SL receives 800k syringes from Kenya
Marking the first time that a pandemic related essential item produced in Kenya was sent to Sri Lanka to support local inoculation efforts, the Sri Lanka High Commission in Kenya arranged a consignment of an order of syringes from Revital Healthcare(EPZ) Ltd in Kenya. Sri Lanka High Commissioner Veluppillai Kananathan in Kenya accepted the first consignment of 800,000 syringes and facilitated its dispatch via a Sri Lankan Airlines flight yesterday (13). The balance consignment of 1.2 million syringes is expected to be dispatched next week. As Revital Healthcare(EPZ) Ltd is a WHO prequalified company, the syringes manufactured by them are considered to be of high quality that complies with WHO standards and conditions.
Source:The Nation
August 14, 2021 06:00 UTC
Govt. to import 100MT of O2 next week
The Government has made a decision to purchase 100 metric tonnes of Oxygen next week for the purpose of treating Covid-19 patients. According to the Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka will purchase the same from India. Earlier, Deputy Director General of Health Services Dr. Hemantha Herath said that all hospitals have been provided with oxygen production machines. It was also added that Sri Lanka has started to import oxygen to support the rising demand. However, Dr. Herath noted that due to the fact that other countries require oxygen reserves as well, Sri Lanka cannot be fully reliant on imports.
Source:The Nation
August 14, 2021 05:37 UTC
3,152 Covid patients identified yesterday
August 14, 2021 by Aazam Ameen No CommentsA total of 3,152 Covid-19 infected persons were identified yesterday (13), the Government Information Department stated. Of those identified, 3,142 cases were associated with the New Year cluster, while the remaining 10 were identified as foreign arrivals. Data from the Epidemiology Unit details that 348,270 Covid-19 detections have taken place in the country so far. Meanwhile, the death toll now stands at 5,775.
Source:The Nation
August 14, 2021 05:15 UTC
Gazette issued imposing special levy on several commodities
The Minister of Finance has issued a Gazette Extraordinary, imposing a special levy on several commodities. According to the communiqué, the tax order will be in effect for a period of one year commencing from August 12, 2021, subject to provisions of Sub Section (3) of Section 2 of the Special Commodity Levy Act, No. Thereby, a special commodity levy is exacted on the following items:• Sprats – Rs. 880.00 per kilogram• Mathe seeds – Rs. 10.00 per kilogram from the applicable Special Commodity Levy of Rs.
Source:The Nation
August 14, 2021 03:45 UTC
Asylum seekers will be put in huge holding centres
Home Secretary Priti Patel wants to streamline the asylum process – and make hazardous and illegal entry via the Channel less attractive. More than 10,000 migrants have already arrived in small boats this year, compared with 8,410 last year. A tender gives details of the accommodation project to potential bidders, revealing that the Home Office wants asylum seekers to be housed at centres in nine regions across England, but none in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. The centres will have to accommodate applicants for up to six months, supporting them in processing their asylum claims. On Thursday, an Eritrean man, 27, became the first migrant to die this year attempting the crossing.
Source:The Nation
August 14, 2021 00:22 UTC
Nallur Kovil makes vaccination card mandatory for devotees
The 5th Independent Expert Group Meeting, convened by WHO Sri Lanka, has said Sri Lanka will be able to avert about 18,000 deaths by Jan 2022 only if the level of stringency is immediately increased similar to May 2021, for four weeks. Provide care and protect the health workers and augment staffing in hospitals to minimize disruption of essential health services. Accurate reporting of both cases and deaths to get a better picture of the ground situation. The trends given below indicate that Sri Lanka could soon face a health crisis of unprecedented proportions. “Significant number of health workers are getting infected with a consequent pressure for curtailment and closure of services.
Source:The Nation
August 14, 2021 00:00 UTC
Sri Lanka’s challenge to the gods
Keep our values positive because our values become our destiny. In a perfect world, and in Sri Lanka, one could have learnt lessons from history. While it is a generalised comment, in contemporary Sri Lanka, a solution to the ethnic issue relating to Tamils has been interpreted as arising purely on account of debateable historical reasons by the broader Sinhala Buddhist community. Hawking’s message has a lot of value and relevance to the ethnic issue in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka history, especially the post-independence history has shown that communities, especially the Tamil community, suffered tremendous hardships on account of their ethnicity.
Source:The Nation
August 14, 2021 00:00 UTC
Where’s Opposition in Covid control?
By Dr Upul WijayawardhanaMaybe, it is time to add a new phrase to the political lexicon: ‘A corrupt Cameron’ to mean a corrupt politician! It indeed was David Cameron! Greensill Capital got its funds from investors who were paid back with interest once the short-term loans were repaid. However, Greensill Capital overstretched itself by giving excessive loans and collapsed in March due to the insurers refusing to cover the loans. David Cameron did his utmost to make it happen.
