Watch Apple’s WWDC 2022 keynote live here
Today marks the start of Apple’s yearly Worldwide Developer Conference, and this time it will have in-person attendance, for the first time in two years. In keeping with tradition, it all begins with a keynote, which is scheduled for today at 10 AM PDT (local), which is 5 PM UTC. We summed up our expectations for the event, which should tell us more about the upcoming software updates and new services. We are also hoping to hear more about the rumored AR/VR headset, but it may well be left for another event. We’ll follow the event and cover the stories as they arrive, so stay around to learn more.
Source:The Nation
June 06, 2022 21:00 UTC
Top 10 trending phones of week 22
After a one-week hiatus our trending chart returns and it's looking very different from what we last saw. We have the Redmi Note 11T Pro+ as our new leader ahead of Samsung's Galaxy S22 Ultra flagship and the Redmi Note 11 on the podium. The dominant force that is the Galaxy A53 is down to fourth, which is the lowest position it has been in since its official debut. Right behind it slots the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max, which hasn't moved in two weeks. The Honor 70 Pro+ takes ninth as the final spot goes to the Apple iPhone XR.
Source:The Nation
June 06, 2022 12:08 UTC
No ‘Saviours’ for Sri Lanka, this fiftieth year of the republic
No ‘Saviours’ for Sri Lanka, this fiftieth year of the republic View(s):The Sri Lankan political establishment’s ‘dirty tricks’ department seems to be in full swing as the nation is presented with a dizzying array of constitutional amendments, variously titled ’21st Amendment’, ‘21A’, ’21B’, ‘22A’ and so forth. This looks at resuscitating the yahapalanaya’ inspired 19th Amendment with some devious twists. It disregards even the minimum balance of the 19th Amendment with the President being enabled to hold ministerial portfolios. That ridicule emphasizes that this undermines the ‘Aragalaya’s call for ‘system reforms’ and for ‘Gota to Go.’Was Sri Lanka ever a true Republic? All this is precisely why the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was doomed at the very point that it was born.
Source:Sunday Times
June 05, 2022 23:31 UTC
Garbage project in crisis: US$ 10m to be paid to Chinese firms
Garbage project in crisis: US$ 10m to be paid to Chinese firms By Namini Wijedasa View(s): View(s):The Aruwakkalu sanitary landfill’s Chinese contractors have closed down project offices, heavily trimmed local staff and sent many of their Chinese employees back because the Urban Development Authority (UDA) has fallen back on US$ 10mn worth of payments up to March this year.Work is continuing, but slowly. The contractors are holding talks with the Urban Development Ministry for a solution which, if not forthcoming, could lead to a suspension of the project on June 12. Three offices were closed down and ten staff quarters relinquished to save on rent, said Chandana Gunawardana, the main contractor’s Deputy Project Manager. “Unfortunately, we have a huge cash flow problem.”The project contract was signed as far back as December 2017. The building of the landfill in Aruwakkalu went ahead despite strong opposition by environmentalists and residents of the Puttalam district.
Source:Sunday Times
June 05, 2022 23:31 UTC
Apple WWDC 2022: what to expect
The main challenge with this is to keep power usage low and Apple has always been quite good at that. Apple is reportedly planning to break up the notchSo, what can current users expect? iPadOS 16The new OS version reportedly aims to make iPads closer to laptops. The user interface may be reworked as well and there will be new health features. And while the WWDC is mostly a software event, some leaksters suggest that Apple could unveil the very first of the M2 Macs.
Source:The Nation
June 05, 2022 19:11 UTC
Abbott restarts baby formula plant linked to contamination
The shutdown of the largest formula factory in the country led to the supply problems that have forced some parents to seek formula from food banks and friends. The February shutdown of the largest formula factory in the country led to the supply problems that have forced some parents to seek formula from food banks, friends and doctor's offices. The company said it will take about three weeks before new formula from the plant begins showing up on store shelves. The Abbott factory is the only source of many of those products, providing nutrition to about 5,000 U.S. babies, according to federal officials. FDA Commissioner Robert Califf recently told lawmakers it could be about two months before formula supplies return to normal levels.
Source:The Nation
June 05, 2022 19:10 UTC
Appealing to the world for our daily rice
Appealing to the world for our daily rice View(s):The United Nations has now been approached for support to address the emergency needs of the poor and vulnerable amongst the country’s 22 million people on the brink of an acute food shortage. Once called the ‘Granary of the East’, Sri Lanka is also considering tapping the SAARC Food Bank – from the buffer stocks of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Having ascended the throne on February 6, 1952, the Queen is longest-reigning British monarch, third-longest in world history, and was for 20 years, Queen of Ceylon. In Sri Lanka, which just marked its golden jubilee of becoming a Republic while remaining in the Commonwealth – people are lined up for their daily essentials. An avowed believer in the Commonwealth, the Queen frequently visited the former British colonies including Sri Lanka twice (1954 and 1981) during her reign.
