Sajith Premadasa to boycott Independence Day celebrations

A JetBlue Airways jet sits on the tarmac at O'Hare Airport October 26, 2006 in Chicago, Illinois. JetBlue today announced the start of service to the city.

The pitch clock is seen behind Kolten Wong #16 and Julio Rodriguez #44 of the Seattle Mariners in a spring training game against the San Diego Padres at Peoria Stadium on February 24, 2023 in Peoria, Arizona. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) By the time Cubs outfielder Brennen Davis actually saw a pitch from Arizona’s Joe Mantiply, the count was already at a ball and a strike.Both the hitter and pitcher were penalized at the start of Davis’ at-bat to lead off the top of the third inning of Monday’s spring training game, the latest odd twist in baseball’s speed-up rules.

About $441 billion in student loan balances are eligible for forgiveness under the plan, according to one report. (iStock) The Supreme Court will hear two cases against President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan on Tuesday.

Phil Murphy, governor of New Jersey, speaks during the 2023 State of the State Address at the New Jersey State House in Trenton, New Jersey, US, on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023.

A New Jersey man attempted to board a flight with an AR-15 rifle, handguns, a Taser and a fake U.S. Marshal's badge, according to a federal complaint.

Unaware of the contest, Dawn Sagar ate the chip after taking a photo to send to her friends for Valentine’s Day. (Credit: Dawn Sagar) UNITED KINGDOM - A woman from England says she has eaten a heart-shaped chip that could have won her more than $100,000. Dawn Sagar, from Oswestry in Shropshire, told FOX Television Stations that she pulled the snack from a bag of Walkers but did not know the chip, known as a crisp across the pond, could be valuable. "At first I didn't realize that crisp would be worth money as I hadn't heard about the competition," Sagar shared.

TOPSHOT - Iranian high school students sit for their university entrance examination in Tehran on June 25, 2009. Iran has jailed more than 140 political activists, journalists and university lecturers since the disputed election which returned Presid DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Over the past three months, hundreds of young girls attending different schools in Iran have become overpowered by what are believed to be noxious fumes wafting into their classrooms, with some ending up weakened on hospital beds.Officials in Iran's theocracy initially dismissed these incidents, but now describe them as intentional attacks involving some 30 schools identified in local media reports, with some speculating they could be aimed at trying to close schools for girls in this country of over 80 million people.The reported attacks come at a sensitive time for Iran, which already has faced months of protests after the September death of Mahsa Amini following her arrest by the country's morality police.RELATED: Feds say Iranian-backed gang behind Brooklyn assassination attemptThe authorities have not named suspects, but the attacks have raised fears that other girls could be poisoned apparently just for seeking an education — something that's never been challenged before in the over 40 years since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Richard Gere is recovering.

Idaho student murders case, which led to the arrest of suspect Bryan Kohberger at his parents' house in the Pocono Mountains nearly seven weeks after the slayings.Police seized a number of new items at the home, including medical-style gloves, a black sweatshirt, size 13 Nike sneakers, and they also took a buccal scrub. Kohberger, a 28-year-old criminology Ph.D. student at Washington State University during the attack, is accused of ambushing four University of Idaho students in the middle of the night on Nov. 13, 2022.

A man has been sectioned under the Mental Health Act after a child received 'serious injuries' in a terrifying attempted kidnapping near a park in Bolton.

WASHINGTON - Conservative justices holding the Supreme Court's majority are skeptically questioning President Joe Biden's plan to wipe away or reduce student loans held by millions of Americans.In arguments on Tuesday stretching well beyond the allotted two hours, Chief Justice John Roberts led his conservative colleagues in questioning the administration's authority to broadly cancel federal student loans because of the COVID-19 emergency.A student speaks as student loan borrowers gather at the Supreme Court the evening before the court hears two cases on student loan relief to state the relief is legal and needs to happen immediately on Feb. 27, 2023 in Washington, D.C.

Manson family member Linda Kasabian, star witness in the Sharon Tate and LaBianca murder trial, at a press conference in Los Angeles, after being granted immunity from prosecution in the Manson Family trial, US, 19th August 1970. (Photo by Michael Oc LOS ANGELES - Linda Kasabian, member of Charles Manson's "Family" who later testified against the cult leader and other members, has died.

FILE- An elephant munches on hay while moving about inside her enclosure at the Chaffee Zoo in Fresno, California. (Craig Kohlruss/Fresno Bee/Tribune News Service via Getty Images) FRESNO, Calif. - Mabu saunters across a grassy field and raises his long, gray trunk to wrangle food from a hole carved inside a large boulder, captivating the attention of a girl propped up on her father's shoulders.At this zoo in a central California farming community, the 32-year-old African elephant is key not only to drawing visitors but also to ensuring there are elephants for zoogoers to see in the years to come — a future some animal lovers want to avoid.Over the past year, the Fresno Chaffee Zoo has been pulled into a growing global debate over the future of elephants in zoos.

