Sri Lanka to commence flights to Myanmar from mid-2021
Sri Lanka has been granted permission to commence charter flights to Myanmar from mid-2021, in the post-COVID-19 phase, said Regional Manager of the Sri Lankan Airlines, Mohan Meegolla, at a meeting organized by the Foreign Ministry. The meeting was chaired by the Foreign Secretary Admiral Prof, Jayanath Colombage, to discuss the possibility of establishing air connectivity with Myanmar. The Government of Myanmar, Tourism Associations and in particular the President of Myanmar has conveyed his keen interest in establishing air connectivity between the two destinations, he said. Assistant Director of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, Jeevana Fernando commended this as an excellent initiative and a timely act as Sri Lanka looks forward to welcome Buddhist tourists to the country, in the post COVID phase. In this regard, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau confirmed their fullest support to carry out an aggressive campaign to promote tourists from Myanmar.
Source:The Nation
January 15, 2021 11:03 UTC
Fears Brazilian strain can reinfect Covid survivors
A Brazilian coronavirus variant that is feared could reinfect survivors is already in the UK, a leading scientist confirmed today. It comes as fears are growing that Covid survivors may not be immune to the Brazilian variant, as scientists believe the mutation sparked an explosive second wave in the country's vast state of Amazonas. It was the Japanese who originally spotted the Brazilian strain - called B.1.1.248 - and sounded the alarm about its potential dangers. The Brazilian strain, which hasn't yet been classified as a new variant, was detected in four Japanese travellers who had recently returned from Brazil's Amazonas state. Brazilians have told MailOnline that they had no idea there was a new coronavirus strain on the rampage in the country.
Source:The Nation
January 15, 2021 10:52 UTC
Chief warden of Avanthi Devi Children s Home remanded
The chief warden of Avanthi Devi Children’s Home in Anuradhapura, who was arrested in connection with the abuses and misconducts at the residential institution, has been remanded until the 18th of January. Avanthi Devi Children’s Home, which was complicit in several cases of sexual abuses and other irregularities, was recently exposed by Ada Derana ‘Ukussa’. The police had arrested the chief warden based on the statements recorded from 52 girls who were accommodated at the Avanthi Devi Children’s Home. Claims levelled by the children revealed that their residential institution was frequented by outsiders for consuming alcohol, with the authorities turning a blind eye. In the meantime, a 34-year-old named Nalinda Kelum Senanayake, who posed as a yoga instructor, has been also arrested on Tuesday (January 12), for allegedly abusing the girls at Avanthi Devi Children’s Home.
Source:The Nation
January 15, 2021 10:52 UTC
Strong quake in Indonesia's Sulawesi kills at least 34 and injures hundreds
By ReutersPublished: 20:40 EST, 14 January 2021 | Updated: 01:49 EST, 15 January 2021A 6.2-magnitude earthquake on Indonesia's Sulawesi island killed at least 34 people and injured more than 600 on Friday. The epicentre of the quake was nearly four northeast of Majene city at a depth of around six miles. 'The latest information we have is that 26 people are dead... in Mamuju city,' said Ali Rahman, head of the local disaster mitigation agency, adding 'that number could grow'. Rescuers were searching for more than a dozen patients and staff trapped beneath the rubble of the levelled Mamuju hospital. In 2018, a devastating 6.2-magnitude quake and subsequent tsunami struck the city of Palu, in Sulawesi, killing thousands of people.
Source:The Nation
January 15, 2021 06:56 UTC
SC fixes dates to hear FR petitions on Easter Sunday attacks
The Supreme Court has fixed dates for the arguments of 12 Fundamental Rights (FR) petitions, which were filed over the failure to act on the forewarnings to prevent the Easter Sunday terror attacks. The petitions were called before Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya and Supreme Court judges Buwaneka Aluvihare, Sisira de Abrew, Priyantha Jayawardena, L.T.B. Thereby, the seven-member judge bench of the Supreme Court has decided to take up the petitions on March 08, 09 and 10. Further, the judge bench, taking into account a request made by their attorney, granted permission to former Chief of Defence Staff and former Navy chief to file objections challenging the petitions before February 15. Both petitioners and respondents were meanwhile ordered to hand over their written submissions on or before February 24.
Source:The Nation
January 15, 2021 06:45 UTC
The number of new skyscrapers drops 20% amid pandemic slowdown
Its annual total of 56 new 200-meter-plus buildings was down only one from 2019, though this follows a drop of almost 40% the year prior. Elsewhere, India and Mexico both welcomed their new tallest buildings -- in Mumbai and Monterrey respectively -- in 2020. ICD Brookfield Place in Dubai, which welcomed more 200-meter-plus buildings than any other city in the world last year. Credit: Courtesy of Fosters+PartnersLooking ahead, the CTBUH said it expected worldwide completions to bounce back next year, predicting between 125 and 150 new 200-meter-plus buildings globally in 2021. Pictured top: Shanghai's Qiantan Center, the 27th tallest building completed in the world in 2020.
Source:The Nation
January 15, 2021 05:15 UTC
Google announces its acquisition of Fitbit has been completed
On Thursday, Google announced that its acquisition of Fitbit is finally complete in a press release on its website. Google looks forward to utilizing the talents of the Fitbit team to eventually develop its own wearable devices, much like how Google’s acquisition of Nest enabled the company to refine its ecosystem of smart home products. In addition, Google reminds that Fitbit users will continue to have the choice of keeping fitness data on a Fitbit account whether they want to share it to third parties (like Google Fit) or not. The Antitrust Division’s investigation of Google’s acquisition of Fitbit remains ongoing. Should there be any other areas of concern, Google and Fitbit seem willing to comply, but it also appears that the acquisition is still not as complete as Google and Fitbit say it is.
