Sri Lanka to secure 04 mn doses of Sinopharm
July 28, 2021 by Mihi Perera No CommentsThe Chinese Embassy stated today that Sri Lanka will receive a consignment of four million doses of Sinopharm in August on a commercial basis. “Sri Lanka is undertaking a vigorous vaccination programme. The Government of Sri Lanka aims to vaccinate all over 30 years of age,” they said. They stated that 68% of those in Sri Lanka have received the first dose of the Sinopharm and 16% have received the second dose. Meanwhile, the Ambassador Palitha Kohona has expressed his confidence that Sri Lanka will complete the vaccination process soon.
Source:The Nation
July 28, 2021 06:45 UTC
Police provide phone number to submit information on child labour
Sri Lanka Police has provided a telephone number for the general public to report information regarding any activities related to child labour in Colombo city or suburbs. Police spokesman Senior DIG Ajith Rohana said a special operation was initiated yesterday in the Colombo city and suburbs areas in the Western Province in order to trace offenders in respect of child labour activities. He said it has been observed that underage children had been brough to Colombo specially from hill country areas in Central Province for child labour activities. The Senior DIG said that the operation is being continued today and they are going to conduct search operations according to the information collected by police intelligence officers in other police areas of the Colombo city. He said that if the public have any information in respect of child labour they are kindly requested to provide such information to the Colombo Emergency Centre via its telephone number – 0112433333.
Source:The Nation
July 28, 2021 04:41 UTC
Preliminary steps taken to stop importation of chillies
The Minister of Agriculture Mahindananda Aluthgamage says that steps will be taken to stop the importation of chillies within the next three years. He points out that a special program has already been planned to produce chillies for consumption in the country. “We have selected 2000 families in the Anuradhapura district and we hope to cultivate chillies in 1000 families. The President’s hope is to stop the importation of chillies completely within the next three years. We have identified 1000 families and are cultivating chillies on half an acre.
Source:The Nation
July 28, 2021 04:07 UTC
Nurses engage in protest today
July 28, 2021 by Mihi Perera No CommentsThe Government Nurses’ Association states that they are engaged in a protest today (28) due to the government’s failure to fulfill its promises. Its chairman Saman Ratnapriya stated that the protest will be held in 100 hospitals islandwide from 12 noon to 1 pm today. However, steps have already been taken to fulfill the promises made by the government, said the President of the Public Service United Nurses Association Ven. Murutthettuwe Ananda Thera.
Source:The Nation
July 28, 2021 03:56 UTC
HRW issues joint statement with 10 other organizations on Hizbullah
Human Rights Watch (HRW) joined 10 other organizations today (28) in issuing the following statement seeking the release of the lawyer and activist Hejaaz Hizbullah and others held under Sri Lanka’s Prevention of Terrorism Act. They further note that in the absence of any credible evidence presented before a court of law, Hejaaz Hizbullah should be released immediately and unconditionally. The indictment is based on a statement to the Criminal Investigation Department of the police made by a child regarding a speech allegedly made by Hizbullah in Puttalam. Other children who were questioned at the same time by the same officers filed fundamental rights cases claiming they were coerced by police officers to falsely implicate Hejaaz Hizbullah. The statement describes Hizbullah as a vocal critic of the government, serving as a minority rights advocate in a climate increasingly hostile to Sri Lanka’s religious and ethnic minorities.
Source:The Nation
July 28, 2021 02:37 UTC
Kaushalya, Medhani dazzle as chance looms for mixed relay team
Sir Garry Sobers turns 85 today. Sir Garry accompanied the team to a couple of tours to England, including the 1983 World Cup. When Sir Garry returned, one of the first things that he insisted on was having Arjuna back in the side. I am Sir Garry Sobers. As Roy Dias recalled one day, going around with Sir Garry was like walking with the King.
Source:The Nation
July 28, 2021 00:11 UTC
Need to save the Sangha
It’s a common sight to see politicians rushing to speak to the media and this is to satisfy their ego. It’s common knowledge that the present situation is most unacceptable and remedial action needs high priority and this must originate from the Sangha. The Buddha Sasana is nourished by those who gave up lay life and donned the sacred robe and the lay people. SMS who pioneered this wake up call mentioned what a Katina Pinkama was for and what the Sangha had to do during the VAS SEASON OR THE RAINY SEASON. While thanking SMS for having set the ball rolling I thank the Editor too for providing some space to highlight this all important need where learned monks will give high priority and save the destruction of the SASANA from within.
Source:The Nation
July 28, 2021 00:11 UTC
One in three are hit by midlife health crisis
These include chronic back problems, mental ill-health, high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma and high-risk drinking. Experts also found a link between youngsters having problems in childhood, such as being overweight or internalising problems, and chronic health problems in middle age. They were also asked about chronic physical health conditions, their mental health and whether they were high-risk drinkers. The data showed that 26 per cent of people engaged in high-risk drinking, 21 per cent reported recurrent back issues, and 19 per cent were experiencing mental health problems. Sixteen per cent had high blood pressure, 12 per cent were suffering from asthma or bronchitis, 8 per cent had arthritis and 5 per cent had diabetes in midlife.
