Sri Lanka respects international laws, says G.L. at UNHRC

A high school has closed to two full year groups for the second time this term because of positive Covid cases among staff. We reported last week how pupils in Years 8 and 9 at Fred Longworth High School, in Tyldesley, Wigan, were told to 'remain at home with immediate effect'.

Kate Garraway, 54, has reportedly taken the decision to shut down husband Derek Draper’s firm, Astra Aspera Ltd.

Andrews Air Quality, which commissioned the research, said: “There are no doubt some majorly varying workplaces across the country when it comes to health and safety.

Covid situation, and the preparedness of the government to deal with the pandemic, the NDMA has taken decisions that won't be any further need to invoke the provision of the Disaster Management Act for Covid containment measures.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Chairman of the Ceylon Electricity Board M.M.C. Ferdinando has said that Sri Lanka is forced to suspend the supply of electricity as the CEB cannot meet the demand.“We cannot generate over 300 MW of power from hydropower plants, and we need 800 MW of power from 6:30 PM to 10 PM daily from hydropower plants, and we cannot generate that requirement.

Kate Garraway has reportedly shut down her husband Derek Draper’s psychotherapy firm following his difficult battle with Covid-19.Derek, Kate’s husband of 17 years, suffered organ damage after he contracted the virus and now requires round-the-clock care.The company, Astra Aspera Ltd, reportedly owes £184,000 — including £125,000 in taxes and a liquidator was said to be appointed on Tuesday to break up the firm’s assets.A source told the Daily Mail: ‘It’s terribly sad, but Derek can’t work and has no prospect of being able to do so in the near future, so Kate thought it best to close it down.’Kate, 54, was also appointed director of the company last year following Derek’s Covid battle.Derek, 54, set up the company in 2011 after becoming a psychotherapist following his career as a political advisor.The dad-of-two spent a year in hospital with Covid, with Kate being open about how their lives have changed since.She recently released her second documentary, Caring For Derek, which gave a candid insight into the family.Kate admitted she ‘thought long and hard’ about letting cameras inside her household again, as she ‘wanted it to offer more’ than just sharing what her family has been through.The presenter ‘wanted to also shine a light on issues’ that affect others, and prayed it would ‘give hope to everyone who is battling on with whatever life has thrown at you.’She has since been celebrated by charities for raising awareness for carers, as Derek suffers long-lasting damage after contracting Covid in March 2020.The presenter is part of the gruelling care schedule for Derek, which includes her waking up every two hours each night to help the carer move him in bed.Good Morning Britain’s Laura Tobin oversleeps and misses

new coronavirus infections reported in a day, India's infection tally rose to 4,30,24,440, while the active cases dipped to 14,307, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated today.

DDMA lifted all Covid restrictions in the wake of significant improvement in the Covid situation in the city. However, wearing of masks in public places, including buses and metro trains continued.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif. - Firefighters with the U.S. Forest Service and Orange County Fire Authority are continuing to knock down a 530-acre blaze that sparked in the morning of March 2 in the Cleveland National Forest in the Holy Jim trail area near Corona.As of Wednesday, March 30, the fire has been 100% contained.The blaze was reported at 11:20 a.m.

Will Smith was asked to leave to Sunday’s Oscar ceremony after hitting Chris Rock but refused to do so.The academy’s board of governors met Wednesday to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Smith for violations against the group’s standards of conduct. The academy said disciplinary action for Smith could include suspension, expulsion or other sanctions. Ticket sales spike for Chris Rock after Will Smith slap during Oscars Many have focused on why Smith was allowed to remain seated front row at the Academy Awards after the incident.

interest rates coupled with new provincial taxes on non-resident buyers could send home prices down more than 10 per cent, according to an analyst with the Bank of Montreal.BMO senior economist Robert Kavcic wrote in a note to clients Wednesday morning that “there is now a full-scale attack on Canadian home prices across various levels of policy.”He cited marked expectations of surging interest rates in the months ahead and new or higher taxes on real estate speculators and non-resident buyers in some provinces as the biggest factors that could see home prices take a hit in the year ahead.Reuters reported this week that money markets are betting the Bank of Canada could raise its overnight rate target by up to 225 basis points before the end of 2022. Such a hike could see the key rate rapidly rise from its current 0.5 per cent level to 2.75 per cent over the next nine months.To do so, the central bank might take the rare step of raising interest rates by half a percentage point at its next meeting on April 13.

