Will allowances ease the economic burden on Sri Lankans?

Thousands of people took to the streets to watch the first St George's Day parade since the coronavirus pandemic. The popular annual event has not been held since 2019, but Manchester bathed in sunshine to welcome the return of the celebration.

AP, Moderna and Pfizer are testing 2-in-1 Covid-19 protection that they hope to offer this fall. Each “bivalent" shot would mix the original, proven vaccine with an Omicron-targeted version.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has welcomed a "significant milestone", as the number of people in hospital with Covid-19 falls below 500.

Hepatitis B virus. Image produced from an image taken with transmission electron microscopy.

Delhi's R-value was recorded at 2.1 this week. This means that every infected person is infecting two others in the national capital

1. Covid updates

NEW DELHI :

Ma Subramanian, along with Principal Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan and senior department officials, inspected the IIT-M campus today to take stock of the situation.

COVID-19 on Sunday and a further 212 in intensive care.That is a decrease of 322 people in hospital compared to the previous day, according to data released by the provincial government. The number of people in an ICU remained steady.Ontario reported 1,684 people in hospital and 212 in intensive care on Saturday. The province did not report data last Sunday due to the Easter Sunday holiday.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin is suffering from a serious illness was fuelled last night after he attended a church service for Easter.

MILWAUKEE - A violent weekend in Milwaukee as police investigate eight separate shootings that left two people dead and six people injured in the city from Saturday, April 23 into Sunday, April 24.Police were called to the area around 3:20 p.m. A 43-year-old Milwaukee man presented himself at the hospital and he is expected to survive. The circumstances leading up to the shooting are still under investigation.

Maharashtra on Sunday witnessed 144 new coronavirus cases and two deaths, taking the official tally of infections to 78,76,841 and the death toll to 1,47,834. Both the fatalities were reported from Pune city. 

Fire officials tell FOX 29 that 4 people, including 3 children, died in a fire in Kensington on Sunday morning.  PHILADELPHIA - Four people, including three children, have died after a fire tore through a home in Kensington on Sunday morning, authorities told FOX 29. Officials say the fire started on the 3200 block of Hartville Street around 2 a.m. First responders say four people have died in a fire on the 3200 block of Hartville Street in Kensington.  ___MORE LOCAL HEADLINESAccording to fire officials, three of the victims were confirmed as children. AdvertisementNo additional information has been released by authorities. 

Chie Matsuda learned from a morning TV show here on Wednesday that passengers on U.S. airplanes had just been allowed to take off their masks.

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday said that the state government will bring coronavirus guidelines after video conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the ongoing Covid-19 situation on 27 April.

city's financial district Pudong under a local government directive, as per reports. 

TORONTO – Raptors star guard Fred VanVleet left Game 4 of Toronto’s series with the Philadelphia 76ers Saturday with an injury.VanVleet tore off his jersey as he left the game late in the second quarter.The Raptors confirmed in the third that VanVleet would not return to the elimination game due to a left hip strain.Toronto trailed the best-of-seven series 3-0 heading into the game.VanVleet missed a total of 13 games with a bruised right knee as the Raptors’ regular season wound down.He averaged 20.3 points, 6.7 assists, and 4.4 rebounds per game this season and was named an all-star for the first time.This report by The Canadian Press was first published April, 23, 2022.

Shanghai reported 39 Covid deaths, official data showed, its highest daily toll since a weeks-long lockdown started, while China's capital Beijing warned of a "grim" situation with rising infections.

coronavirus infections being reported in a day, India's total tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 4,30,57,545.

NEW DELHI :

Navabharat Times, Swaminathan asserted, COVID is an airborne virus in which closed, crowded places with poor ventilation are at risk. “So, as long as covid continues to spread among people, it is good to maintain caution."

A colour commentator with the junior-level B.C. Hockey League was removed midway through a game on Friday after making racist comments about a player on air.

New Indian Express, “As per GISAID data, we have found BA.2.10 and BA.2.12, both sublineages of BA.2, in a few samples from Bengaluru. However, we need more samples and data to know more on this mutation. It is an alias of B.1.1.529.2.10, lineage from pango designation issue #496." 

India on Sunday reported over 2,593 Covid cases, and with that, the active tally touched 15873, Health Ministry data showed. On Saturday, a total of 2,527 new coronavirus infections were reported. 

Philadelphia police are investigating the shooting death of a woman, believed to be in her 20s, in Frankford. FRANKFORD - Philadelphia police are investigating a shooting that killed a young woman, in Frankford.Officials said police responded to a report of a shooting on the 2000 block of Bridge Street around 9:30 Saturday night.When they arrived, they found the young woman, believed to be in her 20s, suffering from a gunshot wound to the back.Medics attempted to save her, but she died at the location.AdvertisementPhiladelphia Police Inspector DF Pace stated a person of interest is in custody, though the shooting is actively being investigated.

Today we are reporting 5,662 community cases, 490 hospitalisations and nine deaths.

