COLOMBO (News 1st); President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said that the nature or extent of the challenges will not matter in fulfilling the promises made to the people.He noted that development activities continue in the country while taking necessary steps to control the COVID-19 pandemic.The President also pointed out that the economy, which had been collapsed for nearly two years, is gradually recovering.The President made these remarks participating in the first round of discussions in a series of sessions with professionals representing various fields, held at the President’s House on Friday (11).The professionals who participated in the discussion said that they are further committed to make the national programme a success by giving the necessary strength to achieve the goals desired by the President, said a statement.The professionals vehemently rejected the allegations spread by some sections with the objective of achieving narrow political agendas, the statement added.Experts in the field said that the new approach to agriculture initiated by the President is being continuously supported by the researchers and entrepreneurs who are engaged full time in these fields, further noted the statement.Representatives from a wide range of fields, including education, policy, sociology, agriculture, research, water and renewable energy, medical, engineering and innovation, were present at the discussion with the President.Ministers, State Ministers, Members of Parliament, the Governor of the Central Bank, the Secretary to the President, the Principal Advisor to the President and many others were also present. .

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Uber adds fuel surcharge for drivers struggling with recent gas price hikes

LOS ANGELES - Rideshare drivers have been hit hard with the recent spike in gas prices and soon rideshare customers could be impacted as well. The recent surge in gas prices has prompted Uber to add a fuel surcharge in order to help drivers and couriers struggling with the recent financial burden. "Beginning Wednesday, March 16, consumers will pay a surcharge of either $0.45 or $0.55 on each Uber trip and either $0.35 or $0.45 on each Uber Eats order, depending on their location—with 100% of that money going directly to workers’ pockets," Uber wrote in a press release. "We know that prices have been going up across the economy, so we’ve done our best to help drivers and couriers without placing too much additional burden on consumers. Over the coming weeks, we plan to listen closely to feedback from consumers, couriers and drivers.

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Changes to regulated health professionals vaccine order causing confusion

The province is taking a step back on one of its COVID-19 orders and extended health care workers now only have to report their vaccination status. The previous version of the order required all workers to be vaccinated and the change is causing some confusion for those involved.

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Some Edmontonians, businesses struggle with no mandatory masking

It’s only been a few days since the City of Edmonton dropped its mandatory mask bylaw. But after two years of masking up, how are Edmontonians and businesses dealing with this new found freedom? Chris Chacon takes a look.

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Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Sign Letter Highlighting Vaccine Inequity on COVID-19 Pandemic Anniversary

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are signing their names on an open letter which called out loosening COVID-19 policies across the world.

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The losses and lessons learned after 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic

After six million people died, public health measures that came and went, and an unprecedented vaccine rollout, the world is marking two years since the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Winnipeg high school students dedicate song to health-care workers

River East Transcona School Division has released a music video dedicated to lifting the spirits of Manitoba’s health care workers.“The project began when we had our first choir meeting of the year,” Kildonan East music teacher Janet Isaac-Martens said.“Our students and I were having ideas on how we could perform when we couldn’t perform to an audience.”About 65 students from Kildonan East Collegiate, River East Collegiate and Murdoch MacKay Collegiate spent months working on the collaborative virtual video.“A boost to them is kind of necessary,” Kildonan East Grade 12 student Aiden Ordonez said. “To just reach out on our end and let them know that they’re appreciated.

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Speculative and misinformed: Govt rejects report claiming Covid-19 death toll in India much higher

Covid deaths between January 2020 and December 2021 were around eight times higher than reported.

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Russia-Ukraine war: Experts fear impact of unfiltered social media clips of war on kids, teens

PHILADELPHIA - Social media feeds have been flooded with raw footage of war ever since Russia invaded Ukraine over two weeks ago. Experts wonder what kind of impact this kind of unfiltered and often times unsolicited footage is having on social media's most impressionable users. The Washington Post reported Friday that the Biden Administration hosted 30 of the top social media influencers to brief them on the situation in Ukraine.