Shining a spotlight on two New Brunswick women assisting those displaced in Ukraine. Plus, continuing the conversation around alopecia awareness in the wake of the Oscars.

A Vancouver cyclist injured in a collision with a vehicle was shocked to receive a bill for thousands of dollars from ICBC. As Kristen Robinson reports, he’s being charged to repair the car that hit him.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Ministry of Technology said that telecommunication signal issues have arisen in some areas due to continuous power cuts for several hours.Secretary to the Ministry of Technology, Jayantha de Silva said that this situation had arisen due to the NON-availability of Diesel for the generators during power outages at the signal towers.As a result, the signal towers are inactive and several issues have arisen, including access to internet services in their respective coverage areas.The Secretary further said that a program has been initiated to supply diesel to every signal tower.He said that special software has been prepared for the relevant process.

Covid-19 cases, India on Thursday recorded 1,225 new cases in the last 24 hours, according to Union Health Ministry data. Additionally, India's Covid-19 deaths witnessed a steep decline in cases with 28 deaths recorded in the last 24 hours, the updated data revealed. The active caseload on Thursday stood at 14,307, as per Health Ministry data.

PHILADELPHIA - Three people were injured during a fire Thursday night at a property in Southwest Philadelphia, according to officials. Firefighters were called to a three-story home on the 1100 block of South 52nd Street just before 5 p.m. and found a heavy fire on the first floor.The fire struck a second alarm shortly after firefighters responded, according to the Philadelphia Fire Department. The department tweeted around 5:30 p.m.

SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA - MARCH 30: Kellyn Acosta #23 of the United States during a FIFA World Cup qualifier game between Costa Rica and USMNT at Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica on March 30, 2022 in San Jose, Costa Rica. (Photo by Brad Smith/ISI Photos/G SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) - The United States men are returning to the World Cup after the trauma of missing the 2018 tournament, clinching a berth for this year’s championship in Qatar on Wednesday despite a 2-0 loss to Costa Rica on the final night of qualifying.Juan Pablo Vargas got behind Walker Zimmerman and headed Brandon Aguilera’s corner kick past goalkeeper Zack Steffen in the 51st minute, and Anthony Contreras knocked in a cross off a scramble in the 59th after Steffen couldn’t hold onto a free kick.A sellout crowd of about 35,000 in National Stadium came to life, but the Americans’ 5-1 rout of Panama at home last weekend gave them a huge goal-difference margin over Costa Rica.

PHILADELPHIA - There's a picture hanging in the Church of the Crucifixion on Bainbridge Street in South Philadelphia that stands out from the rest. It’s that of Reverend Jessie Alejandro. "They call me Mother Jessie, and I am the vicar of the Church of the Crucifixion," Alejandro said.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has unveiled his latest blueprint to get greener. From the carbon tax to zero-emission vehicles, Abigail Bimman breaks down what’s in the 271-page climate plan, how Ottawa hopes to pull it off, and the concerns over the multi-billion dollar timeline.

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Will Smith slapped his face at the Oscars Sunday night."How was your weekend?" Rock asked the sold-out crowd at the Wilbur, a theater of 1,200 seats in South Boston. "I had a whole list of jokes before this week happened."Since the shocking incident at the Oscars, sales for "Chris Rock Ego Death World Tour 2022" have skyrocketed, soaring to over $1000 per ticket.

TRENTON - New Jersey has issued a statewide recall of a specific brand of school cafeteria milk after officials said it contained sanitizer that sickened several students when they unknowingly drank it. The New Jersey Department of Health’s Public Health on Wednesday instructed public schools to remove Guida's 1% Lowfat Milk from circulation in its cafeterias. Officials said at least 25 children have been hospitalized due to the presence of peroxyacetic sanitizer in milk with the date code 09-183 Apr 11 B2. The health department fears that other batches of milk could also be tainted. The statewide recall comes after emergency teams were called to the Early Childhood Development Center in Camden Wednesday after sanitizer was discovered in milk cartons, according to the school district. According to tweets released by Camden Schools, it was determined that some of the cartons contained a "non-toxic consumable sanitizer that runs through the vendor machines prior to milk." The Camden County Health Department said first responders were also called to Riletta Twyne Cream Childhood Development Center where five children were sent to Cooper Medical Center and discharged in the afternoon.

