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
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
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
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
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
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
Youth, social media, and violence
The internet and social media have opened a new space for perpetrators of violence, from gender-based violence to hate speech to outright harassment. Online and social media violence, or cyber violence, is difficult to define due to its very nature as well as due to the wide range of violations. To look closer at the relationship between youth, social media, and violence, the British Council in Sri Lanka and the Sarvodaya Institute of Higher Learning conducted an online survey to understand how youth experience online and social media violence, their perceptions of the root causes, as well as their role in perpetuating and preventing online violence. “We believe this study on youth, social media, and violence is both timely and relevant, as young people have turned to social media and online platforms more than ever during the Covid-19 pandemic,” Rehman said, adding that the report has shown that 68.9% of respondents agree that information shared on social media can go viral and propagate violence. “We were happy that many youth volunteered to share their online experience with us,” Perera shared, adding: “This survey is unique as it gives a useful overview of how young Sri Lankans perceive different aspects of social media violence.”The survey took into account various factors and perspectives, including; patterns in youths’ social media consumption in Sri Lanka; the prevalent forms of social media violence and abuse in Sri Lanka according to youth; the lived experiences of social media violence and its impacts; youth views on the root causes of online violence in Sri Lanka; the impact of Covid-19 on social media violence; awareness of the mechanisms available to take action against social media violence; and how youth can play a role themselves in making online and social media platforms safer.
Source:The Nation
August 15, 2021 18:33 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
Interview: Honor's CEO George Zhao talks foldable phones, Magic 3 software updates and international rollout plans
The most exciting, however, was the announcement of the Magic3 series, including the Magic3, Magic 3 Pro and the Magic3 Pro+ top dog. Following the event we had a chance to talk to the company's CEO George Zhao and learn more about the company's future plans. That being said, there is apparently even more interesting hardware in Honor's future, including a foldable phone. Mr. Zhao did not divulge too much information on it, but he did say that it will be the best foldable solution in the industry. Speaking of the Honor 50 family, Mr Zhao said the Honor 50 family is coming to Europe very soon - it will be in Spain by Q4.
Source:The Nation
August 15, 2021 18:22 UTC
Muslim Congress member quits in disgust
Niyas, who holds a membership position in the High Command of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), had handed over his resignation to the SLMC Secretary General on 12 August, which the party has accepted. Niyas, who represented the party in the last Northern Provincial Council in the latter part of the term, outlined a few reasons for his departure in his resignation letter. However, speaking to The Morning yesterday (15), SLMC Leader MP Rauff Hakeem said that the party accepted Niyas’ resignation letter and that Niyas was not an active member in the party. Hence, Niyas claims the SLMC Leader failed to act honestly in accordance with his words on the political stage before the election. I hate the party for this heinous act, and do not like to further remain as a member of such a party.
Source:The Nation
August 15, 2021 18:00 UTC
Vehicle prices surge by over 50%
By Dinitha RathnayakeThe prices of reconditioned vehicles have increased substantially – in some cases by over 50% – according to the Vehicle Importers’ Association of Sri Lanka (VIASL). Speaking to The Morning, VIASL President Indika Sampath Merenchige confirmed a massive rise in the prices of reconditioned vehicles. All non-popular vehicle prices have increased by 25%”. This rapid increase of vehicle prices has a bad impact on the economy as well. 2171/5, dated 16 April 2020, strict restrictions were placed on vehicle imports, in a bid to curb foreign exchange outflows amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
Source:The Nation
August 15, 2021 17:48 UTC
Teachers’ salary committee to discuss with Finance Ministry
By Dinitha RathnayakeThe Cabinet Sub-Committee appointed to resolve the teacher-principal salary anomaly, after discussions with the relevant teachers’ and principals’ trade unions, will discuss their demands and proposals with the Ministry of Finance. Cabinet Sub-Committee Member and Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga confirmed to The Morning yesterday (15) that the trade unions’ demands would be discussed with the Finance Ministry, while the Sub-Committee’s recommendations would be presented to the Cabinet soon. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed the four-member Cabinet Sub-Committee, comprising Ministers Dullas Alahapperuma, Wimal Weerawansa, Mahinda Amaraweera, and Prasanna Ranatunga, to make recommendations regarding the issue of teacher-principal salary anomalies. The Sub-Committee obtained information from the Ministry of Education on the steps taken so far to resolve the issue, and decided to meet the relevant trade unions separately. The Minister further stated that steps will be taken to complete the responsibilities assigned to the Cabinet Sub-Committee as soon as possible and submit its recommendations to the Cabinet.
Source:The Nation
August 15, 2021 17:48 UTC
Quarantine centres at railway stations
BY Buddhika SamaraweeraIn response to trade union action by railway station masters, the Railways Department has planned to set up three centres in the Colombo District for its employees, who have been identified as the associates of Covid-19-infected patients, to undergo quarantine. However, Jayasundara said that if any of the employees who would be undergoing quarantine at these centres is found to be infected with Covid-19, they would be referred for treatment. “It is not possible to keep the infected at these centres, so if any worker becomes infected, they would be referred for treatment,” he said. He further noted that the relevant officials have been instructed to provide the required hand sanitising liquid, facemasks, and other hygienic equipment to all the railway stations without any delay or shortage. He also claimed that in some railway stations where Covid-19-infected staff members have been reported, it has been instructed by the Department to direct the infected staff member for treatments, and use the remaining employees, who have associated the infected, to continue the service.
Source:The Nation
August 15, 2021 17:48 UTC
Daily COVID cases count hits 3,435 today
A total of 859 more people tested positive for COVID-19 today (August 15), increasing the daily count of positive cases to 3,435. According to the Government Information Department, all new cases reported today were associated with the New Year cluster. Following the new development, the country’s confirmed coronavirus cases tally now stands at 354,968, the Epidemiology Unit said. Meanwhile, the death toll reached 6,096 after a record high of 161 victims were confirmed by the Director-General of Health Services. More than 39,000 active cases are currently under medical care at hospitals and treatment centres across the country.
Source:The Nation
August 15, 2021 16:30 UTC