Modi Security Breach: Supreme Court Hearing on Friday (7)
New Delhi: The row over security lapses surrounding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Punjab has reached the Supreme Court, with the matter likely to be heard tomorrow. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was trapped on a flyover for 20 minutes by protesters in Punjab in what is being reported as a serious security lapse. Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi said there had been no security lapse on the part of his government. There was no security lapse during the PM’s visit,” Channi told the media on Wednesday. But the home ministry said the prime minister’s convoy returned to the airport due to the security lapse.
Source:The Nation
January 06, 2022 21:06 UTC
The beast of repression in the East
Rights of the non-denominational Christian communityThe report revealed some little known realities in Batticaloa, and one of them is the discrimination faced by the non-denominational Christian community in the area. With regard to discrimination by people of other religious beliefs, the report added: “Social discrimination of non-denominational Christian groups takes many forms. “The Christian community leaders expressed concern that the government strategy regarding non-majority ethno religious groups appears to be similar to that of the Indian Government, i.e. state support for action by Hindutva and other right wing groups against non-majority ethno religious groups, which they stated will only lead to inter-community conflict and violence. “Detained persons were said to have been subject to various forms of pressure to force them to sign statements agreeing to be sent to rehabilitation.
Source:The Nation
January 06, 2022 06:02 UTC
10 Common Scams Tourists Fall For
It’s exactly this attitude that leads tourists into scams. Yes, it’s the tourist’s fault for not doing their research, but it’s also the scammer’s fault for being a jerk, over and over again. So if you plan on traveling anywhere anytime soon as a self-identified tourist, be sure to avoid these ten common scams that tourists fall for. There are plenty of taxi scams out there, but the dirtiest one is the broken meter trick. 4 Fake PolicemenFake police officers arrested for robbing tourists on Italian highwaysThis is perhaps one of the more nerve-wracking scams a tourist can run into.
Source:The Nation
January 05, 2022 09:40 UTC
What are stablecoins and which one should you use?
Unlike traditional cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Ethereum, stablecoins are linked to an existing asset, like US dollars, euros, or even gold. Stablecoins typically achieve their stability through the backing of a central authority — such as a private company or non-profit organization. It’s easy to see why early adopters of this ecosystem are inherently distrustful of centralized stablecoins such as Tether. While other stablecoins may maintain a 1:1 parity with underlying assets, Dai requires higher deposits than the amount it issues. True USD (TUSD) True USD was one of the first stablecoins to try and achieve regulatory compliance.
Source:The Nation
January 05, 2022 07:13 UTC
Omicron- Curfew in Delhi as India COVID cases surge
India is bracing for a third wave of coronavirus as its largest cities - the capital Delhi and financial hub Mumbai - see a surge in cases. India reported 37,379 cases on Tuesday, a fivefold rise in a week that experts say is fuelled by the Omicron variant. Nearly a third of those infections came from Delhi and Mumbai, where cases are rising most steeply. The country has reported more than 1,700 Omicron cases - Maharashtra, of which Mumbai is the capital, is leading the table (568), followed by Delhi (382). Now as cases rise again, state governments are re-imposing restrictions.
Source:The Nation
January 05, 2022 03:03 UTC
Cabinet approves Goods and Services Tax Bill
By Imsha IqbalThe Cabinet of Ministers has approved the Special Goods and Services (GST) Tax Bill which was prepared by the legal draftsman along with the Value Added Tax (VAT) Amendment Bill and the Bills are expected to be gazetted soon. Accordingly, the Special GST Bill and the Bill to amend the VAT Act No. 14 of 2002, upon gazetting, will be presented to the Parliament for the approval, by the Minister of Finance Basil Rajapaksa. Attygalle said in October 2021 that the said Bill was drafted and the Ministry of Finance would not be able to announce it prior to the Budget 2022. Some of the companies have sent some proposals on how to implement this tax.
Source:The Nation
January 04, 2022 19:03 UTC
How to choose and buy an A/V receiver
Check out our A/V receiver reviews for a more in-depth look at what the market has to offer, as well as our picks for the best A/V receivers. All channels driven: A lower quality receiver might claim to output 100 watts per channel (WPC) in stereo mode, yet the rating will fall considerably (80 WPC or less) in surround mode. Most (but definitely not all) home audio speakers have an impedance around 6 to 8 ohms. It seems a bit slow to catch on, but the sound quality is superior to FM in most cases. Choose speakers similar to your own to give you a more accurate idea of what the receiver might sound like with the speakers you have at home.
Source:The Nation
January 04, 2022 19:02 UTC
This is the year we come out of Covid, writes Professor KAROL SIKORA
Allow me to make two bold predictions: this is the year we come out of Covid – and by the summer, the pandemic will be over. South Africa is weeks ahead of us in dealing with the latest variant, Omicron, and demonstrates clearly that this version of Covid is much less deadly. And yet the number of deaths that resulted was nearly ten times lower than at the previous peak – 428, compared to 4,027 in January last year. The number of new infections there is now dropping precipitously, down 25 per cent in the past seven days. Professor Karol Sikora is a consultant oncologist and professor of medicine at the University of Buckingham Medical School.
