2,423 new COVID infections confirmed so far today
As many as 2,423 persons have tested positive for coronavirus so far today (August 14), the Ministry of Health confirmed. All new cases are associated with the New Year COVID-19 cluster. The new development brings the total number of COVID-19 cases confirmed in the country thus far to 350,693. At present, more than 37,500 virus-infected patients are being treated at hospitals and treatment centres across the island. The tally of total recoveries reached 307,345 today as 2,717 more patients were discharged after returning to health.
Source:The Nation
August 14, 2021 12:45 UTC
Person arrested over forewarning about alleged impending attack
An individual has been arrested today (August 14) in connection with a forewarning about an attack on a foreign institution in Colombo related to international relations, the police spokesman said. In a statement, Senior DIG Ajith Rohana mentioned that the Kollupitiya Police had received a complaint regarding the said forewarning. Thereby, probes were initiated by Kollupitiya Police and were later taken charge by the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD). Investigations led to the arrest of a former officer of Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) who was reportedly suspended from duty. According to the police spokesman, the arrestee hails from Hindagala area and temporarily resides in Panagoda area.
Source:The Nation
August 14, 2021 12:33 UTC
The future of PC gaming is portable
It’s only in the past decade that portable PC gaming has become attractive, practically speaking. Recent trends, however, hint that portable tech — tech that can be easily carried or even worn — is poised to take control. If it enjoys even modest success, Valve’s upcoming Steam Deck — which uses custom AMD chips — could herald an era of hyper-optimized portable gaming PCs. The tech universe is going portableSeveral cultural factors are pushing PC gaming in the portable direction. What’s holding portable PC gaming back?
Source:The Nation
August 14, 2021 12:00 UTC
Teachers and principals launch online petition
Teachers and principals have initiated an online petition today (August 14) to urge the government to resolve the salary disparities in their respective services. The petition has been put together by the joint alliance formed by teacher-Principal trade unions. Secretary of Ceylon Teachers’ Union, Joseph Stalin, who spoke on the matter, said they intend to continue the trade union action until the government provides proper solutions to their issues. Meanwhile, Minister Prasanna Ranatunga stated that the teacher-principal salary anomalies will be discussed with all related trade unions. The panel consists of Ministers Dallas Alahapperuma, Wimal Weerawansa, Mahinda Amaraweera, and Prasanna Ranatunga.
Source:The Nation
August 14, 2021 10:52 UTC
The Business Side of the NBA
Because of how much the NBA and its teams make every year, it’s no surprise that NBA players are handsomely paid too. There are numerous ways of how the NBA makes money, and all these different revenue streams make the NBA the multibillion-dollar institution that it is and make NBA teams worth billions of dollars. At present, the NBA is under a nine-year media rights deal with ESPN and Turner Sports worth a whopping $24 billion. The present deal, which the NBA is under until the 2024-25 season, also covers ESPN’s rights beyond television and now includes digital, audio, data, highlights, and international NBA rights. The NBA is currently under an eight-year, $1 billion contracts with Nike, producing official uniforms and selling NBA jerseys.
Source:The Nation
August 14, 2021 10:01 UTC
OHCHR slams de-radicalization regulations, urges Prez to rescind them
According to the report, the President has been encouraged to rescind the Regulation because its provisions are contrary to Sri Lanka’s international legal obligations. It was noted that the new Regulation expands upon provisions of concern found in the PTA. “We note that two fundamental rights petitions challenging the legality of the Regulations were recently heard in front of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka. As it is their responsibility, under the mandates provided to them by the Human Rights Council, to seek to clarify all cases brought to their attention, President Rajapaksa was requested for his observations on the matters. According to the official website of the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council, a Government reply has been received and is being processed.
Source:The Nation
August 14, 2021 08:03 UTC
SL Navy seizes narcotics haul worth Rs. 50 mn
During a special foot patrol conducted in the area of Valvettithurai this morning (14), Sri Lanka Navy apprehended three individuals along with a haul of Ice and Kerala cannabis, the Navy said. Reportedly, the street value of the narcotics haul seized in this operation is believed to be nearly Rs.50 million. During the conduct of the foot patrol, a group of individuals loading polythene sacks into a cab parked at the beach was spotted. On suspicion, they searched the cab and recovered 60 parcels of Kerala cannabis stuffed in three sacks and three packages of Ice concealed in a plastic container. The trio, together with the stock of narcotic substances and the cab, were handed over to the Velvettithurai Police for onward legal action.