PHILADELPHIA - Several Philadelphia neighborhoods nearly missed the Eagles playing in the Super Bowl this month thanks to an act of vandalism, and now police are looking for the suspect.A Xfinity employee was working near the 2700 block of Tulip Street following reports of cable services outages in Kensington and Fishtown on February 12.Investigators later found that a vandalism suspect had cut five major fiber optic lines, affecting about 17,000 customers.MORE HEADLINES:Surveillance footage captured the man driving a white Ford 4-door pickup truck, rummaging in the truck bed and walking around the area.The cut lines caused service outages in the area, but crews were able to restore service to all customers by the time Super Bowl LVII kicked off between the Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs.Police say the estimated damage to equipment is $10,000.Anyone with information is asked to contact police.

LIMERICK, Pa. - A Chick-fil-A in Montgomery County is taking action after they say a series of "unacceptable behaviors" by kids and young teens has forced them to "protect" their guests, staff and building."We contemplated long and hard before posting this, but decided it was time," the Chick-fil-A on Buckwalter Road in Limerick said in a Facebook post that has since gathered significant support.As of last week, all children under the age of 16 are now required to be accompanied by an adult when dining inside the Montgomery County fast food restaurant.Chick-fil-A says the ban is in response to the repeated "unacceptable behaviors" of unaccompanied children and teens, including volume and explicit language, mistreatment of property, disrespect of employees and unsafe behaviors."As you can imagine, this is not a pleasant experience. We want to provide a comfortable and safe environment for our guests and our staff, and also to protect our building.

Ozzy Osbourne is setting the record straight. On the latest episode of SiriusXM's Ozzy Speaks, Osbourne sat down with co-host Billy Morrison and gave an update on his health and touring status.“I’ve been working my guts out to try and get back on my feet. I’ve come to the point where Sharon says to me, ‘You know what, the truth of the marriage, you can't keep booking tours and failing, canceling," the singing legend said. Earlier this month, Osbourne made the difficult decision to end his touring career.

Reading, PA - May 10: Pennsylvania State Rep and Democratic Leader Joanna E. McClinton speaks in front of Reading City Hall. After a tour through downtown Reading, Pennsylvania and Reading's Keystone Opportunity Zone with Pennsylvania House of Repres HARRISBURG, Pa. - Philadelphia state Rep.

Prince William and Kate Middleton’s foundation has announced a new collaboration to help create therapy allotments and gardens offering mental health support in south Wales. The Prince and Princess of Wales visited the site where the first garden will be developed at Brynawel Rehabilitation Centre, near the town of Pontyclun in Wales on Tuesday to mark the announcement of the social enterprise partnership. The royal couple’s charitable organisation is working with Life at No.27 – a horticultural therapy and mental health counselling provider – to scale up its gardening mission, with six gardens eventually being created across south Wales.

SUSSEX COUNTY, Del. - A homicide investigation is underway after an apartment shooting left one man dead in Sussex County Monday night.He was found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds inside the Dunbarton Apartments in Georgetown around 8:30 p.m.Police say he was visiting when he answered a knock at the door. A woman entered, followed by a man who forced himself into the apartment.MORE HEADLINES:The man then fired several shots fatally striking the victim, whose identity has yet to be released, according to authorities.Police are looking for the suspect, who they say fled on foot.

PHOENIX - A man who police say was in illegal possession of a tiger cub and tried to sell the animal has been indicted.Phoenix Police say 25-year-old Carlos Eduardo Castro Alcaraz was arrested on Jan. 23. An investigation began after officers received a tip that Alcaraz was trying to sell a baby tiger on social media for $25,000.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY - Police have arrested a suspect touted as a "dangerous criminal" after a crash escalated into an armed robbery on Monday morning. The incident began when a man driving erratically on York Road abruptly cut in front of another car, causing a minor crash in Upper Moreland, according to authorities. Police say the man immediately got out of his car, pointed a gun at a female victim, demanded her cell phone, and fled on Davisville Road.MORE HEADLINES:"[I'm] shocked, but I haven't heard anything like that around here before," a man told FOX 29's Shawnette Wilson when she showed the pictures to him as he left a Wawa in the area Monday evening. He said the incident is concerning. "Especially in the morning.

recalling more than 65,000 vehicles for an issue that may cause seat belt pretensioners to explode in a crash, potentially injuring occupants of the car, U.S. transportation officials said.A seat belt pretensioner is a part of the seat belt system that locks the seat belt in place during a crash. Over-pressurization of the pretensioner could cause them to explode in certain crashes.