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Why does Dolly Parton cover her hands? The singer's beauty and health reason for wearing gloves

Dolly Parton is often seen wearing gloves. While some of her gloves are glamorous, other times she wears fingerless, skin coloured gloves that are hard to see.

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COVID-19: Masks still required in some indoor public spaces, despite lifting of B.C.’s mandate

Junior hockey: With mask mandate lifted, teams hoping to see increase in fans This is not the only place still requiring masks. Airports fall under federal mandates and Transport Canada regulations still state that everyone must have a mask or face covering during their journey.Kelowna International Airport director, Sam Samaddar, explains where masks must be worn.“As you enter and go through the pre-boarding screening, you will have to have a mask and really maintain that through boarding an aircraft and also on board the aircraft,” Samaddar said.Samaddar is concerned about travellers not following the rules, now that the provincial mask mandate has been lifted in most other indoor settings.

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Alberta steps up with $79.5M transit money for struggling cities, matches federal funds

Edmonton’s transit system will get federal and provincial funding to make up for pandemic revenue shortfalls. Breanna Karstens-Smith reports.

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COVID-19: B.C. reports three new deaths, fewest cases in ICU since mid-August

B.C. health officials released a written report with daily COVID-19 numbers on Friday, March 11 — the second anniversary of officials declaring the pandemic.

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'Come on guys! He's right there!': Pursuit suspect tries to evade LAPD by laying next to vehicle

LOS ANGELES - One suspect is in custody after leading the Los Angeles Police Department on a chase through South Los Angeles Friday morning. FOX 11's Stu Mundel was live in SkyFOX over the scene. The pursuit began shortly after 8 a.m. Friday, with police responding to a stolen vehicle call. The vehicle involved was a silver, four-door mid-sized vehicle.The chase didn't last very long.

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18,699 community cases; 853 in hospital; 17 in ICU; 7 deaths

Today we are reporting 18,699 new community cases, 853 people in hospital with the virus, and seven additional COVID-19 related deaths.

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Ghost guns: What are they and why they are an issue nationwide

A semi-automatic pistol is seen among a sample of ghost guns seized by the Oakland Police Department. (Stephen Lam/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images) WASHINGTON - The popularity of ghost guns is becoming a growing problem nationwide based on the easy access for consumers to purchase and make them. The homemade guns are untraceable and unregulated by the government. Ghost guns are homemade firearms that are purchased online and can be made for under $500.

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'He didn't deserve this': Man slain in Philadelphia's 100 homicide was "hardworking" father, fiancé

PHILADELPHIA - Authorities believe a Philadelphia father and soon-to-be husband was shot and killed during an attempted robbery Thursday night to become the city's 100th homicide so far this year. Family members say 28-year-old Bryheem Barr was walking to his car to go to work just before 11 p.m. near the intersection of North 53rd and Arch streets when the deadly shooting happened. According to police, Barr was found shot multiple times and driven to Penn Presbyterian Hospital by officers where he died. A police source told FOX 29's Kelly Rule that they believe the deadly shooting happened during a robbery and the shooter took Barr's legally-owned firearm.Bryheem Barr, 28, was shot and killed during an attempted robbery in West Philadelphia.

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Battle brewing between Ontario government and school boards over masking

Two school boards in the GTHA have indicated they want to keep masking rules in place past March 21. The Ford government is telling them to get in line, but some experts say the timeline doesn’t make scientific sense. Matthew Bingley reports.

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Toronto opera singer commemorates those lost to COVID-19

It’s been two years since the WHO made the declaration and the world was officially plunged into a pandemic. Now in 2022, there’s been much talk about moving on and returning to normal.

