These housing markets are seeing the largest drop in prices since the pandemic peak

A deserted beach at the edge on an old Mauna Loa lava flow is viewed on December 16, 2016, in this aerial photo taken along the Kona Kohala Coast, Hawaii. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images) A magnitude 5.0 earthquake was the strongest of a series of temblors that struck Friday on Hawaii's Mauna Loa, the largest active volcano on the planet that scientists say is in a "state of heightened unrest."Smaller aftershocks followed, according to the U.S.

Russia’s war in Ukraine is proving to be “one of the biggest threats” to the world economy at the moment, according to Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.Freeland, who also serves as Canada’s finance minister, made the comments to reporters in Washington, D.C., on Friday following the annual meetings of the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund (IMF), which put out a stark world economic outlook earlier this week.“One of the biggest threats, not only to the lives of Ukrainians right now, not only to the sanctity of the international rules-based order, but also to the world economy today is Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” Freeland said.“There’s one simple thing that could happen that would make the global economy much more secure, and that is for Russia to get out of Ukraine.” As IMF warns of economic slowdown, Canada’s labour market could be critical buffer The IMF cited the war in Ukraine on Tuesday as one of the drivers for cutting its global growth forecast for 2023. High energy and food prices, inflation and sharply higher interest rates, also factored in to the IMF’s report, which indicated a third of the world economy will likely contract by next year.Russia’s war in Ukraine has been raging for close to eight months since the wide-scale invasion began on Feb.

Covid-19 has been with us for almost three years now.

PHILADELPHIA - Roxborough High School's varsity football team returned to the field on Friday for the first time since a shooting erupted after a scrimmage that killed a teen and injured four others.The team hung the jersey of 14-year-old Nicolas Elizalde near the field, and players and staff wore shirts with his name on the back. Elizalde was killed when police say a group of five suspects got out of an SUV and opened fire on a group of teens walking on Peachin Street on Sept.

Total Covid-19 infections in the UK have risen 31 per cent, the biggest percentage jump since June. Most of the country is now seeing a steady increase in virus levels.

On national television, Biden administration spokesperson John Kirby mounted a feeble attempt to explain the president’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for the military. Kirby, a retired Navy admiral, had no acceptable answers when pressed about the administration’s "folly" and the perilous impact the mandate is already having on our national security. Remarkably, Kirby perpetuated the narrative that the military’s mandate must remain in place while admitting with a straight face that he was quarantined for 10 days due to his current bout with COVID-19, despite being vaccinated and double boosted.

The U.S. extended the public health emergency status for the COVID-19 pandemic Thursday, weeks after President Biden's controversial remarks declaring the pandemic was "over."  The move extends the order through Jan.

TRICARE, the health care program for active-duty service members, military retirees, reservists and their families, will drop more than a quarter of the pharmacies in its current network later this month, a move that will force an estimated 400,000 beneficiaries to find new pharmacies. The program said nearly 15,000 independent, community pharmacies will no longer be in the TRICARE network as of October 24.The network will still include more than 40,000 pharmacies across the country.

recession is on the cards as they look ahead to 2023.Though plenty of Canadians remember living through a recession or two, for millions of others it will be the first major downturn in their adult lives. Some are in their late 20s, perhaps thinking of buying a house or already homeowners.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Navy says that a vessel with six sailors, who were engaged in search operations along the southern coast for suspicious vessels, has been missing for about 20 days.Navy spokesperson Captain Indika de Silva said that the sailors left from the Southern Coast on 16th September for the search operation.However, all communication with the naval vessel in question have been broken since 17th September, the Navy spokesperson said.The missing group were identified as sailors attached to the Southern Naval Command.No information about the missing sailors have been received in the operations carried out by the Navy so far

