1,220 new COVID infections confirmed in Sri Lanka
July 24, 2021 06:00 pmAs many as 1,220 persons have tested positive for coronavirus today (July 24), says the Ministry of Health. All new cases are associated with the New Year COVID-19 cluster. The new development has pushed the total number of infections confirmed in the country to date to 294,333. According to official data, more than 23,000 infected patients are currently under medical care at hospitals and treatment centers across the island. Meanwhile, the number of total recoveries reached 266,665 earlier today as 957 more patients returned to health.
Source:The Nation
July 24, 2021 12:22 UTC
Hyundai's Ioniq 5 reminds RAY MASSEY of 2001: A Space Odyssey
There are three trim levels — SE Connect, Premium and Ultimate — and four drive modes: eco, normal, sport and snow. Hyundai says 350kW ultra rapid charging can achieve 80 per cent capacity in just 18 minutes and 62 miles of range in five. Wheels: 20 inch alloy Three powertrains: 58kWh rear-wheel drive giving a range of up to 240 miles; 73kWh rear-wheel drive with range of up to up to 300 miles; 73kWh twin-motor all-wheel drive with range of up to 287 miles. Used car prices soaringUsed car prices are soaring as the industry suffers production delays. Read our comprehensive report on second-hand car prices hitting record highs.
Source:The Nation
July 24, 2021 12:22 UTC
Tokyo Olympics: Gymnastics royalty 'King Kohei' Uchimura suffers shock exit at his home Games
Kohei Uchimura is one of his country’s most revered athletes having won eight Olympic medals, including three golds, most notably the last two all-around titles. Having struggled with injury since Rio 2016, the 32-year-old was only competing in the high bars here in search of one last gong before he retires. Japan's Kohei Uchimura suffered a shock exit from his home Olympics on SaturdayUchimura crashed to the mat in qualifying – ending his hopes of reaching the finalHowever, a nation was in mourning when Uchimura crashed to the mat in qualifying – ending his hopes of reaching the final and bringing an unhappy ending to his storied career. ‘I don't usually watch the other gymnasts but I couldn't really not notice Kohei on the high bar,’ he said. ‘It was a bit quieter at breakfast this morning and you could feel that it was competition day.
Source:The Nation
July 24, 2021 12:00 UTC
24-hour water cut for parts of Wattala on Monday
July 24, 2021 04:34 pmThe water supply for several areas in Wattala will be interrupted for 24 hours from 10.00 am Monday (July 26), says the National Water Supply & Drainage Board (NWSDB). Thereby, part of Wattala-Negombo Road, part of Mabola area, Welikadamulla, all byroads up to Nayakakanda Junction on Hendala Road, Alwis Town, Maradana Road, Puwakwatta Road, Galahaduwa and part of Kerawalapitiya will be affected by the water cut. The water cut will be imposed due to the laying of water pipes across the Hendala Bridge and connecting it to the main pipeline, the NWSDB stated further.
Source:The Nation
July 24, 2021 11:03 UTC
All adults in Sydney recommended to get the AstraZeneca vaccine
'All individuals aged 18 years and above in Greater Sydney, including adults under 60 years of age, should strongly consider getting vaccinated with any available vaccine including Covid-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca,' the group said in a statement. 'ATAGI reaffirms our previous advice that in a large outbreak, the benefits of the Covid-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca are greater than the risk of rare side effects for all age groups.' The Pfizer vaccine had been recommended for younger people due to the risk of the extremely rare but potentially fatal blood clotting disorder linked to the AstraZeneca shot. Earlier this week the Therapeutic Goods Administration said a 44-year-old man from Tasmania and a 48-year-old woman from Victoria had died after taking their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Average Australians are more likely to die from catching Covid-19 than from a blood clot after taking the AstraZeneca vaccine, data has revealed.
