Sri Lanka Russia Ukraine crisis shock Continental Sri Lanka Russia Ukraine

Sri Lanka among 48 countries designated as Hunger Hotspots

Reading now: 306
www.newsfirst.lk

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka has been categorized as a FAO – WFP Hunger Hotsport or a major food crisis by the UN GRFC.This was revealed in a recent statement by the International Monetary Fund.Sri Lanka is among the 48 countries designated as Hunger Hotspots that are considered as countries highly exposed to fed insecurity.

The other countries include a series of nations in the African Continent. Food insecurity has been rising since 2018. Even before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the increasing frequency and severity of climate shocks, regional conflicts and the pandemic were all taking their toll, disrupting food production and distribution, and driving up the cost of feeding people and families.The situation took an even more dramatic turn with the war in Ukraine.

This pushed the prices of food and fertilizers higher still—hurting importers and prompting several countries to impose export restrictions, like in Sri Lanka.According to the International Monetary Fund, the result is an unprecedented 345 million people whose lives and livelihoods are in immediate danger from acute food insecurity.

And The World Food Program says that around the globe more than 828 million people go to bed hungry every night.The impact of the food shock is felt everywhere.

Read more on newsfirst.lk
The website covid-19.rehab is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.

Related News

Dinesh Gunawardena - PM wants ILO to help setup digital database for labor - newsfirst.lk - Sri Lanka
newsfirst.lk
63%
585
PM wants ILO to help setup digital database for labor
COLOMBO (News 1st) – Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena requested the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to assist the government’s initiative to establish a digital database of the labor workforce in Sri Lanka. He pointed out that the Ministry of Labour has taken steps to establish a comprehensive digitalized database of the workforce and urged the ILO to assist in expediting the process.This was discussed when ILO Country Director Simrin C Singh and Senior Employment Specialist of ILO Headquarters, Sher Verick called on him at the prime Minister’s Office yesterday (13).The Prime Minister briefed them on the impact of the Covid pandemic and economic crisis on the labor workforce and the short-term and long-term steps taken by the government to recover the economy and to help the workers, especially the low-income labor force.Simrin Singh said despite some signs of positive trends, most developing countries including Sri Lanka are faced with difficulties due to the global recession, limited fiscal space, debt sustainability challenges, and rising inflation. She pointed out that these issues have resulted in a labor market crisis.Prime Minister Gunawardena stressed that the government was very keen to make the labor workforce upwardly mobile and explained the multitude of training programs launched for skill development. Increasing the quality and quantity of jobs is the surest way of moving people out of poverty, he said. Employment Specialist Sher Verick said that the founding principles of the ILO are concerned not only with ensuring sources of income, but also as a means for people to live a self-determined life, and for participating fully as citizens in their communities.Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment
Fraud & Corruption push people to the brink of despair - newsfirst.lk - Sri Lanka
newsfirst.lk
50%
201
Fraud & Corruption push people to the brink of despair
COLOMBO (News 1st) – The common people are the left to pay for the damage done to the environment by fraud and corruption.Despite the inclement weather The Gammadda Door-to-Door team in the Galle District visited multiple villages in Akmeemana and Bope Poddala area to inquire into the primary issues faced by the area residents.Our teams visited the villages of Akmeemana, Talgasaya, Kekirihena, Godadenigama, Galvalagodakanda, Bopepoddala, Holuvagoda Mulana to inquire into the problems faced by the people.The crops in the Holuvagoda village were inundated at the time our teams visited the area, and many families in this area earn their living through farming. Another Gammadda Door-to-Door team visited multiple villages in the Anuradhapura District to inquire into the primary issues faced by the villagers.Our teams visited many villages including the Meegaswewa Samagipura village in the Central Nuwaragama divisional secretariat of the Anuradhapura district. Heen Amma is a grandmother who is facing a battle to survive and make ends meet.Her husband who is battling with a cronic kidney disease has been paralysed for the past 9 years. And Heen Amma is a daily wage worker. The Gammadda Team visiting the Mannar district entered several villages in the Nanattan Divisional Secretariat.The villagers in Wangalai depend on the fishing industry.Coastal erosion, substandard salt for dry fish production, and the rising fuel costs have made it difficult for them to survive.,The people in Eruvittan have no proper housing and when it floods their current homes are submerged.The Gammadda Door to Door teams with the researchers from the University of Peradeniya will head out to rural Sri Lankan villages tomorrow as well
Sri Lankan professor gets $179 mn for COVID app - newsfirst.lk - New York - Sri Lanka
newsfirst.lk
91%
827
Sri Lankan professor gets $179 mn for COVID app