Also Read: Do you have COVID cough? Here’s how to find out US Health Secretary Xavier Becerra announced on October 13 that the extension would be valid until January 11, 2023. Becerra’s statement says that “a public health emergency exists and has existed since January 27, 2020, nationwide". As better care, drugs, and vaccines have been more readily accessible, the COVID-19 pandemic's toll in the United States has dramatically decreased from early in Biden's term when more than 3,000 Americans were dying every day.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena requested the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to assist the government’s initiative to establish a digital database of the labor workforce in Sri Lanka. He pointed out that the Ministry of Labour has taken steps to establish a comprehensive digitalized database of the workforce and urged the ILO to assist in expediting the process.This was discussed when ILO Country Director Simrin C Singh and Senior Employment Specialist of ILO Headquarters, Sher Verick called on him at the prime Minister’s Office yesterday (13).The Prime Minister briefed them on the impact of the Covid pandemic and economic crisis on the labor workforce and the short-term and long-term steps taken by the government to recover the economy and to help the workers, especially the low-income labor force.Simrin Singh said despite some signs of positive trends, most developing countries including Sri Lanka are faced with difficulties due to the global recession, limited fiscal space, debt sustainability challenges, and rising inflation. She pointed out that these issues have resulted in a labor market crisis.Prime Minister Gunawardena stressed that the government was very keen to make the labor workforce upwardly mobile and explained the multitude of training programs launched for skill development. Increasing the quality and quantity of jobs is the surest way of moving people out of poverty, he said. Employment Specialist Sher Verick said that the founding principles of the ILO are concerned not only with ensuring sources of income, but also as a means for people to live a self-determined life, and for participating fully as citizens in their communities.Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The common people are the left to pay for the damage done to the environment by fraud and corruption.Despite the inclement weather The Gammadda Door-to-Door team in the Galle District visited multiple villages in Akmeemana and Bope Poddala area to inquire into the primary issues faced by the area residents.Our teams visited the villages of Akmeemana, Talgasaya, Kekirihena, Godadenigama, Galvalagodakanda, Bopepoddala, Holuvagoda Mulana to inquire into the problems faced by the people.The crops in the Holuvagoda village were inundated at the time our teams visited the area, and many families in this area earn their living through farming. Another Gammadda Door-to-Door team visited multiple villages in the Anuradhapura District to inquire into the primary issues faced by the villagers.Our teams visited many villages including the Meegaswewa Samagipura village in the Central Nuwaragama divisional secretariat of the Anuradhapura district. Heen Amma is a grandmother who is facing a battle to survive and make ends meet.Her husband who is battling with a cronic kidney disease has been paralysed for the past 9 years. And Heen Amma is a daily wage worker. The Gammadda Team visiting the Mannar district entered several villages in the Nanattan Divisional Secretariat.The villagers in Wangalai depend on the fishing industry.Coastal erosion, substandard salt for dry fish production, and the rising fuel costs have made it difficult for them to survive.,The people in Eruvittan have no proper housing and when it floods their current homes are submerged.The Gammadda Door to Door teams with the researchers from the University of Peradeniya will head out to rural Sri Lankan villages tomorrow as well

PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 26: A general view of Citizens Bank Park during the Major League Baseball game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Pittsburgh Pirates on September 26,2021 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia,PA. (Photo by Rich Gra PHILADELPHIA - Ryan Howard swung and stumbled, belly flopped onto the dirt, then hobbled a step or two before he crumpled to the ground in pain.

Nearly three of four US high school students report one or more adverse experiences contributing to poor mental health and suicidal behaviors amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a survey published today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) researchers an

Many of us have experienced how dedicated and caring Scotland’s healthcare professionals are – and there’s still time to show your appreciation for those who have gone the extra mile.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Supreme Court Justice Yasantha Kodagoda PC said that Sri Lanka must transform into a state where the people can enjoy the fruits of sovereignty, democracy, and fundamental freedoms. "At a time when Sri Lanka is facing the devastating consequences of an unprecedented economic disaster, in the immediate aftermath of having succumbed to and thereafter risen from a global pandemic indeed we as concerned professionals and as leaders of our respective organizations, are concerned about how we should transform," he told a gathering on Wednesday (12)."We need to reflect introspectively as well as in an outward direction as to how we too can contribute towards the development of a united, peaceful, economically viable and proud nation," he added.Through transformation we must ensure that our people can live in peace and harmony, enjoy the fruits of sovereignty, representative democracy, the rule of law, fundamental freedoms, and of free media, said the Supreme Court Justice."Our people must be able to lead a free, healthy, comfortable, and safe life. They must also be able to realize their reasonable aspiration.

rise comes a day after the country reported 2,139 cases on 12 October. The active cases in the country has increased to 26,509 from the earlier 26,292, it said.

