17.4 billion reported for the corresponding period in the previous year, reflecting an increase of 10.4%. 41.9 billion compared to Rs. During the first six months of 2021, the bank recorded Rs. 794 billion compared to Rs. 945 billion compared to Rs.

Kavinath “K-Nath” Hewagamage is a Sri Lankan music producer who recently released his first single titled E Kale (ඒ කාලේ), accompanied by an entirely 2D-animated music video directed by Ranush Ratnasekera. K-Nath, who is professionally a network planning engineer at a big telco company in Sri Lanka, shared with us his journey as a music producer and how his first ever single E Kale (ඒ කාලේ) came to be. Sharing his childhood influences: “I grew up listening to all kinds of music: Sri Lankan classics by Pandit Amaradeva, hardcore American rap music by artists like Eminem, Dr. Dre, Kanye West, etc. Redesigning the beat to fit his own vocal range, K-Nath started crafting the lyrics whenever time permitted. Considering that E Kale (ඒ කාලේ) appears to be on the right track, K-Nath shared that there are some unique characteristics to his own style of music and so, he hopes to release some more singles and hopefully an album under his chosen artist name “K-Nath”.

The internet and social media have opened a new space for perpetrators of violence, from gender-based violence to hate speech to outright harassment. Online and social media violence, or cyber violence, is difficult to define due to its very nature as well as due to the wide range of violations. To look closer at the relationship between youth, social media, and violence, the British Council in Sri Lanka and the Sarvodaya Institute of Higher Learning conducted an online survey to understand how youth experience online and social media violence, their perceptions of the root causes, as well as their role in perpetuating and preventing online violence. “We believe this study on youth, social media, and violence is both timely and relevant, as young people have turned to social media and online platforms more than ever during the Covid-19 pandemic,” Rehman said, adding that the report has shown that 68.9% of respondents agree that information shared on social media can go viral and propagate violence. “We were happy that many youth volunteered to share their online experience with us,” Perera shared, adding: “This survey is unique as it gives a useful overview of how young Sri Lankans perceive different aspects of social media violence.”The survey took into account various factors and perspectives, including; patterns in youths’ social media consumption in Sri Lanka; the prevalent forms of social media violence and abuse in Sri Lanka according to youth; the lived experiences of social media violence and its impacts; youth views on the root causes of online violence in Sri Lanka; the impact of Covid-19 on social media violence; awareness of the mechanisms available to take action against social media violence; and how youth can play a role themselves in making online and social media platforms safer.

Out of these, most coaches spend most of their time teaching technique. Simply put, this tries to discuss whether there is only ONE way a single technique can be taught. One size fits allThis is a mistake that most Sri Lankan coaches tend to make in most instances. In the technique-based method, the players were first asked to master the “correct” technique of the shots before they played matches. This means that even when teaching technique, the coaches are allowed to accept the subtle changes in the technique, as long as it is biomechanically correct.

The most exciting, however, was the announcement of the Magic3 series, including the Magic3, Magic 3 Pro and the Magic3 Pro+ top dog. Following the event we had a chance to talk to the company's CEO George Zhao and learn more about the company's future plans. That being said, there is apparently even more interesting hardware in Honor's future, including a foldable phone. Mr. Zhao did not divulge too much information on it, but he did say that it will be the best foldable solution in the industry. Speaking of the Honor 50 family, Mr Zhao said the Honor 50 family is coming to Europe very soon - it will be in Spain by Q4.

Niyas, who holds a membership position in the High Command of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), had handed over his resignation to the SLMC Secretary General on 12 August, which the party has accepted. Niyas, who represented the party in the last Northern Provincial Council in the latter part of the term, outlined a few reasons for his departure in his resignation letter. However, speaking to The Morning yesterday (15), SLMC Leader MP Rauff Hakeem said that the party accepted Niyas’ resignation letter and that Niyas was not an active member in the party. Hence, Niyas claims the SLMC Leader failed to act honestly in accordance with his words on the political stage before the election. I hate the party for this heinous act, and do not like to further remain as a member of such a party.

BY Buddhika SamaraweeraIn response to trade union action by railway station masters, the Railways Department has planned to set up three centres in the Colombo District for its employees, who have been identified as the associates of Covid-19-infected patients, to undergo quarantine. However, Jayasundara said that if any of the employees who would be undergoing quarantine at these centres is found to be infected with Covid-19, they would be referred for treatment. “It is not possible to keep the infected at these centres, so if any worker becomes infected, they would be referred for treatment,” he said. He further noted that the relevant officials have been instructed to provide the required hand sanitising liquid, facemasks, and other hygienic equipment to all the railway stations without any delay or shortage. He also claimed that in some railway stations where Covid-19-infected staff members have been reported, it has been instructed by the Department to direct the infected staff member for treatments, and use the remaining employees, who have associated the infected, to continue the service.