Source:The Nation
January 04, 2022 11:04 UTC
Best soundbar deals for January 2022
To save some money on your next sound system purchase, we’ve rounded up some of the best soundbar deals to be found on the internet. more Enjoy cinematic sound at an affordable price with this LG 2.1-channel soundbar, complete with wireless subwoofer, to give anything you watch the auditory boom it deserves. It comes with a wireless subwoofer to offer a bass boost as well. It support Dolby Digital and has a wireless subwoofer for an extra bass hit. With two channels and a wireless subwoofer, this soundbar system is ready to turn movie nights into a director's delight.
Source:The Nation
January 04, 2022 06:03 UTC
The OnePlus 9RT is finally leaving China this month
TL;DR OnePlus is launching the OnePlus 9RT in India on January 14, 2022. OnePlus is launching the OnePlus 9RT in India on January 14, 2022. Towards the end of 2021, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau confirmed there would not be a T-series phone in the OnePlus 9 series. That phone is the OnePlus 9RT, a weird subtle riff on the India-exclusive OnePlus 9R. Considering the OnePlus 9R was exclusive to India, we don’t expect the OnePlus 9RT to venture to any other countries.
Source:The Nation
January 04, 2022 04:07 UTC
Moto G71 allegedly coming to India on January 10
Back in November, Motorola decided to unload half a dozen or so new smartphones on us, including the Moto G71 5G - which was then immediately rumored to be headed to India at some later point, alongside the G51 5G and the G31. While the latter two handsets are both already available in the subcontinent, the G71 5G has so far been missing in action. Worry not, though, for today a prominent tipster has purportedly unveiled the Indian launch date for the Moto G71 5G, and it's January 10. The aforementioned tipster also claims that the Indian model G71 will support 13 5G bands. The phone has a 6.4" 1080x2400 AMOLED display (no high refresh rate though), 6/8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, a triple rear camera (50 MP main, 8 MP ultrawide, 2 MP macro), a 16 MP selfie snapper, and a 5,000 mAh battery with 30W fast charging.
Source:The Nation
January 04, 2022 01:05 UTC
All schools in SL now open
All government schools and government approved schools reopened today (03) to commence academic activities. School term holidays were given from December 23 while authorities were instructed to reopen schools from today under health guidelines, the Education Ministry said. The Education Ministry said that instructions have been given to summon students in batches in classrooms with more than 27 students. The ministry further said that although schools will start from today, there will be no grade changes as the 2021 academic year will be operational until April 08 this year. Due to the Covid-19 epidemic, the heads of state institutions were previously given the authority to summon public servants for duty at their discretion.
Source:The Nation
January 03, 2022 16:01 UTC
Forex Market (Week ended December 31, 2021)
In the Forex market, the USD/LKR rate on spot contracts continued to trade within the range of Rs.202.97 to Rs.203.00 during the week while overall activity remained moderate. The daily USD/LKR average traded volume for the first four trading days of the week stood at US $ 32.20 million. Courtesy: Wealth Trust Securities Ltd
Source:Sunday Observer
January 03, 2022 10:29 UTC
The dragon’s long shadow on Sri Lanka
By Sumit Kumar SinghFor some South Asian countries like Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Bangladesh, the “China Nightmare” is no longer just a bad dream. Certain other factors threaten to push Sri Lanka deeper into the dragon’s trap. This “double whammy” ended any thoughts that Sri Lanka may have been nurturing of salvaging its situation against China. In December 2020, Sri Lanka cancelled a $ 480 million compact with the US Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). There have been some attempts made by Sri Lanka this year to showcase “non-alignment” in strategic projects, but the Chinese influence in Sri Lanka makes these efforts appear extremely feeble as of now.
Source:The Nation
January 03, 2022 09:06 UTC
India launches drive to vaccinate children before a feared Omicron surge
(Reuters) - India started vaccinating children aged 15 to 18 against the coronavirus on Monday as it quickly expands its inoculation effort to cover the world’s largest adolescent population amid fears the Omicron variant will drive a new surge of infections. The total number of cases of the fast-spreading Omicron variant detected in India was 1,700, the health ministry said. Private and public schools will double up as vaccination centres for children and school authorities have been ordered to report their daily vaccination data to state authorities. They can also go to vaccination centres and get the dose ... they can just walk in,” said Jai Prakash Shivahare, health commissioner in Gujarat state. Adults in India get Covaxin, the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is branded as Covishield, and the Sputnik V shot.
Source:The Nation
January 03, 2022 07:03 UTC