Scientists discover giant insect genome
Source: phys.orgThe largest genome of any insect, seven times the size of the human genome, was recently discovered in a grasshopper. In a study published in PLOS ONE, researchers from the German Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change (LIB) and the Czech Academy of Sciences prove wrong the idea of insect genomes being comparatively small and less complex.
Source:The Nation
March 17, 2023 16:48 UTC
Public servants may get extra allowance
Public servants may get extra allowance View(s):The Government will consider providing an additional allowance for public sector employees in the fourth quarter of this year following an assessment of the economic situation in consultation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), State Finance Minister Shehan Semasinghe told the Sunday Times. Mr Semasinghe, however, said the tax policy would remain the same and no changes would be made, despite protests. If we break the agreements it would affect our next installments.”He said the Government was expecting the first instalment of the IMF’s Extended Fund Facility by the end of this month. The state minister said already the foreign reserves had moved up to US$ 2.2 billion and there were further signs of the rupee appreciating against the US dollar. Share This Post FacebookTwitterEmail × Send Email to FriendSend Please enter valid email WhatsappDeliciousDiggGoogleStumbleuponRedditTechnoratiYahooBloggerMyspaceRSS
Source:Sunday Times
March 12, 2023 07:58 UTC
IMF deal and the miles to go
IMF deal and the miles to go View(s):There can always be a slip between a verbal agreement and a formal one, but by all accounts, the long-awaited, eagerly anticipated International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout for Sri Lanka seems a fait accompli. The proposed law will do away with the Monetary Law Act that was established to govern all the functions of the Central Bank. Little does it know that not all Central Banks are apolitical. Is the IMF trying to create mini-IMF offices in countries like Sri Lanka independent of sovereign, elected Governments through these new-look Central Banks? How independent would such a Central Bank be from the IMF will surely be a moot point.
Source:Sunday Times
March 12, 2023 07:18 UTC
Art that prompts introspection and conversation
Art that prompts introspection and conversation View(s):With My Back to the World – a month long exhibition for International Women’s Day opened at the Saskia Fernando Gallery on Thursday. It continues until April 2. Curated by Mariyam Begum and Ashini Nanayakkara, the exhibition highlights the subtleties of art-making, inviting the viewer to engage with not just the artwork but the process of creating embroidery, beadwork, woodblock printing, painting, sculpture etc through the work of 12 contemporary women artists. Featured in the starkly muted spaces of the Saskia Fernando Gallery, the works by Fabienne Francotte, Hansika Herath, Chathurika Jayani, Shaanea Mendis, Ashini Nanayakkara, Sabeen Omar, Anoli Perera, Sumi Perera, Saskia Pintelon, Anoma Rajakaruna, Hema Shironi and Anoma Wijewardene prompted introspection and conversation. Share This Post FacebookTwitterEmail × Send Email to FriendSend Please enter valid email WhatsappDeliciousDiggGoogleStumbleuponRedditTechnoratiYahooBloggerMyspaceRSS
Source:Sunday Times
March 05, 2023 00:32 UTC
All clear for IMF bailout package
All clear for IMF bailout package View(s):First tranche by end March or early April after President’s talks with IMF chiefBy Damith WickremasekaraThe Government is on the cusp of clinching a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), senior officials said yesterday expecting a US dollars 300 million first tranche by the end of the month, or at least reaching a final agreement on its US$ 2.9 billion bailout agreement at the Fund’s Spring Session early next month. Finance Ministry sources said the Government would be submitting a formal application by way of a Letter of Intent to the IMF Board of Directors listing out the reforms it had put in place for compliance with the IMF demands for the bailout. Earlier, President Wickremesinghe announced the Government had fulfilled the 15 requirements of the IMF. According to a President’s Media Unit Friday night statement, the discussions between the President and the IMF Managing Director were significant as they followed a discussion the IMF head had with Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang. Talks with the IMF have been concluded after six months, a senior Treasury official confirmed yesterday.
Source:Sunday Times
March 05, 2023 00:31 UTC
India revives civil militia after Hindu killings in Kashmir
In response, Indian authorities revived a government-sponsored militia and began rearming and training thousands of villagers, including some teenagers. The police blamed militants fighting against Indian rule for decades in Kashmir, the Himalayan territory claimed by India and Pakistan in its entirety. In 2005, India’s federal government founded a local militia, the Salwa Judum, to combat Maoist rebels in the central Chhattisgarh state. In Kashmir, the civil defense groups were armed almost six years after the deadly insurgency against Indian rule began. Muslim residents in the village say fear and grief bind them together with their Hindu neighbors, yet their request to join the militia has been refused.
Source:The Nation
February 28, 2023 04:02 UTC
Black Mississippi capital distrusts plans by white officials
– Random gunfire, repeated break-ins and a decaying city water system are constant challenges at Mom's Dream Kitchen, the soul food restaurant Timothy Norris' mother opened 35 years ago in Mississippi's capital. Both would give white state government officials more power over Jackson, which has the highest percentage of Black residents of any major U.S. city. Helm Baptist Church, near the Mississippi Capitol building, the Rev. In Jackson, some white residents also object to a wider territory for the Capitol Police and new courts with appointed judges. She said she was pleased the Capitol Police had a more visible presence at the Mississippi State Fair last fall, after fights occurred there in the past.
Source:The Nation
February 27, 2023 00:14 UTC
In 2024 campaign, kingmaker role again for South Carolina?
