Amazon fined $1.3 billion for abusing market position in Italy
Amazon has been fined $1.3 billion (€1.1 billion) by antitrust regulators in Italy. The company is accused of using its dominance in the online shopping world to steer Italian sellers into using its logistics service, Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA). The fine is one of the largest levied by a single nation in the EU as part of a years-long battle over online antitrust issues. Just last month, Amazon and Apple were both fined by Italian antitrust regulators for allegedly conspiring to limit the supply of Apple and Beats products. But that fine only totaled $77 million (€69 million) for Amazon — a drop in the bucket compared to today’s judgement.
Source:The Nation
December 09, 2021 23:01 UTC
LIRNEasia conducts study on post-Covid-19 digitisation of SL
A new survey shows that 85% of enrolled school-aged children had some form of education services during school closures between March and July 2020. Sixty percent received education services through “offline” methods like physical delivery of material (also potentially alongside other methods). The nationally representative sample for the survey conducted in Sri Lanka consisted of 2,500 households and individuals across the country covering 125 grama niladhari divisions. The survey does not directly reveal information about the continuity or the quality of the education services provided, but the rate of dissatisfaction with the services provides some indication. Education Forum Sri Lanka Co-Convenor Dr. Sujata Gamage noted: “These survey data are consistent with ground realities.
Source:The Nation
December 08, 2021 20:05 UTC
India s defence chief, 12 others killed in chopper crash
India’s Defence Chief Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 other people were killed after a military helicopter they were travelling in crashed in southern India on Wednesday, the Indian Air Force said. It said Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat, his wife were among 13 killed after an IAF chopper they were travelling in crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday. Earlier today, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the incident. The crash took place in the Nilgiris, shortly after the Mi-series chopper took off from the army base in Sulur. Rawat, 63, was appointed as India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government in late 2019.
Source:The Nation
December 08, 2021 14:35 UTC
How China is colonising the Commonwealth
Beijing has spent £685 billion since 2005 wooing Commonwealth countries, according to an estimate from the Henry Jackson Society think-tank. Ian Fleming’s characters James Bond and his American pal Felix Leiter regarded Commonwealth countries almost as home turf. Military influence is growing, too.A newspaper in Fiji, another Commonwealth country, disclosed in April that China had trained Fiji’s two most senior military officers. And all this diplomatic clout is, understandably, peeling away Commonwealth countries that once reliably sided with Britain. Vaccination rates in most Commonwealth countries are low — under two per cent in Nigeria, for example, and only five per cent in Kenya.
Source:The Nation
December 04, 2021 00:07 UTC
As warehouses take off, they need to kick natural gas
That has the potential to cause greenhouse gas emissions to climb or tumble, and it largely hinges on whether warehouses can ditch natural gas. “If you look at space heating energy use, because [warehouses use] less efficient technologies, it’s actually concerning.”E-commerce has fueled the boom in warehouses. Liu says warehouse developers can take the lead of office buildings that have been quicker to electrify and switch from natural gas heating systems over to electric heat pumps. Other trends could make pollution from warehouses’ gas heating a bigger problem. On top of that, warehouses tend to be less insulated against the elements than office buildings.
Source:The Nation
December 03, 2021 20:04 UTC
Basil meets India’s National Security Advisor
Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa who is on a two-day official visit to India, met with the National Security Advisor of India Shri Ajit Kumar Doval, in New Delhi yesterday (02)Doval extended a warm welcome to Rajapaksa and engaged in an extremely cordial conversation with him and discussed a range of issues pertaining to the mutual strategic interests of the two countries. Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda and Finance Secretary S R Attygalle accompanied the Minister Rajapaksa to the meeting. Shri Ajit Kumar Doval is the fifth National Security Advisor of India. He holds the rank of a Cabinet Minister.
Source:The Nation
December 03, 2021 11:02 UTC
Motorola Moto G51 5G's India launch date tipped
Motorola recently launched the Moto G31 in India with a base price of INR12,999 ($175/€155), and now a new rumor claims the company will bring the Moto G51 5G to the country next - on December 10. The Motorola Moto G51 5G is the world's first smartphone with the Snapdragon 480+ chip at the helm, and when it debuts in India next Friday, it will be the country's first Snapdragon 480 Plus-powered phone as well. The G51 5G is built around a 6.8" 120Hz FullHD+ LCD with a punch hole in the center for the 13MP selfie shooter (16MP in China). The G51 5G comes with Dolby Atmos support, features a side-mounted fingerprint reader, and packs a 5,000 mAh battery charged through a USB-C port at up to 10W. We'll learn more about the Moto G51 5G's Indian price and availability next Friday.
Source:The Nation
December 03, 2021 06:11 UTC
Here’s how Google’s experimental 3D telepresence booth works
In a new research paper, Google has detailed the tech behind its impressive Project Starline demo from this year’s I/O conference. Project Starline is essentially a 3D video chat booth that aims to replace a one-on-one 2D video conference call with an experience that feels like you’re actually sitting in front of a real human being. Audio is another challenge, as the system needs to make it sound like a person’s words are coming from their actual mouth. But, eventually, the hope is that Project Starline could offer a similar feeling of presence as virtual or augmented reality, without users needing to wear bulky headsets or trackers. Project Starline is equipped with four high-end Nvidia graphics cards (two Quadro RTX 6000 cards and two Titan RTX’s) to encode and decode all this data.
