SLFP tells President to appoint caretaker government

COLOMBO (News 1st); TNA Parliamentarian M. A.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Ministry of Education announced that the 3rd school term 2021 for Government schools and Government approved private schools will end on Wednesday (6).The Secretary to the Ministry of Education said the 2022 school year begins on the 18th of April 2022.

LAKE MARY, Fla. - A Florida middle school teacher was arrested, accused of playing loud music with the intent to disrupt Florida Standards Assessments (FSA) testing being conducted at the school. Port Orange police officers were called to Creekside Middle School for a disturbance just after noon on Tuesday.Officers said Martin Reese, a teacher at the school, refused to turn off the music and caused a disturbance when being escorted to the principal’s office. This caused the school to go into lock down until the situation was resolved. "They couldn’t leave their class or anything like that," said Aubrey Markovitz.Markovitz said her daughter was already stressed about taking the test. "They’re trying to get through it, so to have a disruption while they’re stressed and trying to get through their testing, she was a little irritated.

KYIV, Ukraine - Western governments prepared Wednesday to toughen sanctions against Russia and send more weapons to Ukraine, after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pointedly accused the world of failing to end Moscow’s invasion of his country and what he said was a campaign of murders, rapes and wanton destruction by Russian forces.In scarred and silent streets of ruined towns around Ukraine’s capital, investigators collected evidence documenting what appeared to be widespread killings of civilians. Specialists cleared mines from devastated towns near Kyiv that Russian troops have left, as Moscow regrouped its forces for a new assault on Ukraine’s east and south at the end of the war's sixth week.In Andriivka, a small village about 60 kilometers (40 miles) west of the capital, two police officers from the nearby town of Makariv came to identify a dead man, whose body was left in a field, next to tracks of a Russian tank left in the area.Capt.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka’s Chief Government Whip Johnston Fernando told Parliament that the President will NOT resign.He made this comment while speaking in Parliament on Wednesday (6)

COLOMBO (News 1st); The UN human rights office (OHCHR) on Tuesday (5) urged authorities in Sri Lanka to defuse tensions peacefully, after a state of emergency was declared in response to protests over the country’s deepening economic crisis.OHCHR said that the situation has worsened and that there have been shortages of food and fuel, along with power cuts, prompting new protests by desperate Sri Lankans.Following the state of emergency and other restrictions, Liz Throssell, Spokesperson for OHCHR said her office was “concerned that such measures are aimed at preventing or discouraging people from legitimately expressing their grievances through peaceful protests, and that they frustrate the exchange of views on matters of public interest”.Deteriorating situationPublic frustration has been rising in recent months with largely peaceful demonstrations taking place across the country.However, amid sudden shortages in fuel, cooking gas and essential food items; worsening inflation, currency devaluation and rolling power cuts over the past two weeks, the situation has worsened.“This led to further protests by Sri Lankans left desperate by the rising cost of living and difficulties to obtain basic items,” Ms.

WARNING: This video contains disturbing content. Viewer discretion is advised.

WARNING: This video contains disturbing content. Viewer discretion is advised.

Adm. Linda Fagan, the vice commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, in an official portrait.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw of “controlling the narrative” around COVID-19 in court on Tuesday.Hinshaw took the stand at a civil trial on Monday, maintaining that public health restrictions were necessary to protect the province’s health-care system during the COVID-19 pandemic.Several churches and individuals in Alberta filed a constitutional challenge against the province in December 2020, accusing the government of violating Albertans’ rights by imposing public health orders and restrictions at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Ivanka Trump, former President Donald Trump's daughter and one of those closest to him during the insurrection at the Capitol, is testifying before the House panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack.Mississippi Rep.

COLOMBO (News 1st):  Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has revoked the proclamation on Public Emergency with effect from midnight on 5th April 2022.

COVID-19.The province’s interim health director made the announcement Tuesday, following a meeting between government and health officials the previous evening.“It’s not over yet and we have to rest vigilant,” Dr. Luc Boileau said, referring to the health crisis.

COVID-19 mandates still in place.Guelph Eramosa Township Coun. Corey Woods, who is unvaccinated and tested positive for the virus last Thursday, accused the federal and provincial governments of fear-mongering and said society is villainizing people who choose not to get the required shots.

Thousands of businesses across Greater Manchester can claim business rate relief from the council, but the deadline is fast approaching. The funding, offering financial help with business rates for companies across Greater Manchester is part of the £1.5 billion government package to support businesses affected by Covid.

