Domestic worker registration mandatory
He added that the first programme under this new mechanism commenced at the Kalutara Urban Council (UC), last week. Non-registration, according to him, would be dealt with in the forthcoming amendment to the Employment of Women, Young Persons, and Children Act. Meanwhile, State Minister De Silva claimed that he would take the responsibility for the delay in implementing a proper mechanism in this regard. The relevant law was recently amended to make the minimum age of employment 16 years from the previous age of 14. The Labour Commissioner General Attorney-at-Law Prabath Chandrakeerthi said that the Employment of Women, Young Persons, and Children Act will be amended, declaring another 20 jobs, including the employment of children in domestic labour, as hazardous jobs.
Source:The Nation
July 31, 2021 20:02 UTC
Spirit of cricket: Indian media hails SL and the brotherhood shared during series
The victorious Sri Lanka team after the series on Thursday (29 July) at Khettarama. Sri Lanka spinners led by leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga rattled a depleted Indian batting to engineer a 2-1 series victory with a seven-wicket win in the third T20I on Thursday. In reply, Sri Lanka reached the target in 14.3 overs with Dhananjaya De Silva (23 ) scoring bulk of the runs. “Hardik Pandya gifting a bat to Chamika (Karunaratne) and now Shikhar Dhawan taking the time out to talk to the young team. One thing for sure, this … Sri Lanka bunch loves to learn.
Source:The Nation
July 31, 2021 19:52 UTC
Sunny Side Up: The boycott
Accordingly, none of the heads of the local government bodies led by the SLPP in the Ampara District have attended the workshop. Social media reports noted that several SLPP local government members have said they were asked not to attend the workshop by State Minister Wimalaweera Dissanayake. Some media reports have quoted several SLPP local government representatives saying that Dissanayake had threatened he would not sign nominations for the next elections of those who attend the workshop. However, Eastern Province Governor Anuradha Yahampath, addressing the workshop, had said that boycotting the event was similar to rejecting the policies of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The workshop was held at the Hardy Institute auditorium in Ampara.
Source:The Nation
July 31, 2021 19:52 UTC
Sunny Side Up: ‘Made in Sri Lanka’ at the Olympics
August 1, 2021 by News Admin No CommentsThe ball being used in the baseball matches at the 2020 Olympics that are currently underway in Tokyo, Japan has been manufactured in Sri Lanka. This was revealed by Minister of Sports Namal Rajapaksa in a social media post last week. “#lka is renown for its manufacturing capabilities in the sports apparel & garment industry now another first toward our sporting economy! The official baseball used at the #Tokyo2020 games is exclusively #MadeinSriLanka! (sic)” Rajapaksa tweeted.
Source:The Nation
July 31, 2021 19:41 UTC
Sunny Side Up: Cabinet back on Zoom
August 1, 2021 by News Admin No CommentsThe meeting of the Cabinet was last week held via Zoom in adherence to the Covid-19 prevention health guidelines. Accordingly, the meeting headed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was held via Zoom last Monday (26 July). It is learnt that the decision to revert to Zoom meetings was reached after the health authorities warned of an increase in Covid-19 cases and emphasised the need to maintain social distancing in order to control the spread of the virus. Cabinet meetings were held via Zoom on previous occasions too when there was a resurgence in Covid-19 cases.
Source:The Nation
July 31, 2021 19:41 UTC
Oxygen supplies in the country: Health authorities dispel fears
BY Maheesha MudugamuwaSri Lanka is still consuming only around 20-30% of the total oxygen (O2) production meant to meet all medical necessities of the country at present, despite claims being made of an increase in the total oxygen demand due to Covid-19, according to the Health Ministry. Assuring that the country has enough oxygen stocks at present, Health Ministry Communications Director and Public Health Services Deputy Director General Dr. Hemantha Herath said that if the demand for oxygen has risen due to an increase in the number of Covid-19 patients, the oxygen supply used for industrial purposes would be diverted, while incinerators would also be used to gather oxygen from the environment. “Initially, there was an issue, as we did not have sufficient facilities to distribute the oxygen supply. We have already distributed jumbo oxygen cylinders to almost all the hospitals and we are also expecting a few other stocks of jumbo cylinders as well,” he told The Sunday Morning. Dr. Herath explained, however, that even though the country has enough oxygen stocks at present, in the event it experiences an unprecedented number of Covid-19 cases, there would be a shortage.
Source:The Nation
July 31, 2021 19:41 UTC
Sunny Side Up: Wimal to miss KNDU Bill
Minister Wimal Weerawansa will be absent from Parliament this week, especially on Friday (6) when the controversial Kotelawala National Defence University (KNDU) Bill is taken up in the House, as he is currently in self-isolation for a period of 14 days. Weerawansa’s self-isolation period commenced last Thursday (29 July). Weerawansa said that several police officers deployed in his security detail have tested positive for Covid-19. “As I have been identified as a close associate of the infected officers, it is my responsibility to self-isolate,” the Minister had said. He had further noted that his office at the Ministry of Industries will also be temporarily closed for 14 days, during which time it will be disinfected.