A man is hospitalized after he was hit by a SEPTA train. OLD CITY - A man is hospitalized after he was stuck by a SEPTA train.It happened around 8:30 Saturday night at the 2nd Street Station on the Market-Frankford Line.SEPTA officials say the man was hit by the side of an incoming train and knocked onto the platform.

World Health Organization said on Saturday that at least one child death had been reported following an increase of acute hepatitis of unknown origin in children, and that at least 169 cases had been reported in children in 12 countries.The WHO issued the figures as health authorities around the world investigate a mysterious increase in severe cases of hepatitis – inflammation of the liver – in young children.The WHO said that as of April 21 acute cases of hepatitis of unknown origin had been reported in the United Kingdom, the United States, Spain, Israel, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Italy, Norway, France, Romania and Belgium. It said 114 of the 169 cases were in the United Kingdom alone.

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 17: Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) walks away after swearing in Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) during a ceremonial swearing in, inside the old Senate Chamber on December 17, 2018 in Washington, DC.

Will there possibly be a fourth covid wave in India?

FALLS CHURCH, VA - APRIL 6: Tacos from left to right: al pastor, chicken tinga, goat and beef chorizo at La Tingeria photographed in Falls Church, Virginia on April 6, 2022. (Photo by Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post via Getty Images).

A general view shows the building of Shiretoko Sightseeing, a tour company building which a tour boat with 26 people onboard is missing, in Shari, Hokkaido on April 23, 2022. (Photo by Jiji Press / AFP via Getty Images) TOKYO (AP) - A tour boat with 26 people aboard was missing in the frigid waters of northern Japan on Saturday, hours after sending a distress call that it was sinking, the coast guard said.On Sunday, the Japanese Coast Guard said that their helicopters found four of the 26 people on a tour boat missing since the day before.The four people were found near the tip of Shiretoko Peninsula, but the coast guard said it could not confirm whether they were rescued alive.The 19-ton Kazu 1 made an emergency call in early afternoon, saying the ship’s bow had flooded and it was beginning to sink and tilt while traveling off the western coast of Shiretoko Peninsula in the northern island of Hokkaido, the coast guard said.The tour boat has since lost contact, according to the coast guard.

Orange County - A massive fire at an apartment complex Saturday morning in Orange County has left an entire building – 24 units -- "uninhabitable" due to fire, smoke, and water damage.Firefighters from multiple departments in Central Florida responded to the Isles at East Millenia apartments in Orlando.Orange County deputies were first to arrive and found flames and smoke coming from the apartments, and families on the second floor reportedly trapped.Multi-unit apartment building on fire"It was chaos everywhere," said Deputy William Puzynski. "I started looking around you could see families trapped on each floor, hanging off the balconies."From one of the apartment balconies, a mother was trying to lower her infant daughter to safety."I started climbing the building but couldn't make it all the way," said deputy Puzynski.

EAST GERMANTOWN - A stabbing in Philadelphia's East Germantown section has critically injured one person while a 29-year-old has been arrested.Officials say police were called to the 2000 block of Conlyn Street Friday, about 3 p.m.They arrived to find a person suffering from multiple stab wounds and a knife in the victim’s head.MORE HEADLINES:The victim was taken to a nearby hospital and placed in critical condition.According to authorities, a 29-year-old suspect, said to be a family friend of the victim, was arrested Saturday, on the 2100 block of Oxford Street.The suspect will face charges of attempted murder and aggravated assault.AdvertisementAn investigation is ongoing. 

PHILADELPHIA - One of two suspects who was wanted in connection with the murder of a Philadelphia officer’s adult son has turned himself in to police. Police say Levar Turner, 23, turned himself in at the Philadelphia Public Services Building in on Friday morning, days after authorities released new surveillance video from the deadly incident. Authorities say Turner will face murder, robbery, and criminal conspiracy charges and that a second suspect remains at large."The news that I got this morning was overwhelming," Edwenna Ferguson, mother of victim Hyram Hill and an 18-year veteran Philadelphia police officer, stated in an emotional press conference.

Philadelphia police investigate a shooting in Frankford that killed an unidentified woman. PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia police are investigating shootings in Nicetown and Frankford that killed a woman and injured two 16-year-old boys.About 2:30 Saturday afternoon, officials said, police were called to the 1700 block of Saint Paul Street for a reported shooting.Officers found two 16-year-old boys shot.

Long lost Dorothy dress (photo courtesy Bonhams) One of the four iconic blue and white dresses worn by Judy Garland in "The Wizard of Oz'" will hit the auction block next month, decades after it went missing from the Catholic University of America.According to a news release from Bonhams auction house, the dress was worn in the scene where Dorothy faced the Wicked Witch of the West in the witch’s castle. It’s one of only two dresses with the blouse still intact, and it’s expected to sell for $800,000 -$1.2 million.Hollywood actress Mercedes Mcambridge gave the dress to the university in 1973 while she was an artist in residence there.

