PROFESSOR BRENDAN WREN: We can't go backwards on Covid
Some reports predict this could rise to 100,000 daily ‘cases’ in the coming months. The weekly ‘rolling average’ of daily deaths is less than 29: An increase on the week before, but accounting for just 1.1 per cent of all the deaths in the country. In the case of that 100,000 daily forecast, that would mean 10,000 hospital admissions daily – enough to overwhelm the NHS. In the case of that 100,000 daily forecast, that would mean 10,000 hospital admissions daily – enough to overwhelm the NHS. Now is the time to break off the Covid shackles and enjoy our long-awaited and much-deserved freedom.
Source:The Nation
July 13, 2021 22:07 UTC
Your next Chromebook could include a dedicated GPU
Eric Zeman / Android AuthorityTL;DR Chromium OS source code hints at a Chromebook with a dedicated GPU. Chrome Unboxed has discovered Chromium OS source code hinting at a Chromebook with a dedicated GPU — the first known Google-powered laptop to pack that kind of graphics power. The Chromebook, codenamed Mushu, would use an AMD Vega 12-based GPU — not the integrated Vega 11 you find in certain processors. See also: The best Chromebook games from Google PlayWccftech spotted the Chromebook GPU on eBay in 2020. Whether or not the Chromebook is built with Steam in mind, the GPU could alter the landscape for Chrome OS systems.
Source:The Nation
July 13, 2021 21:22 UTC
France end 31-year long wait
France came out victorious after last week’s heartbreak, as they scored a 78th-minute penalty to steal the win in the second Test at Melbourne yesterday (13). The visitors put first points on board in the second minute through a penalty from Melvyn Jaminet. Jaminet added another three pointer for France while Noah Lolesio added the first points for the hosts in the 17th minute. Jaminet added the extras and followed with another penalty while Lolesio converted a penalty on the other side. After Le Bleu beat Wallabies by 28-26, the series stands now at 1-1 and to be decided on 17 July.
Source:The Nation
July 13, 2021 20:15 UTC
Legendary Murali blasts senior cricketers
Once a leading social media campaign agent revealed he helped make Dinesh Chandimal Sri Lanka Captain by way of having a paid social media campaign to boost his image. That’s the reality of today’s Sri Lanka cricket. Amid this reality, will Dasun Shanaka, the newly-appointed Sri Lanka white-ball Skipper survive in the long run? The news coming from within the Sri Lanka national team is that he has been able to consolidate his leadership within the team. This is SRI LANKA team, mind you!
Source:The Nation
July 13, 2021 20:15 UTC
Google will pay $590 million fine in latest legal headache
TL;DR France has fined Google the equivalent of $590 million for allegedly failing to negotiate deals with news publishers in ‘good faith.’ Google has two months to propose compensation for news content. Android Central noted that Google has agreed to pay a €500 million fine (about $590 million) after France’s competition regulator (Autorité de la concurrence) determined the search giant hadn’t negotiated news content deals “in good faith” with publishers. It pressed companies to negotiate deals for the News Showcase (which repackages stories as elaborate presentations) while giving up income from search. The French fine is the latest in a long string of legal trouble for Google. Google might not have choice but to rethink much of its behavior if it wants to avoid more legal repercussions.
Source:The Nation
July 13, 2021 19:52 UTC
Increase female nominees to Polls by 30%
The Caucus has called to ensure a gender balance of 30% females – 70% males at all levels of governance – the Parliament, Provincial Councils and Local Government, while urging that the minimum of 25% quota for women guaranteed under the Local Authorities Elections (Amendment) Act, No. 16 of 2017 be retained without any amendments. Further recommendations include 33% women’s representation in all statutory bodies, boards and commissions and to consider allocating exclusive electorate divisions for female representatives, which is already practiced in a number of other countries. The WPC has also proposed that 33% of all leadership positions, committee positions, executive positions, and working committee memberships in a given party structure or hierarchy should be held by women. There are currently only 12 women serving in the Parliament.
Source:The Nation
July 13, 2021 19:52 UTC
Ranindu Liyanage loses hard fought opener
The Grandmaster was strong and Liyanage, having less time in his clock, made the game in favour of the Russian. The FIDE Chess World Cup, conducted by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) an organised by the Russian Government and the Russian Chess Federation, is in progress from 10 July to 8 August. All the top players in the world including the world chess champion Magnus Carson are competing for the supremacy in the chess world in this event. FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich made the ceremonial opening of the FIDE World Cup on Monday at the Galaxy Entertainment and Leisure Complex Sochi, Russia at 3 p.m. Russian time. The FIDE World Cup winner will receive nearly Rs.
Source:The Nation
July 13, 2021 19:52 UTC
A YOUNG BOY WITH BIG DREAMS
Bandara, Principal of his school Sri Dheerananda National School, Pilimatalawe, KandyFrom time to time, we come across sports people who make an immediate impact on you. The officials of the SLABA, including its President Dian Gomez who himself was in attendance to watch the young boxers in action, could certainly take a bow. With his two elder brothers having taken part in boxing, Kavindu had taken up boxing in January 2018 under the tutelage of the school boxing coach K.K. With it being his first taste of international boxing, he had lost to a fighter from Thailand there. Afterwards, he had taken part in the Schools Boxing Meet in the early part of 2020 at Kamburupitiya in Matara and had won the gold medal.
