How Australia went from ‘lucky Covid country’ to a ‘prison’
By March that year, as Italian hospitals drowned in cases and the UK dithered about restrictions, Australia decisively closed its borders – and the tactic initially paid off. A country of 25 million people, it has recorded just over 900 coronavirus-related deaths since the pandemic began. Australia’s good fortune held steady at the start of the pandemic, when the country closed its borders “just in time,” said Stears. “This is a country that puts cities of millions into lockdowns over one, or two, or three cases,” she said. A generational divide is now emerging in Australia, with lockdowns and closed borders disproportionately affecting younger people, according to Soutphommasane.
Source:The Nation
July 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
Editorial: Not out of the woods
At this time, community spread of the virus was extremely minimal, because the public fulfilled their responsibility by adhering to safety guidelines. The worst part is, a vaccinated, careless person can spread the virus very easily, while it is the unvaccinated who will have to suffer severe complications. It is good to get vaccinated and have confidence that you are protected against the virus to a great extent. Even though the public should ideally be more careful and aware about the situation now than before, the vaccinations programme’s expansion seems to have brought about fresh complacency regarding public safety. However, the public also has a responsibility, and it is up to the Government to raise awareness among the public about their responsibility.
Source:The Nation
July 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
Planting the seeds of consciousness in our youth
Many of Sri Lanka’s problems, be it inter-ethnic issues, political instability, accountability of public officials and politicians, or necessary socio-economic reforms, follow this rule; and the same applies to its exacerbating environmental issues. Environmental education for schoolchildrenThe discussions in this regard revolve around introducing forestry and wildlife conservation as a school subject. Otherwise, we would not be able to prepare the future generations to address environmental issues. CEJ Chairman Attorney-at-Law Ravindranath Dabare observed: “I do not think we can protect the environment without including environmental education in the school curriculum. Reportedly, countries including India, Brazil, Kenya, Philippines, China, Japan, Tanzania, Colombia, and Finland have had environmental education mandated in their national curriculum.
Source:The Nation
July 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
Moto3 rider Hugo Millan dies at the age of 14 after horror crash during race
They posted on social media: 'We are deeply saddened to report that Hugo Millán succumbed to his injuries after a crash in the HETC race. His team Cradle of Champions led the tributes as they wrote: 'We deeply regret to communicate that Hugo Millan has left us. One of the biggest names in the sport and eight-time world champion Marc Marquez tweeted: 'RIP Hugo Millán. RIP Hugo Millan. Devastating news that 14 year old Hugo Millán has lost his life while racing in Aragón at the CEV cup.
Source:The Nation
July 25, 2021 14:48 UTC
Coronavirus- More cases and deaths reported
The Ministry of Health reports that another 1,190 persons have tested positive for coronavirus today (July 25). This brings the total number of COVID-19 cases confirmed in the country thus far to 296,516. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka has registered 45 more COVID-19 related fatalities on Saturday (July 24). The new development has pushed the official death toll from the virus outbreak in Sri Lanka to 4,099. According to the data released by the Department of Government Information, the latest victims confirmed today include 23 males and 22 females.
Source:The Nation
July 25, 2021 14:15 UTC
Vaccine Advisory Expert Committee torn between scientific reasoning and political loyalties
When The Morning’s investigative desk looked into the matter, information and evidence was gathered which suggests that the current members of the Independent Vaccine Advisory Expert Committee are attempting to strike a balance between scientific reasoning and political loyalties. It is understood that the said letter raised strong objections surrounding the NMRA Board approval, based on scientific reasoning. Due to the fact that there was no majority, the Committee decided not to go ahead with approving the vaccine. Prof. Saroj Jayasinghe, Dr Rohitha Muthugala, Dr Mahen Kothalawa, Dr. Hasitha Tissera and Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama continues to remain as Committee members. This is not the first time that The Morning has investigated issues with regard to the NMRA and the Independent Vaccine Advisory Expert Committee.
Source:The Nation
July 25, 2021 14:03 UTC
'I'd go home, start building buildings': Trump claims he'd be 'OK' with losing to Biden 'fairly'
I've never said it before, but I've always thought it – If I lost the election, I'm OK with that,' Trump said. He added: 'Again, thank you to our brave Republicans in the Arizona State Senate for their bravery in putting forward the Forensic Audit. Meanwhile, the Arizona recount audit was thrown into chaos last week. The Arizona State Senate, which is majority Republican, has paid $150,000 of the $9 million the election audit is reportedly costing. Arizona is a swing state that Trump lost to Biden in 2020 by just 0.3 per cent.
Source:The Nation
July 25, 2021 12:56 UTC
What is Pegasus and how is it used for spying?
Unlike the malware used by cybercriminals to make money by stealing from and cheating their victims, Pegasus is designed solely for spying. Not just anyone can get hold of a copy of Pegasus — this isn’t something sold on eBay or even on the dark web. Software like Pegasus thrives on 0-day vulnerabilities, as do other malware authors, iPhone jailbreakers, and those who root Android devices. To exploit the 0-day bugs an attack vector is needed; a way for the exploit to get a foot in the door. You might want to look at this video about how the Chinese government used vulnerabilities in iOS to spy on people.
