At least 50 killed in Haiti gas tanker explosion
At least 50 people were killed when a gas tanker exploded in the Haitian city of Cap-Haitien on Tuesday morning, according to a local official, with overwhelmed local medics saying the toll was feared to rise. “I saw on the scene between 50 and 54 people burned alive,” Deputy Mayor Patrick Almonor said. “It is impossible to identify them.”Almonor also said “about 20” houses in the area were set ablaze by the explosion. “We can’t yet give details on the number of victims inside the houses,” he said. “I learned with sadness and emotion the terrible news of the explosion of a gas tanker last night in Cap-Haitien,” he tweeted.
Source:The Nation
December 14, 2021 15:23 UTC
People’s Bank opens a banking counter at Passport Office to add further convenience to migrant workers
MP Kiriella told The Island yesterday that Parliament had to be kept open at present, given the enormity of the crisis the country was faced with. “The British Parliament continued to have sessions even while bombs were going off during World War II. The Chief Opposition Whip said Parliament could not be kept closed indefinitely and the government had to face the problems instead of running away. Once Parliament is prorogued parliamentary committees including COPE and COPA stand dissolved and new chairpersons have to be appointed to them when parliament reopens. A Bill, motion or question of the same substance cannot be introduced for a second time during the same Session.
Source:The Nation
December 14, 2021 06:05 UTC
Elon Musk is named Time Magazine's 2021 Person of the Year
Elon Musk has been named Time magazine's 2021 Person of the Year. Earlier this month, Musk sold 'last remaining house', selling his Silicon Valley estate for $30 million. He has sold shares worth nearly $12 billion since. Musk sold 934,091 shares after exercising options to buy $2.1billion worth of the stock on November 15. The sale was 'solely to satisfy the reporting person's tax withholding obligations related to the exercise of stock options,' the filings said.
Source:The Nation
December 14, 2021 03:19 UTC
Daily Authority: 🔋 High-silicon batteries?
But also:Xiaomi has announced that its new technology is “High-Silicon Lithium battery technology,” which offers more capacity at the same volume, increasing its battery capacity in phones by up to 10%, starting from mid-2022. The high-silicon aspect, Xiaomi says, means “a claimed three-fold increase in the battery’s silicon content.” There’s also mention of a very abstract “fuel-gauge chip” that “helps battery longevity and safety,” somehow. (If there’s a chip that helps battery longevity and safety, why wouldn’t that be in a battery made right now?) So, why has no one else offered high-silicon batteries? So, I don’t know, Xiaomi’s detail here is light and fluffy, but there’s a chance we’ll find out more in time.
Source:The Nation
December 13, 2021 19:17 UTC
Minority parties to write to India
“India also has a responsibility towards the 13th Amendment. Yes, we need a united Sri Lanka, but we also need a diverse Sri Lanka,” he said. “Our hope is to live equally in a united Sri Lanka. We must stop the division and extremism in Sri Lanka. We condemn these actions.”Yesterday (12) marked the second round of discussions held between the main minority parties.
Source:The Nation
December 13, 2021 02:16 UTC
If wishes were horses …
Monday 13th December, 2021Speculation is rife in political circles that the government will decide today whether to seek assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to straighten up the ailing economy. The government is equal to the task of shoring up the country’s foreign reserves, the Finance Minister has said, noting that nobody wants to draw a bank loan on unfavourable conditions. If it can do so on its own, so much the better, but what if its wishes do not come true? The country’s foreign reserves are barely sufficient for a couple of months, we are told. There are foreign loan installments to be settled next year, and essential imports to be paid for.
Source:The Nation
December 13, 2021 01:16 UTC
Sri Lanka: Towards sustainable fisheries
The packaging proudly announces that the product is “committed to sustainability” and a “product of Sri Lanka”. Thus, sustainable management of Sri Lanka’s fisheries is essential for continued food security and livelihoods, and for providing opportunities for new jobs and exports. Making blue swimming crab fisheries sustainableEfforts to sustainably manage Sri Lanka’s blue swimming crabs began in 2013 with the launch of the Blue Swimming Crab Fishery Improvement Project as a joint initiative of the National Fisheries Institute Crab Council, an association of North American crab importers, and the Seafood Exporters’ Association of Sri Lanka. Considering the importance of the sector for Sri Lanka, the World Bank carried out an analysis between 2020 and 2021 with the Sri Lanka Ministry of Fisheries and its agencies, the National Planning Department, fisher and processor organisations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and academia. The study “Priorities for Sustainably Managing Sri Lanka’s Marine Fisheries, Coastal Aquaculture, and the Ecosystems That Support Them” includes an analysis of coastal and multi-day fisheries, coastal aquaculture, and coastal ecosystem services that support these fisheries, partly funded by World Bank-administered trust fund, PROBLUE.
