Committee report on restructuring Central Cultural Fund handed to PM
The final report of the five-member committee appointed by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa in his capacity as the Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs to provide recommendations for the restructuring of the Central Cultural Fund, was handed over to the Prime Minister at Temple Trees this morning. The committee was appointed by the Prime Minister to make recommendations in line with the national policy framework “Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour”, which states that “the Central Cultural Fund should be fully revised and restructured”This committee, chaired by Director-General, Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources S.J. Balasooriya, Senior Assistant Secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office Priyanga Nanayakkara, Director of Information Technology Management Department D.P.C.E. The Prime Minister accepted the report and stated that the implementation of these recommendations would enable the Central Cultural Fund to become a more effective institution in achieving its objectives in the future. The Prime Minister pointed out that having to obtain tickets for several archaeological museums in the same area would also cause various inconveniences to local tourists.
Source:The Nation
October 07, 2021 17:37 UTC
India set to reopen for tourists as COVID situation eases
India will reopen to tourism from October 15, the government said, after more than a year of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic. It added that foreigners traveling to India via commercial flights will be able to enter on fresh tourist visas starting November 15, 2021. Restrictions on most categories of foreign visas, such as diplomats and businesspeople, had been gradually lifted but tourists remained barred even as most economic activities resumed. The vast majority of Indians have been vaccinated with Indian-made AstraZeneca shots, which has been produced by Serum Institute of India. India has called the decision “discriminatory” and imposed restrictions on all British arrivals irrespective of their vaccination status.
Source:The Nation
October 07, 2021 17:15 UTC
Please Don't Store These Things on Your Kitchen Counter
Photo: Tanya Sid (Shutterstock)Are you an uber-organized minimalist whose kitchen looks like Marie Kondo and Pinterest’s love child? If your kitchen resembles more of a disturbing way station for stuffed animals, mail, hairbrushes, stickers, and disembodied Legos, we...have a friend whose kitchen is exactly like that. No matter your organization skills (or lack thereof), there are certain household items that just shouldn’t actually be stored on your kitchen counters. Alternatives include wall-mounted magnetic knife strips or a dedicated knife drawer with slotted inserts. G/O Media may get a commissionWhatever you do, don’t just toss them in a drawer with other kitchen gadgets.
Source:The Nation
October 07, 2021 16:30 UTC
Rivian’s IPO filing reveals Amazon’s prime influence
EV startup Rivian has spent most of its life shrouded in secrecy, but now that it’s going public, that protective veil is lifting. (Instead of selling shares this time, though, Rivian essentially borrowed a total of $2.5 billion from Amazon, Ford, T. Rowe Price, and Mannheim Investments. It can go ahead and buy the 100,000 electric vans as advertised. And on Wednesday, Bloomberg reported that the majority of the focus will be on the Amazon vans in the early going. And it’s now one of the very first to follow Tesla into the extremely challenging arena of mass-manufacturing electric vehicles.
Source:The Nation
October 07, 2021 15:45 UTC
Sri Lanka wins first T20I against Oman
October 7, 2021 by Ruwani Fonseka No CommentsSri Lanka won the first T20 international of its tour of Oman by 19 runs. Oman won the toss and elected to field first and Sri Lanka ended up with a total of 162/4 in 20 overs. In reply, Oman scored 143/8 in their 20 overs. SL: 162/4 (20)Oman: 143/8 (20)
Source:The Nation
October 07, 2021 15:00 UTC
Legal Validity of Digital Signatures Highlighted
Hence, the requirement for digital signatures among many segments of the community has soared in the recent past. In view of raising awareness about Digital Signatures among the country’s banking fraternity, ICT Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) with the support of Ministry of Technology, LankaClear together with Sri Lanka Banks’ Association collaborated to organize a session on ‘Legal Validity of Digital Signatures’ exclusively for the financial services sector. Presenting his views, Mr. Jayantha Fernando, General Counsel and Legal Advisor to ICTA elucidated the participants of the underline principles and the legal framework relating to Digital Signatures. Mr. Fernando is considered as the chief architect of ETA, which has created the enabling framework to launch and operationalize Digital Signatures. Mr Fernando explained in detail about the ETA and its provisions relating to Digital Signatures.
Source:The Nation
October 07, 2021 15:00 UTC
Belgium government discusses moving to FOUR-DAY week
The Belgian government has agreed to vote on a countrywide introduction of a four-day working week. The federal government will consider the proposal next week in what is the latest move towards a more flexible working future in Europe. Meanwhile, a number of companies in Spain are currently trialing a four-day week after a small political party's proposal was accepted by the wider government late last year. With this in mind, the Icelandic approach to the four-day work week is still favoured by many commentators. In some companies though, a four-day week may seem like too much work.
Source:The Nation
October 07, 2021 09:00 UTC
Casinos owe Rs. 2.67 Bn to IRD: Public Finance
Despite the Government imposing a a one-off Casino Industry levy of LKR 1 Bn each on the 4 Casinos established in Sri Lanka in 2015, a report by publicfinance.lk details that the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) is yet to receive arrears amounting to LKR 2.67Bn. Following the imposition of the LKR 1 Bn one-off levy, a total of LKR 4 Bn was owed to the Inland Revenue Department. However, by the end of 2015, only LKR 80 Mn had been collected from these businesses. Moving on to 2019, publicfinance.lk states that a cumulative total of only LKR 1,330 Mn had yet been collected. As of now in 2021, the Inland Revenue Department revealed that casino businesses still owed them a total of LKR 2.67 Bn in tax arrears, highlighting the minimal progress of collecting these taxes.