COVID-19 pandemic, the Ontario Medical Association said Wednesday.Although screenings have since returned to normal levels, the organization warned that the temporary decrease in testing has led to many cases of the disease being diagnosed at later stages.Dr. Rose Zacharias, the association’s president, said mammogram screening is the best method to detect breast cancer early, when it is less likely to have spread to other parts of the body.

One of New York’s most popular attractions has reopened to the public. The National Park Service began allowing visitors to go up into the Statue of Liberty’s crown on Tuesday, more than two and a half years since it closed during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Other parts of the statue including the observation deck had reopened previously.

Scores on the ACT college admissions test by this year's high school graduates hit their lowest point in more than 30 years — the latest evidence of the enormity of learning disruption during the pandemic. The class of 2022's average ACT composite score was 19.8 out of 36, marking the first time since 1991 that the average score was below 20.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The 2022 Commitment to Reducing Inequality (CRI) Index, a report released by OXFAM highlights that the pandemic alone has increased Sri Lanka's poverty by 27%.The report, which is the first detailed analysis looking at Governments' policies and actions to fight inequality during the first two years of the pandemic, presents an analysis of spending, tax and labour policies and actions of 161 governments during 2020–2022.In comparison with neighbouring countries, Sri Lanka has placed 111th in the report, while other countries include Nepal (112th), Bhutan (116th), India (123rd), Pakistan (126th), and Afghanistan (138th) out of the total 161.Two years ago, Sri Lanka ranked in 94th position among 158 countries in the 2020 Commitment to Reducing Inequality (CRI) Index, and in comparison with this year, has gone down 17 places.The report highlights that Sri Lanka is the sixth lowest public services spender out of 161 countries and has been cutting the already low health and education budget shares by one-fifth each since 2019, due to a growing debt crisis which is absorbing 60% of the country's budget.The other countries that have ranked as low as Sri Lanka in public spending includes South Sudan, Timor Leste, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Uganda, Nepal and Yemen.

FILE - A farmer stands next to a row of newly planted organic tomatoes on April 23, 2015, in Firebaugh, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) California's ongoing drought is expected to impact the prices of key crops, driving food inflation even higher for consumers.The U.S.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka's State Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe had attended the G24 Ministerial Meeting during the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.The meeting discussed a variety of new fiscal and economic issues emerged since the Covid 19 pandemic, along with renewed risks and financing burdens on many developing countries.At a time when Sri Lanka together with many other developing nations are facing multiple crises including high food inflation, debt problems and balance of payments issues and it is important to work together with the international community to raise the common voice of developing nations and secure necessary assistance from global financial institutions.The Intergovernmental Group of Twenty-Four on International Monetary Affairs and Development (G-24) coordinates the position of developing countries on monetary and development issues in the deliberations and decisions of the IMF and the World Bank.

Vials of the COVID-19 vaccine bivalent booster from Pfizer-BioNTech (left) and Moderna. (Photo Courtesy of N.Y.

PHILADELPHIA - Investigators with the Philadelphia Police Department are working on learning more about a shooting that left a man dead on Tuesday morning. According to police, officers responded to reports of gunshots and a person shot at 52nd and Berks Streets just before 12:30 a.m.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Cascading global crises have left 54 countries including Sri Lanka – home to more than half of the world's poorest people — in dire need of debt relief, the UN said Tuesday (11).In a new report, the United Nations Development Programme warned that dozens of developing nations were facing a rapidly deepening debt crisis and that "the risks of inaction are dire".UNDP said without immediate relief, at least 54 countries would see rising poverty levels, and "desperately needed investments in climate adaptation and mitigation will not happen".That was worrisome since the affected countries were "among the most climate-vulnerable in the world".The agency's report, published ahead of meetings of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and also of G20 finance ministers in Washington, highlighted the need for swift action.But despite repeated warnings, "little has happened so far, and the risks have been growing," UNDP chief Achim Steiner told reporters in Geneva."That crisis is intensifying and threatening to spill over into an entrenched development crisis across dozens of countries across the world."The poor, indebted countries are facing converging economic pressures and many find it impossible to pay back their debt or access new financing.'Volatility'"Market conditions are shifting rapidly as a synchronised fiscal and monetary contraction and low growth are fuelling volatility around the globe," UNDP said.The UN agency said debt troubles had been brewing in many of the affected countries long before the Covid-19 pandemic hit."The rapid build-up in debt over the past decade has been consistently underestimated," it said.The freeze on debt repayment during the Covid crisis to lighten their burden

