‘It’s not an easy process’
Colombo-based independent policy think-tank Advocata Institute Research Manager Aneetha Warusavitarana has secured a place at the University of Cambridge for an MPhil in Public Policy. In terms of the process, Warusavitarana highlighted that these things often take a lot of time and work, adding that there’s definitely a bit of luck involved as well, and we should talk about this more and bring awareness to this long process. “Sometimes people do get in on their first try and that’s brilliant, but I want to highlight that it’s not an easy process and it can take a few tries,” she commented, adding that because often when someone gets a scholarship, people tend to focus on the fact that they received it and neglect to acknowledge how tedious the process is. “They are not easy decisions to make and anyone applying for their undergraduates or masters would agree with me on that! “We all had to work from home and shift to online meetings and take on the workload that comes with that.
Source:The Nation
September 08, 2021 18:33 UTC
Thai PM invited to visit Sri Lanka
COLOMBO (News 1st): Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Thailand Chaminda I. Kolonne has invited the country’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to visit Sri Lanka once the pandemic is over. The invitation was extended when the Ambassador met with the Thai Prime Minister at his official residence in Bangkok. The Prime Minister has also instructed the Thai Board of Investment to hold an online meeting with the Colombo Ports Commission and the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka. The Prime Minister agreed with the Ambassador’s proposal to open a Thai Language Teaching Center in Sri Lanka and a Sinhala Language Teaching Center in Thailand. The Ambassador said that Sri Lanka would extend its fullest support to Thailand, which is seeking to chair the 5th BIMSTEC Summit.
Source:The Nation
September 08, 2021 16:18 UTC
Sri Lanka records 185 new COVID-related deaths
The total number of people who fell victim to COVID-19 infection in Sri Lanka soared yet again as 185 more fatalities were confirmed by the Director-General of Health Services on Tuesday (September 07). The new development has pushed the official death toll from the virus outbreak in Sri Lanka to 10,689. According to the data released by the Department of Government Information, the latest victims include 102 males and 83 females. As many as 140 deaths were reported among elderly people who are aged above 60 years. In addition, 44 individuals aged between 30-59 years and 01 below 30 years have also succumbed to the virus infection.
Source:The Nation
September 08, 2021 16:07 UTC
Microsoft’s Clipchamp acquisition will help improve video editing on Windows
Microsoft is acquiring Clipchamp, a browser-based video editing tool, and is hinting that it will be a great fit for Windows. Microsoft is now looking to integrate Clipchamp into its Microsoft 365 offerings, and perhaps even Windows itself. Interestingly, Pratley also says “it’s a great fit for Microsoft Windows,” which suggests that Microsoft could integrate Clipchamp into Windows in the future. Clipchamp already exists as an app in the Microsoft Store, and Microsoft’s existing video editing tools for Windows are lackluster to say the least. Windows and devices chief Panos Panay teased a new photos app for Windows 11 just minutes before the acquisition announcement, with what looks like better tools for editing photos and videos.
Source:The Nation
September 08, 2021 09:33 UTC
England expects with Gareth Southgate's confident side anticipating greatness
It is the hope that kills you - a feeling the England football team are all too familiar with. No longer a team hoping for the best, but rather one anticipating greatness. Yet his team’s swagger comes with a risk, one the England chief was at pains to point out yesterday. Nevertheless, Kane’s next best opportunity to win a major trophy will be in Qatar with England in December 2022. ‘There is every chance Kane will go as long as possible because he’s an incredible professional,’ said the England boss.
Source:The Nation
September 07, 2021 21:56 UTC
How to Break Through a Lifting Plateau
This is the phenomenon often called a “plateau,” and while it seems hopeless, there are tons of ways to bust through. Do five sets of bench twice a week, and now you’re up to 10 total sets for the week. Even if you’re already in the range of 10-15 sets per week (a typical recommendation), more is still probably better. Instead of just lifting whatever you feel like each day, choose a pre-written program, or pay a coach or trainer to write you one. Food and sleep are the two biggest things you can adjust to help yourself recover better from lifting.
Source:The Nation
September 07, 2021 21:56 UTC
Jimmy Carr 'becomes a father for the first time'
By Sean O'grady For MailonlinePublished: 16:21 EDT, 7 September 2021 | Updated: 16:50 EDT, 7 September 2021Jimmy Carr has reportedly revealed he has become a first-time father. According to The Sun, Jimmy confirmed he is now a dad during a stand-up comedy show at the O2 Academy Brixton in London. Family: Jimmy Carr has reportedly revealed he has become a first-time father (pictured with his partner Karoline Copping)The funnyman mentioned his son during an adoption joke, telling the audience: 'I had to tell my little boy he's adopted. Jimmy has previously been pictured pushing a buggy in North London where he lives with Karoline. Wow: Jimmy has undergone a huge transformation recently, thanks to losing weight, getting a hair transplant and giving his teeth a gleaming makeover.
Source:The Nation
September 07, 2021 21:00 UTC
Out of Focus: Our weekly sports photo appreciation
Six days later, on 22 March 1970, the tour was cancelled by the Cricket Council of England. South Africa were scheduled to play Surrey in the Oval in July before their fifth Test also fixed for the same venue from 13 August 1970. AnalysisThe iconic Oval cricket ground pavilion is seen through barbed wire as some persons laying the turf and rolling it. The barbed wire surrounds them. Barbed wire do always indicate tension, risk of being attacked, dismissing of the entrants, conflict, and war.