Source:The Nation
October 07, 2021 08:48 UTC
HSBC Global Research releases economic report on Sri Lanka
HSBC Global Research has released an economic report on Sri Lanka titled “Sri Lanka: In need of a panacea”. The full report is detailed below:Even before the third COVID-19 wave ebbed, Sri Lanka found itself battling against a more infectious fourth wave. Sri Lanka has battled economic challenges for a while now (sudden change in leadership in 2018, bombings in 2019, and recurring COVID-19 waves). Recurring COVID-19 wavesEven before the third COVID-19 wave ebbed, Sri Lanka found itself battling against a more infectious fourth pandemic wave. This cUSD80bn economy has external debt of USD47bn, of which c60% is owned by the government.
Source:The Nation
October 07, 2021 08:03 UTC
Victorian Covid cases rocket back up to 1,683
Four people also died while positive with Covid and that number is expected to get worse as more sick and unvaccinated Victorians enter hospital. The new cases were diagnosed form 62,189 tests and 35,253 vaccine doses were administered in state-run facilities on Wednesday. Authorities are racing to identify all vulnerable young patients who were exposed to a Covid-19 outbreak at a Melbourne children's hospital cancer ward. A patient's parent spent at least four days at the Royal Children's Hospital in Parkville while infectious, with the exposure period stretching from October 1 to October 4. Ms McDonald said some children are turning up to the hospital with other illnesses or injuries and then testing positive for Covid.
Source:The Nation
October 06, 2021 21:56 UTC
SL national arrested in India for arms trafficking to fund LTTE revival
India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a Sri Lankan national and former member of the LTTE’s intelligence wing for his alleged involvement in arms and drug trafficking from Pakistan to Sri Lanka, and utilising the proceeds for furthering and supporting the revival of the terrorist group in the island nation, an official said on Wednesday. Satkunam alias Sabesan, 47, a Sri Lankan national and a former member of the intelligence wing of the LTTE, was arrested by the NIA on Tuesday, the official of India’s premier investigation agency said. Sabesan, who presently resided at Valsaravakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, was arrested for his involvement in Arms and Drug trafficking from Pakistan to Sri Lanka, and utilizing the proceeds for furthering and supporting the revival of LTTE, the NIA official said. Sabesan had arranged conspiracy meetings of sympathisers of LTTE in India and played a crucial role in routing the proceeds of drugs trafficking to former LTTE cadres in Sri Lanka for the revival of LTTE, the NIA official said, adding that further investigation in the case continues. Source: PTI
Source:The Nation
October 06, 2021 19:07 UTC
The founder of Facebook’s CrowdTangle tool is leaving
Brandon Silverman, the founder and CEO of the Facebook-owned analytics tool CrowdTangle, is leaving the company, according to an internal farewell post to colleagues posted Wednesday that was seen by The Verge. CrowdTangle, a free tool that lets anyone track popular posts across Facebook and Instagram, is at the center of that debate. That irritated some Facebook executives who felt that the data being shared by CrowdTangle was incomplete, and earlier this year, the CrowdTangle team was disbanded as a standalone team. Facebook bought CrowdTangle in 2016 as it was courting media companies to post more on its News Feed, and the tool is still used to track viral posts on the social network. “I’m not sure what the future holds for CrowdTangle or data transparency here at Facebook, but I’m optimistic,” he wrote.
Source:The Nation
October 06, 2021 18:56 UTC
Korea donates medical equipment to help Sri Lanka combat Covid-19
This generous contribution is in addition to previous donations of COVID-19 related medical equipment, the foreign ministry said. The donation from the Republic of Korea was handed over at a ceremony held at the Foreign Ministry in Colombo. Korean Ambassador Woonjin Jeong handed over the donation to Foreign Secretary Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage. The donation was thereafter handed over to Prof. Channa Jayasumana, State Minister of Production, Supply and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals and Dr. R.M.S.K. Ratnayake, Secretary of the State Ministry.
Source:The Nation
October 06, 2021 18:45 UTC
Island Girl: An irresistible promise of sustainable extravagance
Island Girl Founder Demi Lewis was born in Sri Lanka and raised in Vienna, Austria. Island Girl Founder Demi LewisSpeaking to Brunch, Demi said: “I want Island Girl to become a strong and independent lifestyle label. Island Girl is not just a brand, it’s you, it’s me, it’s all the strong, rebellious, but yet still shiny Island Girls and boys! Island Girl is all about inclusivity; regardless of one’s gender, class, or sexuality, Island Girl serves them all. What Island Girl promises is a journey to paradise and so much more.
Source:The Nation
October 06, 2021 18:45 UTC
Recycled plastic won’t solve tech’s waste problem
Only 9 percent of plastic waste has ever been recycled, research has found. Microsoft’s mouse, for example, required the company to create a new plastic resin that’s only partly reclaimed plastic and combines those beads of recycled plastic with new plastic, too. Logitech has made a big push to sell items with post-consumer recycled plastic. Ocean Plastic Mouse and recycled plastic pellets Image: MicrosoftStill, experts worry that a hot market for recycled materials could keep the incentives and infrastructure in place for producing more plastics — whether they be recycled or not. Microsoft partnered with Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), a subsidiary of oil company Saudi Aramco, for its Ocean Plastic Mouse.
Source:The Nation
October 06, 2021 15:45 UTC