Source:The Nation
December 03, 2021 00:03 UTC
Omicron variant detected in India
Two COVID-19 cases of the Omicron variant have been detected in India, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, in the first confirmation of the coronavirus strain within the country’s borders that has triggered global alarm. “There is no need to panic about the Omicron detection but awareness is absolutely essential. Early indications have suggested the heavily-mutated Omicron may be markedly more contagious than previous variants, however, there has been no evidence of the strain any deadlier. India was set to restart scheduled commercial international flights on December 15, but on Wednesday scrapped that plan and said a resumption date would be announced in due course. The government has advised states to ramp up testing, a week after the health ministry said a recent fall in testing could undermine India’s efforts to contain the pandemic.
Source:The Nation
December 03, 2021 00:03 UTC
Free VPN providers: Which ones are the best, and are they even worth it?
Related: The best VPN routers availableWe’ve rounded up the best free VPN services for Android you can get, all of which are also available on other platforms. Kaspersky VPN Secure ConnectionThe free VPN by Kaspersky works like a charm but has its limitations, like the rest of the services on this list. Hotspot Shield free VPN for AndroidA few things make Hotspot Shield one of the best free VPN services for Android you can get. Speedify free VPN for AndroidSpeedify offers 2GB of free data per month and can only be used on one device. By comparing those numbers with the data limits set in place by free VPN providers, you can quickly figure out that free VPNs aren’t the best for Netflix.
Source:The Nation
December 02, 2021 05:05 UTC
Ministerial aides looking for buried LTTE gold, under investigation
Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Norway, Ghana confirm first cases of the new Omicron COVID-19 variant as countries tighten travel rules. Japan and Hong Kong said on Wednesday they would expand travel curbs, and Malaysia temporarily banned travellers from countries deemed at risk, news agencies reported. Global spreadSaudi Arabia’s health ministry said it recorded the Gulf’s first confirmed case of the Omicron variant in a citizen returning from North Africa. Nigeria said it had confirmed two cases of the Omicron variant among travellers who had arrived from South Africa in the past week. Brazilian health regulator Anvisa said late on Tuesday that two Brazilians had tested positive for the Omicron strain, the first reported cases in Latin America.
Source:The Nation
December 02, 2021 01:39 UTC
Basil arrives in New Delhi; to meet top Indian ministers
Sri Lanka’s finance minister Basil Rajapaksa is scheduled to meet top Indian ministers on Wednesday as the two countries look at increasing collaboration, Indian media reported. Basil Rajapaksa had arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday. In New Delhi, Basil Rajapaksa will meet finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar. Since last year, the Sri Lankan government has made at least one request for a $1.1 billion currency swap. New Delhi so far has not made it clear whether it will accede to the Sri Lankan request, the report said.
Source:The Nation
December 01, 2021 23:08 UTC
Ministry officials in a hole over buried LTTE gold
Two members of the personal staff of Public Security Minister Rear Admiral (Retd.) Dr. Sarath Weerasekera and Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Minister Douglas Devananda have allegedly tried to recover a stock of gold buried by the LTTE in the Puthukkudiyiruppu area, on 25 November, according to media reports. He also said that the Police have been instructed by Dr. Weerasekera to conduct an impartial inquiry into the incident. He has a fisheries organisation and therefore he travels around the country.”When queried whether the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Ministry would carry out an inquiry into the matter, he said: “He (the official) is not well these days. However, the Puthukkudiyiruppu Police OIC has not informed his senior police officials until the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in charge of the Mullaitivu Division had inquired from the former about the arrival of the two said ministry officials.
Source:The Nation
December 01, 2021 21:01 UTC
First Capital Treasuries hosts investor forum ahead of IPO
First Capital Treasuries PLC, a subsidiary of the Janashakthi Group’s First Capital Holdings PLC, hosted prospective investors, industry partners, media representatives, and members of the public at an investor forum on its upcoming Initial Public Offering (IPO). First Capital Treasuries released the official prospectus for the IPO at this event. Scheduled for 6 December 2021, the IPO will see First Capital Treasuries offering 7,695,000 ordinary voting shares at Rs. First Capital Treasuries holds a distinctive position as a non-bank primary dealer. The prospectus is available online on the CSE website (www.cse.lk) and the First Capital website (www.firstcapital.lk/fct).
Source:The Nation
December 01, 2021 08:06 UTC
Masks rule returns... but not everyone is on board
Can you take a PCR test at the airport and be free from isolation within hours? No, lateral flow tests will not be accepted from 4am tomorrow – it must be a PCR test. No, you just need to have your PCR test booked and passenger locator form filled out. You must still self-isolate until your test result is known or until day 14 after arrival, whichever is sooner. Passengers arrive at Heathrow Airport this morning as a testing centre sign is seenWhat if the test result is unclear?
Source:The Nation
November 30, 2021 19:58 UTC