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Saturday snow: Winter weather to return following pleasant and mild Friday

PHILADELPHIA - The Delaware Valley will enjoy a pleasant weather day Friday before conditions take a turn Saturday as rain and snow are expected to fall throughout the day. Friday’s high temperatures are expected to reach about 60 degrees with mostly sunny skies. The script will flip in a big way on Saturday as the outskirts of a large winter storm stretching from the Midwest to New England will impact the Delaware Valley. As the storm approaches temperatures will plunge back into the 30s and 40s Saturday morning. Philadelphia and the surrounding areas will begin to see rain in the morning before another drop in temperatures changes precipitation to snow for most.The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for Carbon and Monroe counties through 7 p.m.

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Mask mandate removal worries immunocompromised Ontarians

Doing away with the mask mandate is good news for some, but for others, it’s cause for real concern. Shallima Maharaj reports.

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Alberta surpasses 4,000 COVID-19 deaths 2 years after pandemic began

COVID-19 pandemic on Friday.More than 4,000 Albertans have lost their lives to the disease since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020.In the last 24 hours, 11 deaths were reported to Alberta Health. The province’s death toll from COVID-19 has now reached 4,003.The number of people in hospital with COVID-19 declined slightly overnight, to 1,045 people.

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Deshaun Watson will not face criminal charges, grand jury determines

HOUSTON - Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson will not be indicted on criminal charges following a grand jury hearing on Friday afternoon. The grand jury began hearing evidence on Friday on the same day that deposition took place. Watson was no-billed nine times. Attorney Rusty Hardin held a press conference Friday after a grand jury determined Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson will not face criminal charges.The grand jury’s decision came about a year after the women first filed their suits, accusing Watson of exposing himself, touching them with his penis, or kissing them against their will during massage appointments.

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Police say woman gave birth on sidewalk and walked away

Portland police officers at the scene where a woman gave birth and allegedly walked away and left the child on a sidewalk. (Portland Police Bureau) An Oregon woman gave birth to a baby girl on a sidewalk and then walked away and left the child, authorities said Thursday. The Portland Police Bureau said officers and first responders received a report Wednesday of a woman who had given birth just before 11 a.m. They were dispatched when it was reported the mother allegedly walked away. Officers arrived on bicycle and checked on the newborn, who was being cared for by paramedics, police said. "They said the mother, the woman, was stumbling away eastbound on Market with a lot of blood and amniotic fluid all over her," officer Kirby-Glatkowski told KOIN-TV. The mother was not cooperative and was taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation, police said. "My partner and I went to try and engage her, contact her, talk to her see what was going on.

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NYPD: 83-year-old convicted killer had latest victim's leg in her wheelchair

NEW YORK - An 83-year-old ex-con who did two stints in prison — each time for killing a woman — is now charged with murder once again after police found human body parts in and near her apartment and obtained video of her riding a motorized wheelchair with a severed human leg in the seat.A grand jury has indicted Harvey Marcelin, who identifies as a transgender woman, on charges of second-degree murder, evidence tampering, and concealing a dead body in connection with the death of Susan Leyden, 68, of Brooklyn.Leyden's torso was found in a shopping cart on the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Atlantic Avenue in the Cypress Hills section on March 3. Police said the body was in a large plastic bag inside the cart.

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First-time homebuyer? Real estate experts offer advice in crazy market

first-time homebuyers and likely not the first story you’ve heard, especially lately: tight inventory, multiple offers on rundown properties and houses selling for well over the asking price — sometimes by hundreds of thousands of dollars.Last year, the housing market sizzled across the nation, with annual existing-home sales hitting their highest mark since 2006, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR)."After an initial lull in 2020, the market has been red hot and getting hotter," said Ron Melendez, a senior agent in Los Angeles with Compass’s The Stephanie Younger Group.So, how can first-time homebuyers navigate the process without becoming burned out, deflated or giving up altogether? If you’re a prospective first-time homebuyer hoping (or praying) home prices will decline in 2022, most experts agree: don’t count on it."If people are waiting for a price to decline, well, it’s not going to happen," Lawrence Yun, chief economist of the NAR, told FOX Television Stations. BRAMPTON, ON - MARCH 10: Houses continue to draw a premium price, as this recent SOLD sign shows. Inventory continues to be low which helps to drive up the prices for those looking to buy.

