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Sarah Huckabee Sanders, governor of Arkansas, speaks while unveiling the Arkansas LEARNS education bill at the Arkansas State Capitol in Little Rock, Arkansas, US, on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Arkansas Gov.

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 19: Adam Sandler onstage during the 24th Annual Mark Twain Prize For American Humor at The Kennedy Center on March 19, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images) WASHINGTON - Comedy icon Adam Sandler was presented with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor during a ceremony at Washington’s Kennedy Center late Sunday night.Several of Sandler’s co-stars and other comedic and entertainment stars attended including Jennifer Aniston, Judd Apatow, Drew Barrymore, Steve Buscemi, Dana Carvey, Luis Guzmán, Conan O’Brien, Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, David Spade and Ben Stiller.Sandler, 56, first rose to national prominence during his five years serving as a cast member on "Saturday Night Live." He then went on to launch a wildly successful movie career.WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 19: Jackie Sandler and Adam Sandler attend the 2023 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor presentation at The Kennedy Center on March 19, 2023 in Washington, DC.

WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan bill Monday that directs the federal government to declassify as much intelligence as possible about the origins of COVID-19 more than three years after the start of the pandemic.The legislation, which passed both the House and Senate without dissent, directs the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to declassify intelligence related to China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology. It cites "potential links" between the research that was done there and the outbreak of COVID-19, which the World Health Organization declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020.

'We need to get to the bottom of Covid-19's origins..., including potential links to the Wuhan Institute of Virology,' Biden said in a statement US President Joe Biden on Monday signed into law a bill requiring the release of intelligence materials on potential links between the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and a laboratory in the Chinese city of Wuhan. "We need to get to the bottom of Covid-19's origins..., including potential links to the Wuhan Institute of Virology," Biden said in a statement. "In implementing this legislation, my administration will declassify and share as much of that information as possible," he added.

General views of the Idaho State Capitol Building on May 23, 2021 in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images) BOISE, Idaho (AP) - Idaho is poised to allow firing squads to execute condemned inmates when the state can't get lethal-injection drugs, under a bill the Legislature passed Monday with a veto-proof majority.Firing squads will be used only if the state cannot obtain the drugs needed for lethal injections — and one death row inmate has already had his scheduled execution postponed multiple times because of drug scarcity.Idaho previously had a firing squad option on the books but has never used it.

Adam Sandler attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on February 26, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) WASHINGTON (AP) - Actor-comedian Adam Sandler will be honored by comedic and entertainment royalty when he receives the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on Sunday night.Sandler, 56, first came to national attention as a cast member on "Saturday Night Live." After being fired from the cast following a five-year stint, Sandler launched a wildly successful movie career that has spanned more than 30 films, grossing over $3 billion worldwide."Adam Sandler has entertained audiences for over three decades with his films, music, and his tenure as a fan favorite cast member on ‘SNL,’" Kennedy Center President Deborah Rutter said in a statement when Sandler’s prize was announced in December.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Bills were filed, hearings were planned and blame was cast as Congress reacted this past week to the abrupt failure of two banks. A look at what lawmakers are saying and planning as the fallout continues from the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank.While President Joe Biden called Monday on Congress to strengthen the rules for banks to prevent future failures, lawmakers are divided on whether any legislation is needed.Some congressional leaders are skeptical that a closely divided Congress will act at all."There’s people who are going to choose bills, but I cannot imagine that, with the hold banks have on Republican members of Congress, that we can pass anything significant," said Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee.Republicans say the laws already in place were sufficient to prevent the bank failures, if only regulators had done their job by spotting obvious problems and directing the banks to take steps that would reduce their risk."If there are ideas out there that people have, you know, at some point, we would be willing to entertain those, but I think it would be premature to start talking about solutions before we fully define the problem and ultimately get answers from the regulators about why they were asleep at the job," said Sen.

Protesters hold placards reading "Power is in the streets" and "No." during a demonstration a day after the French government pushed a pensions reform through parliament without a vote on March 17, 2023. (JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER/AFP via Getty Images) PARIS - Protesters disrupted traffic in Paris on Friday as angry critics, political opponents and labor unions around France blasted President Emmanuel Macron's decision to force a bill raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 through parliament without a vote.Opposition parties were expected to start procedures later Friday for a no-confidence vote on the government led by Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne.

FILE - People participate in an abortion rights rally outside of the Supreme Court. (Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images)SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Doctors in California who mail abortion pills to people in other states would be protected from prosecution under a new bill to be unveiled Friday in the state Legislature.The bill would not let California extradite doctors who are facing charges in another state for providing abortion medication.