Oil pumpjacks stands in the Inglewood Oil Field on Nov. 23, 2021 in Los Angeles, California.

TAMPA, Fla. - Bruce Arians told his coaching staff and players that he is stepping aside as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach. To take his place, the Bucs promoted Defensive Coordinator Todd Bowles to head coach.Arians will be stepping into a new role as the team's Senior Football Consultant, according to team officials. He said the decision is not prompted by health issues and has been working with the Glazer Family and General Manager Jason Licht on a potential succession plan.  "I have spent most of the last 50 years of my life on the sidelines as a football coach in one form or another.

PHILADELPHIA - A Philadelphia police officer is expected to be OK after authorities said she was hit by a suspected drunk driver who was later arrested Wednesday night.Chief Inspector Scott Small told reporters that two officers were walking back to their car during a traffic stop on the 6700 block of Torresdale Avenue when the officer on the driver's side was struck by a black Chevy that crossed over the double yellow lines. Small said the female officer was launched 10 feet and landed on the northbound side of the road. She was taken by ambulance to Jefferson Hospital with head injuries and bruises, but is in stable condition.Witnesses told police the driver sped away from the collision and drove through several red lights.

With the BA.2 Omicron subvariant now the dominant strain in the U.S., there are concerns of another COVID-19 surge this spring. Jackson Proskow looks at the push to get Americans to take a fourth dose of the vaccine.

Data and doctors now indicate a sixth wave of COVID-19 in Alberta is likely on its way. But what impact could an increase in cases have on our hospitals this time? Morgan Black reports.

FILE - Scientists with NASA’s New Horizons mission have assembled this highest-resolution color view of one of two potential cryovolcanoes spotted on the surface of Pluto by the New Horizons spacecraft in July 2015. Slushies anyone? After years of research, scientists now hypothesize that giant dome-like formations that were first photographed by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft in 2015 were recently active icy volcanoes, also known as cryovolcanoes. Scientists guessed these cryovolcanoes expelled "slushy" ice water as opposed to molten lava. These formations could indicate that the interior of the giant space rock was warmer than previously thought, according to a study published in the journal Nature Communications on March 29. Researchers believe there may be an insulating layer under Pluto’s surface, kind of like the insulation in a coffee mug that keeps the liquid hot - the same principle applies to Pluto. This built-up heat within Pluto could be how these icy volcanoes produced viscous material and spewed out icy water or slush, Kelsi Singer, senior research scientist at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado and lead author of the study, told FOX TV Stations. This recent theory allows scientists to view Pluto as a far more reactive space body than previously believed. "This area is by far the most numerous and the largest icy volcanoes found so far in the solar system," Singer said. "Besides just being a fun fact, this means that Pluto had to have more heat in its interior than we expected.

Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine were 68% less likely to be hospitalized during the Omicron wave in the United States than unvaccinated children, according to a study published on Wednesday.

The new character, Ameera, is scheduled to premiere next week on “Ahlan Simsim” — the local version of “Sesame Street” in the Middle East and North Africa. (Credit: Sesame Workshop) NEW YORK - Sesame Workshop, the educational organization behind "Sesame Street," has unveiled a new muppet character with a spinal cord injury, the non-profit announced Monday. The new muppet, Ameera, is scheduled to premiere next week on "Ahlan Simsim" — the local version of "Sesame Street"in the Middle East and North Africa. "A witty, inquisitive 8-year-old girl with a passion for science and basketball, Ameera uses her bright purple wheelchair or forearm crutches to get around due to a spinal cord injury," Sesame Workshop wrote in a press release.

Today we are reporting 15,250 community cases, 830 hospitalisations and 22 deaths.

Organisations representing doctors and nurses have called on the Government to reintroduce some measures to tackle the spread of Covid-19.

