Concerns raised over level of school absences due to Covid-19

A woman has complained after money was automatically taken out of her account after being told she'd receive a coronavirus fine last year.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Personal Data Protection Bill was passed in Parliament with amendments on Wednesday (9).The Personal Data Protection Bill was presented to Parliament by Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa.When it was produced for the second reading in Parliament, the Chief Opposition Whip MP Lakshman Kiriella said the opposition opposes the bill.Also Read: Namal bats for Personal Data Protection Bill in P’ment, says it is key for the future

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is extending Canada’s commitment to Operation REASSURANCE in Latvia, where he has met with Canadian troops and NATO leaders.

Canada will send cameras for surveillance drones to Ukraine in a new shipment of aid amid the ongoing war with Russia, according to a senior source.

The European Union is now gearing up to phase out Russian energy supplies in response to the war in Ukraine. Jackson Proskow reports on the planned timeline, and the growing international goal to end reliance on Russian energy.

Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii, early February 20, 2022. (Photo by DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images)HONOLULU (AP) - The last statewide mask mandate in the U.S. will be lifted by March 26, Hawaii Gov.

PHILADELPHIA - A rideshare driver was shot in Fairmount on Wednesday morning before driving to police headquarters to escape the gunfire, police say.According to authorities, the incident happened just after 3 a.m. in the area of North 24th and Poplar Streets.Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small says as officers were responding, a 2013 GMC SUV showed up at the new police headquarters at North 15th and Callowhill Streets.Small says the 42-year-old driver had a graze wound on his back and officers took him to the hospital, where he was in stable condition before being released.According to police, the man drives for Uber and he was waiting for a passenger when a white Chevy Impala with dark rims and tinted windows began following him and firing shots.Police say the Uber driver's car was hit 12 times by gunfire, with three bullet holes in the front windshield and nine on the passenger side.The motive is unknown at this time, according to police.Authorities believe the suspects in the white Chevy Impala may be connected to an incident at a Sunoco convenience store two blocks away.The convenience store clerk allegedly told police he got into an altercation with men who he believed were going to steal.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Sri Lankan Government has issued an extraordinary gazette notification restricting the imports of a series of non-essentials.The Department of Government Information said that the Sri Lankan Government decided to restrict imports for a short period to manage the present economic situation.In the first method, taxes will be imposed on selected imports.In the second method, it would be made mandatory to obtain permits for selected imports.In the third method, it would be made mandatory to obtain permits for selected imports, and such products will be subject to taxes.The import restriction gazette will be published by the government on Wednesday (9). 

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Public Services, Provincial Councils, and Local Government has issued a circular with regard to electricity consumption as state premises.

BEIJING :

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Department of Imports and Exports Control has issued an extraordinary gazette subjecting the imports of 367 non-essential goods to a permit-based system.The respective notification will be released shortly.

With the ending of the Pandemic Unemployment Payments (PUP) on 25 February 2022, plus the Employers Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) later this year, there will be unfortunately and inevitably businesses closing down and redundancies arising.

An outraged woman has complained after money was automatically taken from her bank account without her knowing after being told that she would receive a £10,000 Covid-19 fine in 2021.

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It’s getting tougher for tens of thousands of people to flee the fighting in Ukraine. Mike Armstrong reports on the hurdles they’re encountering, how many families are being ripped apart, and the dire situation of those still stranded in the deadly conflict.

raising public alarm.With the omicron wave diminishing in February and Americans expressing renewed optimism about the course of the pandemic, social distancing returned to December levels or declined further:The latest results are based on a nationally representative survey of U.S. adults conducted Feb. 15-23 by web using the Gallup Panel.

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

COLOMBO (News 1st); Civil Air Transport Wing of Sri Lanka Air Force, Helitours was certified by the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL) to provide domestic civil passenger & cargo transport facilities after full filling the necessary requirements recently.The Air Operator Certificate (AOC) was handed over by Capt. Themiya Abeywickrama, Director General of Civil Aviation & Chief Executive Officer to the Air Vice Marshal Prasanna Payoe, the Chief Executive Officer of Helitours.The entry of Helitours to the Sri Lanka air transport industry will be a catalyst to the national economy through the tourism industry.The Application submitted by Helitous was scrutinized by the Civil Aviation Inspectors of CAASL by considering the organizational structure, availability of qualified & well-trained staff, instruments/ equipment, and other required facilities & documents for the certification under the guidance of Capt.