By Dinitha RathnayakeThe prices of reconditioned vehicles have increased substantially – in some cases by over 50% – according to the Vehicle Importers’ Association of Sri Lanka (VIASL). Speaking to The Morning, VIASL President Indika Sampath Merenchige confirmed a massive rise in the prices of reconditioned vehicles. All non-popular vehicle prices have increased by 25%”. This rapid increase of vehicle prices has a bad impact on the economy as well. 2171/5, dated 16 April 2020, strict restrictions were placed on vehicle imports, in a bid to curb foreign exchange outflows amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

By Dinitha RathnayakeThe Cabinet Sub-Committee appointed to resolve the teacher-principal salary anomaly, after discussions with the relevant teachers’ and principals’ trade unions, will discuss their demands and proposals with the Ministry of Finance. Cabinet Sub-Committee Member and Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga confirmed to The Morning yesterday (15) that the trade unions’ demands would be discussed with the Finance Ministry, while the Sub-Committee’s recommendations would be presented to the Cabinet soon. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed the four-member Cabinet Sub-Committee, comprising Ministers Dullas Alahapperuma, Wimal Weerawansa, Mahinda Amaraweera, and Prasanna Ranatunga, to make recommendations regarding the issue of teacher-principal salary anomalies. The Sub-Committee obtained information from the Ministry of Education on the steps taken so far to resolve the issue, and decided to meet the relevant trade unions separately. The Minister further stated that steps will be taken to complete the responsibilities assigned to the Cabinet Sub-Committee as soon as possible and submit its recommendations to the Cabinet.

A total of 859 more people tested positive for COVID-19 today (August 15), increasing the daily count of positive cases to 3,435. According to the Government Information Department, all new cases reported today were associated with the New Year cluster. Following the new development, the country’s confirmed coronavirus cases tally now stands at 354,968, the Epidemiology Unit said. Meanwhile, the death toll reached 6,096 after a record high of 161 victims were confirmed by the Director-General of Health Services. More than 39,000 active cases are currently under medical care at hospitals and treatment centres across the country.

Afghanistan’s embattled president has left the country, joining his fellow citizens and foreigners in a stampede fleeing the advancing Taliban and signalling the end of a 20-year Western experiment aimed at remaking Afghanistan. Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Afghan National Reconciliation Council, confirmed in an online video that President Ghani had left on Sunday. “The former president of Afghanistan left Afghanistan, leaving the country in this difficult situation,” Abdullah said. Local media reported that Ghani left for Tajikistan. Abdullah said he wants security forces to continue providing security for Kabul and asked the Taliban to wait for talks before entering the city.

The all-settings figures - which covers cases in care homes, hospitals and the wider community across the home nations - come as No10's top scientific advisers claimed England's R rate has dipped below one for the first time in three months. Last week's figure was thought to be as high as 1.1. But it is a lagging indicator and reflects the situation the country faced three weeks ago, when Covid cases began to shrink naturally. UKHSA's estimate of the R rate suggested the figure may be as low as 0.8 in every region of the country. Ministers once put the R rate at the heart of their Covid battle plan.

Incel killer Jake Davison launched a hate-filled tirade at a 16-year-old girl in some of the last online posts he penned before killing five people. Meanwhile more evidence of Davison's misogyny emerged, with him yelling 'I f***ing hate women' after fighting a group of teenagers. The fight last autumn saw him put on the police wanted list as CCTV showed him leaving the clash. The last post Davison wrote was on August 10, just two days before the Plymouth killings, where he moaned about no one liking his Facebook pictures. He hit her and spat at her and said, ''I f***ing hate women''.'

So is Netflix still worth subscribing to? Netflix Netflix is still the leading premium streaming service, with over 200 million worldwide subscribers. In the pro-Netflix cornerJust on the basis of Netflix Originals, there’s a lot to watch exclusively on Netflix. Is Netflix still worth subscribing to? Edgar Cervantes / Android AuthorityIs Netflix still worth subscribing to?

All weddings functions, irrespective of the venue, will not be allowed to be held from Tuesday (August 17) midnight, the National Operation Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO) stated. Accordingly, weddings, whether held at home or at a reception hall, will not be permitted until further notice. Further, no activity that amasses the public will be allowed to be carried out from midnight today (August 15), Head of NOCPCO General Shavendra Silva stated. Meanwhile, restaurants can allow dine-in customers only up to 50 percent of their capacity, the NOCPCO further said. However, the government requests the public to avoid gathering in crowded places as much as possible, General Silva said.