Source:The Nation
August 14, 2021 00:00 UTC
How Britain's most wanted woman vanished into thin air
They’re Britain’s most wanted criminals — with the faces to prove it. This week, the Mail uncovered a previously unseen photo of Sarah, taken in 1983, as a nine-year-old pupil at York College for Girls. For eight years, Panitzke has evaded the efforts and impressive resources of the National Crime Agency, HMRC, Europol and Crimestoppers. In 2016, when she first became Britain’s ‘Most Wanted Woman’ at the age of 42, her father Leo told the Mail it was a ‘shock’ to hear she was on the NCA’s list, saying it felt ‘terrible’. Have you seen Sarah Panitzke?
Source:The Nation
August 13, 2021 23:48 UTC
Gunman Jake Davison filmed amid killing spree in Plymouth
In CCTV footage captured on a quiet street, the 22-year-old incel gunman is seen amid his horrific killing spree, his shotgun hanging by his side. There are major questions over whether the Plymouth gunman should have had a licence when in the midst of a mental health crisis. Jake Davison shot himself before firearms officers engaged him and police did not fire any shots, Mr Sawyer said. Robert Pinkerton, 54 told Plymouth Live that he was on Henderson Place when he heard a loud bank. Robert Pinkerton, 54 told Plymouth Live that he was on Henderson Place when he heard a loud bank.
Source:The Nation
August 13, 2021 22:41 UTC
JOHN HUMPHRYS: Freedom Day? No, we risk surrendering our liberty
In every democratic country there’s a spectrum with freedom at one end and order and security at the otherBut is it? In every democratic country there’s a spectrum with freedom at one end and order and security at the other. A t the opposite end of the freedom spectrum is a country with no such problem: China. We like to believe we are at the freedom end of things. Ours is a freedom of speech, freedom from arbitrary oppression because of the rule of law, freedom to choose our rulers.
Source:The Nation
August 13, 2021 21:56 UTC
Health Secretary finally acts on Covid travel test rip-off
Health Secretary Sajid Javid admitted the Government’s own costs were too high and said its single post-holiday PCR test package will fall from £88 to £68. Mr Javid also accused some private testing firms of ‘acting like cowboys’ by advertising misleading prices on the Government website and vowed to boot them off within days. But the changes were dismissed by the travel industry last night, with bosses saying the price cuts amounted to ‘tinkering’. Ministers were branded ‘hypocrites’ this week after repeatedly calling on private firms to drop their prices but failing to cut their own for summer. ‘Providers who are making substantial profits during the pandemic are acting unethically when consumers are being forced to take these PCR tests by Government.
Source:The Nation
August 13, 2021 21:00 UTC
July was the hottest month in recorded history, NOAA says
One month after North America set a record for the hottest June ever, July topped it, becoming the hottest month in recorded history, officials said on Friday - days after a dire climate change report from the UN. Scroll down for videoJuly 2021 has become the hottest July ever and the hottest month in recorded history, NOAA said on FridayNOAA also noted the land-surface temperature in the Northern Hemisphere was 2.77F above average last month, surpassing the record from 2012. Breaking the data down further, NOAA said Asia had its hottest July on record, while Europe had its second-hottest - tied with July 2010 - behind July 2018. 'July is typically the world's warmest month of the year, but July 2021 outdid itself as the hottest July and month ever recorded. 'With last month’s data, it remains very likely that 2021 will rank among the world’s 10-warmest years on record,' NOAA wrote in the statement.
Source:The Nation
August 13, 2021 18:56 UTC
Pet Husky dogs raised alarm over Plymouth gunman
It is believed that Stephen Washington, 59, was out walking his two pet Huskies along a tree lined path past homes on Biddick Drive when he was shot by Jake Davison. The 22-year-old killer had already fatally shot his mother Maxine before going out into the street and firing 'at random'. The Huskies are then believed to have raced back to his family home nearby and alerted relatives of the shocking incident that was unfolding. 'Stephen was well known around here because he was always out with his beautiful dogs. There will also be questions for the police about whether he was known to them before the attack.
Source:The Nation
August 13, 2021 18:56 UTC
What is a cryptocurrency wallet? Everything you need to know
Still, you might be surprised to know that cryptocurrencies are not actually “stored” in a cryptocurrency wallet, or really anywhere. Now that we know what a cryptocurrency wallet is and isn’t, let’s dig a little deeper and understand how it functions. Private keys: Your gateway to owning cryptocurrency As mentioned previously, the only thing you need to hold and prove a cryptocurrency balance is a private key. Asset support: It goes without saying that the cryptocurrency wallet you choose should support the token you’re about to deposit. Selecting the right cryptocurrency wallet for your needs may very well be the most important decision you make while starting out.
Source:The Nation
August 13, 2021 18:33 UTC