BUCHA, KYIV PROVINCE, UKRAINE, APRIL 04: Tanya Nedashkivska, 57, grieves next to the tomb of her husband buried on the backyard of her house in Bucha, Ukraine, April 4th, 2022. Tanya alleges her husband was tortured and executed by Russian soldiers i BUCHA, Ukraine - Ukraine's president planned to address the U.N.'s most powerful body on Tuesday after even more grisly evidence emerged of civilian massacres in areas that Russian forces recently left.

COLOMBO (News 1st); JVP MP Vijith Herath on Tuesday (5) filed a petition in Parliament.The petition notes that Avant-Garde Chairman Nissanka Senadhipathi, who looted public funds, had fled the country at 3:30 AM on Tuesday (5).Vijitha Herath called on the Parliament to take the necessary measures to seek INTERPOL assistance to arrest Senadhipathi.He further called on Parliament to even shut down the airport in order to prevent people who looted public funds from fleeing the country and thereafter produce them in court for legal action.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa abruptly left the Party Leaders meeting in Parliament on Tuesday (5).Speaking exclusively to News 1st, Rajapaksa said the President and Prime Minister has invited anyone from other political parties to step forward.Commending on the decision taken by some MPs to remain independent, he said that the SLPP is an independent party.

WASHINGTON - The last time President Barack Obama was in the White House was on Jan. 20, 2017, when he left to escort his successor — bent on overturning "Obamacare" — to the Capitol to be inaugurated.Obama returns to the White House on Tuesday for a moment he can savor.

COLOMBO (News 1st); It is time to abolish the Executive Presidency, says the Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa. Making a statement at the Parliament today (05), the Opposition Leader said that although many are calling for the abolishment of the 20th amendment, however time has arrived to amend the Executive Presidency.He further stated that although the Executive Presidency may be abolished, an Executive Prime Minister who is able to do things according to his wishes is also unnecessary. Emphasizing that there should be a checks and balances system, the Opposition Leader said that a large amount of executive power should not be centralized on any person. Citing an incident which took place at the Parliament mere moments earlier, the Opposition Leader stated that with such acts, Premadasa said that such methods of bribery were used to gain allegiance with the 20th Amendment at Parliament. Therefore, he added, the entire Government, starting from the President, must resign.Proposal to abolish Executive Presidency must be brought to Parliament this week.Will not accept any ministerial position, and power will ONLY be obtained with the blessings of the people.– #Opposition Leader #Sajith Premadasa#lka #SriLanka #SLnews #News1st #Parliament— Newsfirst.lk Sri Lanka (@NewsfirstSL) April 5, 2022There should be no voice in Parliament, apart from the voice heard from the streets.The people want a change in government, the Parliament must understand it.– #Opposition Leader #Sajith Premadasa#lka #SriLanka #SLnews #News1st #Parliament— Newsfirst.lk Sri Lanka (@NewsfirstSL) April 5, 2022

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka’s newly appointed Finance Minister Ali Sabry, PC has resigned from his portfolio 24 hours after taking oaths in the presence of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.Earlier, he was the country’s Justice Minister.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Parliamentarian Kumara Welgama said that Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa should be held responsible for the crisis in the country.Speaking in Parliament, the MP said he was the first person to oppose the decision to bring in Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the presidential candidate.“When his named was proposed, I opposed it,” he said adding that he suggested for seniority in the party to be considered for the post of Presidential Candidate.“However, Mahinda Rajapaksa did not listen to it and wanted to appoint a family member, and therefore Gotabaya Rajapaksa was selected. He made the wrong decision.

COLOMBO (News 1st): Former Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, who is also the Chairperson of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party announced that all SLFP MPs will remain independent in Parliament.He said the MPs will NO longer represent the government.Further, Former President Maithripala Sirisena called for the 20th Amendment to the Constitution to be abolished and the 19th Amendment to the Constitution to be enforced with amendments.

COLOMBO (News 1st); TNA Member of Parliament M. A Sumanthiran commenting on the Proclamation of Emergency, noted that such notification must be placed in Parliament and approved/disapproved at the earliest possible opportunity.Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday (5) he informed the government to place the said notification in Parliament on Wednesday (6) for Parliament to decide whether Parliament will approve it or not.“Otherwise they are misusing the powers by allowing it to remain for 14 days, and then lapse,” he told the house, adding that anything done within those 14 days would be deemed legal, and that is an abuse of the process, the public security ordinance, and the provisions of the constitution.“As the constitution has mandated, even now, we can suspend the standing orders and place the proclamation of emergency for a vote in this Parliament now,” said the MP.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka’s Highways Minister Johnston Fernando says that the 6.9 million people who voted for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa have given him a mandate, and therefore there is no requirement for the President resing.President Gotabaya Rajapaksa still has the support of the 6.9 million people of Sri Lanka, said Johnston Fernando said today.Minister Johnston Fernando said an election should be held to prove that the President still holds the public’s support.The Minister further said that the public protests underway are minor protests, adding that, however, he accepts that the people are facing a crisis.He believes that the protests are spearheaded by some from the opposition

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka’s Deputy Parliament Speaker Ranjith Siyambalapitiya has stepped down.In a letter to the President, Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said he decided to resign from the position following a decision made by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party Parliamentary Group to remain independent.The SLFP, a party that forms the ruling coalition, quit the government on Monday (4).