COLOMBO (News 1st) – In late September it was reported that a Brisbane-based company that invented a smartphone app it says can diagnose COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses by listening to someone cough was purchased by Pfizer for nearly $180 million.ResApp Health Limited uses diagnostic technology developed by Associate Professor Udantha Abeyratne and his research team at the University of Queensland (UQ) to record and analyse a patient's coughs on a smartphone.The app also considers the self-reporting of simple symptoms like a runny nose or fever to diagnose and measure the severity of a range of pulmonary diseases, including asthma and pneumonia.Dr Abeyratne, from the School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, said the research that led to the breakthrough began more than a decade ago with grant funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.“When I open up my lungs, open up the airway, that is what I call an ‘information super highway’, so I wondered whether it’s possible to use cough sounds, advanced signal processing and AI technology to pick out features,” he said.“From the very beginning, I had a big vision to develop scalable, cheap technologies to diagnose pulmonary diseases all over the world – not only in remote sub-Saharan Africa, but even in developed urban cities like New York and Brisbane.”Dr Abeyratne said the smartphone technology, which was developed in consultation with medical practitioners, operates similarly to a doctor using a stethoscope to listen for sounds produced by a patient’s body.“The diagnosis comes immediately, within a minute or so, telling the patient whether they have a particular disease, using only their smartphone – nothing else – and there’s no need for
Heavy rains for multiple provinces - newsfirst.lk - Sri Lanka - province North-Western
newsfirst.lk
68%
995
Heavy rains for multiple provinces
COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Department of Meteorology warns cloudy sky is expected in most parts of the island due to the low-level atmospheric disturbance in the vicinity of Sri Lanka.Showers or thundershowers will occur at times in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Southern, and North-Western provinces. Heavy showers above 100 mm can be expected at some places in Western, Sabaragamuwa, and Central provinces and Galle and Matara districts.Showers or thundershowers will occur elsewhere over the Island during the afternoon or night. Fairly heavy showers above 75 mm can be expected in some places.The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.Condition of Rain:Showers or thundershowers will occur at several places in the sea areas around the island. Heavy showers may occur at several places in the deep and shallow sea areas extending from Puttalam to Pottuvil via Colombo, Galle, and Hambantota.Winds:Winds will be south-westerly and wind speed will be (25-35) kmph. A sudden increase of wind speed (up to 60-70 kmph) is expected in the sea areas extending from Puttalam to Pottuvil via Colombo, Galle, and Hambantota due to active cloudiness in the sea area to the south-west and south-east of Sri Lanka.State of Sea:The sea areas off the coast extending from Puttalam to Pottuvil via Colombo, Galle, and Hambantota will be fairly rough at times.The possibility for sudden roughness, associated with a sudden increase in wind speed due to active cloudiness in the sea area from Puttalam to Pottuvil via Colombo, Galle, and Hambantota is high.Naval and fishing communities are requested to be vigilant in this regard in the
Ringo Starr - Sir Ringo Starr, 82, CANCELS tour after testing positive for COVID-19 AGAIN - dailymail.co.uk - Los Angeles - state California - Canada - city Seattle - city Portland - city San Jose, state California - city Mexico City
dailymail.co.uk
75%
699
Sir Ringo Starr, 82, CANCELS tour after testing positive for COVID-19 AGAIN
Sir Ringo Starr has cancelled his tour after testing positive for COVID-19 again - just three days after revealing he had tested negative and was getting back on the road.The Beatles icon, 82, took to Twitter on Thursday to share a selfie, captioned: 'I’m sure you’ll be as surprised as I was I tested positive again for Covid the rest of the tour is off I send you peace and love Ringo.'The announcement comes just three days after the singer revealed he had restarted his tour after testing negative for COVID-19 -  after being forced to cancel gigs when he contracted the virus.The positive test means the hitmaker will pull out of shows in San Jose, California on October 14, Paso Robles on October 15, Los Angeles on October 16, and two dates in Mexico City on October 19 and 20. Shock: Sir Ringo Starr has cancelled his tour after testing positive for COVID-19 again - just three days after revealing he had tested negative and was getting back on the roadThis comes days after the musician took to Instagram wearing his negative test as a badge of honour, while thanking fans for their patience.  He threw one hand up in a peace sign while using the other to open his jacket and expose the home testing kit he was wearing round his neck. Sir Ringo captioned the snap: 'On the road again I will see you in Seattle on Tuesday the 11th Portland Wednesday I am negative peace and love everybody thanks for waiting.
15 people arrested for illegal fishing - newsfirst.lk - Sri Lanka
newsfirst.lk
52%
162
15 people arrested for illegal fishing
COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Navy apprehended 15 persons who engaged in illegal night diving and illegal fishing practices on the 11th and 13th of October 2022. These separate search operations were conducted off Point Pedro, Ampan, and Chundikulam, where the Navy also took hold of fishing and diving gear used for these illegal acts.Sri Lanka Navy conducts regular operations to prevent illegal fishing practices performed by a handful of people in coastal areas around the island. As an extension of these efforts, Naval Detachment Point Pedro of SLNS Uththara in the Northern Naval Command held 03 persons engaged in illegal diving activities. The search operation was carried out off Point Pedro, Jaffna in the wee hours of today (13th October), where 02 dinghies and diving equipment used by the suspects were also held.Meanwhile, SLN Marine personnel of Naval Deployment Vettalakeni in the Northern Naval Command also nabbed 06 persons with 02 dinghies and diving equipment, while they were engaging in night diving in Ampan sea area on the night of 11th October. In addition, that Marine personnel also held 06 individuals with 01 dinghies and an unauthorized fishing net, whilst fishing in the Chundikulam sea area using the unauthorized net, on the same day.The apprehended persons of these separate operations were identified as residents of the Jaffna, Manalkadu, Mannar, and Mullivaikkal areas, who are from 23 to 43 years of age. The persons and their belongings held by the Navy on 11th October were handed over to the Thalayadi Fisheries Inspector in Jaffna for onward action. Meanwhile, those individuals held with their equipment today (13th October) will be handed over to the Fisheries Inspector, Jaffna for onward legal