Source:The Nation
July 24, 2021 10:52 UTC
Met. Dept. issues advisory for gusty winds
July 24, 2021 03:50 pmDue to active south-west monsoon conditions over the Sri Lanka, fairly strong gusty winds up to (40-50) kmph are likely across the island, the Department of Meteorology warned. Thereby, strong gusty winds up to 60 kmph can be expected in the western slope of central hills, Northern, North-Central, North-western and Southern provinces and in Trincomalee district. The Meteorology Department has urged people who are living in the aforementioned areas to be vigilant in this regard.
Source:The Nation
July 24, 2021 10:18 UTC
Grace period to submit university admission applications
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has decided to give a second opportunity for the students who sat for the 2020 G.C.E. Advanced Level Examination but could not apply for the university admission in time. Speaking further on the matter, the UGC Chairman Prof. Sampath Amaratunge said, “Accepting applications for university admission of students who took the 2020 Advanced Level Examination ended on the 18th of June. However, at the time, the University Grants Commission assured that students who could not submit their applications online due to the pandemic situations prevalent in the country will be given another opportunity. Accordingly, in keeping with its promise, the UGC has announced a grace period to send in university entrance applications from July 26 to July 30, he added.
Source:The Nation
July 24, 2021 09:11 UTC
Can YOU spot the lollipop among the ice creams?
This new seek-and-find puzzle challenges you to pick out the only lollipop among a vibrant display of ice creams. For his latest creation, he asked puzzlers to spot the lollipop hidden among colourful ice creams - but with a sea of the frozen treats, all in very similar shades, it is almost impossible to notice the missing item. This new seek-and-find puzzle challenges you to pick out the only lollipop among a vibrant display of ice creamsAs is typical of Dudolf's style, the ice creams and lollipop all have been brought to life with adorable facial expressions and quirky personal touches. The cheeky lollipop can be found towards the bottom of the picture, just to the left of centreIt comes after Electric Radiators Direct challenged puzzlers to spot the sizzling sun hidden among the melting ice creams. A fiendishly tricky new seek-and-find puzzle challenges players to spot the lily hiding among the rosesStill looking among the clusters of blue and yellow flowers?
Source:The Nation
July 24, 2021 08:48 UTC
Investigations into recruitment of children for domestic work
COLOMBO (News 1st): A special investigation will be launched in respect of children under the age of 16-years being recruited for domestic work and all police stations were issued instructions in this regard, the Ministry of Public Security said on Saturday (Jul. The recruitment of children below the age of 16-years is prohibited by the law and therefore, legal action will be instituted against those who violate the law and recruit children for domestic work, Rear Admiral (Retd.) Dr. Sarath Weerasekara, the Minister of Public Security said. “It is very unfortunate that according to intelligence data obtained daily, children between the ages of 10-12-years are abused everyday. We are formulating the necessary laws to punish the perpetrators of such crimes within a short period of time,” Minister Dr. Weerasekara stressed.
Source:The Nation
July 24, 2021 08:37 UTC
Top 10 Animals With Creepy Behaviors
With millions of animals species all vying for survival in an unforgiving world, many have developed some brutal strategies for coping. The range of species known to kill themselves en masse is staggering—everything from insects to birds to amphibians to mammals and more. When you consider that some spiders used to be up to two feet long, it makes for some creepy what-if scenarios. 1 Dead Body CamouflageAssassin Bug Stacks Dead Ants on its Back for CamouflageNormal assassin bugs are creepy enough. And it keeps doing this, body after body, until it has a giant ball of dead ants atop its back.
Source:The Nation
July 24, 2021 08:02 UTC
600,000 yet to receive second dose of AstraZeneca vaccine: DGHS
Director General of Health Services (DGHS) Dr. Asela Gunawardena has stated that approximately 600,000 people who were inoculated with the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine are yet to receive their second dose. However, he noted that the relevant stocks required to fulfill this deficit have been identified and therefore, he stated that a stock of 1.4 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine would be received in the country by the end of this month. Dr. Gunawardena also stated that 90,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine are due to arrive on Monday (26). These vaccines will be administered as a second dose to the people of the Mannar and Puttalam districts. In addition, it was mentioned that another 1.6 million doses of the Sinopharm Vaccine would reach the country on Monday as a donation.