Source:The Nation
July 28, 2021 00:00 UTC
AZ vaccine delay baffles over 500,000 awaiting second shot
Meanwhile, controversy surrounds the decision to suspend giving Pfizer as the second jab to those who had received Covishield (AstraZeneca). The Island yesterday sought an explanation from Dr. Herath as regards the inordinate delay in inoculation of those awaiting the second AstraZeneca jab. The Health Ministry spokesperson was responding to The Island query whether the issue at hand was taken up with the Japanese embassy. The Japanese embassy in Colombo on July 13 announced that Japan would provide approximately 1.45 million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine manufactured in Japan to Sri Lanka through the COVAX facility to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Sri Lanka. The health ministry spokesman asserted that the unexplained long delay caused uncertainty and in a way undermined public confidence in the health sector.
Source:The Nation
July 28, 2021 00:00 UTC
Spain could replace France on the travel quarantine list
By Jason Groves Political Editor For The Daily MailPublished: 17:10 EDT, 27 July 2021 | Updated: 18:43 EDT, 27 July 2021Spain could replace France on the travel quarantine list next week amid growing concern about cases of the South African variant in the country. Germany and Austria also look set to move to the travel green list next week, when ministers decide the latest allocations. It comes as fully vaccinated travellers from the EU and the US could be allowed into England without having to quarantine from next week. After the EU and US travellers are welcomes, other countries could be added to the quarantine-free travel list at a later date. The shock move to place France in its own category earlier this month wrecked thousands of families’ holidays.
Source:The Nation
July 27, 2021 22:41 UTC
HENRY DEEDES: Why these Olympics really are pure gold!
Just days ago, the Tokyo Olympics looked set to be the most underwhelming Games in history. Take Tom Daley, the diver who first sprang to prominence when he qualified for the Beijing games aged just 13. For young Tom, fame at such a tender young age came at a price. For young Tom, fame at such a tender young age came at a price. Then there’s swimmer Tom Dean, who yesterday became the first British man to win an Olympic freestyle event in 113 years.
Source:The Nation
July 27, 2021 21:56 UTC
WeChat temporarily stops accepting new users in China
Edgar Cervantes / Android AuthorityTL;DR WeChat has temporarily halted new user sign-ups in mainland China. The messaging giant has no choice if it wants to comply with local privacy laws. The move reflects a larger crackdown on Chinese tech companies. Don’t be shocked if you can’t sign up for WeChat in China — you’ve been intentionally locked out. This won’t matter if you use WeChat outside of China or already have an account.
Source:The Nation
July 27, 2021 21:33 UTC
Sony launches ZV-E10 interchangeable lens camera for vloggers
The ZV-E10 follows the ZV-1 launched last year but while the ZV-1 was a fixed lens camera, the ZV-E10 is an interchangeable lens camera. On top, the ZV-E10 features a large stereo microphone on top and you also get a wind muffler for it in the box. The ZV-E10 features dedicated ports for microphone and headphones for monitoring and the outdated microUSB port has been replaced with a USB-C port. Apart from that, the ZV-E10 is pretty much the same as the Sony a6400, which isn't so bad considering the ZV-E10 starts at $700 for body-only while the a6400 costs around $900. A kit with the E PZ 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS power zoom lens will be available for $800.
Source:The Nation
July 27, 2021 21:00 UTC
Udayanga promises 1,000 Russian tourists monthly
BY Pamodi WaravitaBusinessman and former Sri Lankan Ambassador to the Ukraine Udayanga Weeratunga yesterday (27) said in a special press discussion that approximately 1,000 Russian tourists are expected in Sri Lanka from September this year, as a measure to revitalise the severely affected tourism industry. We hope to operate a flight every Saturday from Moscow to Sri Lanka, and from September onwards, operate another flight every week on Tuesday from Moscow to Sri Lanka. So in September, four flights will operate to Sri Lanka every week from Russia,” noted Weeratunga. Weeratunga added that if 250 tourists are expected from each flight, then about 1,000 Russian tourists can be expected weekly into the country from September, which is a good start to revive the tourism industry. There are about three million people from Sri Lanka who are currently involved in the tourism industry.
Source:The Nation
July 27, 2021 19:41 UTC
Hospitals nearing full capacity as oxygen demand rises
The need for oxygen in the treatment of Covid-19 infected patients has increased and the hospitals are nearing full capacity, according to the Ministry of Health. “We are seeing a higher percentage of patients with symptoms these days than ever before, and the need for oxygen has increased for the most part. Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) President Dr. Padma Gunaratne highlighted the demand for oxygen (O2) last week. “The National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL) records about 200 Covid-19 patients per day, about 100 of whom require oxygen (O2) supply support. We assume that there are approximately 10,000 infected patients in the country, based on estimates from the currently available data,” she told reporters on 20 July.
Source:The Nation
July 27, 2021 18:33 UTC