Iceland looks set to make history by becoming the first European country to elect a female majority to parliament, BBC reportsAccording to projections based on the final election results, 33 of the 63 seats in the Althingi, or 52%, have been won by women. This would mark an increase of nine seats from the last election in 2017. Unlike some other countries, Iceland does not have legal quotas on female representation in parliament, though some parties do require a minimum number of candidates to be women. It was also the first country in the world to elect a female president in 1980. Meanwhile, yesterday’s election saw the incumbent left-right coalition government, led by Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir, increase its majority.

The daily total of new COVID-19 cases moved to 1,074 today (Se. 26) as 327 more people were tested positive for the virus, the Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry said. According to Epidemiology Unit data, 46,397 active cases are currently under medical care at hospitals, treatment centres and homes. Total recoveries from the virus infection reached 454,532 earlier today as 843 more patients were discharged from medical care upon returning to health. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka registered 71 new COVID-related fatalities confirmed by the Director-General of Health Services on Sep. 25.

Arachnophobe Jim Dodds said he is left living in fear and has to check under his pillows before going to bed at night. But the spider has now vanished from his backyard in Tetbury, Gloustershire. The kitchen fitter and his wife Helen managed to take a photograph of the spider before it escaped from the box. He said Helen, 51, had discovered the spider lurking inside a plastic box the couple keep in the garden of their home on Sunday. 'Note that I would recommend a spider like this is only dealt with by an expert,' he added.

September 26, 2021 07:32 pmA woman was found strangled to death inside a house in the Rajagiriya area at around 3 am last morning (September 25). A man named Hewawatte Vijitha Kumara alias ‘Jinti Ranji’ has been arrested on suspicion of the incident. The Police Crimes Investigation Division of Nugegoda arrested the suspect while he was hiding in a house in the Rajagiriya area. The suspect was arrested less than 24 hours later with aid of CCTV footage, Police said. It is revealed that the suspect had previously strangled a woman to death in the Athurugiriya area and robbed her of a gold necklace.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Minister of Ports and Shipping Rohitha Abeygunawardena says that the Government does not have a ‘sell out’ policy. ” Our government led by Gotabaya Rajapaksa is not focused on selling National assets for our well being. It was the UNP that followed this policy of selling assets. Therefore our Government will not sell away National assets. But we welcome private investors for projects.

(News 1st): Polling stations across Germany have opened as the nation decides who succeeds in the race to replace Angela Merkel as chancellor after 16 years. Polls showed the lead held by the Social Democrats’ Olaf Scholz over Armin Laschet of the Christian Democrats to have narrowed to a tiny margin, voter participation among the more than 60 million Germans eligible to vote, was predicted to be high. The Greens, under Annalena Baerbock, which at one point had led in the polls, were on track to secure third place, and are expected to find themselves in Government for the first time since 2005. Due to the pandemic, about 40% – a record number – of voters have already cast their ballot in a postal vote. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the president, said Germany faced a “political transition” and urged citizens to use their vote to determine “how the country continues to deal with both the small and large questions of our time”.

The Natural Hazards Early Warning Center of the Department of Meteorology has issued an ‘Amber’ alert for heavy rain and strong winds. The Department says that the showery weather in the southwestern parts of the country and strong gusty winds over the island is expected to further continue next 24 hours. Heavy showers of above 100 mm can be expected at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, and North-western provinces and in Galle and Matara districts. The Advisory issued this afternoon (September 26) is valid until 02.00 pm tomorrow (Monday, September 27). The Meteorology Department kindly requests the general public to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by strong, gusty winds.

September 26, 2021 03:54 pmThe Ministry of Health reports that another 843 coronavirus patients have recovered and have been discharged within the last 24 hours. This brings the total number of Covid-19 recoveries in the country to 454,532. Sri Lanka has so far reported 512,531 confirmed cases of coronavirus in total while 45,390 infected patients are currently under medical care at hospitals, treatment centers, and home-based care. The death toll due to the virus stands at 12,609.