Source:The Nation
January 15, 2021 04:52 UTC
North Korea unveils submarine-launched ballistic missile at military parade
(CNN) North Korea has celebrated the end of a rare political meeting by unveiling what appears to be a missile designed to be fired from a submarine. The display comes just days after Kim said North Korea was pursuing sophisticated new armaments for the country's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, including a nuclear-powered submarine, tactical nuclear weapons and advanced warheads designed to penetrate missile defense systems. They are typically held every five years or so, but Kim's father and predecessor -- Kim Jong Il -- stopped holding them after 1980. "These parades aren't just for the outside world, of course," said Panda, author of "Kim Jong Un and the Bomb: Survival and Deterrence in North Korea." North Korea claims to not have recorded a single case of Covid-19, so holding a major event without masks may be a way to reinforce that narrative.
Source:The Nation
January 15, 2021 04:52 UTC
Analysis: Biden's inauguration is taking shape. Here's what to know.
None of the pageantry -- inaugural balls, inaugural parades, inaugural luncheons -- is laid out in the Constitution. He'll stay the night before in Blair House, across from the White House, instead of a hotel. There will be no public parade from the Capitol to the White House, but instead a virtual parade bringing in people from around the country. FDR took his fourth oath of office -- something now forbidden by the 22nd Amendment, which allows only two terms -- in the White House at the height of World War II. Andrew Jackson, Trump's favorite president, had to flee the White House as his supporters surged in to see him.
Source:The Nation
January 15, 2021 03:45 UTC
The week in 35 photos
A hearse carrying the remains of US Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick passes along Third Street in Washington, DC, on Sunday, January 10. From Hailey WarringtonPresident Donald Trump speaks with the media before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on Tuesday, January 12, in Washington, DC. Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP/Getty ImagesNational Guard members rest in a hallway of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, January 13. Chris O'Meara/APWorkers unload pallets of cardboard boxes at the Executive Office Building on the White House grounds on Wednesday, January 13, in Washington, DC. Karim Jaafar/AFP/Getty ImagesThe US Supreme Court is seen through a broken window at the Capitol on Monday, January 11, in Washington, DC.
Source:The Nation
January 15, 2021 03:45 UTC
Bus driver arrested with 18kg of Ice narcotics
January 15, 2021 08:21 am-A driver of a Galle-Colombo bound luxury bus has been arrested while in possession of 18kg of Crystal Methamphetamine (commonly known as ‘Ice’), says the Police Spokesperson DIG Ajith Rohana. The arrest was made by the officers of Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) in the area of Kosgoda.
Source:The Nation
January 15, 2021 02:48 UTC
Duchess of Cornwall reveals first four personal picks for her new online 'reading room'
By Rebecca English Royal Correspondent For Mail OnlinePublished: 19:01 EST, 14 January 2021 | Updated: 20:52 EST, 14 January 2021Ranging from a historic masterpiece to a 'painfully beautiful' murder mystery, the Duchess of Cornwall has revealed the first four personal picks for her new online 'reading room'. In a special film created to welcome readers to the Instagram-based literary initiative, the royal spoke about her own love for reading. The Duchess of Cornwall's Reading Room will be a 'celebration of literature' and, she hopes, a hub for literary communities around the world. The duchess and her team decided to set up a more permanent platform to celebrate and explore literature from around the world - @duchessofcornwallsreadingroom. Each recommended book will be accompanied by exclusive content from the authors, as well as the duchess herself, to spark conversation and debate.
Source:The Nation
January 15, 2021 01:41 UTC
The power of pets: Chewy and Petco have become Wall Street darlings
In today's business news: Costco has some sad news for analog photographers, Taco Bell is bringing back potatoes, and Petco is taking on Chewy. Taking a selfie in the early '90s was really, really hard. Chewy is an all-online retailer that's growing much faster than the 55-year-old Petco, but Petco is profitable (its operating income rose by 84% during the first three quarters of 2020 to $127 million.) This just in: Taco Bell potatoes are coming back. "Taco bell getting rid of potatoes is worse than my parents' divorce," one person tweeted in July.
Source:The Nation
January 15, 2021 01:41 UTC
Biden proposes massive vaccination and economic rescue legislative package
(CNN) President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday evening outlined a $1.9 trillion emergency legislative package to fund a nationwide vaccination effort and provide direct economic relief to Americans amid the coronavirus pandemic, telling Americans that "the health of our nation is at stake." Instead, Biden spoke about the economic and health threat of the pandemic, calling them "once-in-several-generations" crises, and cast delivering economic relief and rapidly vaccinating Americans as urgent challenges. He will request a $25 billion emergency stabilization fund to assist child care providers in covering their costs to operate safely. It would also provide emergency paid leave to an additional 106 million Americans in order to help reduce the spread of the virus. "Our rescue plan will provide emergency funding to keep these workers on the job and maintain essential services," Biden said.
Source:The Nation
January 15, 2021 01:07 UTC
India finds second secret tunnel built by Pakistan to push terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir
BY S VENKAT NARAYANOur Special CorrespondentNEW DELHI, January 13:Indian security forces on Wednesday discovered another tunnel built by Pakistani security officials to push terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir, people familiar with the matter said. This is the second tunnel found by Indian security forces since November last. So, we constituted special teams to look for them,” the Hindustan Times quoted the BSF officer as saying. It has been an old tactic of Pakistani security forces to open fire at border guards on the Indian side to distract them. And there has been a sharp increase in ceasefire violations by Pakistani forces all along the border in Jammu and Kashmir in 2020.
Source:The Nation
January 15, 2021 00:45 UTC