunology and Cell Biology Unit of the Department of Immunology and Molecular Medicine of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, 160 new cases of Omicron and 22 new cases of Delta were detected from 182 samples.“These 182 samples were sequenced from the last week of December and the first week of January from the community and arrival and departure samples from the airport.” said Dr. Chandima Jeewandara, Director of the Allergy, Immunology and Cell Biology Unit of the Faculty of Medicine.The 160 Omicron cases include a mix of the two main Omicron lineages BA.1 and BA.2. BA.1 is detected in at least 113 countries and whereas BA.2 is directed in at least 3o countries.

COLOMBO (News 1st): The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation has agreed to provide the required fuel stocks for power generation on Saturday (Jan. 15), Minister of Energy Gamini Lokuge said.“If fuel stocks are provided, there will be no power cuts on Saturday (15) and Sunday (16)”, the Minister noted.Whilst pointing out that the country is currently facing a severe dollar crisis, the Minister noted that the authorities are attempting to ensure an uninterrupted supply of power in order to avoid any inconveniences to the public.“However, I instructed the Ceylon Electricity Board to release the schedule of power cuts to the media,” Minister Lokuge said.According to Minister Lokuge, the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation has been requested to provide 15,000 tonnes of Fuel.“Close to 1500 tonnes of fuel are required to meet the daily requirement of power generation in the country, meaning 15,000 tonnes would suffice for 10-days,” he added.Minister of Energy Gamini Lokuge was hopeful that by the 22nd of this month, the failed generators at the Norochcholai Coal Power Plant could be reactivated, which would add another 300 MW of power to the National Grid.

COLOMBO (News 1st): The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) has agreed to provide 3000 Metric Tonnes of Fuel for the two power generating units at the Kelanitissa Power Plant Complex that ran out of Diesel on Thursday (Jan. 13) and are currently inactive.The two power stations could be re-activated once the fuel stocks are provided this morning, Andrew Nawamani, the Additional General Manager at the Ceylon Electricity Board told News 1st on Friday (Jan.

COLOMBO (News 1st): Power cuts were reported from across multiple areas in Sri Lanka.,According to the Ceylon Electricity Board the power cuts are reported as two generators at the Kelanitissa Power Plant have run out of Diesel.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Power on Wednesday (12) afternoon announced that there will be no power cuts during the day.However, on Tuesday (11) even though the Ministry announced that there will be no power cuts, many areas were left in darkness following a breakdown at a private plant at the Kelanitissa Power Plant premises.Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Power Sugath Dharmakeerthi told News 1st that the breakdown is being rectified and therefore, there will be an uninterrupted supply of power.On Wednesday (12), given these unannounced power cuts, activists filed a complaint with the Human Rights Commission noting that these power cuts are posing serious issues to the people.However, Minister of Power Gamini Lokuge alleges that these events could be the result of some form of conspiracy.Why is Sri Lanka facing an electricity crisis?Sri Lanka’s Forex Crisis is a main reason for the electricity crisis because the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation is seeking dollar payments from the Ceylon Electricity Board for fuel provided for electricity generation.Concessions granted to consumers by the CEB have resulted in low revenue, which is another reason for the crisis.In addition, one generator at the Norochcholai Power Plant is not acting, posing an issue in electricity generation for the country.Furthermore, a considerable drop in rainfall in areas where reservoirs are situated is another reason leading to the electricity crisis.Despite these reasons, especially that Sri Lanka is receiving low rainfall, Sri Lankan authorities are releasing water from the Maussakele reservoir citing repairs.

COLOMBO (News 1st);The Ministry of Power and Energy says power cuts are likely to take place as per as schedule in the evening-hours on Wednesday (12).Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Power, Sugath Dharmakeerthi said the repair activities of the private power station which suffered a breakdown, at the Kelanitissa Power Plant Complex are still being carried out.He said the extent of the technical failure at the Sojitz Power Station at the Kelanitissa Power Plant could be determined by evening today adding that the disruptions to the power supply in the process of repairs will take place according to the schedule released on the CEB website. The supply of power to various parts of the island were disrupted last night due to a technical failure at the said private power plant.