DREXEL HILL, Pa. - Crozer Hospital in Delaware County will lay off more than 200 employees amid what hospital leaders call "growing financial pressures on hospitals and health systems." Crozer, located in Drexel Hill, closed its emergency room last year and claims It's still losing millions of dollars each month. As other hospitals and healthcare systems wade through treacherous waters to stay afloat, local leaders and concerned residents are wondering why Crozer can't also shoulder the burden. "They have consistently made poor financial decisions, and then these latest layoffs are really just another example of how they are unable to operate a functioning hospital system," Francis Sheehan of Foundation for Delaware County said. Sheehan asserts that nearby non-profit hospital chains are managing to get by with under massive oversight, but Crozer - which is under practically no oversight - is struggling. "It doesn't make any sense, because in the case of a not-for-profit system like Penn or CHOP or Jefferson or Main Line, do you have a community board over seeing things," Sheehan said. "You have to disclose your financial operation in engage the community in your work."Meanwhile, Crozer is laying off roughly 4% of its workforce under newly announced restructuring plans.

LONDON - U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his family were spoken to by a police officer after letting their dog off the leash in London’s Hyde Park, police said Tuesday.It comes after a video was shared on TikTok appearing to show the prime minister and his family allowing their Labrador, Nova, to roam freely in an area where rules say dogs must be kept on a leash.It was unclear when the video was filmed."We are aware of a video showing a dog being walked off the lead in Hyde Park," the Metropolitan Police force said in a statement.

FILE - President Joe Biden delivers remarks on reducing gun violence at the Boys and Girls Club of West San Gabriel Valley on March 14, 2023, in Monterey Park, California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) LAS VEGAS - President Joe Biden will highlight the stark differences in how Democrats are tackling skyrocketing drug prices compared to their Republican counterparts as he gears up for an expected reelection announcement.In a speech on Wednesday in Las Vegas that could serve as a preview of the campaign ahead, Biden planned to put the issue of lowering drug costs at the center of his policy and political agenda.The White House thinks it has a winning message in showcasing legislation passed last year that is expected to save taxpayers billions of dollars and lower the cost of drugs for the roughly 84 million Americans who rely on Medicare."These kind of savings will give people a little bit more breathing room, more comfort as they decide to go to the grocery store to buy their food, more ability to pay their rent, or maybe it’s just to do something decent for their families," Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra told reporters on Tuesday as he previewed the Democratic president's remarks.Biden plans to talk up how his administration is rolling out several parts of that law, passed in a Democratic-controlled Congress last year, that cap the price of insulin, make most vaccines free and allow the federal government to negotiate deals on a handful of pharmaceutical drugs for Medicare enrollees.President Joe Biden appeared in Virginia on Feb.

coin collectors.The front of the coin displays a cow, a peeled husk of corn and a sliced wheel of cheese along with inscriptions that name the state, the year Wisconsin was admitted into the union (1848) and the word "Forward," which is Wisconsin’s state motto. However, some of the Wisconsin quarters that were released in 2004 have a small design difference that shows an extra leaf on the illustrated corn husk.Collectors have debated whether the extra leaf had been stamped by accident or with intent, according to the Littleton Coin Company, an Ohio-based coin seller."Some Wisconsin quarter errors were found with an ‘extra cornstalk leaf’ – either pointing down (‘Low Leaf’) or pointing up (‘High Leaf’)," the Littleton Coin Company wrote in a profile about Statehood Quarter Error Coins."The normal cause would be metal shavings accidentally lodged in the die, creating a gouge from the coin striking action," the company’s report continues. "However, because roughly equal quantities exist of the two varieties, some experts speculate that the extra leaves were deliberately created by someone at the Denver Mint – as the odds of such a similar event occurring on the same location on two different dies are astronomical."FOX Business reached out to the U.S.

Digit Infinity Wallet Plan: The plan will help take care of the rising medical costs with an option of unlimited back-up sum insured (SI) being offered to customers. This will allow people to make multiple claims within the same policy year. However, any single claim cannot exceed the SI under the policy and the backup SI will only get triggered after the SI is exhausted.

Vadodara resident Rameshchandra Joshi, who had filed the complaint against the insurance firm in August 2017 after the firm rejected his claim People can claim insurance even if they were admitted for less than 24 hours in a hospital, a Vadodara consumer forum said. The court has ordered National Insurance Company to make payment to Vadodara resident Ramesh Chandra Joshi, who had filed the complaint against the insurance firm in August 2017 after the firm rejected his claim, according to media reports. The forum said that in the modern age new treatments and medicines have been developed, resulting in patients being treated in lesser time or even without hospitalisation.