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Q&A: Dr. Alex Summers, London-Middlesex MOH, reflects on 2 years of COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 a global pandemic, changing the world overnight and marking the start of what would become one of the deadliest pandemics in world history.London had already seen one confirmed case of the virus by the time the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020, while the province had recorded at least 42 cases, along with its first death. (The death wouldn’t be officially confirmed as COVID-19-related until the following week.) School boards ‘expected’ to follow province in lifting mask mandate, Ontario government says Two years later, the London-Middlesex region has seen more than 32,500 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 — an undercount due to testing eligibility changes — and has recorded more than 350 deaths, while across Ontario, more than 1.12 million people have tested positive and 12,227 have died during the pandemic.Globally, more than 454 million people have tested positive for COVID-19 while more than six million people have died, according to figures released by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at John Hopkins University.To mark the two-year anniversary of the pandemic, 980 CFPL’s Mike Stubbs sat down with Dr.

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The history of daylight saving time

A clockmaker in his workshop, 1881. (Bildagentur-online / Universal Images Group / Getty Images) According to Prerau, the concept of daylight saving time can be attributed to three people.The first was Benjamin Franklin in the 18th century.

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Former Temple business dean sentenced in rankings scandal

PHILADELPHIA - A former dean of Temple University’s business school was sentenced Friday to a year and two months in prison in a scheme to falsely boost the school’s rankings.Moshe Porat, 75, was first convicted in November of federal conspiracy and wire fraud charges.Prosecutors have said he boosted the university’s online MBA program to the top spot on the U.S. News & World Report rankings for four years in a row.

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Millions at risk of losing Medicaid coverage once COVID-19 public health emergency ends

our health care system, serving millions of children, pregnant women, seniors, those living with disabilities and other adults, and its enrollment only skyrocketed over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.However, millions of Medicaid enrollees risk losing their coverage once the official public health emergency ends in the United States. One analysis by the Urban Institute, an economic and policy think tank, projects this could be as many as 15.8 million people, depending on its end date. The analysis, co-authored by senior fellow Matthew Buettgens, aims to highlight the massive scale of coverage transition that awaits — and what happens to those losing coverage.

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Global COVID-19 deaths may be 3 times higher than recorded

Today in The Lancet researchers say excess deaths data indicate that the global death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic may be more than three times higher than officially record.

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News Scan for Mar 11, 2022

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said COVID-19 vaccine uptake among children 5 to 11 years old in the United States remained low during the first 11 weeks of vaccine eligibility, especially in high social vulnerability index (SVI) areas. The research was published today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).The Pfizer-BioNTech was approved for emergency use in 28 million eligi

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The Wanted's Tom Parker shares health update amid inoperable brain tumour battle

Tom Parker has been seen using a wheelchair following his return from a cancer treatment facility in Spain.Earlier this week, the singer made an emotional return to the stage with his The Wanted bandmates at their Bournemouth gig after he was forced to pull out of several shows due to intense cancer treatment.The dad-of-two joined Max George, Nathan Sykes, Siva Kaneswaren and Jay McGuinness, emerging from underground while sitting on a throne. Bandmate Siva took over his lines in their hit song, Glad You Came while he sat with a pair of sunglasses on.Now, Strictly star Max George has shared behind-the-scenes snaps with his pal, who was left sitting in a wheelchair.The Walks Like Rihanna singer was wearing a leather jacket along with a pair of black aviator style Ray-Bans and a cream beanie hat as he offered a peace sign towards the camera.Captioning his post, Max typed: "I mean...

