'Tripledemic' warning as virus with 'far bigger threat' to children than Covid looms

MUMBAI : Spooked by concerns of a possible resurgence in covid cases and ahead of the release of the latest Monetary Policy Committee meeting minutes, Indian stock indices tumbled by over a percent each, wiping off ₹4.4 trillion of investor wealth in the bargain. The Nifty fell 186.20 points to close at 18,199.10 while the Sensex tanked 635 points to end at 61,067.24 points after markets gauged the whole import of the Centre’s advisory to step up genome sequencing for identifying fresh covid strains spreading from China. The MPC minutes of its meeting on 5-7 December released after market closing showed the Reserve Bank of India governor voting against a pause in rate hikes on the ground of it being premature.

Colombo (News 1st) – Dinesh Weerakkody has been appointed Chairman of the Board of Investment. The appointment was made by President Ranil Wickremesinghe in Wednesday (21).Dinesh Weerakkody is a former Chairman of Hatton National Bank PLC and Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC. He is also a former Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce Sri Lanka and Vice Chairman of the Sri Lanka Institute of Directors.According to the President's Media Division, the other board members are Dr.

The number of Scottish clubs on red alert for financial problems has soared over the past six months, a shock new study has revealed.

A third of long Covid patients suffer persistent smell loss, with almost a fifth experiencing loss of taste Even though the loss of taste and smell is no longer the classic symptoms of Covid, it is still the most prevalent sign of long Covid. A new study has revealed that a third of long Covid patients suffer persistent smell loss, with almost a fifth experiencing loss of taste. The study also showed that long COVID can also affect your sex life.  A team of researchers from University of East Anglia (UEA), UK, has been studying the relationship between Covid and parosmia, where people experience strange and often unpleasant smell distortions.

A Lanarkshire man is fronting a new campaign from a national mental health programme to help more veterans open up about their mental health.

(Reuters) – Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen resigned as head of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Saturday after her strategy to frame local elections as showing defiance to China's rising bellicosity failed to pay off and win public support.The elections for mayors, county chiefs and local councillors are ostensibly about domestic issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic and crime, and those elected will not have a direct say on China policy.But Tsai had recast the election as being more than a local vote, saying the world is watching how Taiwan defends its democracy amid military tensions with China, which claims the island as its territory.The main opposition party the Kuomintang, or KMT, was leading or claimed victory in 13 of the 21 city mayor and county chief seats up for grabs, including the capital Taipei, compared to the DPP's five, broadly in line with expectations and similar to the results of the last local elections in 2018."The results failed our expectations. We humbly accept the results and accept the Taiwanese people's decision," Tsai told reporters at party headquarters as she quit as party head, which she also did after 2018's poor results."It's not like the DPP has never failed before," Tsai, who will continue serving as president until 2024, added.

Demonstrations have erupted in Beijing, Shanghai and other major cities Protests are erupting in major cities in China over President Xi Jinping‘s zero-tolerance approach to Covid-19, an unusual show of defiance in the country as the economic and social costs from snap lockdowns and other strict restrictions escalate.

Will Smith has gone viral, but not in a good way. The actor, 54, was planning on surprising an audience who had just watched his film, Emancipation, but ended up testing positive for Covid, sharing a video to show how he took a Covid test prior to the appearance. Will seemed to take the news well, writing a lighthearted 'I went viral' next to the video on social media.  Viral: Will Smith used a lighthearted play on words saying 'I went viral' as the actor revealed he tested positive for Covid-19 Participants at screenings are often required to show negative results before they can attend an event. The action star showed no signs of illness, but bellowed out exaggerated screams of pain as swirled the test swab around his nasal passages, and was shocked when one hour later, he received a positive result. Instead of speaking to the audience in person, the Oscar winner met with them via Zoom, as he sat in front of a laptop.  Surprise: The actor was hoping to surprise an audience who had just watched his new film, Emancipation, but was unable to attend  No signs: The action star showed no signs of illness, and was shocked when one hour later, he received a positive result Zoom: Instead of speaking to the audience in person, the Oscar winner met with them via Zoom, as he sat in front of a laptop.

Covid-19 update: The country's death toll climbed to 5,30,608 with three fatalities, including one reconciled by Kerala. India has reported 389 coronavirus infections, taking the cumulative Covid-19 tally to 4,46,71,219 on Saturday, while active cases declined to 5,395, according to the Union Health Ministry data.  The country's death toll climbed to 5,30,608 with three fatalities, including one reconciled by Kerala, according to the ministry data.