Source:The Nation
September 07, 2021 20:26 UTC
Cricket News in Brief: Stricter bio-bubble awaits India in next Test
* Stricter bio-bubble awaits India in next TestVirat Kohli (on left) and Ravi ShastriA stricter bio-bubble awaits India cricket team for the fifth cricket Test which is to start on Friday (10) in Manchester. * Skipper Babar Azam unhappy over WC squadPakistan cricket Captain Babar Azam is unhappy with their T20 World Cup (WC) squad selection announced this week. Media reports say the new Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) President to be, former batsman Rameez Raja, had intervened to include Sohaib Maqsood, Asif Ali, Khushdil Shah, and Azam Khan to the dismay of Captain Azam. * St. Kitts lead CPL after 18/33 gamesHosts St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots are now leading the points table of the ninth Caribbean Premier League (CPL). All matches are played at the Warner Park Sporting Complex at Basseterre in St. Kitts and Nevis.
Source:The Nation
September 07, 2021 20:26 UTC
HOW CRICKET GOES “SMART”
This Kookaburra-made smart ball made its debut at this year’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL)The headline above does not in any way imply that, before now, cricket was not “smart”, or that it was played by “un-smart” personalities. For a long time, cricket was played only as Test match; a five-day game with one rest day – a total of six days for a match. And now the latest innovation in the game that is going to come through is the use of a “smart” cricket ball in matches. The smart ball looks, feels, and plays exactly the same way as a regular ball but has an embedded chip that registers many more data points than radar or ball tracking technology. Kookaburra-made smart ballThis Kookaburra-made smart ball made its debut at this year’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL) which got underway in St Kitts & Nevis on 26 August.
Source:The Nation
September 07, 2021 20:03 UTC
On This Day – 8 September: At SSC, Mohommad Ashraful becomes the youngest to make Test century
1947 – Birth of Kenyan 3,000 m steeplechase runner Amos Biwott. Biwott had only three steeplechase races before the Olympics and his technique was unorthodox. Yet he won the gold medal in the 1968 Summer Olympics. In the 2016 World T20, he made 191 runs from six innings at a strike rate of 159.16. His sudden rise to fame came after joining Manchester United in January 2020 for a transfer fee around € 55 million2001 – Mohommad Ashraful of Bangladesh became the youngest man ever to make a Test century.
Source:The Nation
September 07, 2021 19:52 UTC
Apple’s car chief is heading to Ford
Ford has hired away Apple’s car chief, Doug Field, to become its chief advanced technology and embedded systems officer. The departure is the latest shake-up for Apple’s car division, which has undergone numerous shifts over the past several years. Despite starting the project in 2014, work on an autonomous electric vehicle is still in an early stage, Bloomberg reported in January. Apple’s car efforts were reportedly moved under the purview of John Giannandrea, the company’s SVP of machine learning and AI, in December. Ford has also said that Google’s Android will power infotainment systems in “millions” of its cars starting in 2023.
Source:The Nation
September 07, 2021 19:30 UTC
Health Ministry urges sensitivity in vaccine proof plan
Then, there are those who are unable to get the vaccine due to health-related reasons. He added that if it is made mandatory to keep a vaccination card in this manner, a formal arrangement should be made for its implementation. For example, the vaccination card that is currently being given to those who get the Covid-19 vaccines cannot be kept in the pocket. Athuraliye Rathana Thera stated that it should not be made mandatory for people to obtain Covid-19 vaccines. A fundamental rights petition has also been filed in the Supreme Court by the Sinhala Ravaya Party against mandatory vaccination.
Source:The Nation
September 07, 2021 18:56 UTC
Health Ministry says ball in Education Ministry’s court
BY Buddhika SamaraweeraPointing out that there is no suitable environment for the reopening of schools in the context of the current Covid-19 pandemic, the Health Ministry has stated however that if the education authorities create a conducive environment for the purpose, the health authorities would be able to approve the reopening of schools. The EFSL has also requested the authorities to empower provincial, zonal and divisional education officers to work with the health sector authorities to reopen smaller schools. “Regardless of the teachers strike, schools in Sri Lanka have been closed for over 18 months due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Students who had access to Internet based education through their teachers, constituted only half of the student population. The mental health and emotional issues faced by locked in students compound all of the above.
Source:The Nation
September 07, 2021 18:56 UTC
Fossil removes dozens of smartwatch faces (Update: Fossil responds)
Jimmy Westenberg / Android AuthorityTL;DR A recent Fossil Gen 5 software update inexplicably removed dozens of watch faces. Here is the company’s statement: Fossil has, via a recent update, removed watch faces to optimize performance and free memory on our devices. The update appears to include two new watch faces: “Fitness Digital” and “Dashboard Digital.”As nice as that is, the update also appears to have removed no fewer than 33 watch faces. This appears to primarily affect the Fossil Gen 5 but could also affect other models in that family, such as the Fossil Gen 5E and their LTE variants. That seems like a possibility, but we know for certain that Wear OS 3 isn’t coming to the Fossil Gen 5 models.
Source:The Nation
September 07, 2021 18:45 UTC