Democrats elevated South Carolina to the top of their presidential primary calendar, leapfrogging Iowa and New Hampshire. Republicans, meanwhile, could potentially have two homegrown South Carolina presidential candidates in the race, a prospect that has already caused friction among the state’s GOP circles of supporters. Biden’s recognition of the role South Carolina played in reviving his 2020 campaign, after less-than-stellar performances in earlier-voting states, has been clear since his victory celebration three years ago in February. Last year, in a fundraiser for South Carolina Democrats, Vice President Kamala Harris offered her gratitude, saying, “We see how South Carolina Democrats set President Joe Biden and me on a path to the White House. The 2024 season in only getting started in South Carolina, just as in the other early states.
Source:The Nation
February 26, 2023 14:48 UTC
Jagath and Visakesa win awards at IFF Rotterdam
Jagath and Visakesa win awards at IFF Rotterdam View(s):Two Sri Lankan filmmakers were awarded at the recently concluded Rotterdam Film Festival in the Netherlands. In Jagath’s film, the young people of Sri Lanka are committing suicide in droves. The competition was founded in 1995 with the aim of discovering, raising the profile of and rewarding up-and-coming international film talent. The Tiger Award is accompanied by a €40,000 cash prize, to be shared between the director and producer of the winning film. Competing with 16 entries along with ‘Munnel’, ‘New Strains’ directed by Artemis Shaw and Prashanth Kamalakanthan was awarded the other Special Jury Award.
Source:Sunday Times
February 26, 2023 13:00 UTC
Sports Minister can regulate, but cannot manipulate – Keerthinanda
Sports Minister can regulate, but cannot manipulate – Keerthinanda cricket View(s): View(s):The appointment of an ‘Independent Panel of Governance Experts’ by Sports Minister Roshan Ranasingha this week to draft a new constitution for Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has been labeled as direct political interference in the governance of the country’s richest sports body. “Minister can and should regulate sports bodies but he should not manipulate them,” pointed out sports law expert Panduka Keerthinanda, calling the Minister’s action as ‘politically motivated’. Interestingly the sports bodies governing cricket, football, and rugby are the three richest out of all Ministry of Sports affiliations. Hours before the appointment of the committee SLC said they had recorded a profit of Rs. “FIFA has banned Sri Lanka Football and no one is taking responsibility.
Source:Sunday Times
February 26, 2023 07:00 UTC
UK top 10
UK top 10 View(s):Nial Horan releases third albumNail Horan has announced the release of his third album ‘The Show’ which is schedule for 9th June. Harry Styles returns to the UK Top 10 singles chartHarry Styles song ‘As It Was’ has returned to the UK’s top 10 singles chart 28 weeks after it fell off the upper echelon. ‘As It Was’ was the debut single from Styles current album ‘Harry’s House’. The song was No: 1 on the UK singles chart for 10 consecutive weeks last year. It has been certified double platinum in the UK by the BPI.
Source:Sunday Times
February 26, 2023 06:58 UTC
G-20 meeting in India ends without consensus on Ukraine war
In this handout photo released by Indian Finance Ministry, Australia's Treasurer Jim Chalmers, left, meets with Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on the sidelines of G-20 financial conclave on the outskirts of Bengaluru, India, Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023. (Indian Finance Ministry via AP)BENGALURU – A meeting of finance chiefs of the Group of 20 leading economies ended on Saturday without a consensus, with Russia and China objecting to the description of the war in Ukraine in a final document. The meeting hosted by India issued the G-20 Chair’s summary and an outcome document stating that there was no agreement on the wording of the war in Ukraine. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen condemned the “illegal and unjustified war against Ukraine” at a session attended by Russian officials and reiterated calls for G-20 nations to do more to support Ukraine and hinder Moscow’s war effort. At the last major G-20 meeting, in Bali, Indonesia, in November, leaders had strongly condemned the war, warning that the conflict was intensifying fragilities in the world’s economy.
Source:The Nation
February 26, 2023 03:38 UTC
Nikki Haley keeping early 2024 fundraising numbers quiet
FILE - Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley speaks to voters at a town hall campaign event, Monday, Feb. 20, 2023, in Urbandale, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)CHARLESTON, S.C. – Former South Carolina Gov. In the 2020 presidential campaign, several in the broad Democratic field released fundraising for their first 24 hours as candidates. That leftover cash could be transferred to another federal campaign. “It is a tough choice for a lot of South Carolina Republicans to make between two very well liked South Carolina political figures,” said Walldorf, Haley’s appointee to lead South Carolina’s Board of Economic Advisors.
Source:The Nation
February 25, 2023 08:02 UTC
The GA4 migration deadline is right around the corner
Google is sunsetting Universal Analytics (UA) on July 1st. Starting in March, Google will automatically create Google Analytics 4 (GA4) properties for any customer who does not set up a GA4 property with basic settings. GA4 is much more than just a new “version” of Google Analytics. This 5-minute GA4 preparation guide from MoreVisibility will provide the insight and assistance you need to get started. Visit Digital Marketing Depot to download the GA4 Preparation Guide.
Source:The Nation
February 25, 2023 06:38 UTC
Google Search remains the go-to news discovery platform
Google Search remains the top platforms for U.S. adults to research major news events but Gen Z seems to be more inclined to head to TikTok than other generations, according to a new survey. For publishers, TikTok is the new Facebook. As happened with Facebook years ago, publishers flocked to Facebook, only to slowly watch Facebook squeeze the life out of referral traffic and engagement. Broken down by generation, here’s how many respondents said they start researching a major news event on Google:Baby boomers: 48% Gen Xers: 47% Millennials: 45% Gen Z adults: 39%Gen Z and TikTok. Could AI chat in Google/Bing search drive more publishers to TikTok?
Source:The Nation
February 23, 2023 20:01 UTC