With a steady decline in covid cases, several state governments have eased travel norms and mandatory wearing of masks NEW DELHI: India reported 365 fresh coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, pulling down active cases to 5,516, according to an update by the Union health ministry on Friday. Total reported cases in the country since the pandemic hit in 2020 now stands at 4,46,70,830, and death toll at 530,604. Active cases account for 0.01% of total reported infections, while the recovery rate stands at 98.80%, according to the health ministry.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr A K Abdul Momen has underscored the need for setting up direct shipping connectivity with Sri Lanka to boost trade relations between Bangladesh and the South Asian nation.He also emphasised the resumption of negotiations for the early conclusion of the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) between the two countries.Bangladesh's foreign minister put the importance while holding a meeting with his visiting Sri Lankan counterpart Ali Sabry on Wednesday on the eve of the 22nd ministerial meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) in the capital, a foreign ministry press release said on Thursday.During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the wide spectrum of bilateral relations and expressed hope to work closely together for the betterment of the two peoples and inclusive development of the region.Momen urged Sri Lanka to increase the import of agricultural products and pharmaceuticals from Bangladesh at an affordable price.Sri Lankan foreign minister said that his country is keen to work in close partnership with Bangladesh.The two leaders agreed to expedite the completion of the formalities to form an institutional platform to hold regular and comprehensive dialogues between the two countries at the level of foreign minister.The issue of mutual support for each other's candidature at various international fora was also discussed with due importance.Momen also sought support from Sri Lanka in repatriating the forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals sustainably.

Covid-19 update: The death toll has climbed to 5,30,604 with one death each reported from Delhi, Gujarat and Karnataka in the last 24 hours. India has reported 347 fresh Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the cumulative tally to 4,46,70,830, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday. With this, the country's active caseload declined to 5,516, which constitute 0.01 per cent of the total infections.

Murdered Logan Mwangi was failed during the Covid lockdown - when multiple opportunities were missed by social services to save the schoolboy, a safeguarding review has found. The five-year-old was brutally killed by family just weeks after he was "stepped down" from the child protection register.

I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! is facing chaos after production has been hit with a Covid-19 outbreak just days before the series finale.

I’M A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! has been hit by a Covid outbreak just days before the final on Sunday. Bosses on the ITV show have ramped up safety measures, which include wearing masks around the camp at all times, after two members of staff tested positive for coronavirus earlier this week.

The Global Times report. He stressed that the variant has resulted in cluster infections in nursing homes, construction sites and schools as the cases of COVID-19 were particularly reported in Chaoyang, Changping, Haidian, Fengtai and Tongzhou. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu of the WHO cited the same as the primary reason for the same.  "The virus is evolving, changing its behaviour," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu.

COLOMBO (News 1st) –  Sri Lankan president Ranil Wickremesinghe said that as a policy it is accepted that a government should not be running businesses, except that the government will stay in the financial sector.He said on Thursday (23) that the government will build the state-owned banks and make them stronger, however, they will be operated as commercial banks."We won't mind giving a part of the minority shares to the deposit holders,' said the President adding that it will bring some discipline.He said the future digital economy will be export oriented with social protection, which is also environmentally friendly for a Blue-Green economy."We need to go ahead. We can't be begging anymore and we can't be asking for countries for loans any more.

With a steady fall in covid cases across the country, several state governments have eased travel norms and mandatory wearing of masks. NEW DELHI: India reported 408 fresh coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, while active cases fell to 5,881, according to an update by the Union health ministry on Thursday. Total reported cases in the country since the pandemic hit in 2020 now stands at 4,46,70,483, and death toll at 530,601.

With discerning cinema audiences having moved online for entertainment, niche films in international languages are struggling to find takers in cinemas. With discerning cinema audiences having moved online for entertainment during covid pandemic, smaller, niche films in several international languages are struggling to find takers in cinemas. These include small scale Hollywood films or movies from Korea and Iran that were originally popular in the big metros like Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru and could make up to Rs.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.

Ice Cube lost out on a $9 million project — all because he refused to do the responsible thing and get the COVID-19 vaccine before filming started.

It was a match made in heaven for a pair of keyworkers who tied the knot after winning their £10,000 dream wedding thanks to their hard work during the pandemic.

A Lanarkshire teacher has been left unable to read books after a crippling long COVID battle.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka is among the seven countries with a high risk of a currency crisis, warned Nomura Holdings, Japan’s top brokerage and investment bank.The other countries are  Egypt, Romania, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Pakistan, and Hungary.According to Reuters, the Japanese bank said that 22 of the 32 countries covered by its in-house "Damocles" warning system have seen their risk rise since its last update since May, with the largest increases in the Czech Republic and Brazil.It meant the sum of the scores generated on all 32 by the model had increased sharply to 2,234 from 1,744 since May."This is the highest total score since July 1999 and not too far from the peak of 2,692 during the height of the Asian crisis," Nomura economists said, calling it "an ominous warning sign of the growing broad-based risk in EM currencies".The model crunches 8 key indicators on a country's FX reserves, exchange rate, financial health and interest rates to give an overall score.Based on data from 61 different EM currency crises since 1996, Nomura estimates that a score above 100 indicates a 64% chance of a currency crisis in the following 12 months.Egypt, which has already devalued its currency heavily twice this year and sought an International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme, now generates the worst score at 165.Romania is next on 145 having been propping up its currency with interventions.