FILE - A CSX freight train is seen in Orlando. A pay dispute between rail workers and unions threatens a nationwide freight rail strike as early as Sept.

Each year, antibiotic-resistant neonatal infections result in the deaths of nearly 60,000 newborns. According to the Lancet, antibiotic-resistant neonatal infections caused 1.27 million deaths worldwide in just 2019. What are these infections? These are the infections where bacteria change over time and eventually develop the ability to defeat the drugs designed to kill them.

NEW DELHI : Establishing a new milestone in the field of mental health on the occasion of World Mental Health Day, Tele Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States (Tele-MANAS) initiative of Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare was launched virtually by Karnataka Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot on Monday. Acknowledging the mental health crisis in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and an urgent need to establish a digital mental health network that will withstand the challenges amplified by the pandemic, Government of India announced National Tele Mental Health Programme (NTMHP) in the Union Budget 2022-23.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Today is Day six of the 6th Edition of the Gammadda Door to Door Program, and the Gammadda teams were deployed across three districts today (10) as well.The Gammadda teams engaged in the Door to Door program are currently based in the Ratnapura, Polonnaruwa, and Kilinochchi Districts.The Gammadda Door to Door program is joined by the University of Peradeniya as well. Gammadda is well known among all Sri Lankans, young and old, as the people's force that brings about a new beginning for the villages and towns of Sri Lanka.Gammadda implements these projects by identifying the real needs of the local population.The needs of the people were identified following an extensive and streamlined study of the findings in the Gammadda Door to Door program that was implemented five times before along with the University of Peradeniya.The COVID-19 Pandemic and the Economic Crisis have forced the people of Sri Lanka to undergo various hardships.

Tanya Hinsley said she snapped this photo right after the Starbucks barista prayed with a customer. (Credit: Tanya Hinsley) JONESBORO, Ark. - Waiting in the drive-thru line can be a bit tedious, but Tanya Hinsley said she captured a moment that made it all worth it. The Jonesboro, Arkansas, resident said she was recently at a local Starbucks with her son who had just received his driving permit. "He wanted more practice with going through a drive-thru," Hinsley told FOX Television Stations. RELATED: Hurricane Ian shakes Florida's faith, but can't destroy itHinsley said she was waiting in line when Carrie, the Starbucks employee, started praying with the customer at the front of the line. "My son and I were having a discussion about how we loved that she stopped what she is doing and was bold in her faith and cared enough to pray with someone," Hinsley continued.

AUSTIN, Texas - Drivers along South Congress may notice a new pro-abortion billboard up, courtesy of California Gov. Gavin Newsom.The billboard, which is up just south of Stassney Lane in South Austin, features a woman sitting with her arms crossed over her knees, looking at the words "Need an abortion? California is ready to help." The billboard also features California's abortion resources website as well as a Bible quote saying "Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no greater commitment than these."The billboard states it is paid for by Gov.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – A suspect has been arrested for breaking and entering the house of Minister Keheliya Rambukwella and for setting fire to his property the 9th of May.The suspect has been arrested by officers of the Homicide and Organized Crime Investigation Division.The 21-year-old suspect was identified as a resident of Kandy.Meanwhile, another suspect has been arrested for damaging the house of Minister Shantha Bandara.The 24-year-old suspect is identified as a resident of Maharachchimulla area.The suspect was arrested by officers of Kurunagala Criminal Investigation Department.