Ukraine must hold off Russia’s attack for the next seven to 10 days to deny Moscow claiming any sort of victory, said a senior government official, as more than 2 million refugees fled the biggest assault on a European country since World War Two.Vadym Denysenko, adviser to Ukraine’s interior minister, said Russia was desperate for at least some kind of victory, citing the cities of Mariupol or the capital Kyiv as the most likely targets.“They need at least some victory before they are forced into the final negotiations,” Denysenko wrote on Facebook.“Therefore our task is to stand for the next 7-10 days.” U.S. rejects Poland’s offer to supply fighter jets to Ukraine, says it’s not ‘tenable’ Russia said it would provide humanitarian corridors on Wednesday for people fleeing Kyiv and four other Ukrainian cities.

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Austria is suspending its Covid-19 vaccine mandate, its ministers for health and constitutional affairs said, six days before fines for breaches were due to start being handed out.

A Vancouver man has left the safety of Canada, and travelled to Ukraine to help his family and the country defend themselves against the Russian invasion.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Several Parliamentarians from the Samagi Jana Balavegaya, Sri Lanka’s main opposition faction, visited the Central Bank on Wednesday (9) to meet with Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal.“Our meeting was strictly professional and not political,” said Dr. Harsha De Silva who attended the meeting, adding that the main focus was highlighting the suffering of the people in the present day.The Central Bank officials believe that the issue is short-term, and had no intention of moving towards the International Monetary Fund or other agencies to restructure Sri Lanka’s debt, said the MP.“The Central Bank officials are of the view that the issues will be short-lived and can be solved by obtaining more loans from China and other lending countries,” he added.Dr.

Biological E has applied for Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) for its COVID-19 vaccine Corbevax for the 5-12 year age group, official sources said on Wednesday, according to a news report by ANI

Edmonton no longer has a local mask bylaw, after city councillors debated the issue for hours on Tuesday. As Morgan Black explains, it comes as the Alberta government introduced its own legislation to force the city’s hand.

PHILADELPHIA - Temperatures will plunge overnight in the wake of powerful thunderstorms that brought damaging winds and heavy downpours to the region on Monday. The National Weather Service issued a near region-wide Severe Thunderstorm Watch ahead of a thin, but mighty, line of storms that packed 70 MPH wind gusts. The watch was briefly upgraded to a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for parts of southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The most extensive damage from the storm was downed trees and power lines that left thousands without electricity.

Patients of a North Vancouver doctor will now be looking for a new physician.

The United States rejected a surprise offer by NATO ally Poland on Tuesday to transfer its Russian-made MiG-29 fighter jets to a U.S. base in Germany as a way to replenish Ukraine’s air force in its defense against invading Russian forces.

March 8 is International Women’s Day, but many women continue to struggle with continued unemployment that started during the pandemic.

Eight months after the town of Lytton was ravaged by wildfire, work finally got underway on debris cleanup and demolition, the first phase in rebuilding. Emad Agahi reports.

A North Vancouver doctor is telling her patients they need to find a new doctor at the end of the month. She says she’ll be out of a job because she’s unvaccinated.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa says that Sri Lankans should work patiently in the difficult times that have arisen.Participating in the International Women’s Day celebrations in Colombo, the Prime Minister also inaugurated a program to introduce 10 foreign languages ​​to school children in line with international standards.The Prime Minister addressing the event stated that while acknowledging that the country is in a very difficult situation today, the women in the country are affected when there is a shortage of electricity, diesel and gas.When the country was closed down and garment factories remained open, a certain group demanded for the factories to be closed because it would lead to a ‘garment cluster’, the Prime Minister stated.“The President closed down the country while warning that it would lead to people suffering even more. But today it has come true.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka has approved power cuts for Tuesday (8).Groups PQRSTUVW:2 hours from 8 AM to 5 PM1 hour from 5 PM to 9 PMGroups E & F: 5 hours from 8 AM to 6 PM2 1/2 hours from 6 PM to 11 PM

