15 persons arrested for treasure hunting
A total of 15 people across multiple areas in the country were arrested yesterday (15) for the offence of treasure hunting, Police Spokesman Senior DIG Ajith Rohana noted. Meanwhile, the Hasalaka Police arrested another six persons along with the materials used to conduct treasure hunting operations. The Special Task Force (STF), during a special operation in the Mawathagama Police area arrested another three persons as well. Senior DIG Rohana stated that all arrestees will be produced before the respective Magistrate courts today (16). He also urged the public to inform Sri Lanka Police if they are aware of any such treasure hunting efforts by dialing 1997.
Source:The Nation
August 16, 2021 05:37 UTC
Bathiudeen s brother-in-law granted bail
August 16, 2021 11:04 amFormer Minister Rishad Bathiudeen’s brother-in-law, Mohamed Shiabdeen Ismat, has been ordered to be released on bail by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court. The 44-year-old brother-in-law was recently arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a young woman who worked as a domestic helper at the MP Bathiudeen’s official residence from 2015 to 2019. When the case was taken up today (August 16), Chief Magistrate Buddhika C. Ragala ordered the suspect to be released on a personal bail worth Rs. Further, the suspect was also ordered to surrender his passport to the court.
Source:The Nation
August 16, 2021 05:26 UTC
Foreign Ministry on efforts to evacuate Sri Lankans in Afghanistan
The Foreign Ministry of Sri Lanka has issued a statement with regard to the current situation in Afghanistan and the ongoing efforts to evacuate Sri Lankan nationals in the war-torn country. The Foreign Ministry says it is currently in the process of working with international partners to facilitate the return of Sri Lankan nationals in Afghanistan, if they wish to return. The Sri Lankan nationals present in Afghanistan mostly work for the United Nations, international organizations, NATO military bases and private companies. The Foreign Ministry said it remains appraised of the situation and will make every effort to ensure the safe return of Sri Lankan nationals, if they wish to return. Overnight, the focus was Kabul airport, where hundreds of desperate Afghans seeking to flee the country were waiting for flights, some dragging luggage across runways in the dark, foreign media reported.
Source:The Nation
August 16, 2021 03:22 UTC
Incel gunman 'was a ticking timebomb hooked on steroids'
The 22-year-old virgin, a self-confessed ‘involuntary celibate’, had an obsession with guns and violent computer games from the age of five, according to reports. In 2016, he was let go by police despite hitting Scott Hobbs 15 times and punching his girlfriend Sherrie – sending her falling on to her stomach and fearing she could lose her unborn baby. Mr Hobbs, 25, told The Sunday Mirror: ‘The police didn’t seem to take it very seriously. He claimed the killer had been taking both amphetamines and bodybuilding anabolic steroids since at least December. He told The Sun: ‘He was popping lots of pills... he became edgy, aggressive – and was basically a ticking timebomb.’
Source:The Nation
August 15, 2021 22:18 UTC
China and Russia prepare to accept Taliban rule of Afghanistan
China, Russia, Pakistan and Turkey all appear set to formally recognise Taliban rule in neighbouring Afghanistan after the Islamist terror group seized the Presidential Palace in Kabul on Sunday and the country's embattled president fled for Tajikistan. In dealing with the Taliban, an increasingly powerful China may be able to leverage the fact that, unlike Russia or the United States, it has never fought them. After their meeting with Wang, the Taliban said they hope China can play a bigger economic role. Russia is one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council, along with the United States, Britain, France, and China. We must now live up to our obligations, especially to those Afghan people who worked so bravely with British representatives in Afghanistan.
Source:The Nation
August 15, 2021 19:52 UTC
How to buy cryptocurrency: A definitive guide to cryptocurrency investing
This is because governments around the world mandate that cryptocurrency exchanges comply with Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) laws. Over the years, trading platforms have cumulatively lost Regulatory oversight: Unlike stock exchanges, cryptocurrency trading platforms can be incorporated anywhere in the world. : Unlike stock exchanges, cryptocurrency trading platforms can be incorporated anywhere in the world. If centralized cryptocurrency exchanges don’t appeal to you for some reason, consider peer-to-peer (P2P) trading platforms for cryptocurrency investing. As mentioned previously, cryptocurrency trading platforms are a common and lucrative target for hackers.
Source:The Nation
August 15, 2021 19:52 UTC
At last, SLC to offer player contracts for 2021
a chart indicating possible wages proposed in the previous player contract schemeBy Revatha S. Silva* ‘Three prodigal sons’ remain to be out* Couple of new players added including Asitha, Chamika, Avishka* Reassessment to be made before January 2022Following months of protracted disputes, arguments, and counterarguments, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has finally decided to offer player contracts for the year 2021. The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) of SLC, headed by Aravinda de Silva, intervened in making the player contracts for this year yet players, allegedly manipulated by a couple of seniors, refrained from signing the contracts citing lack of transparency in player categorisation. Later it was reported that the TAC conceded its powers on player contracts to the Board at meeting held with the Minister of Sports. The new contracts will be from August till the end of December, when the new player assessments will be redone. All the issues that were here and there will be rectified from January onwards,” the SLC ex-co official further added.
Source:The Nation
August 15, 2021 19:41 UTC
Tourism moratoriums extended to 31 Dec.