Source:The Nation
July 24, 2021 07:02 UTC
Detention orders issued on four suspects including Rishad s wife
The Colombo Magistrate’s Court today (July 24) granted permission to the Kirulapone Police to detain MP Rishad Bathiudeen’s wife who was arrested in connection with the death of an underage domestic aide at the parliamentarian’s private residence. Accordingly, Shabdeen Ayesha, 46, will be interrogated for 48 hours under detention orders. Meanwhile, the Borella Police has obtained a 48-hour detention order on the lawmaker’s father-in-law Mohamed Shabdeen, brother-in-law and the intermediary who provided child labour to the Bathiudeen family. The four suspects were produced before Colombo Additional Magistrate Kanchana Neranjala de Silva earlier today. The results of the post-mortem on the girl’s death had revealed that she had been sexually exploited.
Source:The Nation
July 24, 2021 06:45 UTC
Thousands evacuated in Philippines as monsoon rains flood Manila
Philippine authorities moved thousands of residents of the capital, Manila, out of their low-lying communities on Saturday as heavy monsoon rain, compounded by a tropical storm, flooded the city and nearby provinces. The national disaster agency said 14,023 people, most of them from a flood-prone Manila suburb, had moved into evacuation centres. The Philippines, a Southeast Asian archipelago of more than 7,600 islands, sees about 20 tropical storms a year but a warmer Pacific Ocean will make storms more powerful and bring heavier rain, meteorologists have said. Earlier on Saturday, residents of Metro Manila and nearby provinces were awoken following a 6.6-magnitude earthquake that struck the neighbouring province of Batangas. The earthquake, which struck at dawn on Saturday, was of tectonic, not volcanic, origin.
Source:The Nation
July 24, 2021 06:45 UTC
India win ODI series 2-1 but Shanaka’s men make a mark
India won a closely-contested three-match ODI series 2-1 in Colombo’s R. Premadasa on Friday (23)Rahul Chahar sent worrying signs in the Sri Lankan camp, picking up three wickets in his final spell but Sri Lanka pulled through to secure a nervy three-wicket win over India in the third ODI in Colombo on Friday (23). Their partnership accounted for 109 runs before Chetan Sakariya broke the stand and picked up his maiden wicket. Before that, Krishnappa Gowtham had struck to remove Minod Bhanuka for his maiden ODI wicket for India. Debutant Sakariya picked up two wickets as he removed Rajapaksa and Dhananjaya de Silva. Earlier, Sri Lanka bowled India out for 225 in this third ODI as left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama and Akila Dananjaya picked up three wickets each.
Source:The Nation
July 24, 2021 03:33 UTC
First event of Tokyo 2020 gets underway
Japanese pitcher Yukiko Ueno delivering the first ball of the pandemic-hit 2020 Tokyo Olympics Wednesday (21) morningJapanese pitcher Yukiko Ueno delivered the first ball of the pandemic-hit 2020 Tokyo Olympics Wednesday (21) morning amid continuing doubts about the wisdom of holding the event at a time when the fast-spreading Delta variant is driving a resurgence of Covid-19 in Japan and around the world. Japan are taking on Australia in softball, with two more softball games, as well as women’s football matches scheduled for Wednesday, Al Jazeera reported. Postponed from last yearSoftball was revived for the Tokyo Games after being dropped after 2008. The Tokyo Games were postponed last year shortly after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a pandemic over the spread of the coronavirus. On Tuesday, the chief of the Tokyo 2020 organising committee said cancellation could not be ruled out if Covid-19 cases spiked.
Source:The Nation
July 24, 2021 02:48 UTC