Source:The Nation
December 12, 2021 20:10 UTC
Thyaga.lk
Sachin Wickramasinghe, a software engineer who has been in the industry for over 3 years, received a gift voucher at a secret santa party in 2019. This was an LKR 2,000 voucher, and it was from a shop that he didn’t prefer going to. It gives the receiver the option of using that gift voucher on 85 brands that they have on board. One Thyaga voucher can also be used at multiple different merchants, which allows the receiver to spend the same voucher partially at different places. Ignoring the naysayers who try to bring you down and believing in knowing what’s best for your business is also something that aspiring small business entrepreneurs should keep in mind.
Source:The Nation
December 11, 2021 23:05 UTC
What To Wear For The Next Family Wedding, And From Where To Get It
The brand offers wedding wear dresses that are versatile and simple. Website:https://houseofindi.com/iya-and-ibride/house-of-indi/Facebook: @houseofindi.lkInstagram: @houseofindi.lkContact info: 0771 118 707MenTraditional WearLow BudgetSri CustomAs the name suggests, Sri Customs provides a full tailored service for your wedding wear while specialising in both traditional and western wedding wear. If you are looking to complete your wedding wear look without hurting your bank account, Kamsins is just the place for you. The brand offers formal wear and casual wear for men, including accessories such as handkerchiefs, belts and ties. In addition, the outlet also offers several popular brands to give you a 360 solution for all your wedding wear needs.
Source:The Nation
December 11, 2021 20:04 UTC
Anti-Christian hate crimes in Germany increased by nearly 150% in 2020
Hate crimes targeting Christians in Germany have nearly trebled in a year amid a wave of religious discrimination across Europe. Overall, hate crime in Germany rose by 19 per cent last year. Hate crimes targeting Christians in Germany have risen by nearly 150 per cent in a year amid a wave of religious discrimination across Europe. On Germany, the OIDAC report says: 'Freedom of expression has been limited in Germany when it comes to discussions about gender, marriage, bioethics, and sexuality.' Meanwhile between a third and a half of university students would not allow a controversial speaker on campus.
Source:The Nation
December 11, 2021 01:03 UTC
Travel ban on inbound foreign travelers from African nations lifted
December 10, 2021 by Ruwani Fonseka No CommentsThe travel ban imposed on foreigners who had been to South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini arriving to Sri Lanka has been lifted. This was announced by the the Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority today (10). Earlier, a travel ban was imposed on foreign travelers arriving from the aforementioned countries due to the rising number of patients with the Omicron variant of the Covid-19 virus in the region.
Source:The Nation
December 11, 2021 00:01 UTC
No power outages from today - Power Ministry
December 10, 2021 10:23 amThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs says there will be no disruptions to the electricity supply in any parts of the island from today (December 10). The second and third generating plants at the Norochcholai Power Plant are now fully functional, according to the ministry.
Source:The Nation
December 10, 2021 05:07 UTC
A Dune strategy game is coming to PC in 2022
Dune: Spice Wars is a new real-time strategy game for PC set in the Dune universe. It will be available in early access in 2022. Spice Wars, which was announced at The Game Awards on Thursday, is described by developer Shiro Games and publisher Funcom as a strategy game “with 4X elements.” There will be multiple playable factions and multiple ways to win a game, which could mean a lot of replayability. When early access opens up, you’ll only be able to play single-player to start, and multiplayer and campaign will be added later during the early access period, according to an FAQ sent to The Verge. The game is based more on the book than the movie, but there will be “some similarities.”Spice Wars isn’t the only Dune game in the works; Funcom is also publishing a Dune survival game developed by Nukklear.
Source:The Nation
December 10, 2021 03:47 UTC
The original PUBG is going free-to-play
The original PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (aka PUBG) is moving to a free-to-play model beginning January 12st, 2022, developer Krafton announced at The Game Awards Thursday. Although PUBG will soon be free-to-play, there will still be some elements that are locked behind a fee after the switch. People have who already paid for PUBG will get the PUBG Special Commemorative Pack, which includes Battlegrounds Plus and additional in-game items. Despite fierce competition, PUBG: Battlegrounds has remained popular, having sold 75 million copies since its release, PUBG Corporation creative director Dave Curd told The Verge in an interview. And on mobile, PUBG is one of the biggest franchises around; the free-to-play PUBG Mobile has been downloaded more than 1 billion times, and Krafton recently released a second free-to-play mobile PUB game, PUBG: New State.
Source:The Nation
December 10, 2021 03:47 UTC
Uber partners with EQUAL GROUND this World Human Rights Day
World Human Rights Day signifies the absolute rights to which all human beings are entitled, irrespective of any race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinions, national or social origin, property, birth, or any other status. This year’s Human Rights Day theme is “Equality, reducing inequalities, advancing human rights”, and the principles of equality and non-discrimination are at the heart of human rights. What the partnership entailsTo begin, we questioned Dadlani on how the partnership with EQUAL GROUND came about. EQUAL GROUND has provided Uber partners with a free counselling service, which will no doubt be a valuable resource. With this partnership between Uber and EQUAL GROUND, we are finally hearing about inclusion and its extreme importance in the workplace.
Source:The Nation
December 10, 2021 01:03 UTC