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Strictly's Shirley Ballas details 'difficult' and 'tough week' amid recent health woes

Shirley Ballas, 61, has been the head judge on BBC's Strictly Come Dancing since the departure of Len Goodman in 2017.The ballroom dancer has taken to Instagram to share that she has had a "tough week" in the midst of her recent health issues.Shirley took to her Instagram story to share a video of herself at the Mamma Mia party, held at London's O2 Arena.She captioned the video in view of her 237,000 followers: "OMG what a tough week personally. (sic)"I needed this show to lift my spirits and it did.

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Gabby Petito's family files lawsuit against Brian Laundrie's parents, claims they knew Brian murdered Gabby

NORTH PORT, Fla. - Gabby Petito's family has filed a civil lawsuit against Brian Laundrie's parents, accusing them of knowing that Brian had murdered their daughter and attempting to help him flee the country. The lawsuit seeks over $100,000 in damages for causing the Petitos pain and suffering along with mental anguish.The lawsuit was filed Thursday in Sarasota County by Gabby's mother, Nichole Schmidt, and father, Joseph Petito, listing Brian's parents Chris and Roberta Laundrie as defendants.The complaint gives a brief timeline of Gabby Petito's disappearance and death, before revealing new accusations not previously released by the FBI."It is believed, and therefore averred that on or about August 28, 2021, Brian Laundrie advised his parents, Christopher Laundrie and Roberta Laundrie, that he had murdered Gabrielle Petito," the lawsuit states.

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Man shot in the head in East Mount Airy double shooting, police say

PHILADELPHIA - A man is fighting for his life after police say he was shot in the head Friday afternoon in Philadelphia's East Mount Airy neighborhood. Officers from the Philadelphia Police Department were called to the 1900 block of Washington Lane just after 2 p.m. for reports of a shooting. Police found a 28-year-old man shot once in the head and hand, and a 21-year-old man who was hit multiple times in the leg. MORE LOCAL HEADLINESBoth victims were taken by ambulance to Albert Einstein Medical Center. The 28-year-old was placed in critical condition and the younger victim is expected to recover, police said. No arrests were reported immediately following the shooting.

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Putting 'spring' in Spring Training: Here is what weather awaits as baseball begins

ratified a new contract after a 99-day stalemate on Thursday, paving the way for the season to finally begin, albeit it a little later than originally scheduled.But players are expected to report to their team's facilities to begin spring training by Sunday, and it looks like the weather couldn't be any better.In Arizona, the weather looks sunny and near 80 in Phoenix and its surrounding suburbs where the Cactus League teams play.In Florida, while thunderstorms and possible severe weather is in the forecast for the northern third of the state on Friday and Saturday, conditions improve for Sunday as the Grapefruit League gets under way. Highs will reach around 70 for the east coast sites like Jupiter, Port St.

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McMaster researchers say new ‘repellent wrap’ appears to resist all viruses and bacteria

McMaster University researchers in Hamilton say a promising pathogen-repellent wrap they’ve created could protect against contamination on high-touch surfaces such as door handles and railings.The so-called ‘RepelWrap’ is a simple plastic wrap with a built-in microscopic structure that helps to repel things like bacteria and viruses.Dr. Leyla Soleymani, associate professor Tohid Didar and others with the McMaster School of Biomedical Engineering published their first proof-of-concept research in December 2019, on the eve of the COVID-19 pandemic.The inventors believe their licensed technology has huge potential amid a worldwide viral crisis that led to more than 450 million COVID-19 cases between 2020 and 2022.“So … if you touch with a contaminated hand a regular surface, contamination will get transferred to it,” Soleymani told 900 CHML’s Good Morning Hamilton.“But if you touch the repel wrap, it doesn’t get contaminated.