BRISTOL, Pa. - A Bucks County youth football team said it's being pushed off its practice field, but borough officials argue that safety concerns have raised questions about its safety.Bristol Borough Wildcats Athletic Association President Christopher Chapman claims he's been told they can no longer use the fields behind Bristol High School, a field that Chapman and other parents have paid to maintain. "For six years we spent our own money and just seeded it. Threw it everywhere.

Global’s Keith Baldrey has more on Premier John Horgan announcing he’s tested positive for COVID-19, and a preview of what the province is expected to announce about COVID restrictions on Tuesday.

BERLIN - Temperatures on Earth will shoot past a key danger point unless greenhouse gas emissions fall faster than countries have committed, the world’s top body of climate scientists said Monday, warning of the consequences of inaction but also noting hopeful signs of progress.U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change revealed "a litany of broken climate promises" by governments and corporations, accusing them of stoking global warming by clinging to harmful fossil fuels."It is a file of shame, cataloguing the empty pledges that put us firmly on track toward an unlivable world," he said.Governments agreed in the 2015 Paris accord to keep global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) this century, ideally no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit).

WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee deadlocked, 11-11, Monday on whether to send Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Supreme Court nomination to the Senate floor. But President Joe Biden’s nominee is still on track to be confirmed this week as the first Black woman on the high court. The committee’s tie vote was expected, as there is an even party split on the panel and all of the Republicans are opposing Jackson's nomination to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer.

U.S.

Free Covid testing for most people in the UK ended this month as part of the government's plans to live with the virus. In England, lateral flow tests (LFTs) are no longer available for free, unless you are a patient in hospital, at high risk of getting seriously ill from coronavirus and eligible for Covid-19 treatments, or you work in an NHS or social care setting.

Ukraine, including evidence of bound bodies shot at close range and a mass grave found in areas retaken from Russian troops, as fighting raged on in the country’s south and east.Taras Shapravskyi, deputy mayor of Bucha, a town around 40 kilometres northwest of Kyiv city, said 50 of some 300 bodies found after Kremlin forces withdrew late last week were the victims of extra-judicial killings carried out by Russian troops. Ukraine demands new sanctions on Russia over ‘massacre’ in Bucha Ukrainian authorities said they were investigating possible war crimes there, a description also used by French President Emmanuel Macron.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The 14 SLFP MPs who represented the government have decided to quit the government and will remain independent in parliament.This was confirmed to News 1s by MP Duminda Dissanayake.

The people’s power can no longer be contained by the chains of corruption(COLOMBO); Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) strongly condemns the attempts of the President and the administration to stifle the constitutionally enshrined freedoms of expression and lawful assembly of the citizens through the use of emergency regulations, curfew and social media blackouts.TISL said that as an independent local organization that has been working in Sri Lanka for the past two decades with the mission to fight corruption, it stands in solidarity with the people across the country who are mobilizing independently against the corrupt in a non-violent manner.TISL notes that the current situation in the country has been caused by decades of misuse and mismanagement of public resources on a large scale, systemic corruption coupled with kleptocracy, and an overall lack of transparency and accountability in both governance as well as in the public service sector.The people have now delivered their message loud and clear. The dormant voices of the people of this country have joined in unison to create a powerful shockwave that might have taken most of those in power by surprise.Sri Lankans should be vigilant at this point as chaos at the highest levels affords the opportunity for political maneuvering and for those with ulterior motives to rise to power.

WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday planned to vote on whether to advance Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Supreme Court nomination to the full Senate.Jackson would be the first Black woman on the high court in its more than 200-year history, and the sixth woman. After clearing the Senate panel, Democrats will then wind the nomination through the 50-50 Senate — with a final vote in sight for President Joe Biden's pick to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer.Jackson previously faced more than 30 hours of hearings and interrogation over her record last month.

