More than 3,600 coronavirus cases detected within the day
A total of 946 more people tested positive for COVID-19 today (August 17), increasing the daily count of positive cases to 3,609. According to the Government Information Department, 3,555 of the latest cases reported today were associated with the New Year cluster. Following the new development, the country’s confirmed coronavirus cases tally now stands at 365,683, the Epidemiology Unit said. Meanwhile, the death toll reached 6,434 after a record high of 171 victims were confirmed by the Director-General of Health Services. More than 45,000 active cases are currently under medical care at hospitals and treatment centres across the country.
Source:The Nation
August 17, 2021 16:18 UTC
Taliban deputy leader arrives in Afghanistan from Qatar
By AfpPublished: 10:48 EDT, 17 August 2021 | Updated: 10:58 EDT, 17 August 2021The Taliban's deputy leader and co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar arrived in Kandahar Tuesday, landing in the insurgent group's former capital just days after they took control of the country. A Taliban spokesman said on Twitter that Baradar and a high level delegation 'reached their beloved country in the afternoon' from Qatar.
Source:The Nation
August 17, 2021 15:00 UTC
Twelve parliamentary staff members test positive for Covid-19
Twelve staff members of the Sri Lanka Parliament have been identified as Covid-19 positive following the conducting of random rapid antigen tests at the parliamentary premises today (17). Serjeant-at-Arms of Parliament Narendra Fernando said that a total of 275 persons had been subjected to antigen tests, carried out between 9.00 a.m. and 12 noon today at the premises. This included several Members of Parliament (MPs), parliamentary staff members, security staff and media personnel. Twelve of these staff members have been identified as Covid-19 positive while their close contacts have been quarantined. He added that a decision has been taken to maintain the operations of the Parliament with a minimum staff from tomorrow until further notice.
Source:The Nation
August 17, 2021 14:15 UTC
Q/Curfew aims to prevent gatherings like beach parties – Keheliya
COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka’s newly appointed Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella says that nighttime Quarantine Curfew aims to prevent gatherings such as beach parties. If we go any further, the country will be pushed to an unthinkable position,’ said the Minister noting that the situation will be uncontrollable. Minister Rambukwella further said there is no permanent solution to prevent COVID variants from entering the country. But, look at what happened when we lifted the restrictions,’ he said. The Health Minister also noted that the self-employed population must be given consideration as a lockdown would be definitely mean an end to their sources of income, despite public sector workers receiving a definite monthly pay.
Source:The Nation
August 17, 2021 14:03 UTC
COVID- 2,663 more people test positive in Sri Lanka
As many as 2,663 persons have tested positive for coronavirus so far today (August 17), the Ministry of Health confirmed. All new cases are associated with the New Year COVID-19 cluster. The new development brings the total number of COVID-19 cases confirmed in the country thus far to 364,737. At present, more than 44,000 virus-infected patients are being treated at hospitals and treatment centres across the island. The tally of total recoveries reached 314,340 today as 2,283 more patients were discharged after returning to health.
Source:The Nation
August 17, 2021 13:41 UTC
MP Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam tests Covid-19 positive
Jaffna District MP and Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) leader Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam has tested positive for Covid-19. In a Twitter message, the parliamentarian said that his wife, daughter and himself were showing symptoms of Covid-19 and therefore decided to get themselves tested. All three of them had tested positive for the virus, according to the test results received this morning (17). Since my wife, daughter and I were showing symptoms of Covid-19 we had ourselves tested. — Gajen Ponnambalam MP (@GGPonnambalam) August 17, 2021
Source:The Nation
August 17, 2021 12:22 UTC
Rear Admiral YN Jayarathne appointed as Navy Chief of Staff
COLOMBO (News 1st); President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces, appointed Rear Admiral YN Jayarathne as the Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Navy, effective from Tuesday (17th August 2021). Accordingly, Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne, officially handed over the letter of appointment in this regard to Rear Admiral YN Jayarathne at the Navy Headquarters. Rear Admiral Jayarathne completed his Staff Course at Army Command & Staff College, Sri Lanka and the National Defence Course at National Defense University, Beijing, China. He has also held various Staff and Senior Staff appointments at the Navy Headquarters as Senior Staff Officer Projects and Plans and Senior Staff Officer of Navy Hydrographic Service. Prior to his elevation to the post of Chief of Staff of the Navy, he served as the Commander Eastern Naval Area and Deputy Chief of Staff of the Navy.
Source:The Nation
August 17, 2021 12:00 UTC
Keto Custom Plan Reviews: Does this Diet Program Really Work?
Custom Keto Diet Review: Pros and Cons OverviewBefore we go deeper into the conversation, let’s first assess the pros and cons to have a clear understanding of the custom keto diet. To understand why this custom keto diet is effective, you also need to contemplate why the keto diet works for other people? Getting Access to the Custom Keto DietThe custom keto diet plan provides value for money. Click here to Know More About Custom Keto Diet PlanWhat’s In The Member’s Area Of Keto Custom Diet? Keto Diet 101Keto diet 101 is a compilation of videos and books that provide all the keto diet information.