Ice Cube confirmed he missed out on a $9 million acting role after he refused to get the vaccination shot for COVID-19.The 53-year-old rapper-actor, appearing on the podcast Million Dollaz Worth of Game Monday, said, 'I turned down a movie because I didn’t want to get the motherf***ing jab.'He continued: 'I didn’t want get the jab - f*** that jab; f*** y'all for trying to make me get it. I don’t know how Hollywood feels about me right now.' The latest: Ice Cube, 53, confirmed he missed out on a $9 million acting role after he refused to get the vaccination shot for COVID-19The comments came more than a year after reports in October of 2021 that he had been passed over for a role in the Sony comedy Oh Hell No as producers wanted all cast vaccinated for the shoot.The entertainer, whose real name is O'Shea Jackson, said he 'turned down $9 million' in not getting vaccinated to appear in the film, which is slated to star Jack Black and be directed by Kitao Sakurai.

₹40,000. This happened because of the pandemic as rents were lower as people working remotely had still not returned to the city. Post-pandemic, rents have surged and this very apartment now commands a monthly rent of ₹50,000-55,000," she said.

Corrie star Kym Marsh has had to pull out of Strictly Come Dancing this weekend after testing positive for Covid.

The Scottish Parliament's COVID-19 Recovery Committee will meet with employees and service users of two Lanarkshire employment support organisations next week.

primary obstacles to luring them back in, but fear of being exposed to the coronavirus remains a factor for one in four workers, and that rate is even higher among some demographics.To stay up to date with the latest Gallup News insights and updates, follow us on Twitter.Learn more about how the Gallup Panel works.

A Scots teacher has been left unable to read books after a crippling long covid battle. Melanie More, 28, struggles with a variety of cognitive and physical issues - leaving her 90 per cent housebound.

A Scots bride has opened up about how she managed to pull of her dream Disney wedding in just six months - despite Covid nearly ruining everything.

India's active cases have also declined to 6,209. Covid-19 cases in India have been declining for the past few days as the country is reporting single-day rise of less than 500 infections.

As fresh restrictions are imposed in parts of China against the new outbreaks of the Covid-19 virus, the country has reported its first death in nearly half a year. China saw the death of an 87-year-old man from Beijing, bringing the death count to 5,227. His death was first reported by the National Health Commission.

People in Ayrshire are being encouraged to take advantage of a number of drop-in centres where they can receive Covid-19 boosters and flu vaccines, starting this weekend.

Colombo (News 1st) – The Anti Leprosy Campaign at the Health Ministry on Saturday (Nov. 19) warned of an alarming rate in the spread of Hansen's Disease (most commonly known as Leprosy) among school children in Sri Lanka. Around 15 percent of the cases reported this year were among school children, Dr.

carries two copies of a gene linked to an increased risk of , reported on November 18. The middle Hemsworth brother, 39, made the discovery while filming Limitless, his forthcoming National Geographic docuseries about “pushing back on the natural decline that comes with time and aging,” per VF.On the show, Hemsworth called the discovery “my biggest fear." Though the results are not a guarantee of an Alzheimer's diagnosis, Hemsworth says they make him “8-10” times more likely to develop the disease. “It really triggered something in me to want to take some time off,” Hemsworth told VF in an interview. “And since we finished the show, I've been completing the things I was already contracted to do.

An Ayrshire politician has blasted what he's described as an 'undemocratic money grab' from the Scottish Government.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The earthquake that was reported off the coast of Indonesia on Friday (18) poses NO Tsunami threat to Sri Lanka, confirmed the Met Department of Sri Lanka.Sri Lankan authorities said that there is no threat to the people living in the coastal areas of Sri Lanka.A 6.9 Magnitude Earthquake reported 212 km close to Bengkulu, Indonesia, confirmed the United States Geological Survey.

Covid-19: The death toll climbed to 5,30,553 with seven fatalities which includes two deaths reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated. India logged 656 new coronavirus infections taking the tally of Covid-19 cases to 4,46,67,967, while the active cases declined to 7,034, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday. The death toll climbed to 5,30,553 with seven fatalities which includes two deaths reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated.

.A guide on the , written by the behavioural science team at Cabinet Office, lays out how government communicators can use a behavioural approach to design and implement effective communications campaigns, including on behavioural science application to local communication on safety in public spaces such as parks.The latest data and insights on vaccinations, cases, deaths, healthcare and testing are available on the for data and insights on coronavirus (COVID-19).Social media assets are available on the Public Health England (PHE) .A is available on the DCMS blog, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s blog.

