Homecare program for asymptomatic COVID-19 patients from today
An integrated homecare-based treatment program for asymptomatic COVID-19 patients commences from today (August 09). The program which was carried out as a pilot project in the Western Province until now will be launched island-wide from today, the Ministry of Health stated. Under the program, patients between the ages of 2 and 65 years, who do not show symptoms or show mild symptoms, are to be treated at home under medical supervision. The decision was taken due to the increasing number of COVID-19 patients exceeding the hospital capacities. The relevant activities will be coordinated through the 24-hour hotline number 1390, the Ministry of Health stated.
Source:The Nation
August 09, 2021 04:52 UTC
More Pfizer jabs arrive in Sri Lanka
August 9, 2021 10:13 amAnother consignment of US-manufactured Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines has arrived in Sri Lanka today (August 09). The Qatar Airways flight carrying the doses has arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport at around 02.15 am this morning, Ada Derana correspondent said. Please avoid outside hyperlinks inside the comment and avoid typing all capitalized comments. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines by flagging them(mouse over a comment and click the flag icon on the right side). Do use these forums to voice your opinions and create healthy discourse.
Source:The Nation
August 09, 2021 04:41 UTC
Another ‘prodigal son’ leaves for US?
24,931,150) per year, for three years,” the source further revealed. Who is advising two of the three ‘prodigal sons’ on their new move? “This legend is a good pal of the player manager of the two players who now try to leave the country. The legend well known in the cricket circles for playing covert double games,” he revealed. The International Cricket Council (ICC) Elite Panel Match Referee Jeff Crowe is handling player recruitment on behalf of the Cricket Committee of USA Cricket (association).
Source:The Nation
August 09, 2021 01:52 UTC
Insiders say Rishi Sunak would NEVER accept a cabinet demotion
Rishi Sunak 'will not take a demotion' despite claims of a rift between him and Boris Johnson, a source has said. The Prime Minister reportedly told allies that Mr Sunak was guilty of 'a failure of political judgment' in writing the letter. Last night, treasury insiders were forced to hit back at claims of a rift between Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak. Yet Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak have found themselves at odds over the Prime Minister's expensive agenda – including infrastructure projects and a new royal yacht. She said: 'The Prime Minister urgently needs to get a grip on the real challenges facing this country.
Source:The Nation
August 09, 2021 01:07 UTC
New York activist becomes internet star by rifling through stores' trash
By Christopher Eberhart For Dailymail.ComPublished: 19:28 EDT, 8 August 2021 | Updated: 19:51 EDT, 8 August 2021A New York City activist has become an internet star by riffling through chain stores' trash to shame them for throwing and destroying useable food, medical supplies, designer clothes as well as furniture. Anna Sacks - who goes by the name 'thetrashwalker' on Instagram and TikTok - has been recording her 'trash walks,' where she roams Manhattan's streets and sifts through garbage bags, since 2018. Some of the videos show mountains of garbage bags full of unopened food and sealed disposable products from places like Party City that can still be eaten or used. In the video, she found full garbage bags of unopened M&Ms, Lindt chocolates, heath bars and other candies. Much of Sacks’s videos focus on waste from major corporations like CVS, Party City and Starbucks, but she's rummaged through residential and schools' waste in in the Upper West Side of New York City.
Source:The Nation
August 09, 2021 00:00 UTC
Tristen JG releases his first original!
He just turned 15 and released his first original – I’ve been there – which we will discuss, so I will not give away too much. Tristen believes that Armstrong is his primary inspiration to love and create music. Hi Tristen! I have been fortunate enough to follow my passion in music, but there are many who haven’t had such an opportunity. Even if it scares you, always follow your dream and passion, and visualise yourself where you want to be.
Source:The Nation
August 08, 2021 19:52 UTC
Education crisis: A humanitarian crisis
When all schools in about 192 countries abruptly shuttered in March 2020, “ousting” nearly 1.6 billion students from education, it chalked a historic milestone in education, globally. Some countries used this historic opportunity to re-design curricula and teaching methodologies to suit the time. This is Sri LankaThe entire student (4.3 million) and teacher (241,000) populations have been facing crisis after crisis since March 2020. With school closure, less than 10% of students had the ability to connect to real-time face-to-face education, online. Give the teachers their rightful due and prevent this crisis from becoming a humanitarian catastrophe.
Source:The Nation
August 08, 2021 18:56 UTC
Tharaka Balasuriya the Chief Negotiator for China FTA
BY Cassendra DooleThe Chief Negotiator for the China Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Sri Lanka will be State Minister of Foreign Affairs Tharaka Balasuriya, Trade Minister Bandula Gunawardena, speaking to The Morning Business, said. “We have appointed the State Minister of Foreign Affairs as the chief negotiator for the China FTA,” he said, adding that the appointment of a chief negotiator for the overall FTAs was still pending. The Morning Business attempted to contact the state minister for a comment but he was unavailable. However, in October last year, state minister Tharaka Balasuriya said that Sri Lankan authorities are reviewing the provisions of the proposed FTA with China to ensure it would not turn out to be “another Singapore FTA”. Discussions on a FTA with China goes back to 2014, when Sri Lanka and China had six rounds of negotiations regarding a proposed free trade agreement.