Source:The Nation
August 14, 2021 06:00 UTC
An easy to use website is helping to make sure you're not breaching Sydney's new 5km rule
From midnight Sunday locked-down residents in Greater Sydney and the rest of NSW have been told they cannot travel further than 5km from their home. The tightened restrictions were announced as the city struggles to control an ever-growing outbreak of the contagious Indian delta strain of Covid-19. The website was established after Ireland brought in a similar radius rule last year and has now been tweaked for use anywhere. From midnight on Sunday the travel radius for residents has been reduced to 5km, with fines being bumped up to $5,000 for breaching quarantine, lying on a permit or contract tracing. $3,000 fines will be issued for breaching the two-person exercise limit or wrongfully entering regional NSW.
Source:The Nation
August 14, 2021 06:00 UTC
SL receives 800k syringes from Kenya
Marking the first time that a pandemic related essential item produced in Kenya was sent to Sri Lanka to support local inoculation efforts, the Sri Lanka High Commission in Kenya arranged a consignment of an order of syringes from Revital Healthcare(EPZ) Ltd in Kenya. Sri Lanka High Commissioner Veluppillai Kananathan in Kenya accepted the first consignment of 800,000 syringes and facilitated its dispatch via a Sri Lankan Airlines flight yesterday (13). The balance consignment of 1.2 million syringes is expected to be dispatched next week. As Revital Healthcare(EPZ) Ltd is a WHO prequalified company, the syringes manufactured by them are considered to be of high quality that complies with WHO standards and conditions.
Source:The Nation
August 14, 2021 06:00 UTC
Govt. to import 100MT of O2 next week
The Government has made a decision to purchase 100 metric tonnes of Oxygen next week for the purpose of treating Covid-19 patients. According to the Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka will purchase the same from India. Earlier, Deputy Director General of Health Services Dr. Hemantha Herath said that all hospitals have been provided with oxygen production machines. It was also added that Sri Lanka has started to import oxygen to support the rising demand. However, Dr. Herath noted that due to the fact that other countries require oxygen reserves as well, Sri Lanka cannot be fully reliant on imports.
Source:The Nation
August 14, 2021 05:37 UTC
3,152 Covid patients identified yesterday
August 14, 2021 by Aazam Ameen No CommentsA total of 3,152 Covid-19 infected persons were identified yesterday (13), the Government Information Department stated. Of those identified, 3,142 cases were associated with the New Year cluster, while the remaining 10 were identified as foreign arrivals. Data from the Epidemiology Unit details that 348,270 Covid-19 detections have taken place in the country so far. Meanwhile, the death toll now stands at 5,775.
Source:The Nation
August 14, 2021 05:15 UTC
Gazette issued imposing special levy on several commodities
The Minister of Finance has issued a Gazette Extraordinary, imposing a special levy on several commodities. According to the communiqué, the tax order will be in effect for a period of one year commencing from August 12, 2021, subject to provisions of Sub Section (3) of Section 2 of the Special Commodity Levy Act, No. Thereby, a special commodity levy is exacted on the following items:• Sprats – Rs. 880.00 per kilogram• Mathe seeds – Rs. 10.00 per kilogram from the applicable Special Commodity Levy of Rs.
Source:The Nation
August 14, 2021 03:45 UTC
Asylum seekers will be put in huge holding centres
Home Secretary Priti Patel wants to streamline the asylum process – and make hazardous and illegal entry via the Channel less attractive. More than 10,000 migrants have already arrived in small boats this year, compared with 8,410 last year. A tender gives details of the accommodation project to potential bidders, revealing that the Home Office wants asylum seekers to be housed at centres in nine regions across England, but none in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. The centres will have to accommodate applicants for up to six months, supporting them in processing their asylum claims. On Thursday, an Eritrean man, 27, became the first migrant to die this year attempting the crossing.
Source:The Nation
August 14, 2021 00:22 UTC
Where’s Opposition in Covid control?
By Dr Upul WijayawardhanaMaybe, it is time to add a new phrase to the political lexicon: ‘A corrupt Cameron’ to mean a corrupt politician! It indeed was David Cameron! Greensill Capital got its funds from investors who were paid back with interest once the short-term loans were repaid. However, Greensill Capital overstretched itself by giving excessive loans and collapsed in March due to the insurers refusing to cover the loans. David Cameron did his utmost to make it happen.
Source:The Nation
August 14, 2021 00:00 UTC
Sri Lanka’s challenge to the gods
Keep our values positive because our values become our destiny. In a perfect world, and in Sri Lanka, one could have learnt lessons from history. While it is a generalised comment, in contemporary Sri Lanka, a solution to the ethnic issue relating to Tamils has been interpreted as arising purely on account of debateable historical reasons by the broader Sinhala Buddhist community. Hawking’s message has a lot of value and relevance to the ethnic issue in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka history, especially the post-independence history has shown that communities, especially the Tamil community, suffered tremendous hardships on account of their ethnicity.
Source:The Nation
August 14, 2021 00:00 UTC