Source:The Nation
July 25, 2021 12:00 UTC
Stop Child Cruelty Trust asks Parliamentarians to unite
In June 2020, Sri Lanka Police confirmed a child is sexually abused every two hours. International data confirms that Sri Lanka is in the abysmal 10% of countries considered as least safe for children against violence. Child protection crisis was a concern at the recently concluded UNHRC resolution on Sri Lanka as well as the European Union GSP+ mechanism. Physical abuse is the most common form of abuse in Sri Lanka and globally. Although 89% were aware there were some laws to protect children an alarming 76% of citizens were unaware of them.
Source:The Nation
July 25, 2021 11:15 UTC
Amanda Seyfried doppelgänger sends TikTok into frenzy
By Monica Greep For MailonlinePublished: 02:47 EDT, 25 July 2021 | Updated: 06:53 EDT, 25 July 2021TikTok users have been sent into a frenzy by a woman with an uncanny resemblance to Hollywood A-lister Amanda Seyfried. The Tunisian-born social media star Rou, who is in her 20s, boasts 118.6K followers and 3.8M likes on the platform after sharing her incredible likeness to the American actress. 'She is Amanda Seyfried and you cannot fool us', wrote one astonished user. Right, Seyfried posing for a Lancôme campaign in 2019Another baffled fan said: 'No because you are her omg, y’all are literally twins.' Users also compared Rou to Australian actress Phoebe Tonkin, Norwegian model Kristine Frosted and Perth-born model and actress Gemma Ward.
Source:The Nation
July 25, 2021 11:03 UTC
937 patients recover from novel coronavirus
July 25, 2021 03:35 pmThe Ministry of Health says that another 937 patients who were being treated for COVID-19 have been discharged after completing their recovery. This increases the country’s coronavirus recoveries to 267,602. Sri Lanka has thus far confirmed a total of 294,850 positive cases of Covid-19 while 23,194 patients infected with the virus are currently under medical care. The death toll due to the virus currently stands at 4,054.
Source:The Nation
July 25, 2021 11:03 UTC
Organisers of The Hundred condemn online racist abuse aimed at 'players and others' since its launch
By Kieran Lynch For MailonlinePublished: 07:03 EDT, 25 July 2021 | Updated: 07:03 EDT, 25 July 2021Organisers of the Hundred have revealed that racist messages have been aimed at 'players and others' on social media since its launch. A message has been posted to social media on Sunday morning from organisers, saying anyone who posts racial messages 'are not welcome here'. Organisers have revealed online racist messages have been sent since the start of the HundredOrganisers of the Hundred said those sending racist messages 'are not welcome here'The statement read: 'We want The Hundred to be for everyone. Lewis Hamilton faced racial abuse last week after he was involved in an on-track collision with title rival Max Verstappen. Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka got racist abuse after the Euro 2020 final
Source:The Nation
July 25, 2021 10:52 UTC
OnePlus Nord 2 second opinion: Struggling to stand out
Robert Triggs / Android AuthorityThe OnePlus Nord was the company’s first foray into the mid-range market. After several rather underwhelming follow-up attempts at the budget end of the market, the company is back with the mid-range OnePlus Nord 2. Spot the differenceRobert Triggs / Android Authority10 points if you correctly guessed that the OnePlus 9 is on the left and the OnePlus Nord 2 on the right. The OnePlus Nord 2 is a solid performer for all your apps, and it’s a decent gamer as well. In the end, the OnePlus Nord 2 ends up in a similar space to our verdict on the original Nord — distinctly average.
Source:The Nation
July 25, 2021 09:00 UTC
New Zealander John Edwards put forward for Information Commissioner role by Oliver Dowden
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is responsible for upholding information rights in the public interest, promoting openness by public bodies and data privacy for individuals. New Zealander Edwards has been a vocal critic of social media companies and has deleted his Facebook, claiming it breached privacy laws in his own country. In the wake of the Christchurch massacre in 2019, which had been livestreamed on Facebook, Edwards hit out at the company in a series of tweets which have since been deleted. He said: 'The Twitter and Facebook bans are arbitrary, cynical, unprincipled and further evidence that regulation of social media platforms is urgently required. News of his potential appointment comes as the UK continues to mount pressure on social media companies to tackle online abuse and harmful misinformation on their platforms.
Source:The Nation
July 25, 2021 08:26 UTC
What was Dravid’s ‘secret’ to Dasun Shanaka?
The entire team is praiseworthy,” Dravid had told Shanaka, Indian media sources revealed yesterday (24), quoting Sri Lanka team sources. There is improved team spirit, unity, and a thirst for win evident in the Sri Lanka side under Shanaka’s leadership. Dravid was Head Coach for the India Under-19 and India ‘A’ teams from 2016 to 2019. Noticeably with raised spirit, Sri Lanka under Shanaka, recorded a much-awaited victory on Friday in the third ODI, significantly without any serious contribution by ‘the seniors’, including Dhananjaya De Silva and Wanindu Hasaranga. Dravid had also said that he would also have a word with the Sri Lanka cricket hierarchy about what he had noticed in the new-look Sri Lanka team.
Source:The Nation
July 25, 2021 07:18 UTC