The Razzie Awards and director Kevin Smith on Wednesday issued apologies for past criticism of Bruce Willis in the wake of news that the actor was 'stepping away' from his career after he was diagnosed with aphasia, a condition that impact's one's ability to understand or process speech.The Razzie Awards, a satire on the Oscars that lampoons critically-maligned movies, had promoted a new category titled 'Worst Performance by Bruce Willis in a 2021 Movie,' after the 67-year-old actor appeared in eight straight-to-video films in 2021.They included American Siege, Apex, Cosmic Sin, Deadlock, Fortress, Midnight in the Switchgrass, Out of Death, and Survive the Game. The latest:The Razzie Awards and director Kevin Smith, 51, on Wednesday issued apologies for past criticism of Bruce Willis, 67, in the wake of news that the actor was retiring after he was diagnosed with aphasia, a condition that impact's one's ability to understand or process speech.

snow and ice on this system's colder side in portions of the Great Lakes and central Appalachians.Severe storms will impact some of the same places that were hit hard by last week's outbreak of severe weather, which resulted in more than 60 confirmed tornadoes over three days. While there will likely be several tornadoes – some of which could be strong – with Wednesday's outbreak, there is an even greater threat of widespread wind gusts over 75 mph, particularly from the lower Mississippi Valley into western and southern Alabama, West Tennessee and the western Florida Panhandle.Here's what to expect through Thursday.

Gas prices in some provinces are set to rise Friday as the federal carbon tax increases.

BRISTOL, Pa. - A large contingent of law enforcement officers traveled to Bucks County on Wednesday for a viewing for Pennsylvania State Trooper Martin Mack III, who was killed by an alleged drunk driver on I-95 in Philadelphia in March."We have to continue to pray for them every day they’re doing a very difficult job and obviously it can have deadly consequences and I just feel awful," Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub said. The deadly crash happened over a week ago on Interstate 95 in South Philadelphia near the sports complex. Investigators said Mack, 33, and fellow Pennsylvania State Trooper Branden Sisca, 29, were called to the area to assist a man who was walking on the highway. A large number of Pennsylvania State Troopers showed up to Trooper Mack's viewing.

LOS ANGELES - The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences on Wednesday said that Will Smith was asked to leave Sunday's Oscar ceremony after hitting Chris Rock but refused to do so.The academy’s board of governors met Wednesday to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Smith for violations against the group’s standards of conduct. The academy said disciplinary action for Smith could include suspension, expulsion or other sanctions.Many have focused on why Smith was allowed to remain seated front row in the Dolby Theatre after the incident. On Wednesday, the academy suggested that it attempted to remove the actor from the audience.RELATED: Jim Carrey ‘sickened’ by celebs applauding Will Smith’s Oscar win after slap"Things unfolded in a way we could not have anticipated," the academy said.

PHILADELPHIA - A Ukrainian cathedral in Northern Liberties is offering sanctuary to two women who fled their war-torn homeland of Ukraine as the Russian invasion continues. Alla Pukhtetska and Veronika Matviienko arrived at the Saint Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral Wednesday night after being picked up by Vice President and Choir Director Susan Guz, and Bishop Lukeat JFK Airport. They will live in the rectory of the church and are likely to be joined by others as church member have raised $20,000 to help refugees.The women lived in Kiev and worked together in a cathedral there. They told FOX 29's Jeff Cole that they feared they would be killed in the bombardment of the city."I was afraid not to have time to escape," Pukhtetska said.

The Ford government says it is taking aim at planning and implementation slowdowns which it says are among the main causes of high housing costs. But the government is not adopting changes designed to increase population density in existing residential neighbourhoods because it says they’re too radical for municipalities.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Masatsugu Asakawa, President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), stated with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa that the projects that have been implemented with the assistance of the ADB have made significant strides and he pledged to support Sri Lanka’s development efforts continuously.Asakawa made these remarks when he met with President Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat, on Thursday (10).The ADB President also said that special attention will be paid to support small and medium scale enterprises as well as private sector entrepreneurial development.The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has provided US $ 750 million as concessional loans last year. Asakawa said that loans worth US $ 2 billion would be allocated for operational projects this year.The ADB President assured assistance in the efforts to revive the tourism sector in Sri Lanka and the development of human capital, which has suffered a setback due to the Covid-19 pandemic.The President thanked the ADB for providing nearly US $ 600 million worth of loans and financial assistance to Sri Lanka to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.The President said Sri Lanka seeks the assistance of the Asian Development Bank for green agriculture, renewable energy generation and foreign direct investment in industrial zones.The government aims to achieve 70% of the total energy generation from renewable sources.

COLOMBO (News 1st); 27 Sri Lankans continue to remain in Ukraine and have expressed their unwillingness to leave, revealed Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Professor G. L.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has issued an extraordinary gazette amending the Duties and Functions of the State Minister of Defence, State Minister of Disaster Management, Minister of Wildlife and Forest Resources Conservation. 