Vadodra resident Rameshchandra Joshi, who had filed the complaint against the insurance firm in August 2017 after the firm rejected his claim People can claim insurance even if they were admitted for less than 24 hours in a hospital, a Vadodra consumer forum said. The court has ordered National Insurance Company to make payment to Vadodra resident Rameshchandra Joshi, who had filed the complaint against the insurance firm in August 2017 after the firm rejected his claim, according to media reports. The forum said that in the modern age new treatments and medicines have been developed, resulting in patients being treated in lesser time or even without hospitalisation.

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego, California, on March, 13, 2023.

Rep. Pat Schroeder is pictured in an archive image from the 1980s. (Denver Post via Getty Images) WASHINGTON - Former U.S.

Risk profile!

Preparations for the inauguration of West Virginia governor Jim Justice at the West Va., statehouse. (Photo by Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - A bill that would ban evidence-based health care for transgender minors in West Virginia, the state estimated to have more transgender youth per capita than any other in the nation, is headed to the desk of Gov.

(Photo by Rainer Binder/ullstein bild via Getty Images) A suspected bank robber in Utah demanded $1 from a bank teller Monday and waited for police officers to arrive because he wanted to be jailed in federal prison.Donald Matthew Santacroce, 65, was instead booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on a robbery charge, the Salt Lake City Police Department said. UTAH SUSPECT CHARGED WITH MURDER OF MISSING 19-YEAR-OLD MAN NEARLY A YEAR AFTER HIS DISAPPEARANCE"Please pardon me for doing this but this is a robbery. Please give me $1.

London-based BP's disclosure came a day after rival Shell reported a similar multimillion-dollar pay package for its top executive on the heels of both companies posting their highest-ever annual earnings last month.BP said in its annual report that CEO Bernard Looney was paid a total of 10 million pounds ($12 million) in 2022, up from 4.5 million pounds the previous year. Looney's pay package includes a cash bonus of 2.4 million pounds and 6 million pounds in bonus company stock.READ MORE: Gas prices increase, but the tide may change: AAABP reported in February that its profit doubled to $28 billion as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent oil and gas prices soaring.Fat profits at fossil fuel giants and big salaries for top executives have spurred demands for the companies to do more to shield consumers from high energy costs that have fueled decades-high inflation and ratcheted up utility bills.Activist groups such as Global Witness and some opposition lawmakers in Britain have called for expanding taxes on the windfall profits of energy companies and taxing bonuses.The BP company logo is seen outside a petrol station on September 23, 2021 in London, England.

A person changes the time with the hands of a clock, on 24 March, 2022 in Madrid, Spain. In the early hours of Saturday, March 26 to Sunday, March 27, 02.00 hours will be 03.00 hours.

China dismissed such reports and emphasized that the pandemic is a scientific issue and should not be turned into a political matter. "The origins-tracing of SARS-CoV-2 is about science and should not be politicized.

A visitor plays a slot machine at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S., on Thursday, July 2, 2020. Atlantic City gambling, dealt a blow by newly opened betting markets in other states, was enjoying a slow comeback when Mu TRENTON, N.J. - Tammy Brady began her career as an Atlantic City casino dealer at the age of 18. Now 55, she has stage 2 breast cancer."While I'm not sure we will ever know the exact cause of my illness, I can't help but wonder if it would have happened if the casinos hadn't forced me to work in second-hand smoke," said Brady, who works at the Borgata casino.Holly Diebler, a craps dealer at Tropicana, is undergoing chemotherapy for throat cancer."I don't even know how long I'm going to live," she said.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A California assemblyman introduced a new bill to set parameters for how and when law enforcement officers can use facial recognition technology in body cameras."Rather than have every agency come up with their own set of standards, every jurisdiction do their own thing, we’re really proud to do something statewide," said Assemblyman Phil Ting (D-San Francisco).Currently, there are no statewide restrictions on facial recognition technology, because Ting’s previous bill sunset in January of this year. Signed in 2019, the bill placed a three-year-ban on the technology.The ban faced stiff opposition from law enforcement groups."Across the country, real world examples of law enforcement using facial recognition technology to solve major crimes showcases just how important this technology can be towards protecting our communities," said San Leandro police Chief Abdul Pridgen.Pridgen is also a member of the California Police Chiefs Association. Ting and state Sen.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate voted on Wednesday against a disapproval resolution that would overturn D.C.'s criminal code revisions.By a vote of 81-14-1, the senators passed the H.J.Res.26, the D.C. Crime Disapproval Resolution, with one senator voting "present."The votes comes after weeks of debate over a proposed overhaul of D.C.'s criminal code, that was approved by the D.C.