Source:The Nation
July 31, 2021 19:30 UTC
Heading a male-dominated industry
Commenting with regards to this, De Zoysa stated that the ICT industry grew during the Covid-19 pandemic. Simultaneously, SLASSCOM will also work with universities based in Sri Lanka to fast-track industry placements, where 10,000 graduates will be welcomed into the industry with internship opportunities. SLASSCOM’s focus on enhancing female engagementSpeaking of women’s participation in the technology industry in Sri Lanka, De Zoysa stressed that work is in progress to improve it. Along with the plan of improving the industry, SLASSCOM is depending on five main pillars to achieve its targeted success by the year 2025. Giving the concluding remark, she added that Sri Lanka will be catering to a niche market with high-end world-class tech solutions: “It’s not competing for volume, but high-end solutions that will be specialised from Sri Lanka.”
Source:The Nation
July 31, 2021 18:56 UTC
Estate sector poverty: The demon behind child exploitation
As per data reported in the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA), in 2020, there were 228 cases of child labour out of the total number of 8,165 of all forms of reported child abuse cases. According to the last report, there was a declining trend in child labour compared to the previous two reports released in 2008/2009 and 1999. Government responseLast week, the Department of Labour said that child domestic labour will be categorised as dangerous jobs. “According to the 2016 report, 103,704 children have been mentioned as working children. —Year Number of children Population of working children Children engaged in work but not child labour Children in child labour but not hazardous Children engaged in hazardous forms of child labour 1999 3,418,733 926,037 NA NA NA 2008/09 3,781,111 557,599 450,340 43,343 63,916 2016 4,467,738 103,704 59,990 4,707 39,007Table: Findings of the last three eight-yearly report released by the DCS
Source:The Nation
July 31, 2021 18:56 UTC
The emergence of Kandy Lake Club
WeerasingheIn Kandy, in addition to the historic Kandy Sports Club, a new rugby club came into being during the early 1960s. It was the Kandy Lake Club (KLC) founded by E.W. The Kandy Lake Club grew from strength to strength from thereon. It soon emerged as one of the leading rugby clubs in the upcountry alongside Kandy Sports Club, Dimbulla Club, Dickoya MCC, Uva Gymkhana Club, and KV Kelani Valley. That name is none other than “the Kandy Lake Club”.
Source:The Nation
July 31, 2021 18:45 UTC
The fear of getting tested for Covid
We spoke to some members of the public for their thoughts on why it is that they’ve purposefully avoided getting tested, and if there is indeed a “Covid test fear”. There have been numerous instances where doctors have shared that some of their patients have entirely ghosted them in their efforts to avoid getting tested for Covid. It would seem that most people, when they experience the more commonly expected virus symptoms, make all efforts to avoid getting tested. Amitha Edirisinghe, a resident of Matara, shared that he avoided going to the hospital due to the fear of getting tested. He shared that he too has had some patients who have gone to great lengths to avoid getting tested.
Source:The Nation
July 31, 2021 18:45 UTC
When good friendship leads to good business
From friends to business partnersAs friends going into business, Judy and Krishanti decided to play to each other’s strengths, using their strengths and skills as a base to build Rocco’s. Going into business with friends can feel daunting, dealing with when to prioritise which relationship over the other, but Krishanti feels differently. Otherwise it won’t work.”True enough, trust plays an important role in Judy and Krishanti’s friendship as well as their work ethic, especially given the two ladies handle different parts of the business. Judy shared that her friend had been correct in a way. Looking back, Judy shared that her favourite thing about building Rocco’s has been the journey itself.
Source:The Nation
July 31, 2021 18:45 UTC
Resilience through technology
Stepping into the world of cryptocurrencyBy Lavanga AbeyrathneBlockchain technology, cryptocurrency, and the decentralised system are nothing new to those of us dabbling in them. “If you do not know what you’re doing, it’s very easy to lose a lot of money to crypto,” Mendis started with a cautionary word. This immediately increased the demand for bitcoin – bitcoin isn’t infinite, and Paypal and Stripe are already buying every single one of the 650 bitcoins mined daily. Altcoins and tokensBitcoin, as the father of all the blockchain technology systems, is a league of its own. “If you’re into crypto trading, you should ideally have an approach of all three methods.
Source:The Nation
July 31, 2021 18:45 UTC
Arimac Lanka is changing landscapes
What’s intriguing about Arimac Lanka? Hence, Arimac Lanka caters to the development of multilingual and multifaceted chatbots and service platforms that allow consumers to access comprehensive information immediately. How does Arimac Lanka operate? Switching the topic from employees to clients, Jayasinghe mentioned that right now, Arimac Lanka has been able to meet and surpass client expectations over the years by delivering state-of-the-art solutions for over a hundred local and international brands. Therefore, if, as a nation, we focus on developing our tech landscape, Sri Lanka will definitely be geared to experience unprecedented growth and development,” Jayasinghe concluded.
Source:The Nation
July 31, 2021 18:45 UTC
History is for the kings, archaeology is for you and me
On Thursday, 1 July 2021 the Archaeo – Youth Club was launched under the guidance of the Department of Archaeology marking the 131st National Archaeology Day. He shared with us that he hopes to offer an opportunity for young archaeology enthusiasts to truly learn the mechanics behind the science of archaeology. University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka Department of Archaeology Temporary Assistant Lecturer and Trivalent ත්රිසංයුජ – Journal of Archaeology, Tourism, and Anthropology Assistant Editor D.S. She shared that in schools we learn history but archaeology is “how we discovered that history”; it is the actual process that reveals the truths of society of times gone by. Munasinghe said: “Archaeology is our past, it is the study of humans and human society, but history often tends to be tainted.
Source:The Nation
July 31, 2021 18:45 UTC