No PC Elections without enactment of new act
COLOMBO (News 1st); Minister of Education Dinesh Gunawardena informed the Select Committee on identifying amendments to the Elections and Elections System that the Attorney General had informed that although it is necessary to hold Provincial Council elections soon, a legal impediment has occurred in this regard. According to the Attorney General, without the passage of an Elections Act according to the recommendations of the the Parliamentary Select Committee to identify amendments to the Elections and Elections System, the Provincial Council Elections cannot be held. The Attorney General has informed the committee that even if the existing Act on Provincial Council Elections has been repealed, the Provincial Council Elections cannot be held by any means without the enactment of a new Act. Participating in a meeting of the Select Committee held at the Parliament Complex yesterday (8), Minister Gunawardena pointed out that the function of the select committee is to make recommendations and not to make law. Members of the committee also reiterated the importance of the holding the Provincial Council elections expeditiously.
Source:The Nation
October 09, 2021 09:00 UTC
FM raises concerns with Canadian HC over Ontario bill against Sri Lanka
Peiris met the High Commissioner of Canada David McKinnon on Thursday (October 09) at the Foreign Ministry. The minister also briefed the high commissioner on Sri Lanka’s recent multilateral engagements in Geneva and New York. He updated the high commissioner on progress related to Sri Lanka’s vaccination programme and the gradual opening up of the country. Sri Lanka continues to seek vaccine availability from all available sources. The high commissioner has thanked the minister for the update and encouraged Sri Lanka to make progress on the matters raised by the Council.
Source:The Nation
October 09, 2021 07:41 UTC
From 15 miscarriages... to three little miracles
The doctors treating Rosanna Davison after her 15th miscarriage must have thought she was having some sort of emotional breakdown. The doctors treating Rosanna Davison after her 15th miscarriage must have thought she was having some sort of emotional breakdown. Three months earlier, having concluded she would never carry a baby herself, after a heartbreaking 14 miscarriages, she had become a mother via a surrogate. 'In all that time, with all the miscarriages, we'd never got to the point of being able to hear one.' When Dreams Come True, by Rosanna Davison, is published by Gill Books at £14.99.
Source:The Nation
October 08, 2021 22:52 UTC
Covid-19 Australia: Victoria records 1,965 cases and five deaths
Victoria has reported a record 1,965 new Covid-19 cases and five deaths overnight with the state tipped to reach both its vaccination targets ahead of schedule. The 1,965 new cases announced on Saturday smash the 1,838 cases reported on Friday. 'In many states in America, school mask mandates have been put in place and they have helped to reduce transmission,' Professor Sutton said. There are now 12 active COVID-19 cases in the area, with health officials hoping the lockdown will prevent the outbreak from escalating. A small tweak to the mask rules also came into effect at midnight on Friday, with adults now allowed to remove their face mask to consume alcohol while outdoors.
Source:The Nation
October 08, 2021 21:56 UTC
BBC managers issued new woke training manual
The BBC has issued new training guidelines to managers so they avoid unconscious biasThe BBC was forced to hand over details of the course by the Information Commissioner’s Office after twice declining freedom of information requests by the Mail. The corporation is continuing to run the programme despite the Government Equalities Office finding ‘no evidence’ that unconscious bias training improved workplace equality. All managers must sit the course and the BBC has said it aims for 95 per cent of staff to participate. It states: ‘When you’re recruiting, ensure your blood sugar levels don’t become low. A training video includes examples of racist and sexist behaviour BBC employees have endured, with actors voicing complaints made by anonymous victimsA training video includes examples of racist and sexist behaviour BBC employees have endured, with actors voicing complaints made by anonymous victims.
Source:The Nation
October 08, 2021 21:56 UTC
Robin Goodfellow's Racing Tips: Best bets for Saturday, October 9
By Sam Turner For The Daily MailPublished: 17:12 EDT, 8 October 2021 | Updated: 17:56 EDT, 8 October 2021The exciting NATIVE TRAIL (Newmarket, 2.55) is far from the finished article, but his raw ability may still be enough to see him retain his unbeaten record in the Darley Dewhurst Stakes. Native Trail's raw ability ma be enough to see him retain Darley Dewhurst Stakes crownCharlie Appleby has questioned whether Native Trail has ‘the mind’ for Breeders’ Cup tripTrainer Charlie Appleby has questioned whether Native Trail has ‘the mind’ for a trip to the Breeders’ Cup and it could be that he is a slow burner who saves his best for the track. Handling the Dip at Newmarket is no easy task when a horse is as substantial as Native Trail, but if he does cope with the undulations, he will devour the climb to the line. However CALLING THE WIND (Newmarket, nap, 3.35) has established himself as a classy stayer in his own right and looks capable of denying the Mullins battalion. Sportsmail's racing expert Robin Goodfellow dishes out his tips for Saturday's meetings at Newmarket, Hexham, York and Chepstow.
