Companies cannot delay EPF citing pandemic
adopts tough stanceBy Imsha IqbalThe Department of Labour says that no companies are permitted to delay their Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) payments citing the new wave of the pandemic. The Department provided leeway for companies last year during the first wave to delay their EPF remittances considering the financial difficulties of businesses. Speaking to The Morning Business, Commissioner General – EPF Division D.P.K.R. Weerakoon stated yesterday (28) that the delay of EPF payments was provided only for the period of three months, from March to May, as it was informed. He further said that while it was allowed due to the pandemic, it did not, however, get extended further under any circumstances, even though the pandemic prevails till this day, implying that despite the pandemic, the companies cannot delay EPF payments.
Source:The Nation
July 28, 2021 18:33 UTC
NCPA to prevent poverty-led child labour
Officials at the NCPA told The Morning yesterday (28) that such steps would either be taken with non-Governmental organisations (NGOs) or through State institutions themselves. Meanwhile, officials said that the Authority receives approximately 100 complaints concerning child employment a year, mostly of reports of children engaging in small scale businesses outside supermarkets or by roadsides. The Labour Department also announced this week that it will be amending the Employment of Women, Young Persons, and Children Act, No. 47 of 1956 as amended, in order to make the employment of any person below the age of 18 years in domestic service a punishable offense. Currently, children between the ages of 16 and 18 years of age can be employed as domestic workers.
Source:The Nation
July 28, 2021 18:00 UTC
Simone Biles' NFL star boyfriend takes swipe at gymnast's critics
Simone Biles' NFL star boyfriend Jonathan Owens has made a thinly-veiled jab at those who criticized the gymnast's decision to pull out of the team and all-around finals at the Tokyo Olympics in order to 'focus on her mental health'. The picture quote was shared just hours after Biles made the sensational decision to pull out of the team final, following a very uncharacteristic on vault, which was the team's first event in the competition. The source continued: 'The fact that Simone has retweeted it, shows that she agrees with every word that’s been said on her behalf.' 'After further medical evaluation, Simone Biles has withdrawn from the final individual all-around competition at the Tokyo Olympic Games, in order to focus on her mental health,' the statement read. 'Simone will continue to be evaluated daily to determine whether or not to participate in next week's individual event finals.
Source:The Nation
July 28, 2021 18:00 UTC
Barrage of protests vs KNDU from tomorrow
The Bill is reportedly due to be taken up for vote in Parliament on 6 August. Speaking to The Morning yesterday, FUTA Secretary Rohan Laksiri said that protests will be held within the next few days in Kurunegala, Kandy, Matara, and Jaffna, while a larger protest is planned for 5 August, in front of the Parliament Roundabout. If it is presented to the Parliament on 6 August, we will take harsher trade union action,” warned Laksiri. All university academic staff participated in collective strike action yesterday by refraining from engaging in online teaching activities, so as to demand that the Government withdraw the KNDU Bill immediately. The KNDU Bill has come under widespread criticism from various quarters for the alleged threat it poses to free education, and owing to the militarisation of education that will take place if it goes through in its present form.
Source:The Nation
July 28, 2021 17:37 UTC
Drowning second leading cause of accidental deaths
BY Dinitha RathnayakeDrowning is the second leading cause of death in Sri Lanka in terms of accidental deaths, an official of the Health Ministry revealed yesterday (28). It is reported that approximately 800 people die of drowning in Sri Lanka each year. Dr. Siritunga said yesterday that in Sri Lanka, the majority of the victims are between the ages of 21 and 60 years. “In Sri Lanka, it is our workforce that is dying as a result of such. Chulasiri who participated in the same press conference said that while Guyana comes first and Singapore comes second in the ratings of drowning cases worldwide, Sri Lanka holds the 23rd position.
Source:The Nation
July 28, 2021 17:26 UTC
Editorial: No free Japanese lunches
In addition to the Youth and Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa, this political delegation included State Ministers Thenuka Widanagamage, D.V. While the Sports Minister’s attendance may be justifiable due to his post, the relevance of the other three State Ministers’ attendance is a mystery that is yet to be unraveled. Who funded the Ministers is a question; but a more important question is, why they funded these State Ministers to attend the Olympics. The Sports Minister has more of a right to attend the Olympics than the three State Ministers have. if the State Ministers tour was in fact funded by private firms, why was the Parliament not informed of it, as per the existing Code of Ethics for Parliamentarians.
Source:The Nation
July 28, 2021 16:52 UTC
The disease that has pervaded economies
As a developing nation, everybody hoped that the landscape of Sri Lanka would be revamped with a new political direction. Some experts predicted that the threat could not be tolerated for a country like Sri Lanka with its existing resource base. In recent years, many crises shock Sri Lanka to its foundation, especially terrorism-related incidents, with the most recent being the Easter Sunday attacks. The unparalleled threat it poses to both public health and national economies, as mentioned, is exacerbated for Sri Lanka. There is a considerable decline that could be seen when it comes to the total earnings of the tourism sector.
Source:The Nation
July 28, 2021 16:52 UTC
Gasping for breath from Covid-19
She said that the National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL) in Colombo records about 200 Covid-19 patients a day, and that about 100 of them require oxygen supply support. Oxygen supply: The status quoTo look into the present situation of the supply of oxygen to Covid-19 treatment facilities, we spoke to several persons who have knowledge of the situation. He explained: “Sometimes, the health situation of Covid-19 infected persons worsens all of a sudden, and the best way to treat them is using wall oxygen supply facilities because it helps provide an uninterrupted oxygen supply. However, we have not provided such facilities for a majority of hospitals, including the newly established Covid-19 treatment centres. Those treatment facilities usually use cylinders of oxygen, which require to be replaced when one cylinder finishes.