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has delivered its determination to the Parliament on the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) (Amendment) Bill.The determination read out by Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena is as follows:Clause 2 of the Bill is NOT inconsistent with any provision of the constitution.Clause 3 of the Bill cannot be enacted into law unless the number of votes cast in favor amounts not less than 2/3 of the whole number of members, including those not present, as per the constitution.The Supreme Court is however of the view that if the provisions of Clause 3 of the bill are amended as set out in the determination of the Supreme Court, it would ease to be inconsistent with any provision of the constitution.Clause 4 of the Bill, the Supreme Court states that be that as it may, the learned Additional Solicitor General had informed the court that the Attorney General would be advising the Minister to insert article 141 into the body of the proposed section 10 in Clause 4 of the Bill and the Minister would move that amendment at the Parliament Committee stage to address the concerns of the petitioners.Clause 5 of the Bill, for the reason mentioned in the determination of the Supreme Court, the Supreme Court holds that Clause 5 is NOT inconsistent with any provision of the constitution.Clause 6 of the Bill, the Supreme Court holds that it cannot inquire into pronounce upon or in any manner called into question, the validity of section 11 of the PTA on any grounds whatsoever, in terms of article 83 of the constitution.Clause 10 of the Bill, the Supreme Court holds that if amended as set out in the determination of the Supreme Court would cease to be inconsistent with any provision of the

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

PHILADELPHIA - The United Ukrainian-American Relief Committee in Philadelphia continues to see an influx of donations from locals who want to help people besieged by war in Ukraine. The committee started taking donations from the community when Russia's army first invaded Ukraine two weeks ago. Now, Executive Director Mortja Watters says their headquarters on Cottman Avenue is packed to the brim and they're looking for a larger facility. "It's a little overwhelming., people are so gracious," Watters said.

A 39-year-old man was driven to the hospital after police say he was badly injured in a shooting in Hunting Park. PHILADELPHIA - Police say a man was driven to the hospital after he was badly hurt in a street shooting Tuesday night in Hunting Park. Officers from the Philadelphia Police Department were called to the 3900 block of North 9th Street for reports of a shooting.

WHO) has said that it strongly supported "urgent and broad access" to booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines, capping a reversal of the UN agency's repeated insistence last year that boosters weren't necessary for healthy people and contributed to vaccine inequity. 

Covid-19 active cases fell below 50,000 after 665 days with 2,986 were reported in a span of 24 hours.

Royal Caribbean International’s new Wonder of the Seas ship made its debut in the U.S. on March 4, 2022, at Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades in Florida.

Co-host Dolly Parton speaks onstage during the 57th Academy of Country Music Awards at Allegiant Stadium on March 07, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Sometimes even Dolly Parton has a hard time keeping up with the legend of Dolly Parton."I often go into my museum in Dollywood, you know, because I’m in the mood to be there or we’re in there doing something or putting something new in. And I look at all that stuff and think 'When, how did that happen?'" she says.

Edmonton councillors voted to drop the city’s face coverings bylaw on Tuesday, after a lengthy discussion on the topic. Morgan Black reports.

COVID-19 continued its downward spiral on Tuesday, dropping by 30 patients.That brings the total to 419 patients in hospitals with the virus according to numbers released by B.C. Health Department.As for the people in intensive care units, that number remains unchanged in the last day, leaving 63 people in ICUs across the province.There are no new outbreaks in health-care facilities.

Lululemon founder Chip Wilson announced Tuesday he is donating $100 million to fund a cure for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, which he was diagnosed with at only 32 years old.

Apple unveiled a slew of new products during Tuesday's virtual "Peek Performance" event. Below is a FOX Business roundup of everything you need to know.Apple's new iPhone SE features a slew of upgrades including the A15 bionic chip, 5G capability, longer battery life and improved durability. The phone has a 12-megapixel rear camera that includes Smart HDR 4, Photographic Styles, Deep Fusion and Portrait mode.

FOX NEWS - Philadelphia, known as the City of Brotherly Love, has had 96 homicides so far this year, falling one murder short of the notoriously violent Chicago three months into 2022. As of Monday, there had been 96 homicide victims in Philadelphia in 2022. According to Philadelphia Police Department statistics, that represented a 9% spike from the 88 homicide victims the city recorded at the same time last year. At the end of 2021, Philadelphia recorded a total of 562 homicide victims, compared to 499 in 2020 and 356 in 2019.

the infamous Sunwing flight to Mexico that saw reality TV stars and influencers vape, sing and dance on board have been slapped with financial penalties.Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announced on Tuesday that six revellers received “penalties” of up to $5,000 because they were not fully vaccinated when they boarded the flight to Cancun — but he did not disclose the exact amount of each of their fines.“Certain behaviours reported in connection with the flight on December 30, 2021, are unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” Alghabra said in a press release.“This is why Transport Canada took immediate action. Aviation rules must be respected by everyone, for the sake of everyone’s safety.