A Gazette Extraordinary has been issued by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declaring several services as essential services. Accordingly, the following services are declared as essential services hereon:All services, works or labour of any description carried out or required to be carried out by or in connection with the Sri Lanka Ports Authority established by the Section 3 of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority Act, No. Freight transport by Sri Lanka Railway Department and all public transport services carried out by the Sri Lanka Transport Board for passenger transport. Maintenance, security and operational aspects that are essential to carry out such public services in line with service requirements. Waste management services carried out by the Local Authorities.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Multiple services were declared as essential services through an Extraordinary Gazette on Thursday (27). These services include the Sri Lanka Port Authority, Petroleum, Railway & Public Transportation including the Sri Lanka Transport Board, All-District Secretaries, All Divisional Secretaries, All Grama Niladhari Officers, All Samurdhi Development Officers, All-District & Divisional Level Field Officers including Agriculture Research Assistants, All-State Banks & Insurance services, Central Bank of Sri Lanka and waste management by local government bodies.

May 27, 2021 06:11 pmThe Ministry of Health reports that 1,411 more patients who were being treated for COVID-19 have recovered and have been discharged from hospital within the last 24 hours. This increases the total number of coronavirus recoveries in the country to 143,789. Sri Lanka has so far reported 172,177 positive cases of COVID-19 while presently a total of 27,190 infected patients are being treated at hospitals and treatment centers. The death toll due to the virus has risen to 1,298.

It comes after new research by the Times Education Commission, found that 70 per cent of teachers think there's too much homework and only 20 per cent believe homework is essential for learning. I actually think it helps to create critical thinking as a matter of fact, which is a very good thing. If teachers are bored by it, they better cultivate their interests and become good setters of good homework. 'I think the first thing to say is there's far too much homework and it should be reduced,' he explained. Professor Robert Winston went on to argue that he believes A levels actually 'prevent' critical thinking - before branding that a 'very different argument altogether.'

“Although Hurricane Yaas has moved beyond the Bay of Bengal, its impact on Sri Lanka is not over,” they said. Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department states that showers will continue in several districts of the island today as well. A strong wind that blew across the Galwadiya area in Julanpitiya, Walasmulla this morning (27) had damaged several houses. Meanwhile, a large tree fell on a bus stand in the Narawala area on the Galle-Mapalamaga road due to a strong wind accompanied by heavy rains. The Met Department predicts showers in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central and North Western provinces as well as in the Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara Eliya districts today.

Real Madrid have confirmed that Zinedine Zidane has resigned as the club's manager, leaving the post for the second time in his managerial career. While there has been no comment as of yet from Zidane or Real president Florentino Perez, a club statement said 'Real Madrid is and will always be' Zidane's home. A club statement read: 'Real Madrid CF announces that Zinedine Zidane has decided to end his current stage as coach of our club. 'He knows that he is at the heart of Real Madrid and that Real Madrid is and will always be his home.' Sergio Ramos was among the Real Madrid players to post a farewell message to Zidane on social media.

The OnePlus 8T unveiled last October was sold at $749 in the US with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage onboard. That variant is now discounted by $180, bringing down the price to $569. The OnePlus 8T is built around a 6.55" FullHD+ 120Hz Fluid AMOLED display having a punch hole in the upper-left corner for the 16MP selfie camera and a fingerprint reader underneath for password-less unlocking of the phone. Under the hood, the OnePlus 8T has the Snapdragon 865 SoC, and fueling the entire package is a 4,500 mAh battery with 65W charging. You can read our OnePlus 8T detailed written review to learn more about it, or watch the video review below.

Cybersecurity risk has never been greater as everything is interconnected in a larger digital environment. Zero-day vulnerabilities by their very nature are difficult to protect against that is why patching critical flaws is very important. What has been on the rise, and what isI predicted to get worse, are the more targeted ransomware attacks that cost businesses more from an operational and regulatory perspective. Malware and ransomware attacks in general are a completely different game now because these attacks are being targeted and specifically crafted to certain internal systems. Q: Do you see ransomware attacks targeting any particular vertical?