FILE-St. Louis Metropolitan police and Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms officers investigate a shooting in 2022.

PHILADELPHIA - Upon entering the Philadelphia Flower Show space at the Pennsylvania Convention Center last week, I was entranced by a forest of stunning orchids suspended from the ceiling above the color-changing entrance garden. The display, titled "FLORASTRUCK," greeted visitors back indoors after two pandemic years at the city’s FDR Park.The nine-day event, billed as the world’s oldest and largest indoor garden show, typically draws some 250,000 attendees from around the globe.This year, the show’s display gardens are arranged in a winding promenade that allows for leisurely, self-guided meandering.

MaeDell Taylor Hawkins, 98, got to hold her 7-week-old great-great-great-granddaughter Zhavia Whitaker on Feb. 18, 2023.

BANGKOK, THAILAND - 2022/09/03: A close up view of a marijuana plant at a local Thai market. Thailand is the first nation in Asia to decriminalize marijuana for medical and personal use.

LOS ANGELES - Phone scams can come in many different forms. The most common type of scams include one-ring scams, traffic-pumping scams, and package delivery scams. Phone scams are the most common. According to the Federal Communications Commission, around 60 million Americans reported a phone scam in 2021. Officials are reminding you to never return a phone call from a number you don't recognize unless you've done the research first and identified it as a legitimate one. In the U.S., one-ring scams are gaining traction.

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (AP) - Authorities in Ohio say there is no indication of any risk to public health from the derailment of a Norfolk Southern cargo train between Dayton and Columbus, the second derailment of a company train in the state in a month.Norfolk Southern and Clark County officials say 28 of the southbound train’s 212 cars, including four empty tankers, derailed at about 4:45 p.m. Saturday in Springfield Township near a business park and the county fairgrounds.

An old recipe atop a cookbook from 1894 dusted with flour with vintage sifter and measuring cup in background. via Getty Images Old cookbooks could be worth a small fortune.Listings on eBay — a popular multinational auction website — show that some vintage cookbooks have been priced at hundreds or thousands of dollars.The cookbook that’s currently commanding the highest price on eBay is a 142-page spiral cookbook that’s entitled, "Arizona Cook Book: Indian, Mexican, Western, Arizona Products, Backpacking-Camping, Patio Barbecue," which has been listed for sale at $6,850.20 (original listing price: $9,786).$2 BILLS FROM 1890 COULD BE WORTH OVER $4,500: REPORTThe book was written by Al Fischer and was published in 1983 by Golden West Publishers.Other sellers on eBay and similar e-commerce platforms, such as Amazon and Etsy, have listed the book for under $20.The seller who’s hoping to sell the 40-year-old cookbook on southwestern cuisine has noted that the book is in "very good" condition and doesn’t have any "known wear or writing."Three other cookbooks that have a four-figure price tag on eBay at the time of publication include "The Australian Women’s Weekly: Great Ways with Steaks & Chops" from 1974 ($1,010.85), "Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book" from 1950 ($1,000) and a first-edition "La Methode Jacques Pepin: An Illustrated Guide to The Fundamental Techniques of Cooking" from 1976 ($1,000).Betty Crocker old cookbooks.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said Friday that he plans to sign a measure that would effectively ban abortion clinics from operating in the state, meaning hospitals will soon be the only places where they can be provided in the state.After passing through the state Senate on Thursday with minor amendments, it returned to the Utah House of Representatives Friday morning, where it was approved and then sent to the governor for final approval.

bill has been reintroduced in the U.S. Senate that would make Daylight Saving Time permanent in the United States.When Florida Sen.

PHILADELPHIA - It’s been one year since a law went into effect in Philadelphia, meant to combat racial profiling and make traffic stops more equitable across the city. The controversial measure banned traffic stops for minor infractions like bumper issues and driving with missing headlights."If pulling people over made this city safer? I’d be the first volunteer for my rights to be violated.