Sanath Nishantha - ‘Be on time’ – Court gives Sanath Nishantha a strong warning - newsfirst.lk - Sri Lanka
newsfirst.lk
37%
572
‘Be on time’ – Court gives Sanath Nishantha a strong warning
 COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lankan State Minister Sanath Nishantha was given a strong warning by the country's Court of Appeal on Thursday (13).On Thursday (13) morning, the Court of Appeal ordered the IGP to immediately arrest State Minister Sanath Nishantha and produce him in court as he failed to appear in court as ordered.However, moment later the State Minister appeared in court, and the warrant for his arrest was recalled by the Court of Appeal.Justices of the Court of Appeal Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne, and Ratnapriya Gurusinghe strongly warned the State Minister noting that insulting the judiciary, and challenging the powers of the judges is a serious offense, and stressed that the State Minister as a Public Representative and Member of Parliament must bear that in mind at all times. Justice Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne inquired from the State Minister as to whether he was aware of the consequences faced by those who had previously committed contempt of court, and considering the fact that the State Minister appeared in court moment after the warrant was issued, decided to recall the warrant.Justice Karunaratne strong warned the State Minister to ensure that he appears in court on time, and postponed the matter to the 10th of November.He also pointed out to the State Minister that the Judicial Services Commission, of which all of Sri Lanka's Magistrate's and District Judges hold membership, had filed a complaint seeking proper punishment on the State Minister as his comments during a media briefing on the 23rd of August 2022 at the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna after very serious.Earlier in the day, Counsel Shantha Jayawardena requested court for the case to be postponed to another date, as his client, the
Pandemic alone increased Sri Lanka’s poverty by 27%, reveals CRI Index - newsfirst.lk - India - Sri Lanka - Nepal - Pakistan - Bhutan - Afghanistan - Nigeria - Yemen - Uganda - South Sudan - Timor-Leste
newsfirst.lk
63%
406
Pandemic alone increased Sri Lanka’s poverty by 27%, reveals CRI Index
COLOMBO (News 1st) – The 2022 Commitment to Reducing Inequality (CRI) Index, a report released by OXFAM highlights that the pandemic alone has increased Sri Lanka's poverty by 27%.The report, which is the first detailed analysis looking at Governments' policies and actions to fight inequality during the first two years of the pandemic, presents an analysis of spending, tax and labour policies and actions of 161 governments during 2020–2022.In comparison with neighbouring countries, Sri Lanka has placed 111th in the report, while other countries include Nepal (112th), Bhutan (116th), India (123rd), Pakistan (126th), and Afghanistan (138th) out of the total 161.Two years ago, Sri Lanka ranked in 94th position among 158 countries in the 2020 Commitment to Reducing Inequality (CRI) Index, and in comparison with this year, has gone down 17 places.The report highlights that Sri Lanka is the sixth lowest public services spender out of 161 countries and has been cutting the already low health and education budget shares by one-fifth each since 2019, due to a growing debt crisis which is absorbing 60% of the country's budget.The other countries that have ranked as low as Sri Lanka in public spending includes South Sudan, Timor Leste, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Uganda, Nepal and Yemen.
Ranil Wickremesinghe - Using children as shields in demonstrations is a serious offence – President - newsfirst.lk - India - Sri Lanka
newsfirst.lk
58%
769
Using children as shields in demonstrations is a serious offence – President
COLOMBO (News 1st) – President Ranil Wickremesinghe pointed out that using children as shields in demonstrations is a serious offence according to the law of the country and advised the Sri Lanka Police to take immediate measures to prevent the perpetuation of such conduct.President Wickremesinghe issued these instructions during the special discussion held at the Presidential Secretariat on Tuesday (12) on the protection of children’s rights.Highlighting sub-section 13 of Article 27 of the Constitution, “The State shall promote with special care the interests of children and youth, to ensure their full development, physical, mental, moral, religious and social, and to protect them from exploitation and discrimination,” the President emphasized that protecting children is the prime responsibility of a government.Steps were also taken to assign the responsibilities of child protection to the Sri Lanka Police and related government institutions.The President upheld the need for an Act to protect children’s rights to prevent them from being used for sexual activities and protect their fundamental rights. He also advised the officials to discuss this issue with the Attorney General to take necessary steps in this regard.The President drew attention to the detention of the children, who were among the people who were arrested for illegally migrating to India, and therefore separated from their parents. He said that this situation needs to be rectified immediately and arrangements made to return the children to their parents.The President also requested special attention to be paid to the education of children in orphanages and the protection of their rights and advised the officials to submit a report on those with special
DMCA