COLOMBO (News 1st); President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has decided to convene the Economic Council on a weekly basis with the objective of accelerating the economic growth in the country through the management of the entire economy by thoroughly discussing the local economic policies including macroeconomic policies, the behavior of the national economy after Covid – 19 pandemic situation, economic restructuring as well as the major development projects that directly affect the economic policies and financial policies of the government.The Cabinet of Ministers decided to grant their concurrence to the measures to be taken by the President to let implement the decisions taken by the relevant Ministries, Departments and Statutory institutions when necessary subject to the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers followed by the instructions and guidance of that Board as well as to invite intellects with esteem/standard in the respective fields as required for the meetings of the Economy board.Accordingly, the composition of the Economic Council is comprised as follows.• His Excellency the President Gotabhaya Rajapaksha (Chairman)• Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa• Minister of Trade Bandula Gunawardhana• Minister of Highways Johnston Fernando• Minister of Finance Basil Rajapaksha• Minister of Agriculture Mahindananda Aluthgamage• Minister of Plantation Ramesh Pathirana• Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Ajith Nivard Cabraal• Secretary to the President Gamini Senerath• Secretary to the Treasury S. R.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The state-of-the-art cement manufacturing facility of Lanwa Sanstha Cement Corporation (Pvt) Ltd., was inaugurated by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Monday (7).A BOI venture, the Lanwa Sanstha facility spread across 63 acres is located in Hambantota’s Mirijjawila Export Processing Zone, and saw an investment of US $ 100 Mn.The total capacity of the plant would be 4mn MT per annum and is one of the largest such facilities in the whole of South Asia.The President and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa also placed the foundation stone for the proposed steel factory at the premises which will cover 250 acres, with an investment of US $ 400 Mn.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Misleading statements lead to public panic, warned Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on Saturday (5).President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has made it clear that he has taken the necessary steps to drive the country towards development, said the prime ministers while noting that all public servants, not only himself and the ministers & mps, must work towards realizing these goals.“The topic discussed in recent days was the fuel crisis. In fact, there was NO fuel crisis,” he said, adding that misleading statements claiming that fuel reserves would only last for four days led to mass panic.He said that during his administration, at time fuel reserves would last only a day, however, shipments were ordered and what only remained to do at the time was to unload the shipments and deliver.The Prime Minister said that statements made with less experience in politics led to mass panic among the people, leading to long queues for fuel across the country.“We are changing that situation.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Former Sri Lankan Minister Wimal Weerawansa on Friday (4) revealed that Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa wanted to become President even before Gotabaya Rajapaksa was nominated as the candidate for the President of the country.“Basil Rajapaksa wanted to use the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna as his personal property to realize his intentions of becoming president,” Weerawansa told reporters in Colombo, in his first-ever briefing after he and Udaya Gammanpila were stripped of their ministerial portfolios on Thursday (3) evening.He said that as the group that created the call for Mahinda Rajapaksa’s return, it was opined that Gotabaya Rajapaksa was most suitable to be the candidate if Mahinda Rajapaksa did not wish to contest.“We worked on that premise and that itself posed challenges to Basil Rajapaksa’s dreams of becoming President,” revealed Weerawansa, adding that Basil Rajapaksa eventually had to accept in a disgruntled manner that Gotabaya Rajapaksa was the Presidential Candidate.Wimal Weerawansa also said that after Mahinda Rajapaksa was defeated on the 8th of January 2015, Basil Rajapaksa had met with then-President Rajapaksa and requested for the post of Opposition Leader.“However, Mahinda Rajapaksa did not want to do that.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Vasudeva Nanayakkara has announced that he expects to resign from his position as the Minister of Water Supply.Speaking to reporters on Friday (4), he said the government committed a grave mistake in removing Udaya Gammanpila and Wimal Weerawansa from their ministerial portfolios.Nanayakkara said he cannot function as a Minister until justice is meted out to Weerawansa and Gammanpila.Udaya Gammanpila and Wimal Weerwansa have been removed from their ministerial portfolios with effect from Thursday (3) evening, said the President’s Media Division.The PMD statement notes that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa removed Minister of Industries Wimal Weerawansa and Minister of Energy Udaya Gammanpila from their portfolios, as per the powers vested in him by the constitution,