All schools in SL now open
All government schools and government approved schools reopened today (03) to commence academic activities. School term holidays were given from December 23 while authorities were instructed to reopen schools from today under health guidelines, the Education Ministry said. The Education Ministry said that instructions have been given to summon students in batches in classrooms with more than 27 students. The ministry further said that although schools will start from today, there will be no grade changes as the 2021 academic year will be operational until April 08 this year. Due to the Covid-19 epidemic, the heads of state institutions were previously given the authority to summon public servants for duty at their discretion.
Source:The Nation
January 03, 2022 16:01 UTC
Forex Market (Week ended December 31, 2021)
In the Forex market, the USD/LKR rate on spot contracts continued to trade within the range of Rs.202.97 to Rs.203.00 during the week while overall activity remained moderate. The daily USD/LKR average traded volume for the first four trading days of the week stood at US $ 32.20 million. Courtesy: Wealth Trust Securities Ltd
Source:Sunday Observer
January 03, 2022 10:29 UTC
The dragon’s long shadow on Sri Lanka
By Sumit Kumar SinghFor some South Asian countries like Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Bangladesh, the “China Nightmare” is no longer just a bad dream. Certain other factors threaten to push Sri Lanka deeper into the dragon’s trap. This “double whammy” ended any thoughts that Sri Lanka may have been nurturing of salvaging its situation against China. In December 2020, Sri Lanka cancelled a $ 480 million compact with the US Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). There have been some attempts made by Sri Lanka this year to showcase “non-alignment” in strategic projects, but the Chinese influence in Sri Lanka makes these efforts appear extremely feeble as of now.
Source:The Nation
January 03, 2022 09:06 UTC
India launches drive to vaccinate children before a feared Omicron surge
(Reuters) - India started vaccinating children aged 15 to 18 against the coronavirus on Monday as it quickly expands its inoculation effort to cover the world’s largest adolescent population amid fears the Omicron variant will drive a new surge of infections. The total number of cases of the fast-spreading Omicron variant detected in India was 1,700, the health ministry said. Private and public schools will double up as vaccination centres for children and school authorities have been ordered to report their daily vaccination data to state authorities. They can also go to vaccination centres and get the dose ... they can just walk in,” said Jai Prakash Shivahare, health commissioner in Gujarat state. Adults in India get Covaxin, the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is branded as Covishield, and the Sputnik V shot.
Source:The Nation
January 03, 2022 07:03 UTC
Shocking health timebomb of the anti-miscarriage drug given to 10,000 patients
Their mother, Hilda Manson, from Leeds, was given 'miracle drug' DES in the US and then in the UK after she suffered several miscarriages. She developed breast cancer in her 70s, and died from Alzheimer's aged 86. The Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology estimates 10,000 patients were given DES during pregnancy, but because there are no records, the true scale of the tragedy is unknown. Women who took the drug – 'DES mothers' – are thought to be 30 per cent more at risk of developing breast cancer. Women took this in good faith, yet may have caused lasting harm to their children and grandchildren.
Source:The Nation
January 03, 2022 06:01 UTC
Government Securities Market (Week ended December 31, 2021)
However, the weighted average rates of the weekly Treasury bill auction continued to increase with the total accepted amount falling short of the total offered amount for a third consecutive week. Activity in the secondary bond market see sawed during the week as it initially moderated prior to the bond auction outcomes as yields increased on the maturities of 2025’s (i.e. In money markets, the net liquidity shortfall increased to Rs.466.25 billion against its previous weeks Rs.455.55 billion while CBSL’s holding of Gov. Security’s increased as well to Rs.1,416.75 billion against its previous weeks of Rs.1,362.76 billion. (References: Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Bloomberg E-Bond trading platform, Money broking companies)Courtesy: Wealth Trust Securities Ltd
Source:Sunday Observer
January 03, 2022 04:29 UTC
Kapruka Founder and Chairman Dulith Herath
“Soldout.lk” will be developed to be similar to “Craigslist”, the globally famous marketplace for trade and secondhand goods. To enhance the effectiveness of the marketplace, Kapruka plans to establish a grassroots-level social dealer network across the island, under the new venture. Soldout.lk will be initiated as a separate business unit under Kapruka E-commerce (Pvt.) Commenting on Soldout.lk and the future of Kapruka’s services, Founder and Chairman Dulith Herath stated: “We are excited to announce our upcoming used goods marketplace ‘Soldout.lk’, which we hope will transform the secondhand sales in Sri Lanka. Being a local e-commerce “master-seller” in Sri Lanka, Kapruka has also enabled an abundance of aspiring local producers and sellers to vend their products on the site.