Defense Secretary General (Retd.) In a statement, the Defense Secretary said that the public should not worry about security. The statement added that the Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces and other law enforcement agencies have established national security. He said it was normal for the United States to mention terrorist threats in Level 4 travel restrictions issued on Sri Lanka. Therefore, the Secretary of Defense informed all Sri Lankans that it is not appropriate to create unnecessary fears about national security.

A dangerous rise in global temperatures above the 1.5C (2.7F) limit set by the UN could happen in just five years, warn scientists. Global average temperatures of 1.5C (2.7F) above 19th century levels are seen as a threshold beyond which the most dangerous impacts of climate change will be felt. 'This study shows that we are getting measurably and inexorably closer to the lower target of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change,' he said. Dr Stephen Cornelius, chief climate adviser at WWF, said limiting global warming to 1.5C (2.7F) is of 'critical importance' to prevent the worst climate change impacts. The year 2021, and the crucial climate change negotiations, COP26, in November, have been widely described as a “make-or-break” chance to prevent climate change spiralling ever more out of control.

He told ITV: 'You know, the Indian variant is taking off in a number of places — not everywhere, but a number of places. Under-21s may be more likely to catch the Indian Covid variant, Professor Lockdown warns Under-21s may be more likely to catch the Indian Covid variant, one of the Government's top scientific advisers warned today. But Professor Ferguson provided no figures to back up his claim and stressed there was no suggestion it causes more severe illness in youngsters. But Professor Ferguson added: 'If it goes beyond those levels, then we need to reconsider the rate of reopening and maybe slow the next step. But Professor Ferguson provided no figures to back up his claim and stressed there was no suggestion it causes more severe illness in youngsters.

Undue fear regarding national security based on false propaganda is not required due to the travel restrictions imposed by the U.S. State Department says Defence Secretary General Kamal Gunaratne (Retd). Issuing a special statement, the Defence Secretary stated there is no base on the false propaganda disseminated with regard to likely terrorist activities on the island and the general public should not be panic about security. He further emphasized that the Ministry of Defence, the Armed Forces, and other law enforcing agencies have well-established national security. The Defence Secretary, therefore, informed that there is no need to create undue fear on national security. There has been no change to the terrorist threat level, the Embassy said.

May 27, 2021 12:58 pmAnother consignment of the Russian COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V is expected to arrive in Sri Lanka today (May 27). The stock of 50,000 doses of the vaccine is set to be delivered tonight, State Minister of Production, Supply, and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals Prof. Channa Jayasumana. Please avoid outside hyperlinks inside the comment and avoid typing all capitalized comments. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines by flagging them(mouse over a comment and click the flag icon on the right side). Do use these forums to voice your opinions and create healthy discourse.

May 27, 2021 by Mihi Perera No CommentsSri Lanka recorded a total of 2,377 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday (26), said the Department of Government Information. 2,325 of these cases were from the post-New Year Cluster while 52 of those who tested positive were returnees from overseas. The highest number of Covid patients were reported from the Colombo district with 573, followed by Gampaha district with 530, and Kandy with 257.

Sri Lankan Airlines flight UL 869 carried the second stock of 500,000 Sinopharm vaccine doses donated by the Chinese Government to Sri Lanka yesterday midnight. Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi and State Minister of Pharmaceuticals Production Supply and Regulation Prof. Channa Jayasumana were present at the Katunayake Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) to receive the vaccine stock. In addition, Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi and Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong exchanged the agreement on the China-Sri Lanka Vaccine Program at the Bandaranaike International Airport. Prior to this, the Chinese Government had previously provided 600,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine to Sri Lanka. Minister Namal Rajapaksa, Minister Prasanna Ranatunga, State Minister Channa Jayasumana, State Minister D.V.