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Lady Gaga shares ‘five golden rules’ to safely be there for someone struggling with mental health

Lady Gaga has made a constant effort to promote mental health among young people, advocating for the importance of accessible mental health resources, this time through her Born This Way Foundation.The 35-year-old star is joining forces with Canadian mental health charity Jack.org to launch the Be There Certificate, a free online mental health course in English, Spanish and French.“Sharing this resource with each of those young people and the world means everything to me and I share it as a way to remind myself and everyone else that we each have a role to play in being there for each other,” Gaga shared to People.Lady Gaga listed the “five golden rules” on how to safely be there for someone, “Number one, say what you see. Number two, show you care.

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COVID-19: MLHU reports death of woman in her 90s, LHSC caring for 38 COVID-19 inpatients

Last Friday, LHSC was caring for 43 COVID-19 inpatients with six in adult critical care. LHSC says five or fewer of its COVID-19 inpatients are in Children’s Hospital, while zero are in pediatric critical care. Last week, there were five or fewer COVID-19 inpatients in Children’s Hospital with five or fewer in pediatric critical care.

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Waterloo Region student immunizations set to return but suspensions a ways off: Aoki

COVID-19.While many resources were thrown at fighting the virus, other items such as school vaccinations were left in the wings. WRDSB to hold meeting Friday night to discuss provincial COVID-19 changes for schools David Aoki, Waterloo Public Health’s director of infectious diseases, who is currently leading the region’s COVID vaccination effort, says that thousands of kids need to get their other childhood vaccinations up-to-date.“We’re still doing that digging into how many shots were missed,” he told reporters on Friday, although he was able to provide an estimate for the Grade 7 shots he referred to as school program.“Because of the two years of school that we haven’t offered in-school vaccines, we’ve probably missed about 15,000 to 20,000 students that haven’t had their Grade 7 shot.”Normally, Waterloo Public Health would be providing clinics to get that age group their hepatitis B, meningitis and human papillomavirus vaccines.“We obviously haven’t been able to run those clinics since March of 2020, and actually even a little bit before if you remember some of the rotating teacher strikes.

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Putin is ‘preparing a terrorist attack’ on Chernobyl nuclear plant, Ukraine claims

UKRAINE - According to the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin is "preparing a terrorist attack on the Chernobyl nuclear power plant," the government agency claimed Friday. According to a social media post on Twitter, the department said that a "man-made catastrophe" is planned at the plant and will be manipulated to appear as if Ukraine was responsible for it."Putin is preparing a terrorist attack on the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. A man-made catastrophe is planed [sic] at the CNPP controlled by Russian forces, for which the occupiers will try to shift responsibility to Ukraine," the department wrote.These claims come just days after Ukraine closed the Chernobyl nuclear power plant that was disconnected from the nation’s power grid by Russian forces, potentially jeopardizing the cooling of nuclear material at the site.

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Kyle Rittenhouse rifle destroyed by Wisconsin State Crime Lab

KENOSHA, Wis. - Kenosha police released video and pictures of the Kyle Rittenhouse rifle on Friday, March 11 – which was destroyed at the Wisconsin State Crime Lab in Milwaukee on Feb. 25.The Wisconsin State Crime Lab shredded the Kyle Rittenhouse rifle on Feb.

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Chinese provincial capital locks down as country's COVID cases rise

China's COVID-19 cases today continue to rise to their highest levels since February 2020, with the capital of Jilin province, Changchun, now on lockdown to curb the spread of the virus.

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From out of service to back in service; SLTB adds 200 renovated buses to fleet

COLOMBO (News 1st); 200 buses that were taken out of service were repaired and re-added to the passenger transportation under the patronage of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat premises on Tuesday (22).The project was implemented based on a concept of State Minister of Vehicle Regulation, Bus Transport Services and Train Compartments and Motor Car Industry Dilum Amunugama and under the guidance of Transport Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi.The importation of buses was also suspended along with the restriction on the importation of vehicles.Accordingly, steps were taken to repair the dilapidated buses as a solution to the shortage of buses and in order to save foreign exchange.Under the first phase of the project, 273 buses were repaired and added to the bus fleet in December 2020.Under the second phase, 200 buses that were completely out of service at 107 depots across the country were repaired at a cost of Rs. 136 million.The project is being carried out by Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) depots and Lakdiva Engineering Company with the full support of the Sri Lanka Public Transport Employees Union.The President inspected the standard of the buses, engaged in conversation with the SLTB employees.