Source:The Nation
October 08, 2021 21:56 UTC
Priti Patel plans 888 number for worried women
A new emergency number to help protect lone women could be in operation by Christmas. Women could also use the mobile app – potentially with the number 888 – to summon police if they felt threatened. Users would download a mobile phone app and enter their home address and other favourite destinations. The 888 service would be developed in collaboration with the police and the whole telecoms industry, and could even link in with CCTV networks. The 888 service would mean that parents can relax a bit, knowing that if there is a problem, they will be alerted.
Source:The Nation
October 08, 2021 21:00 UTC
Apple iPhone 13 Pro in for review
The Apple iPhone 13 Pro is now in our office and it's next in line for a review. Like the rest of Apple's 12 and 13 lineup, the iPhone 13 Pro comes in a simple box with a USB-C to Lightning cable, a SIM eject tool and an Apple sticker. Last year's iPhone 12 Pro lacked the bigger main camera and the slightly zoomier zoom camera of the Max. We found all three to be very capable in our iPhone 13 Pro Max review and we'll no doubt see identical results. It would be interesting to see if the iPhone 13 Pro lasts longer on a charge than the iPhone 13, which got an 89 hour endurance rating in our review.
Source:The Nation
October 08, 2021 18:45 UTC
Daily count of new Covid-19 cases climbs to 746
October 8, 2021 11:46 pmThe Health Ministry says that another 218 persons have tested positive for Covid-19 today, increasing the daily count of new cases to 746. This pushes the tally of coronavirus cases confirmed in the country since the start of the pandemic to 524,937. Over 32,000 patients infected with the virus are currently under medical care at hospitals, treatment centers and under home-based care. Total recoveries in at 479,182 while the death toll in the country has risen to 13,267.
Source:The Nation
October 08, 2021 18:11 UTC
Slug rings Essex woman's doorbell and slides over infrared camera
By Jonathan Rose For MailonlinePublished: 08:06 EDT, 8 October 2021 | Updated: 12:48 EDT, 8 October 2021This is the moment a woman discovered the late-night caller ringing her doorbell camera was a slug. Full-time mum Lianne Jennings, 35, was in bed when she kept receiving notifications from her Ring doorbell about unusual activity outside her home in Brentwood, Essex. But when she checked the footage on October 6 there was no one in sight – just a slug sliding over the doorbell’s camera. The night vision setting on the Ring doorbell makes the slug look like it is glowing - leading Lianne's friends to joke that it was an alien. Lianne said: 'I'm assuming it's a slug but it looks very, very weird - especially when the luminous thing lights up around his stomach.
Source:The Nation
October 08, 2021 16:52 UTC
Schools warn parents not to let children watch Squid Game
Schools are warning parents not to let their children watch the Netflix horror series Squid Game after pupils were caught copying scenes in the new show. The controversial show has now left schools urging parents to monitor what their children are watching amid fears of copycat behaviour. A parent who lives in Deal wrote on social media: 'We've received 2 school letters (primary/secondary) warning parents about letting kids watch ''Squid Game''. He tweeted: 'Can't believe my kids' school has had to send a letter telling parents that kids are playing their own version of Squid Game and that parents will have sanctions applied if their kids mimic Squid Game. In each episode of Squid Game, characters take part in bloody versions of traditional children's games, like Grandmother's Footsteps, or British Bulldogs, with the winners progressing to the next 'round' of the game show.
Source:The Nation
October 08, 2021 15:56 UTC
One in TWELVE children in England 'had Covid last week'
One in 12 children in England were infected with coronavirus on any given day last week, according to official figures that lay bare the true scale of the back-to-school spread. But data for the most recent day alone shows 8.1 per cent had Covid – equating to one in 12 children in the age group. MailOnline's analysis of official figures yesterday suggested Covid cases may have finally peaked in children. Around one in 70 people had Covid in the week to October 2, up from one in 85 the previous week. For Scotland, the ONS estimates around one in 60 people had Covid in the week to October 2, down from one in 55 the previous week.
Source:The Nation
October 08, 2021 12:56 UTC
Mother gives birth to THIRD consecutive set of twins
A mother has given birth to her third consecutive set of twins meaning she's had six babies in five years. Jolene Mckee, 32, and her husband, Andrew, 33, from Brooklyn, New York, are now a family of eight after recently welcoming their third set of twins, Aiden and Jaiden, who are now three-months-old. 'I feel so lucky that we have all three combinations too, girl twins, boy-girl twins and now our boy twins. After falling pregnant for the third time I was 100 percent sure it couldn't be another set of twins. 'He said that in 25 years he had never seen a woman have three sets of twins.'
Source:The Nation
October 08, 2021 12:56 UTC
The author behind Netflix's Maid opens up about her life
Montana-based Stephanie Land, 43, wrote her memoir Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will To Survive in 2019. Montana-based Stephanie Land, 43, wrote her memoirs Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will To Survive in 2019, when it quickly became a best-seller. ‘I imagined them sleeping in different rooms… each fantasizing about a different partner, and possibly a different life,' she added. However, Land admitted she looked on her clients' lives with envy and resented the fact they lived such different lives to hers. In parallel to he job as a cleaner, Land didn't give up on her goal of becoming a writer.
Source:The Nation
October 08, 2021 08:03 UTC