PHILADELPHIA - A robbery could have taken a violent turn after police say a man pulled a weapon on an employee near Rittenhouse Square earlier this month.Police say the suspect put four pairs of jeans in a bag at the Old Navy on Chestnut Street, and left without paying on February 16.Surveillance footage captured the man leaving the store, bag in hand.MORE HEADLINES:When confronted by loss prevention employees, police say he pulled out a box cutter and threatened them.No injuries were reported.The suspect is described as being 35 to 40 years old with a beard and mustache.

Even though Austyn Woolverton's family may look a little different, they make each other smile the way any other family would. (Kelsey Woolverton) A 5-year-old girl named Austyn Woolverton and her grandpa, Steve Guenther, recently attended a daddy-daughter dance in Papillion, Nebraska, after the pair touched the hearts of millions of people on social media.On Feb.

ORLANDO, Fla. - A newly released arrest affidavit details the moments that suspected Pine Hills shooter Keith Moses shot five people last week, including an Orlando journalist and a 9-year-old girl who later died.According to the report, Orange County deputies responded to the area of Hialeah Street and found 38-year-old Nathaca Augustin laying outside the front passenger door of a car after being shot. A cousin of Moses reportedly identified him as the shooter to deputies, telling them Moses was "acting strange and was sweating" before the shooting. The report stated that Moses was sitting behind Augustin in the car when he pulled out a gun and shot her, then fled the scene on foot. Around 4:05 p.m.

DETROIT - Nissan is recalling more than 809,000 small SUVs in the U.S. and Canada because a key problem can cause the ignition to shut off while they're being driven.The recall covers certain Rogues from the 2014 through 2020 model years, as well as Rogue Sports from 2017 through 2022.Nissan says the SUVs have jackknife folding keys that may not stay fully open.

NEW DELHI : Over 25 crore health records of individuals have been linked to their Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA), the Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday.  This is another milestone for the National Health Authority (NHA) under its flagship scheme Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) in building a digitally connected healthcare ecosystem.  “These records can be easily accessed and managed by the individuals using any of the ABDM-enabled health apps. The digitally available health records will enable the ABHA holders in availing paper-less health services across the ABDM network," the ministry added.  Individuals can use their Personal Health Records (PHR) apps to access their records across different health facilities like hospitals, clinics, diagnostic labs etc.

Savannah Guthrie has tested positive for COVID-19. On Tuesday's broadcast of, the 51-year-old anchor began the show at the 7 a.m. hour.

A new intelligence report from the U.S. Department of Energy that reportedly concludes it’s possible the COVID-19 pandemic originated from an accidental laboratory leak in China is renewing questions over where the virus came from.

BEIJING (AP) - China on Tuesday said it has been "open and transparent" in the search for the origins of COVID-19, after questions about how the pandemic began received new attention.Most recently, the U.S. Department of Energy assessed with "low confidence" that the pandemic that was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019 began with the leak of a virus from a lab.

HEBER CITY, Utah - A Utah middle school teacher has used the power of TikTok trends to raise more than $31,000 for students who owe lunch debt in his district.Garrett Jones, who teaches seventh and eighth graders in Heber City, Utah, said it all started when he noticed the TikTok trend of people saying, "If someone would Venmo me a dollar I could ________.""A lot of it was like, ‘pay for my wedding,' ‘take my kids to Disneyland,' ‘take six months off of work,'" he told FOX TV Stations in an interview. READ MORE: Family raises over $250,000 for pizza delivery worker who fell on their porchJones, however, asked his followers for $1 donations to pay the outstanding lunch fees for every student at his school, "because the last thing a kid should be worrying about is how much they owe for meals at a place they’re legally obligated to be," his video said."I kind of did it as a joke at first. I just thought it would be cool to put a more meaningful or positive spin on that trend," Jones recalled.When he first had the idea, Jones thought he could raise "$200 or $300 and maybe be able to help a couple of students.""I’d be thrilled with that, just helping a couple," he said.Rocky Mountain Middle School teacher Garrett Jones and his broadcasting class (Garrett Jones) But Jones’ plea resonated with people — by the thousands — and quickly took off.

What Does the New Office Look Like? Offices were heavily revamped to fit COVID-19 regulations instilled by the Government of India. Those changes were either physical changes made in the infrastructure of office spaces or in the functionality of work spaces. Here are the major changes that occurred on systemic, physical, and disciplinary levels.