Source:The Nation
January 03, 2022 01:01 UTC
The Weekly Authority: Xiaomi 12 launch
Welcome to a bright shiny edition of The Weekly Authority, the Android Authority newsletter that breaks down the top Android and tech news from the week. The 175th edition here with the Xiaomi Series 12 launch, what to expect at CES 2022, and more. Intel: Intel’s been working on its GPUs, with rumors rife that they might be announced at CES 2022. Tech CalendarJanuary 4: OnePlus Pro 10 launch date announced Until January 5: Steam Winter Sale Until January 19: PlayStation’s holiday sale January 5-8: CES 2022 January 11: Samsung Galaxy S21 FE launch? The Weekly Authority: Huawei's FoldableThe Weekly Authority
Source:The Nation
January 02, 2022 14:55 UTC
Filmmaker slams government over plight of pandemic-hit artists
The private security industry is an emerging industry and the support given by the Industry is immense as they are contributing to national security, said Defence Secretary Gen. (Retd) Kamal Gunaratne. The Defence Secretary made these observations while addressing Sri Lanka Security Service Providers Association’s Annual General Meeting – 2021 as the Chief Guest. Referring to the President’s Election Manifesto, he said that it has given the lion’s share to national security. He said the Secretary of Defence is responsible for national security whether it fails or succeeds, adding that the command, authority, responsibility and accountability relating to national security also lie on his shoulders. President of the Sri Lanka Security Service Providers’ Association (SLASSPA), Office Bearers along with members of SLASSPA along with and distinguished invitees were present at the event held adhering to healthcare guidelines.
Source:The Nation
January 02, 2022 07:10 UTC
Sunny Side Up: Need for practicality
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had recently noted the need to engage in practical approaches to address issues rather than following textbook theories. Referring to the Agriculture Ministry, the President had noted that while the ministry secretary appointed by him was removed by the Minister citing difficulties in carrying out work, the secretary appointed afterwards by the Minister had also failed at the task. Rajapaksa had further observed that individuals trying to carry out work on their own without working as a team had resulted in failures. The President made these observations during a discussion with newspaper editors last Monday (27 December).
Source:The Nation
January 02, 2022 07:04 UTC
Can Ghana FINALLY end their AFCON hoodoo?
Deprived of their star player, Ghana lost in the harshest way, 11-10 on penalties against the Ivory Coast. Ghana do enjoy a legacy of success at AFCON, but may also be haunted by the phantoms of their recent failures and near misses. The current squad will aim to make fond new memories with an AFCON crown in Cameroon in January. In Group C, Ghana have two tough assignments: Gabon and Morocco, the latter a genuine tournament heavyweight. There are some real quality goalkeepers at the tournament - Edouard Mendy, Yassine Bounou, Andre Onana - but none of them play for Ghana.
Source:The Nation
January 02, 2022 06:43 UTC
Ministers say no to five-day Covid isolation
Ministers insist hundreds of millions more LFTs will soon be available. Last night, Labour’s health spokesman Wes Streeting said Health Secretary Sajid Javid needed to ‘pull his finger out’ to ensure people had access to the tests. Mr Streeting said: ‘The Health Secretary said before Christmas the challenge was distribution not supply, and there were plentiful stocks of tests in warehouses. With Britain returning to work this week, commuters are also worried that Covid-related staff shortages will bring misery on trains. More than 20 rail companies have already reduced services or plan to do so as a result of Covid infections and self-isolation rules.
Source:The Nation
January 02, 2022 06:08 UTC
Volleyball team returns after history-making feat
The team arrived in the island on Tuesday with the president of the Sri Lanka Volleyball Federation (SLVBF) Kanchana Jayaratne welcoming the victorious players on their arrival at the airport. The Sri Lanka women’s team also performed well to a lesser extent taking the second runner-up position after playing five matches. Methma Wasanthapriya the skipper of the team for the Championship was a proud man who received the fullest cooperation from all team members to achieve the historic victory. The women’s team performed well after losing the first game to Nepal as they fought back strongly to overcome Kyrgyzstan 2-3, beat Maldives 3-0, beat Bangladesh 3-0 and again lost to Uzbekistan 2-3. General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Volleyball Federation accompanied the team as the manager on tour.
Source:Sunday Observer
January 01, 2022 23:57 UTC
India greenlights $ 1.9 b package
India confirms provision of total $ 1.9 b package sought by SLDelays attributed to restarting processes on commodity credit linesFinance Minister Rajapaksa to make second visit to India on 10 JanuaryBy Our Political EditorTwo financial aid packages from India amounting to $ 900 million will reach Sri Lanka this month, The Sunday Morning learns. “India will release the three requests for financial assistance presented by the Government of Sri Lanka. The $ 1 billion facility sought by the Government will take more time due to the documentation process, it is learnt. Apart from the $ 400 million swap facility, Sri Lanka has sought a $ 500 million credit line for fuel and a $ 1 billion credit line for food and medical purchases. Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal has continuously expressed confidence in building reserves without seeking assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Source:The Nation
January 01, 2022 19:05 UTC
Rise of social media has 'turned university students into snowflakes'
When youngsters conduct friendships mostly via social media in written form, they miss out on social cues such as body language and voice tone. It said a possible reason for the findings 'is the rise of electronic communication, especially social media which has been linked to poor wellbeing'. Lead researcher Mahreen Khan said: 'This is in line with previous research demonstrating social media has... replaced in-person communication.' Researchers who analysed the students' emotional traits also found an 11 per cent drop in their levels of wellbeing. 'It may be worth limiting the use of social media and electronic communication,' she added.
Source:The Nation
January 01, 2022 12:59 UTC