KYIV, Ukraine - Russia faced a fresh wave of condemnation on Monday after evidence emerged of what appeared to be deliberate killings of civilians in Ukraine. Some Western leaders called for further sanctions in response to the alleged atrocities, even as Moscow continued to press its offensive in the country's east.Germany's defense minister suggested the European Union discuss a ban on Russian gas imports, but more senior officials indicated an immediate boycott was not possible — a sign that leaders could struggle in the short-term to ramp up already severe sanctions on Russia.Ukrainian officials said bodies of 410 civilians were found in towns around the capital, Kyiv, that were recaptured from Russian forces in recent days.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lankan authorities fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse a protest that took place close to the Carlton House in Tangalle.A large crowd gathered at the road leading to Carlton House in Tangalle on Monday (4) morning to protest against the government.Carlton House is considered the private residence of the Rajapaksa Family.The protestors were demanding the government resign and also against the mismanagement of the economy.

Lateral Flow Tests are a quick and easy way to check if you have been infected with coronavirus.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka’s Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal had tendered in his resignation to the President on Monday (4)In a tweet he said, he decided to resign following the resignation of all the Cabinet Ministers on Sunday (3).සියලු ඇමතිවරු ඉල්ලා අස්වීම් ලිපි බාරදී ඇති මේ අවස්ථාවේදී, මා සේවය කළ ශ්‍රී ලංකා මහ බැංකු අධිපති තනතුරෙන් ඉල්ලා අස්වීමේ ලිපිය මා විසින් අතිගරු ජනාධිපතිතුමාට යොමුකොට ඇත.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Protests have erupted across Sri Lanka since the weekend against the government’s failure to properly manage the economy and over the shortage of essentials.These protestors have been demanding that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa leave and that his government also resign.On Monday (4), Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had offered to award ministerial positions to all political parties, urging them to come together to solve the crisis that has plagued the nation.His offer came a day after one of his former ministers, Wimal Weerawansa, proposed to form an all-party interim government to solve the crisis.On Sunday (3), one of the main political parties in the ruling coalition, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party warned that if a caretaker government is not appointed, all SLFP MPs would resign from their posts and remain independent in Parliament.However, late Sunday (3) night, Sri Lanka’s cabinet ministers resigned en masse after protests over the government’s handling of the worst economic crisis in decades.Massive nationwide protests were planned via social media with ZERO political affiliation or support, and the government on Saturday (2) imposed a social media blackout that was lifted on Sunday (3) evening.However, the Public Emergency proclamation made by the President is still in effect.President Gotabaya Rajapaksa even issued an extraordinary gazette declaring that no person shall be on any public road, railway, public park, public recreation ground, or other public ground or the seashore in such areas, during the period of the curfew.However, protestors defied the curfew and took the streets on Sunday (3) to voice their anger and frustrations.Sunday (3) saw massive protests in several parts of the

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka has appointed a new Cabinet of Ministers following the resignation of the Cabinet of Ministers on Sunday (3) night.Minister of External Affairs : Professor G. L.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka has appointed a new Cabinet of Ministers following the resignation of the Cabinet of Ministers on Sunday (3) night.Minister of External Affairs : Professor G. L.

COLOMBO (News 1st); President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has invited all political parties to join forces to find solutions to the current national crisis.In a statement, the President’s Media Division said that the present crisis has arisen due to economic and global concerns, and it is paramount to search for solutions within the democratic process of the country.The statement said that the President had invited all political parties to accept ministerial portfolios and work together to solve the national crisis.

wrote that it took her a while to get her thoughts together before sharing. "I love #WillSmith very much. @chrisrock didn’t deserve to be hit. Period," she wrote. "My heart aches for what has happened.

As his troops face stiff resistance in Ukraine, new intelligence suggests Russian President Vladimir Putin is being misinformed about the invasion, because his advisers are scared to tell him the truth.

An Afghan farmer cuts into a poppy bulb to extract the sap, which will be used to make opium, in a field May 6, 2002 in the village of Markhanai in the Tora Bora region of Afghanistan. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban announced a ban Sunday on poppy production, even as farmers across the country began harvesting the bright red flower that produces the opium used to make heroin.The order warns farmers that their crops will be burned and they can be jailed if they proceed with the harvest.

Vladimir Putin bathes in antler blood because he believes it has health benefits including boosting male potency, reports claim.The Russian president has been a fan of the procedure since the mid-2000s and isn’t the only Kremlin official to enjoy the bizarre ritual.Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin is also said to soak in the rare liquid, which is extracted by painfully hacking off a deer's horns.Defence minister Sergei Shoigu introduced the alternative treatment to Putin who washed in a “bathtub containing an odorant extract from blood-filled deer antlers”.Although there is no evidence for the health benefits, the blood’s alleged impacts also include age reversal, bone and muscle strengthening, and even improvements to eyesight and hearing. It has been a tradition for hundreds of years in Russia and there is also evidence of it taking place in China and Korea.