Source:The Nation
July 13, 2021 19:52 UTC
On This Day – 14 July
He is one of the greatest cricketing heroes Sri Lanka produced. He played a pivotal role in Arjuna Ranatunga’s World Cup-winning team in the 1990s1967 – Former Sri Lankan Test captain Hashan Tillakaratne was born today. His career at the highest level looked to be over until he was recalled to the Sri Lankan side in 2001-02. In five Tests against India, Bangladesh and West Indies, he made 549 runs and was dismissed only once. This humdinger of a game that no one deserved to lose, and no one did, was tied at the end of the 50th, and so was the Super Over that followed.
Source:The Nation
July 13, 2021 19:41 UTC
A lesson in ‘Dutch courage’
Sri Lanka rarely sees politicians that openly regret and apologise for their actions, even if their decisions and actions had caused national-level crises, and the country’s history has ample examples for it. The sad truth is, complacency has cost Sri Lanka things too numerous to mention. In the several weeks that followed, Piliyandala became one of the areas in the Western Province that recorded a higher number of Covid-19 cases. However, Sri Lanka did not hear any apology or see anyone taking at least part of the responsibility. It is a non-alcoholic “Dutch courage” that Sri Lanka’s politicians and administrators badly need a sip of.
Source:The Nation
July 13, 2021 19:41 UTC
Drug traffickers get dolled up
BY Dinitha RathnayakeDrug traffickers are resorting to the use of various methods to transport narcotic substances from Colombo to various destinations, such as through the employment of courier services to send packages of drugs in the form of gifts, information received by the Police revealed. The Police had received information about a gift that was sent to Anuradhapura through a courier service centre. The Police Narcotic Bureau (PNB) had subsequently recovered a doll with narcotic substances concealed inside, which had been couriered as a gift to the Anuradhapura area. This had led to the arrest of the drug trafficker going by the alias “Kudu Noni” in Slave Island over the incident. There have been previous instances reported in the country where animals such as birds and cats too were used as drug mules to transport drugs.
Source:The Nation
July 13, 2021 19:30 UTC
Piyal Wijetunge to be SL’s temporary Coach!
As the entire Sri Lanka coaching staff was under quarantine –following Batting Coach Grant Flower’s and Data Analyst of the Sri Lanka national team G.T. Niroshan’s* Covid-19 positive reports last week– SLC Spin Bowling Coach Piyal Wijetunge had been nominated by SLC to temporarily overlook the national team’s training, The Morning Sports learnt last afternoon. A series SLC cannot missThe India white-ball series, which consists of six limited-over games –three ODIs and three T20Is respectively– are to be held now from 18 to 29 July at Khettarama under lights. ‘Everyone pulling on one direction’This unhealthy development, which is reported from the most recent and much-respected three Sri Lanka Captains, is only for the detriment of an already distraught Sri Lanka side. * We inadvertently said in our sports-page lead story on Monday (12 July) that the Data Analyst of the Sri Lanka team, who tested positive for Covid-19, was Shirantha Niroshan.
Source:The Nation
July 13, 2021 18:56 UTC
Mahanama to replace Mickey Arthur after World Cup?
Arthur will most likely be replaced permanently by Sri Lanka World Cup-winning batsman Roshan Mahanama, the source added. In June he joined as the Head Coach of Australian Big Bash League (BBL) franchise Melbourne Renegades. Yet he was removed as Head Coach of Pakistan following their poor run which continued into the 2019 World Cup. Flower, a former Zimbabwe all-rounder, had also worked with Arthur during the latter’s Pakistan stint, again as the Batting Coach. Until then Wijetunge, who is current Spin Bowling Coach attached to SLC, will look after the Sri Lanka squad’s overall coaching.
Source:The Nation
July 13, 2021 18:33 UTC
End of the pandemic?
July 13, 2021 by Revatha No CommentsAs England opened gates for fans in sports, two major iconic events were held on Sunday (11); the Wimbledon men’s tennis finals and the Euro 2020 football finals, also involving England as one of the two finalists. The massive crowds that flocked to the two venues in London carried us back to the post-Covid normalcy. No face masks or no social distancing as fans cheered the heroes, chanting, singing, dancing, jumping, and hugging each other. Are we on the verge of ending the darkest times of our lives? Sports probably have shown those signs quite glaringly.
Source:The Nation
July 13, 2021 18:22 UTC
Anusha Palpita appointed secretary to PM s new ministry
Development Lotteries Board (DLB) Chairman Anusha Palpita has been appointed as the Secretary to the newly-established Ministry of Economic Policies and Plan Implementation. Last month, it was reported that the former Secretary to the Ministry of Industries had written to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, seeking a premature retirement. The Senior Sri Lanka Administrative Officer has previously served as Director General of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) as well as the Additional Secretary to Ministry of Home Affairs. A Special Grade Officer of Sri Lanka Administrative Service (SLAS), he was appointed as the Secretary to the Ministry of Industries when the incumbent government came to power. Accordingly, Palpita will be serving as the secretary of the prime minister’s new ministry.
Source:The Nation
July 13, 2021 17:37 UTC