Source:The Nation
August 08, 2021 18:33 UTC
Basil eyes local pharma production
The Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa said that conserving foreign reserves is expected to be done by increasing domestic production while limiting importing goods. The Finance Minister made this statement on Friday (6) during the market launch of the two locally manufactured drugs at the State Pharmaceuticals Manufacturing Corporation, Ratmalana. Tramadol, a pain medicine, and Levothyroxine, a thyroid medicine were released to the market. Around 9.8 million capsules of Tramadol 50 mg and about 98 million tablets of 50 mg of Levothyroxine are used annually in Sri Lanka. State Ministers Prof. Channa Jayasumana and Dr. Nalaka Godahewa also participated in the event.
Source:The Nation
August 08, 2021 18:33 UTC
Asia vast savings can bring on an ‘age of sustainability’
By Arup Kumar ChatterjeeInsurance companies, pension funds, and other institutional investors in Asia and the Pacific can pave the way to a resilient and sustainable future. Reaching this new age, however, will require greater use of insurance companies, pension funds, and other institutional investors to tap the region’s well-known and huge pool of savings. Social insurance schemes such as unemployment and health insurance or sovereign insurance schemes for natural catastrophes are absent or underdeveloped. Existing social insurance, like unemployment coverage, offers little support, as it is not designed to cushion short-term income fluctuations. We need to look to insurance companies, pension funds, and other institutional investors to access the region’s huge pool of savings for a resilient and sustainable future.
Source:The Nation
August 08, 2021 18:33 UTC
EDB initiates capacity building programme islandwide
This initiative is to train EDB officers to guide small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to become global exporters. Other participants included EDB Chairman Suresh de Mel, USAID Sri Lanka and the Maldives Mission Director Reed Aeschliman, and CCC Chairman Vish Govindasamy. The programme is to improve the knowledge and skills of up to 300 EDB development officers in trade procedures, export processes, and market access. “The US and Sri Lanka share a vision of prosperity, as evidenced by our unparalleled export relationship,” said US Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives Teplitz. The sessions will be delivered in Sinhalese and Tamil for Development Officers from all 25 districts.
Source:The Nation
August 08, 2021 18:33 UTC
Managing political economy of climate change policies
By Davide Furceri, Michael Ganslmeier, and Jonathan D. OstryFew issues have sparked more attention than how to avoid environmental and human catastrophe from climate change. But even in the wake of massive public protests and an ambitious agenda since the 2015 Paris Agreement, governments are wary of the political costs of enacting climate mitigation policies. The data on political support comes from the private consultancy PRS Group’s International Country Risk Guide. Political costs are negligible when income inequality is held in check, either through the design of the mitigation policies themselves, or because of the adoption of complementary policies that protect the poor and allow them to bounce back from the dislocations inflicted by higher carbon prices. As with all policies that generate winners and losers, environmental legislation requires public support to be viable.
Source:The Nation
August 08, 2021 18:33 UTC
Project Endogreen
The inauguration ceremony of project EndogreenProject Endogreen was implemented in partnership with Reforest Sri Lanka, who have very actively and successfully implemented many tree planting projects over the years in collaboration with various public and private institutions. Endogreen, together with Reforest Sri Lanka also believes that, as Earth’s most intelligent species, we should act to protect all life on Earth. Speaking to Medical Delegate Harish Kumar, who is a part of project Endogreen, he commented that, sadly, Earth’s devastation is also one of our own creations and it’s vital we correct our mistakes. Project Endogreen aspires to plant a total of 300 tree saplings. Through project Endogreen, Kumar explained that the College of Endocrinologists aims to take a participatory approach and seeks to contribute in conservation efforts by replanting, thereby offsetting the deforestation rates in the country.
Source:The Nation
August 08, 2021 18:33 UTC
Breast is best?
Sri Lanka is a nation that celebrates mothers and motherhood, and Sri Lankan culture has assigned a bigger value to motherhood than to fatherhood. The WHO recommends six months of exclusive breastfeeding for babies, but most organisations in Sri Lanka allow only three months of maternity leave. Legal officer Prasadi Wijesinghe, on the other hand, believes in the theory that “best is fed”. “Formula contains most of the content in breast milk, so even if you are unable to breastfeed, you can formula feed the baby. Perera expressed that choosing how to feed your baby and what is best for your baby should be every parent’s choice.
Source:The Nation
August 08, 2021 18:33 UTC
SJB condemns release of Easter bomber’s father
By Buddhika SamaraweeraThe Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) has condemned the recent release of Ahmed Alawdeen, the father of Alawdeen Ahmed Muaath, who carried out the suicide bombing at St. Anthony’s Church in Kochchikade on 21 April 2019. Colombo Chief Magistrate Buddhika Sri Ragala on 6 August released Alawdeen from all charges. Accordingly, at the request of the complainant, the court released the 10 suspects and ordered the termination of proceedings. He also claimed that the present Government is endangering the lives of the people by releasing suspects who had close links with the bombers. “They may soon return and be motivated to commit a crime similar to the Easter Sunday terror attack.
Source:The Nation
August 08, 2021 16:52 UTC