Hot tub/pool exterior view. (Life at Sea Cruises )Have you ever wished you could travel the world but you have real-life responsibilities and bills to pay? Well, here’s a chance to live out that fantasy – for a few years, at least –  and you can still work remotely. Life at Sea Cruises is offering voyagers and adventurers a chance to live and travel the world on a cruise ship for three years. The program offers visits to 375 ports across 135 countries which amounts to more than 130,000 miles of travel across the seas. The price tag for such an extravagant three-year commitment amounts to $29,999 a year (totaling about $90,000 overall).

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka's Opposition alleges that MP Vajira Abeywardena had been appointed as the Acting Chairman of the Committee on Public Finance during Thursday's (2) COPF meeting, and that eight gazettes have been approved at the meeting.MPs Harshana Rajakaruna, and Chandima Weerakkody had opposed this move and walked out of the meeting.There was controversy surrounding the post of Chairman of the Committee on Public Finance, as MP Mayantha Dissanayake was appointed as Chair based on a proposal by the ruling faction, while the opposition had already proposed the name of Dr. Harsha De Silva for the post.Thereafter, MP Dissanayake resigned from the post, and the opposition once against proposed for Dr.

PHILADELPHIA - Students at a Philadelphia high school were abruptly moved to remote learning when the presence of asbestos was found in the building during a Tuesday night inspection. The Building 21 School in the city's West Oak Lane section will remain closed for the rest of the week after asbestos was found in stairwells and the auditorium. The School District of Philadelphia says it's working to clear the hazardous material, but they did not offer a timetable about when the job will be complete.Before the coronavirus pandemic, a dozen Philadelphia schools closed between 2019 and 2020 due to the presence of asbestos. District teachers say it's a health hazard that must be addressed. MORE LOCAL HEADLINES"You come in here, and you try to teach the kids, but you've got to worry about your own health, and their health, and there ain't nothing being done," Robert Smith said. Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Jerry Jordan says a lack of funding for school maintenance has caused problems like asbestos to keep reoccurring. "Our buildings have been neglected because of the lack of budget to keep them in good repair, this unfortunately happened," Jordan said.A recent court decision in Pennsylvania called state funding of Philadelphia school unconstitutional, but Senator Vincent Hughes has crafted a bill that he believes will provide appropriate funding."It provides $1B to fix up toxic and broken schools, it provides $2.15B – the largest increase in equity and adequacy funding in Pennylvania's history – to make our schools in compliance with the state's constitution," Senator Hughes said. He was optimistic that he could get newly-elected Pennsylvania Gov.

FILE - Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., is seen outside a House Republican Conference meeting in the U.S.

the Idaho student murders case, revealing that police seized a knife during a raid on the suspect's parents' home in Pennsylvania.Pennsylvania State Police and the FBI arrested suspect Bryan Kohberger at his parents' house in the Pocono Mountains on Dec. 30 during a nighttime tactical raid. They searched the home, his car, the garage and a shed on the property.The new warrants reveal police took a door panel from his car, seat cushions, headrests, seatbelt, visor, brake and gas pedals, a band-aid, "maps and documents" and other items.IDAHO MURDERS: BRYAN KOHBERGER'S PENNSYLVANIA WARRANT UNSEALEDFrom the house, police seized several weapons, including a knife and a Glock handgun with three magazines.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - West Virginia's governor signed a bill Wednesday allowing people with concealed carry permits to take firearms onto public college and university campuses."Proud day for me," Republican Gov.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Railroads like the one involved in last month's fiery crash and toxic chemical release in Ohio would be subject to a series of new federal safety regulations and financial consequences under bipartisan legislation introduced Wednesday by the state's two U.S. senators.The Railway Safety Act of 2023, co-sponsored by U.S.

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.

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.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House is giving all federal agencies 30 days to wipe TikTok off all government devices, as the Chinese-owned social media app comes under increasing scrutiny in Washington over security concerns.The Office of Management and Budget calls the guidance, issued Monday, a "critical step forward in addressing the risks presented by the app to sensitive government data." Some agencies, including the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and State, already have restrictions in place; the guidance calls on the rest of the federal government to follow suit within 30 days.The White House already does not allow TikTok on its devices."The Biden-Harris Administration has invested heavily in defending our nation’s digital infrastructure and curbing foreign adversaries’ access to Americans’ data," said Chris DeRusha, the federal chief information security officer. "This guidance is part of the Administration’s ongoing commitment to securing our digital infrastructure and protecting the American people’s security and privacy."The guidance was first reported by Reuters.Congress passed the "No TikTok on Government Devices Act" in December as part of a sweeping government funding package.

FILE - Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge is pictured over the Cooper River to Charleston, South Carolina.