Source:The Nation
August 17, 2021 12:00 UTC
Inauguration of the 1st China-Sri Lanka Health Silk Road Forum
The 1st China-Sri Lanka Health Silk Road Forum was successfully inaugurated on the 26th of July 2021 with His Excellency Ambassador Dr.Palitha Kohona’s official meeting with Mr. CHEN Luping, the vice governor of Liaoning Province of P.R.China. Ambassador has also visited the Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the 1st Affiliated Hospital of the University and a Bio-Technology Company specialized on frontier Stem Cell Technology. Prof. Chandima Jeewandara, University of Sri Jayawardanapura, has presented ‘’how university respond to COVID-19 in Sri Lanka?’’. As one of the achievements of this forum, Health Silk Road Committee is founded as a mechanism to contribute to international cooperation in combating the epidemic and construction of a Health Silk Road in global fight against the epidemic and facilitate global coordination and cooperation in this respect. The 1st Health Silk Road Forum is authorized and organized by Indo-Pacific China Business Advisory Council as its flagship product “Renew, Rebuild and Reinvent” Forum.
Source:The Nation
August 17, 2021 12:00 UTC
Implementation of Delivery Vs. Payment (DVP) mechanism at CSE
The introduction of Delivery Versus Payment (DVP) is the most meaningful change to the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) trading infrastructure in several decades. The CSE implemented the DVP Settlement mechanism as scheduled on 16th August 2021. The DVP mechanism was implemented pursuant to extensive testing and industry-wide mock runs being carried out over a period of 7 months, involving Broker Systems. However, on Monday 16th August 2021, one external Broker System Vendor had technical difficulties connecting to the CSE’s Trading System, resulting in a delay of pre-open session. Today (Tuesday 17th August 2021), the CSE observed certain inconsistencies in the client securities balances of a particular Broker System Vendor.
Source:The Nation
August 17, 2021 12:00 UTC
'Idiot' British student, 21, shares video aboard RAF military plane
A British student who took a holiday to Afghanistan before being trapped by the Taliban takeover today shared a video from inside a military plane as he landed in Dubai after being evacuated to safety. The footage showed Miles Routledge, 21, sitting among hundreds of other people fleeing the militant group as the packed aircraft touched down in the United Arab Emirates. The Loughborough physics student announced yesterday that he had eventually secured an evacuation flight. We're in a new safe house and we're all hydrated, happy and ready for a few hours of sleep.' Speaking to the Times, he claimed he made the decision to visit Afghanistan after watching tourism videos on YouTube.
Source:The Nation
August 17, 2021 12:00 UTC
IMO Dash 4G is the UK’s most affordable 4G phone
If you are based in the UK and on the look for an inexpensive 4G feature phone then the IMO Dash 4G should grab your attention. Buyers who get the phone with a top-up credit get an extra £10 off bringing the phone’s price to just £9.99. IMO Dash 4G in black and whiteDash 4G comes in black and white colors and offers 14-day standby time and up to 15 hours talk time making it ideal as a backup phone. The phone comes with 48MB RAM and 128MB onboard storage which is easily expandable via microSD. There’s also the usual feature phone array of Bluetooth, FM Radio, a torch and alarm functionality.
Source:The Nation
August 17, 2021 10:18 UTC
Sri Lanka inks Rs. 61.5B Term Facility with China Development Bank
The Government of Sri Lanka and the China Development Bank have entered into an agreement of RMB 2 billion – approximately Rs. 61.5 billion – Term Facility today (August 17), the Chinese Embassy in Colombo announced. In a tweet, the embassy stated that the agreement was signed upon the request from Sri Lanka to support its COVID19 response, economic revival, financial stability and livelihood betterment. China Development Bank and Sri Lankan Government has entered into an agreement of RMB 2 Billion (approx LKR 61.5 Billion) Term Facility today (17 Aug), upon a request from 🇱🇰 side to support its #COVID19 response, economic revival, financial stability and livelihood betterment. pic.twitter.com/ehkvWGfXzz— Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka (@ChinaEmbSL) August 17, 2021
Source:The Nation
August 17, 2021 09:22 UTC
Twelve including children rescued from shop fire
A fire has erupted in the ground floor of a three-storey shopping centre located near the Kirbathgoda town on the Makola-Kiribathgoda road. A total of 12 persons including children who were trapped inside the building have been rescued by the firefighters. Five of them who were experiencing difficulty in breathing due to the smoke inhalation were meanwhile hospitalized for treatment. According to the police, the firefighing units of Colombo and Gampaha municipal councils have controlled the fire. The cause of the fire and the damage estimate is yet to be revealed.
Source:The Nation
August 17, 2021 08:06 UTC
CarboFix Reviews: Does it Really Work?
It can be readily accessible through the form of an organic weight-loss dietary supplement, CarboFix. CarboFix supplement garnered the market’s attention because of its effects on many people and users worldwide. CarboFix supplement is the latest dietary supplement in the market that has shaken diet enthusiasts worldwide. How does Carbofix work in the whole weight loss procedure? In the market today, there are numerous weight loss pills that you can choose from, and there are several dietary supplements that are contested for the purpose of weight loss.
Source:The Nation
August 17, 2021 06:56 UTC