SAN MATEO, Calif. - A Bay Area nonprofit said thieves had stolen a bus that carries supplies to cancer patients.The bus has been recovered. But it's damaged, and almost everything inside was stolen."This is our mobile resource center.

A lemon shark swims towards a group of divers during a shark dive off of Jupiter, Florida on February 11, 2022. - Florida Shark Diving takes shark fans and ocean lovers out to see sharks up close, with or without a cage, on a regular basis, helping f ARGENTINA - The remains of a man who had disappeared in southern Argentina appear to have been found inside a shark that was captured by local fishermen.The family of Diego Barría, 32, recognized his remains due to a tattoo that was visible, Daniela Millatruz, the law enforcement officer who was in charge of the search, told local news media. Barría had last been seen near the coast in the southern Chubut province riding his all-terrain vehicle late on Feb.

New figures from the Health Service Executive show the number of deaths from or with Covid-19 in nursing homes, in hospitals linked to outbreaks and in disability residential centres, since the start of the pandemic.

FILE - In this photo illustration, the logo of the food and grocery delivery app Instacart seen displayed on a smartphone screen and on a laptop. (Photo Illustration by Davide Bonaldo/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) A pair of 6-year-old twins almost ordered $800 worth of snacks on a retail app that offers grocery delivery and pickup services.Jessica Aiwuyor shared her experience on Twitter of her twin daughters, Efosa and Esosa, almost purchasing a snack run with a subtotal of $757.57, according to Today."My six-year-old twins almost purchased close to $800 worth of snacks using my Instacart app," the surprised mother tweeted.The twins added a number of food and drink items to their cart including 35 boxes of Capri Sun Fruit Punch—which alone was worth over $300—Smartfood popcorn, and 28 bags of chips, including Lay’s Barbecue, Sour Cream and Doritos.AMAZON SELLING PRODUCTS CONTAINING DONKEY MEAT: LAWSUITThe girl's snack plans were foiled when attempting to navigate through checkout."They almost completed the purchase but couldn’t figure out the last few steps," Aiwuyor continued, writing, "I serve a living God!"AUSTRALIAN TOURIST ON BALI VACATION HAS 'MINI PANIC ATTACK' OVER RESTAURANT BILL: 'VERY COSTLY MISTAKE'The event stirred warm responses from Twitter users that sympathized with the child epicures."The babies went off on the Capri Suns and I understand!!!" wrote one Twitter user.FILE - Instacart logo is seen displayed on a phone screen.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador at the daily morning press conference at the National Palace on Feb. 27, 2023, in Mexico City, Mexico.

WHO) chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan, in an interview with news agency ANI, has said, “There is a risk that the virus will mutate in a way that it can overcome the vaccine induced immunity. " Swaminathan has suggested that continued surveillance should be done to avoid another wave that could potentially kill millions of people like the Covid-19 did during the second wave that was dominated by the Delta variant of the virus.  Earlier in February, the WHO has estimated that 90 percent of the world population now had some resistance to Covid-19, but warned that a troubling new variant could still emerge.

CAPE MAY COUNTY, N.J. - A woman was walking her dog on a beach in Cape May County when she stumbled across an unfortunate discovery.She found a beached dolphin at 50th Street in Avalon on Monday.RELATED COVERAGE: 65-foot whale washes up on New Jersey beachIt is unknown what led the dolphin to wash ashore, or how long it was there before being found.This latest discovery comes as nine whales have been found dead along the coast of New Jersey and New York over the last few months.RELATED COVERAGE: Activists seek answers why so many whales have washed ashore on Jersey beachesActivists blame the animal deaths on survey vessels for potential offshore wind farms in the Atlantic Ocean.

IHOP pancakes are pictured on March 1, 2022, in New York City. (Photo by Bill Tompkins/Getty Images) GLENDALE, Calif. - The final day of February is also National Pancake Day, and IHOP has a deal to celebrate. The breakfast chain is offering a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes – which come with three pancakes – on Tuesday, Feb.

PHILADELPHIA - An investigation is underway after a daycare's vehicle was stolen overnight in Philadelphia's Oxford Circle section.The theft occurred around midnight Tuesday at the Amazing Kidz Academy on the 1200 block of Cheltenham Avenue.Police say the suspect stole the daycare's white Toyota Sienna van.MORE HEADLINES:The suspect is described as being a mam wearing a puffer jacket.Police have not said if the man has any connection to the daycare, or any other details connected to the vehicle theft.Anyone with information is asked to contact police.

Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Sabry is scheduled to make an official visit to India from the 2nd to the 4th of March 2023 to attend the 8 edition of the Raisina Dialogue, India’s premier conference on geopolitics and geo-economics which will be held in New Delhi.The conference is hosted by the Observer Research Foundation in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs of India.The Minister is scheduled to participate in two special panel discussions on the topics “Healing a Divided World” and “Bytes of Promise: How can Technology Lift Communities” which will be held on 03 March 2023 during the above conference.On the sidelines of the conference, the Minister will also meet with his counterparts from several countries for bilateral discussions focusing on new avenues to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation

COLOMBO (News 1st) ; A Bolivian woman was arrested by the officers attached to Narcotics Control Unit at the green channel customs area with 4.6 kg of substance suspicious to be cocaine concealed in cloth and backpack.Sri Lanka Customs said that this substance was soaked in cloth material used for the jackets and cloth bags.The suspected had arrived from Brazil via Dubai by the flight EK 650 operated by Emirates. She is 26 years old and this was her first overseas visit, said Sri Lanka Customs.The street value of the substance, suspected to be cocaine, estimated at Rs.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka's Cabinet of Minister granted approval for the establishment of National Contributory Pension Fund.According to a document released by the Department of Government Information, the Cabinet has recognized that is appropriate to establish a fund named National Contributory Pension Fund to ensure an appropriate environment is created for public sector employees to spend their retired life without being a burden to the country as well as to provide a pension with a certain profit for the retired life of the state sector pensioners. Accordingly, 8% from the basic salary of the employee and 12% from the employer should be credited to the proposed fund when a state employee is recruited in the state service, it added.An independent entity governed by a board of management to manage the proposed contributory pension fund will be established and a fund manager with special skills will be appointed for management of the funds. The proposed national contributory pension scheme will be applicable to the individuals newly recruited  to the government service, said Cabinet Spokesperson Minister Bandula Gunwardena on Tuesday (28).Those recruited to government service after the month of January  2016 can contribute to the proposed national contributory pension scheme as per their consent, said the statement from the Departmnet of Government Information."Since 2000, all public sector appointment letters carry the clause that they would be moved to the National Contributory Pension Scheme in the future. Therefore, this National Contributory Pension Scheme applies to all those who were recruited since 2016.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka's Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Power and Energy to award an opportunity to other parties who are capable of supplying jet A-1 fuel to the country.The Jet A-1 Aviation Fuel is currently supplied by the Sri Lanka Petroleum Corporation. Due to the foreign exchange crisis that the country is currently facing, the operations of Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery, where Jet A-1 fuel is produced, were disrupted and the import of Jet A-1 fuel has also become a challenge for Ceylon Petroleum Corporation.Due to this, the supply of Jet A-1 fuel required for the cargo and passenger flights arriving at the airport was facing a crisis situation, and the focus on alternative measures to supply the required Jet A-1 fuel for those aircraft was considered.It has been accepted that it is appropriate to give the opportunity to supply Jet-A fuel to Sri Lanka under the maximum supply limits to the parties who supply Jet A-1 aviation fuel to the other countries so as not to hinder the supply of fuel produced at Sapugaskanda Refinery of Ceylon Petroleum Corporation. As such, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Power and Energy to give that opportunity to other parties who are capable of supplying jet A-1 fuel to the country.

Eastriggs is to have its customer service centre and library reopened today after being shut-down at the start of the pandemic.

A Regina musician was one of many passengers who were given the alternative to take a bus ride back to Saskatchewan after WestJet cancelled its flight to Regina due to aircraft maintenance.

Sri Lanka's President and Prime Minister issued statements to mark the 75th Independence Day.In his message, President Ranil Wickremesinghe says there is a new economic and social reform agenda before the country with the objectives focusing first on recovery and then on renewed development. The Head of State stated it is imperative for us to unite in its implementation so that we can emerge with a high level of economic prosperity. He pledged to make the extremely difficult though vital decisions to achieve this goal with courage and determination. Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena in his message to mark the 75th Independence Day said "today, we not only celebrate our freedom, but also pay tribute to the ones who fought for it, to the ones who held a vision for our country, and to the ones who sacrificed themselves for the same." The Premier says the bravery, heroic acts as well as untold miseries suffered by our forefathers during their struggle for freedom of the Motherland must not be allowed to fade away from our memories.The Prime Minister adds the government has taken a series of measures to ensure recovery of the economy, and increase agricultural production to attain self-sufficiency and food security. Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa also issued a statement to mark the 75th Independence Day. He stated "despite the fact that Sri Lanka has been independent for 75 years, we have failed to make that independence meaningful on national, social, educational, and religious levels."The Opposition Leader stated being trapped in "narrow chauvinism and communalism" is not the way to experience true freedom.