Source:The Nation
July 28, 2021 16:52 UTC
The power of protein in elevating and fortifying mental wellbeing
Nutrition is a fundamental cornerstone in establishing human welfare, and a major component of sustaining good overall health, particularly mental wellbeing. They are the building blocks of life due to the presence of essential, indispensable amino acids, which any other food cannot replace. How does protein impact mental health? Amino acids are categorized as essential, conditionally essential or non-essential depending on the body’s ability to produce it on its own. Taking care of your mental health involves a holistic physical and nutrition-based approach.
Source:The Nation
July 28, 2021 16:07 UTC
Virtusa Introduces Highly Demanded QA Automation Module to Local Universities
“Gaining test automation skills has become a crucial requisite for a future-proof QA career,” said Rahul Sahay, Head of HR for India & Sri Lanka at Virtusa. “We identified technical and test automation skills, tools and knowledge required to elevate software testers to a highly marketable position as the demand for test automation continues to grow. The QA Automation module builds on a strong foundation to Quality Assurance followed by test automation architecture, deployment and reporting, with practical lab sessions and case studies to enable students to transition from manual to test automation. The launch of the QA Automation module follows the successful introduction of a Salesforce module by Virtusa across local universities earlier this year. We are creating a globally benchmarked talent pool that can remain highly marketable in both credentials and expertise in a very competitive talent landscape,” Sampath Thrimavithana, Head of Talent Development & Campus Reach for Sri Lanka, Virtusa further elaborated.
Source:The Nation
July 28, 2021 16:07 UTC
Coleen Rooney shirks her woes as Wayne remains at home
Coleen Rooney hit the beach alongside her four sons and mother Colette in Abersoch, Wales on Wednesday amid her husband Wayne's latest scandal. Wayne, who has been married to Coleen since 2008, got caught in the drama over the weekend when he joined the girls in their hotel room near Piccadilly station. Coleen is said to be fully behind her husband and thinks he has been the victim of a stitch-up. One of the revellers flashed her bottom next to the Derby County boss and then posted it online, captioning it 'Mooney Rooney'. They did not expect Wayne to end up in their company and are remorseful about how things turned out with the pictures.
Source:The Nation
July 28, 2021 15:56 UTC
CDB among Top 50 Most Valuable Consumer Brands
Director, Chief Emergent Business Officer of CDB Karthik Elangovan, is humbled by the recognition CDB has achieved to be among the country’s Top 50 Most Valuable Consumer Brands. “Having always recognized that technology will be a fundamental driver of the future, our technology platforms were ready to step up. As Karthik mentions, “This has been appealing to our customers and I’m truly appreciative of the confidence and loyalty our customers have displayed through the years. Our brand has etched itself into foremost status in top of mind recall which pushes us to move upwards and outwards every time. Thank you to our CDB customers for being a true partner on our mutual journey of success.”Post Views: 2
Source:The Nation
July 28, 2021 15:00 UTC
realme to showcase its Dare to Leap spirit in Daraz Mobile Week ;
Sri Lanka’s largest online shopping site Daraz.lk, will unveil its largest online sale in August on 27 July. Daraz Mobile Week (DMW), is Sri Lanka’s largest online sale in August by the country’s largest online marketplace. Shawn Yan, Head of Marketing – realme Sri Lanka said: “realme has become a fast growing smartphone brand in the Sri Lankan market. realme was founded in 2018 with the “dare Leap Spirit” when there were more than 200 mobile phone brands on the market. realme in its DMW sale even will continue to showcase its signature “Dare to Leap” spirit.”Sri Lankan realme seekers and online bargain hunters are invited to visit the realme Flagship Store at https://click.daraz.lk/e/_7nBJgPost Views: 3
Source:The Nation
July 28, 2021 15:00 UTC
French fashion on ‘Rendez-Vous with Yasmin and Kumar’
‘Rendez-Vous with Yasmin and Kumar’ is all about fashion this month. Talking of French fashion, there’s a famous quote by Jean-Baptiste Colbert, the Finance Minister to King Louis XIV of France, way back in 1665, that sums it all. He said “Fashion is to France what the gold mines of Peru are to Spain,”Our rendez-vous this month is with Niroshini Leanage, the Managing Director of Mod’Art International Paris, Sri Lanka Branch. We also link up with Heshini Gunasekera, a former student at Mod’Art Sri Lanka who interned both in Colombo and Paris and now lectures at Mod’Art Sri Lanka. All this and more on ‘Rendez-Vous with Yasmin and Kumar’, hosted on the YouTube channel of the Embassy of France in Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
Source:The Nation
July 28, 2021 14:15 UTC
(VIDEO) Thousands of teachers & principals protest across many cities
COLOMBO (News 1st); Thousands of Teachers and Principals protested across many cities in Sri Lanka demanding the government take necessary measures to solve the issues that have gone unsolved for many years. The Trade Unions representing Teachers and Principals are making the following key demands :01. The Sri Lanka Teacher’s Service was established in 1994, with each grade bearing a salary similar to other sectors in the public administrative service. Trade unions say that the salary increments offered to teachers and principals are not equal to the salaries earned in other sectors. The Prime Minister on Tuesday (27) said that a final decision on declaring the teachers’ service as a separate one within the Public Service, will be announced after next Monday’s cabinet meeting.
Source:The Nation
July 28, 2021 13:52 UTC