COLOMBO (News 1st); A 46-year-old woman had died after falling off the fifth floor of the building housing the Criminal Investigations Department.Sri Lanka Police said the woman was arrested by the CID for financial fraud.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Ceylon Electricity Board on Monday (10) made public the proposed power outage schedule that it proposed to the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Three dead bodies were discovered from three separate locations in Colombo City on Monday (10).An unidentified body of a male was discovered on the Wellawatte Beach on Monday (10) morning.Police said the deceased may be between the ages of 40 & 55 years and is yet to be identified.The body was moved to the Kalubowila Hospital morgue while the Wellawatte Police launched an investigation.At the same time, another unidentified body of a male was discovered on the Bambalapitiya Beach on Monday (10) morning.Police said the deceased may be between the ages of 40 & 50 years and is yet to be identified.The body was moved to the Kalubowila Hospital morgue while the Bambalapitiya Police launched an investigation.Meanwhile, the body of a 56-year-old man who was reported missing since Sunday (9) night was found under a bridge close to the Kolonnawa Oil Storage Complex.The deceased was identified as a resident of Wellampitiya.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf has ruled out plans to further cut the self-isolation period for those with the virus in Scotland.

COLOMBO (News 1st): There will be no power cuts during the day, the Ceylon Electricity Board said on Monday (Jan. 10). “There will be no need for power cuts in January since the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation has agreed to provide the required stocks of fuel,” M.R.

A new mutation of Covid-19 is reported to have been discovered in Cyprus, and has been entitled the Deltacron variant.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) says that no power cuts will take place on Saturday (08).The CEB previously said that power cuts can be experienced for around an hour, between 6 PM and 9 PM on Friday (7).The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation has not released fuel since the 23rd of December to the CEB, due to non-payments for fuel by the Ceylon Electricity Board.The CEB warned that it will not be able to generate electricity from Sapugaskanda and the Barge Mounted Power Plant at the Colombo Port premises if fuel is not provided.The Barge Mounted Power Plant located at the Colombo Port premises generates 60 MW while the Sapugaskanda Power Plant generates 102 MW.However, the Sapugaskanda Power Plant and Colombo Port Barge Mounted power plan, resumed the generation of electricity on Saturday (8), as the General Manager of Ceylon Electricity Board M.R. Ranatunga stated that the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation had supplied the required fuel to the power plants last night (07).

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Ceylon Electricity Board said that many areas would experience power cuts once again on Friday (7), if the Energy Ministry does not supply fuel.The CEB said power cuts can be experienced for around an hour, between 6 PM and 9 PM on Friday (7).The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation has not released fuel since the 23rd of December to the CEB, due to non-payments for fuel by the Ceylon Electricity Board.The CEB warned that it will not be able to generate electricity from Sapugaskanda and the Barge Mounted Power Plant at the Colombo Port premises if fuel is not provided.The Barge Mounted Power Plant located at the Colombo Port premises generates 60 MW while the Sapugaskanda Power Plant generates 102 MW.If fuel is provided by Friday (7) evening, the CEB will be able to generate electricity.

COLOMBO (News 1st): Disruptions to the power supply are likely on Friday (Jan. 7) in various parts of the country, the Ceylon Electricity Board said.The supply of electricity to multiple areas including Nugegoda and Maharagama was disrupted on Thursday night (6) following an issue in a generator at the Kelanitissa Power Plant.135 megawatts of power was lost due to the issue at the Kelanitissa Power Plant, while another 76 megawatts of power was lost due to an issue in a generator at the Kukule-Ganga Power Plant, R.

Coronavirus self-isolation rules in Scotland have come into line with the rest of the United Kingdom.

COLOMBO (News 1st); A 16-hour water cut will be experienced from 8 AM on Saturday (8) to midnight the same day, said the National Water Supply and Drainage Board.The water supply will be disrupted to the areas located in the following localities:– Colombo Municipal Council– Dehiwala Mount Lavinia Municipal Council– Kotte Municipal Council– Kaduwela Municipal Coucil– Maharagama Urban Council– Boralesgamuwa Urban Council– Kolonnaware Urban Council– Kotikawatte Pradeshiya Sabha– Mulleriyawa Pradeshiya Sabha

Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott provided details Monday on the province’s new restrictions to help contain the spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant. The new restrictions include moving schools online, reducing social gathering limits, and closures and capacity limits for businesses.