Not that this stops smartphone makers from boasting about launching the latest 5G phone. Despite a slight delay it was the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G that became available first. Before we go back to the S10 5G, we should mention the phones that nearly came first. LG was planning to launch its V50 ThinQ 5G on April 16, but pushed that back to optimize the 5G modem with Qualcomm. mmWave has gone higher since then, the X65 was the world’s first 10 Gbps 5G modem, but that’s a story for another time.

Status Quo legend Alan Lancaster has died at the age of 72 after a battle with Multiple Sclerosis. Status Quo legend Alan Lancaster has died at the age of 72 after a battle with Multiple SclerosisHe and Lancaster had children Alan Jr, Toni and David and five grandchildren. Pictured: The couple in 1979Status Quo legend Alan Lancaster (third from left) has died at the age of 72 after a battle with Multiple SclerosisStudio portrait of English rock group Status Quo posed together in London in 1974. 'They met when Alan and Status Quo, along with Slade and Lindisfarne, toured Australia in 1973. The Spectres then briefly became Traffic Jam before being renamed once again to become The Status Quo from 1967.

COLOMBO (News 1st); South Africa is ready share their experiences and lessons with countries looking to address post conflict issues, said South African Minister for International Relations and Cooperation Dr. Naledi Pandor during a meeting with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister (Professor) G. L. Peiris. South African Minister for International Relations and Cooperation Dr. Naledi Pandor received Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Minister Peiris recalled his long association with South Africa dating to his Doctoral work where he had visited South African Universities and conducted a series of lectures on Constitutional Law. Foreign Minister Peiris highlighted the need to adapt South Africa’s inspiring national experience to each country’s unique circumstances and challenges. Minister Pandora also extended an invitation for the Minister to visit South Africa and renew close ties.

And this is not surprising – mobile platforms remain the most accessible and in-demand online learning tool for the mass consumer. Let’s take a look at five of the most disruptive technologies used in eLearning applications. However, the online video training format itself has become commonplace, so employers are likely to become more supportive of such graduates. Looking into the futureThe explosion of interest in online educational platforms is unlikely to be limited to 2020. This means that we will soon witness the emergence of new, even more, breakthrough methods and types of educational applications.

By Monique Friedlander For Daily Mail AustraliaPublished: 01:23 EDT, 26 September 2021 | Updated: 02:29 EDT, 26 September 2021Reports are swirling about the newest glamour couple to grace Australia's elite swimming circuit - Kyle Chalmers, 22, and Emma McKeon, 27. Kyle Chalmers, 22, (left) is reportedly dating fellow Australian swimmer Emma McKeon, 27 (right)Most recently, the pair competed together at the International Swimming League in Naples, Italy, as part of the London Roar team. Emma and Kyle boast equally impressive sporting resumés - Emma won seven medals while competing at the Tokyo Olympics this year, while Kyle won gold at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016. Pictured left is Kyle Chalmers, and right is Emma McKeonSuccess story: Emma won seven medals while competing at the Tokyo Olympics this year (pictured)Kyle's rumoured new romance comes months after his split from fellow Australian swimmer and Emma's relay partner Madison Wilson, 26. Madison, who is also currently in Naples, started dating Kyle back in 2015 before calling it quits in 2017.

It has been decided to commence the re-scrutiny of 2020 G. C. E. Ordinary Level Examination results as soon as the quarantine lockdown imposed in the country is lifted. The results of the examination were released recently, however, the Department of Examinations has not yet released any information regarding re-scrutinization of the results. Meanwhile, the process of sending the results of the O/L exam to schools has already begun. The results will be mailed to schools in the next few days, the Commissioner-General of Examinations said. The lists of results will soon be able to be downloaded from the official website of the Department of Examinations as well, he added.

The Ceolit gas company initiated by a committee led by the Secretary to the President P B Jayasundara and the Finance Secretary has come under Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) fire. This company has been established along with the Litro gas company to give a monopoly to the Laugfs gas company which is already suffering losses and is endebted largely to the Bank of Ceylon and the Peoples Bank. How was a company formed when it was only an appointment of a committee?” JVP member Sunil Handunnetti remarked. With a shortage of Laugfs gas cylinders, the Government permitted the hike in the price of Gas. Only Laugfs gas was allowed to raise the price, whereas Laugfs gas was unable to meet the demand of the people, and the shortage continued.