Source:Sunday Times
June 05, 2022 07:36 UTC
Music in the spirit of peace
Their soulful renditions of Islamic devotional music, from naats to hamds, baiths and Sufi-style qawwalis, touched hearts in the audience. He had trained many a choir, but not one that sang in Persian, Arabic or Urdu, common languages of Islamic devotional music that he was unfamiliar with. Haadia, who had been in music promotions for three decades, says Sri Lanka has a wealth of youthful music talent but they lack opportunities, funding, and direction. In a conversation with Decible.lk, the professor touched on the richness of Islamic music. This ethos echoes the professor’s words in a 2011 interview online: “Music cannot bring peace to the Middle East (and music can not solve the problems of Sri Lanka…).
Source:Sunday Times
June 05, 2022 07:35 UTC
Bharathanatyam and yoga are two divine art forms
Barathanatyam and yoga are the two divine art forms originated in Indian. One is single hand gestures and the other is double hand gestures. Single hand gestures are generally called Aasamuthahasthas and the double hand gestures are called Samuthahasthas. Like Bharatha Natya certain hand gestures are also used in Yoga. In Yoga, some of the Asanas are associated with specific body postures with hand gestures.
Source:Sunday Observer
June 04, 2022 18:48 UTC
Renewable energy, a new threat to biodiversity
Mining isn’t the only way the renewable energy revolution is affecting landscapes, in the desert and elsewhere. The result is what some activists describe as a renewable energy land rush putting rare species and untouched desert ecosystems at risk. “But there’s a potential renewable energy extinction crisis going on in Nevada, and these little creatures and plants are at the forefront.”He says that while ecosystems have long faced threats from activities such as cattle grazing or gold mining, renewable energy expansion is the latest growing threat. “The reasons for applications outside of solar energy zones are varied,” says Heidi Hartmann, an expert on energy policy who works with Walston at Argonne. Tale of two crisesNot all environmentalists see the expansion of renewable energy as a major threat to biodiversity.
Source:Sunday Observer
June 04, 2022 18:47 UTC
vivo T2 launch postponed yet again
It seems vivo is having some trouble with the vivo T2 in particular. The launch event for the phone has now been postponed a second time with no clear public reason. vivo T2 announcement postponedWe can't really think of a good reason why vivo keeps delaying the launch, especially since the vivo T2 isn't an entirely new device but rather a re-branded iQOO Neo6 SE with Snapdragon 870, introduced earlier in May. A fact that is officially confirmed after vivo leaked the full T2 specs sheet last month. All that remains now is for vivo to clear up these mysterious delays and reveal the retail price for the T2.
Source:The Nation
June 04, 2022 17:29 UTC
Xiaomi Poco C40 launching on June 16
An official-looking banner for the online launch of a new Poco C40 phone has recently surfaced online. Other than that, we expect the Poco C40 to rock a 6.7-inch basic HD+, 60Hz LCD display with a teardrop notch for a 5MP selfie camera. In terms of internals, the Poco C40 should be based on the Snapdragon 680 4G chipset paired with 3GB of 4GB of RAM and up to 64GB of expandable UFS2.2 storage. Seeing how the Xiaomi Redmi 10C is currently selling for around EUR 150 and the Redmi 10 (India) for even less, we can assume a price of a little over EUR 100. Especially for the base Poco C40 model with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage.
Source:The Nation
June 04, 2022 13:33 UTC
Oppo K10 5G launching in India on June 8 with different design and specs
However, the Oppo K10 5G launching in India next Wednesday is different from the one announced in China in April. The Indian model has a flat design and sports a display with a notch instead of a punch hole. Oppo says the Indian K10 5G "will be powered by a premium 5G chipset" and will be the "slimmest 5G smartphone in the given segment." The Oppo K10 5G will be sold in India through Flipkart, Oppo India's official website, and retail stores across the country, but its Indian pricing is unknown. Oppo K10 5G Chinese modelWhile we await more details about the Oppo K10 5G's Indian model, you can check our announcement coverage of the Chinese K10 5G here to know more about it.
Source:The Nation
June 04, 2022 07:35 UTC
10 Alternative Versions of the Mona Lisa
The Mona Lisa is not only the most famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci but also the most famous painting of all time. His most famous work is Mona a’la Mace—a Mona Lisa in ballpoint. Because of his facility with pens, Mace was commissioned by the Pilot pen company to create a version of the Mona Lisa. [4]6 Prado Mona LisaArt History Minute: The Prado Mona Lisa || Italian RenaissanceThere are, unsurprisingly, many copies of the Mona Lisa. When years of varnish and black overpainting were stripped back, the Prado Mona Lisa revealed its quality.
Source:The Nation
June 03, 2022 19:58 UTC