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Forex shortage is short-lived, says Basil while assuring sufficient stocks of many goods

COLOMBO (News 1st): The foreign exchange shortage experienced in Sri Lanka will be short-lived, said the country’s Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa.Speaking to officials at the Finance Ministry of Friday (11), Rajapaksa said the government expects to minimize the effects the forex shortage might have on the people.On Monday (7) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa instructed the officials to take steps to immediately release the containers containing essential items at the custody of Customs.The President also appointed a committee headed by Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa to ensure that there is no shortage of essential commodities including food, and this committee met for the first time on Friday (11).A statement from the Finance Ministry noted that though there is a shortage of Milk Powder, Gas, Wheat Flour, and Cement in the local market, there are sufficient stocks of all other essential items and there will be no shortage.In addition, the tax reliefs granted by the government for essential food items not being enjoyed by the people were discussed and it was revealed at the meeting that errant traders abuse the concessions granted by the government and sell goods at exorbitant prices.The implementation of a new mechanism to expedite the release of essential commodities including food to the market, and to regulate and oversee this matter, was also discussed.

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University of Vavuniya – Sri Lanka’s 17th State University, declared open

COLOMBO (News 1st); The new University of Vavuniya was declared open by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Friday (11).The University of Vavuniya is the 17th State University in Sri Lanka and was established with effect from the 1st of August 2021 via an Extraordinary Gazette on the 8th of June 2021 that elevated the Vavuniya Campus of the University of Jaffna, to a separate state university in Sri Lanka.The new state university was established for the purpose of providing, promoting, and developing higher education in the branches of learning of Business Studies, Applied Science, and Technology Studies.

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‘All promises will be fulfilled’, assures President during SLPPs ‘Podujana Rally’

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Wednesday (9) said that his policies and the policies of the government were prepared with the future generations in mind.President Rajapaksa assured that all promises will be fulfilled.He said the government is facing challenges in various sectors, including education, agriculture, and electricity.Noting that the economy is reviving following the pandemic, President Rajapaksa urged the masses to obtain the booster dose and not leave any reason for the country to go into lockdown again.The President urged the public sector employees to fulfill their duties and responsibilities in line with the government’s policy statement.“I promised the farmers that fertilizer will be given for free and the certified price for paddy will be increased, and that was my first duty,” said the President while addressing a crowd at the Salgado Stadium in Anuradhapura.The President also promised to increase the income of the local farmers by 100% with or without fertilizer.

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Expedite release of essential goods from customs – President

COLOMBO (News 1st); President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has instructed officials to take the necessary steps to release freight containers with essential items that are held by Sri Lanka Customs.The President had reached this decision with the objective of ensuring that there is no shortage of food and essential goods in the local market.The President had also appointed a committee headed by Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa to ensure that there is no shortage of food and essential items.The President on Monday (7) had stressed the need to provide the general public with the opportunity to make purchases for the upcoming holiday season without having to experience any shortage.The President had noted that the opportunity will be given to import selected essential items and there should be no room for anyone to import in excess for ulterior motives and to conceal stocks for profits.The committee led by Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa was tasked with preparing streamlined mechanisms to release essential items to the local market while regulating and monitoring the process.

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United States	Cases: 46 252 513 Deaths: 750 423 Recovered: 0
India	Cases: 34 321 025 Deaths: 459 652 Recovered: 0
Brazil	Cases: 21 835 785 Deaths: 608 235 Recovered: 0
United Kingdom	Cases: 9 215 683 Deaths: 141 607 Recovered: 0
Russia	Cases: 8 494 589 Deaths: 237 619 Recovered: 0

The economy is recovering, says President during meeting with professionals

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