CHARLENE White’s sister Carina has revealed that their great-aunt who died from Covid became a mother figure to them after their mum tragically passed away aged 47.   The ITV newsreader, 42, was left heartbroken when her great-aunt Dell passed away from the virus in 2020 at St Thomas’ Hospital in London.  Charlene opened up about tragically losing her great-aunt while in the I’m A Celebrity camp as she slammed MP Matt Hancock, 44, for breaking social distancing guidelines through his affair with his aide Gina Coladangelo.  The Loose Women star, who shares children Florence, three, and Alfie, five, with TV producer Andy, was just 21 when her mum Dorette died from bowel cancer in 2002 which led to her looking after her younger siblings Carina and Joshua.  Reflecting on their great-aunt stepping up as a mother figure to Charlene, Carina said: “Yes the elders in our family were all very much like mother figures and with my great-aunt she was very much a kind of grandmother.  “She was there for us when my mum passed so not having her around and having to go to her funeral and stuff was very, very tough.  Read More on The SunPARKED OFF I use bags of rubble to stop neighbours taking my parking space – they hate itALL WEATHER READY Oodie fans scramble to get their hands on new outdoor hooded blanket “But in our family we have all been instilled with values and morals and strength to be able to overcome adversity and to move forward and to turn pain into strength - I think that is what we have all done following our aunt’s death.” Recalling her great-aunt’s death in the camp to the under-fire politician, Charlene said: “We couldn’t go to the hospital to go and visit her. "I had to sit by myself in the church at her funeral.

However, the Centre suggested that passengers should preferably use them Mask no more compulsory during air travel but passengers should preferably use them: Govt.

Drew Barrymore revealed to her fans on Instagram on Tuesday that she was Covid free after testing positive five days earlier.The Charlie's Angels alumna, 47, informed her 16.5 million followers that she has spent the past few days 'relaxing' and 'taking it well.'Since her diagnosis, the Drew Barrymore Show host has had 50 Cent and Ross Matthews temporarily take over her hosting duties. Fully recovered! Drew Barrymore, 47, revealed on Instagram earlier Tuesday that she was officially Covid free The Never Been Kissed actress shared a clip of herself updating her status, followed by a few snaps to show how she has been occupying her time while she recuperated at home.  Drew stated at the beginning of the video that she wanted to upload the reel 'so you can hear me and see me.' 'I am pretty much symptom free,' she shared, adding that she has been focusing on 'relaxing' and 'taking it well.' The mother of two added that she has been drinking a plenty of 'water, chicken soup' and a ton of 'vitamins.' Much better! The Charlie's Angels alumna explained in the short clip that she was feeling better and is 'pretty much symptom free'She further explained that she has, 'no sore throat, no headache, no sniffling, tight chest gone.

Director-General and lead of the Public Health Agency Dr Andrew Old, Ministry of Health Chief Science Advisor Dr Ian Town and Te Whatu Ora Interim National Medical Director Dr Pete Watson will host a media briefing today at 12:20pm to provide an update on the response to COVID-19.

The owner of an equine training centre in Highland Perthshire – who spent 20 years leading mountain expeditions across the world – says her enterprise is starting to kick on after she bought the land for her business just days before the first Covid pandemic lockdown.

A look at G20 summit protocols and some of the divergent approaches to COVID-19 among G20 nations. NUSA DUA, Indonesia: Nearly three years into the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders of G20 countries are gathering on the Indonesian resort island of Bali with strict testing and masking requirements, even though such measures have been largely dropped in some member countries. It is Chinese President Xi Jinping's first G20 summit - and only his second trip abroad - since the start of the pandemic as his country continues its zero-COVID policy of lockdowns and quarantine that are among the world's strictest.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Tuesday he has tested positive for COVID-19 at the Group of 20 meetings in Bali, just days after hosting many world leaders, including President Joe Biden, for a summit in Phnom Penh. In a posting on his Facebook page, the Cambodian leader said that he had tested positive Monday night and that the test had been confirmed by an Indonesian physician on Tuesday morning. He said he was returning to Cambodia and was canceling his meetings at the G-20 as well as the following APEC economic forum in Bangkok.

Whoopi Goldberg was missing from Monday's episode of ABC's The View after being struck down with COVID-19.The longtime entertainer, 67, was diagnosed with coronavirus according to a representative for the show.Sara Haines filled in for the actress, addressing her absence as well as Joy Behar's, at the beginning of the program. Sick day: Whoopi Goldberg was missing from Monday's episode of ABC's The View due to illnessAna Navarro, Sunny Hostin and Alyssa Farah Griffin rounded out the rest of the panel on the daily talk show.Goldberg was last seen on-air Thursday, November 10 as the show paid tribute to her ahead of her November 13 birthday.