PLYMOUTH TOWNSHIP, Pa. - A man is recovering after he was stabbed during a fight outside a Wawa in Plymouth Township.Plymouth Township Police Department officials say the incident took place in the parking lot of a Wawa on Ridge Pike, in Plymouth Township Saturday morning, just before 9 a.m.The victim and 29-year-old Philadelphia resident Ivan Davonte Stephens, Jr. reportedly fought in the parking lot, when Stephens pulled a knife and stabbed the victim several times and took off.The man was taken to Paoli Hospital and treated for his injuries.

Andy Grammer reflected on his journey to discovering self-worth over recent years.

TRENTON, N.J. - Gas prices rose in New Jersey and across the nation as a whole following the announcement by major oil-producing countries of plans to cut production. AAA Mid-Atlantic says the average price of a gallon of regular gas in New Jersey on Friday was $3.53, up nine cents from last week. The national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline was $3.89, an increase of 10 cents from last week. Analysts also cited increased demand and U.S.

Two killed in triple shooting in Bucks County. BUCKS COUNTY, Pa. - A night out ended in tragedy for one Bucks County community after shots rang out just feet outside a neighborhood bar Friday night.Police responded to several calls for a shooting in the parking lot of Steam Pub on Second Street Pike in Upper Southampton around 11:30 p.m. The shooter was one of the callers, and remained on scene until police arrived, according to the DA's office.Two men were found dead on the scene.

Also Read: Viruses ‘watch’ us to decide when to attack Fauci was speaking at an event with the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism.There is always a risk of upsurge in the winter, he warned, so people shouldn't let their guard down. Although things appear to be going well, it would be premature to declare that the pandemic is finally finished, he added.

FILE - A car goes through a drive thru at a Taco Bell restaurant. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)QSR Magazine, a publication that provides in-depth information about the fast food industry, released its 2022 drive-thru report which outlines the fastest drive-thrus in the United States, among other things.

The extended school closures during the first 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic took a toll on US high school athletes, who showed significant decreases in both mental and physical health when sports were cancelled.

COLOMBO (News 1st) –  Sri Lankan law enforcement personnel recovered 6.7 kg of heroin hidden inside a house in Siddhamulla, Piliyandala on Thursday (6) night.Police Spokesperson SSP & Attorney Nihal Thalduma told News 1st that the heroin was discovered following the interrogation of a suspect who was arrested earlier in Ambalangoda.He said that the suspects linked to the heroin discovery had fled the area.

2,529 new Covid infections. The active cases in the country has now declined to 30,362 from the earlier 32,282, ministry said.

WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden said Thursday that the risk of nuclear "Armageddon" is at the highest level since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, as Russian officials speak of the possibility of using tactical nuclear weapons after suffering massive setbacks in the eight-month invasion of Ukraine.Speaking at a fundraiser for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin was "a guy I know fairly well" and the Russian leader was "not joking when he talks about the use of tactical nuclear weapons or biological or chemical weapons."Biden added, "We have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis." He suggested the threat from Putin is real "because his military is — you might say — significantly underperforming."Marine One carrying US President Joe Biden lands at the Wall Street landing zone in New York on Oct. 6, 2022.

EL PASO, Texas (AP) - A Mexican citizen was fatally shot at a U.S. Border Patrol station in Texas in the second deadly shooting along the U.S.-Mexico border in less than a week.The man was in custody at the Ysleta Border Patrol Station in El Paso on Tuesday when he was shot, U.S.

NEW YORK (AP) - Amazon will hire 150,000 full-time, part-time and seasonal employees across its warehouses ahead of the holiday season.The announcement, made Thursday, shows the e-commerce behemoth is taking a less conservative approach to its holiday planning than Walmart, which said last month it would hire 40,000 U.S. workers for the holidays, compared to 150,000 in 2021.Amazon, which typically beefs up its operations during the holidays, was looking for the same number of seasonal employees last year.

Overall wellness index: • Study shows that Indians feel better financially despite the impact of inflation compared to where they were in 2021. Indian women are taking more action in terms of financial wellness, whereas infrastructure enables financial wellness in Tier 1 towns to burgeon. • Workplace wellness too soars after the resumption of offices and hybrid model adoption.