Decision follows discussions with Central Bank, CabraalBY Cassendra DooleThe debt moratorium on capital and interest for the tourism industry will extend to 31 December 2021, The Morning Business learns. The debt moratorium was extended by six months from 30 September 2020 until 31 March 2021 when the pandemic was taking hold of Sri Lanka. The Minister of Tourism Prasanna Ranatunga previously told The Morning Business that the tourism sector is just beginning to rise up once again and due to the time, it will take to get back to normal, facilitating their needs is necessary. Sri Lanka’s tourism sector is among the top three foreign exchange-earning sources of the country. According to a statement made by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), from March 2020 to June 2021, over $ 950 million in investments were received by the Government of Sri Lanka in order to revitalise the tourism sector of the country.
Source:The Nation
August 15, 2021 18:56 UTC
ICC to allow only 15 players for World Cup
“The cost of the remaining members of the squad (to travel to the World Cup) will have to be borne by the board,” a senior Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) official confirmed yesterday (14). “The ICC bears the expenses of only 15 players and eight officials,” he had further added. Sri Lanka to play in Abu Dhabi firstSri Lanka are to play the first or qualifying round of the World Cup, to be held from 17-23 October, in Abu Dhabi, along with three other countries of their Group (A): Ireland, Namibia, and Netherlands. Sources said there is a major possibility that players such as Ashan Priyanjan, Angelo Perera, and Asela Gunaratne who are now featuring in the SLC Invitational T20 League in Kandy are most likely to feature in the final Sri Lanka squad for the World Cup. Meanwhile former Sri Lanka Captain has not yet confirmed his availability for selection and is still in his ‘self-imposed’ non-availability.
Source:The Nation
August 15, 2021 18:56 UTC
Opposition blames Govt. for cases, deaths
Now, 50% of the health system has been dedicated to Covid-19 patients. Thus, those 80% of the deaths are murders for which the President is responsible for,” alleged Dissanayake. “The Covid-19 situation is very grim at the moment in the country. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has stated that the Delta (B.1.617.2) variant of the Covid-19 virus is at least two times as transmissible as the original virus. The Health Promotion Bureau (HPB) said that 3,263 new cases and 160 new deaths were reported on Saturday due to the virus.
Source:The Nation
August 15, 2021 18:56 UTC
Curing with curiosity
Capsaicinaz LM Foundation is an NGO founded by law student Zainab Rafeek, who has longed to find a cure for cancer since she was a little girl. Rafeek, since her childhood, has always been an inquisitive, curious kid who always loved doing social work for the community. Mental health panel discussionRafeek was inspired to start up Capsaicinaz LM Foundation because of the ongoing pandemic. I also knew I wanted the world to start with the letter C to stand for ‘cure’ and ‘curiosity’ which led me to begin this foundation,” explained Rafeek. They also have collaborations coming up with the Indira Cancer Trust and a mental health association in Sri Lanka.
Source:The Nation
August 15, 2021 18:56 UTC
Sampath Bank post-tax profit climbs 78%
17.4 billion reported for the corresponding period in the previous year, reflecting an increase of 10.4%. 41.9 billion compared to Rs. During the first six months of 2021, the bank recorded Rs. 794 billion compared to Rs. 945 billion compared to Rs.
Source:The Nation
August 15, 2021 18:45 UTC
Air Force Commanders Cup – 1st leg: Nanayakkara’s boot saves CH
By Ranjika PereraThenuka Nanayakkara scored 13 points to steal the win for CH&FC against Air Force in the first leg of the Air Force Commanders Cup rugby encounter at Ratmalana on Friday (13). (File Photo)Former Peterite fly-half Thenuka Nanayakkara scored 13 points, including the winning penalty in the last minute, to steal the win for CH&FC in the first leg of the Air Force Commanders Cup rugby encounter against Air Force at Ratmalana on Friday (13). The full time score read CH&FC 23 and Air Force SC 21. Matters got worse for CH when Malinga Shehan was sin-binned and it led to the second try for Air Force. The matches are held under the supervision of the Commander of Sri Lanka Air Force, Air Marshal Sudarshana Pathirana.
Source:The Nation
August 15, 2021 18:45 UTC
E Kale (ඒ කාලේ) by K-Nath
Kavinath “K-Nath” Hewagamage is a Sri Lankan music producer who recently released his first single titled E Kale (ඒ කාලේ), accompanied by an entirely 2D-animated music video directed by Ranush Ratnasekera. K-Nath, who is professionally a network planning engineer at a big telco company in Sri Lanka, shared with us his journey as a music producer and how his first ever single E Kale (ඒ කාලේ) came to be. Sharing his childhood influences: “I grew up listening to all kinds of music: Sri Lankan classics by Pandit Amaradeva, hardcore American rap music by artists like Eminem, Dr. Dre, Kanye West, etc. Redesigning the beat to fit his own vocal range, K-Nath started crafting the lyrics whenever time permitted. Considering that E Kale (ඒ කාලේ) appears to be on the right track, K-Nath shared that there are some unique characteristics to his own style of music and so, he hopes to release some more singles and hopefully an album under his chosen artist name “K-Nath”.
Source:The Nation
August 15, 2021 18:33 UTC
Sunday’s Tennis Column: The myths of teaching technique
Out of these, most coaches spend most of their time teaching technique. Simply put, this tries to discuss whether there is only ONE way a single technique can be taught. One size fits allThis is a mistake that most Sri Lankan coaches tend to make in most instances. In the technique-based method, the players were first asked to master the “correct” technique of the shots before they played matches. This means that even when teaching technique, the coaches are allowed to accept the subtle changes in the technique, as long as it is biomechanically correct.
Source:The Nation
August 15, 2021 18:33 UTC