Philadelphia police investigate a shooting in Frankford that critically injured an unidentified woman. PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia police are investigating shootings in Nicetown and Frankford that critically injured a woman and injured two 16-year-old boys.About 2:30 Saturday afternoon, officials said, police were called to the 1700 block of Saint Paul Street for a reported shooting.Officers found two 16-year-old boys shot.

Google."Ads shouldn’t detract from important conversations about the climate crisis," the company said in a statement outlining its new policy Friday.There was no indication that the change would affect what users post on the social media site, which along with Facebook has been targeted by groups seeking to promote misleading claims about climate change.The announcement coinciding with Earth Day came hours before the European Union agreed upon a deal requiring big tech companies to vet their sites more closely for hate speech, disinformation and other harmful content.RELATED: Time flies: Google Earth Timelapse feature shows your town change over 37 yearsTwitter said it would provide more information in the coming months on how it plans to provide "reliable, authoritative context to the climate conversations" its users engage in, including from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The U.N.-backed science panel's reports on the causes and effects of climate change provide the basis for international negotiations to curb climate change.RELATED: Elon Musk says he has $46.5B in financing ready to buy TwitterAdvertisementThe company already has a dedicated climate topic on its site and offered what it described as "pre-bunks" during last year's U.N.

Generic grave stones, 1 February 1999. AFR Picture by JESSICA HROMAS (Photo by Fairfax Media via Getty Images via Getty Images) HARRISBURG, Ore. - Authorities in Oregon said they have identified the man found dead inside a wooden, makeshift casket that was dumped at a local cemetery near Harrisburg, Oregon. But they want to know who put him there. Linn County Sheriff Michelle Duncan said the man was 59-year-old Randall Louis Lloyd, and he was identified by his fingerprints.

Dominican Republic after five of its crew members were among 11 people detained in the country when 200 packages of presumed cocaine were seized onboard an aircraft in early April.Pivot Airlines told Global News its crew members, detained at the beginning of the month, had now been released on bail but were required to remain within the country.The alleged drugs bust was made on April 6 at Punta Cana International Airport, according to the country’s National Directorate for Drug Control.Pivot Airlines said that five of its crew members discovered and reported what they believed to be contraband in the maintenance compartment of the plane. They were then detained, the airline said.

The people’s power can no longer be contained by the chains of corruption(COLOMBO); Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) strongly condemns the attempts of the President and the administration to stifle the constitutionally enshrined freedoms of expression and lawful assembly of the citizens through the use of emergency regulations, curfew and social media blackouts.TISL said that as an independent local organization that has been working in Sri Lanka for the past two decades with the mission to fight corruption, it stands in solidarity with the people across the country who are mobilizing independently against the corrupt in a non-violent manner.TISL notes that the current situation in the country has been caused by decades of misuse and mismanagement of public resources on a large scale, systemic corruption coupled with kleptocracy, and an overall lack of transparency and accountability in both governance as well as in the public service sector.The people have now delivered their message loud and clear. The dormant voices of the people of this country have joined in unison to create a powerful shockwave that might have taken most of those in power by surprise.Sri Lankans should be vigilant at this point as chaos at the highest levels affords the opportunity for political maneuvering and for those with ulterior motives to rise to power.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Several groups banded together on Monday (4) morning to protest against the current economic crisis in Sri Lanka in Galle.According to News 1st correspondents, lawyers and other social groups converged opposite the Galle Bus Station and commenced the protest.At the same time, a massive protest took place in the Polonnaruwa Town calling for the resignation of the government.Protests have increased across Sri Lanka after thousands decided to protest on the road leading to the President’s private residence on the 31st of March 2022.Meanwhile, Sri Lankans also defied the nationwide curfew to protest on Sunday (3).

COLOMBO (News 1st); The owners and operators of multiple filling stations across Sri Lanka allege that they are not receiving sufficient stocks of fuel to be sold to the growing number of queues opposite their businesses.“We do not receive the shipments on time. We are compelled to sell fuel based on the delivery of fuel,” said one filling station owner from Colombo.Another filling station owner from Kandy said that though they are sent messages of shipments destined to them, those shipments are never delivered.Similar sentiments were shared by other filling station owners, who are compelled to seek assistance from local authorities to control the crowds as well.Since the 8th of March 2022, Sri Lanka’s new Energy Minister Gamini Lokuge has been making promises on ending the fuel crisis in the country.Yet, there seems to be no immediate end to the fuel shortage in the island nation.At the same time, Sri Lanka’s Ports and Shipping Minister Rohitha Abeygunawardena told reporters on Monday (28) that claims that Sri Lanka will run out of fuel by the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, are baseless and false.He said the necessary fuel shipments have been ordered and the delivery will take place soon at the Colombo Port.However, these comments have not calmed the mindsets of many Sri Lankans who have been waiting in line for hours, as well as days, anticipating the arrival of fuel shipments to filling stations.Among these people are businessmen, farmers, day laborers, office workers, and even transport operators.