England complete T20 series sweep over Sri Lanka
England put up a dominant performance both with the bat and the ball as they ran out comfortable winners by 89 runs against Sri Lanka to complete a 3-0 sweep in the T20I series. They scaled a partnership of 105 runs, before Bairstow was scalped by Isuru Udana for 51. Dushmantha Chameera was the pick of the bowlers for Sri Lanka, with excellent figures of 4/17 in his four overs. In reply, Sri Lanka got off to the worst possible start as David Willey scalped the wicket of Danushka Gunathilaka in the very first over. Sri Lanka only managed to post a score of 91 in reply, losing the contest by 89 runs.
Source:The Nation
June 26, 2021 21:11 UTC
Sainsbury's is putting 'trans ideology' above staff welfare, whistleblower claims
By Sanchez Manning Social Affairs Correspondent For The Mail On SundayPublished: 17:01 EDT, 26 June 2021 | Updated: 19:57 EDT, 26 June 2021Sainsbury's is putting 'trans ideology' above staff welfare by letting men who identify as women use female toilets and changing rooms, a whistleblower claims. The whistleblower claimed Sainsbury's membership of Stonewall's controversial Diversity Champions scheme has led it to 'indulge in trans ideology'. Astock image is used above [File photo]But the whistleblower dismissed the programme and Sainsbury's involvement with Stonewall's annual Workplace Equality Index as a 'waste of money'. He said: 'The Workplace Equality Index takes about 400 hours to fill in the forms and then you get just four lines of feedback. Stonewall said its staff 'deliver helpful and robust advice' to more than 850 organisations and called the Workplace Equality Index 'a robust benchmarking tool'.
Source:The Nation
June 26, 2021 21:00 UTC
Starling bank boss Anne Boden advocates change in work habits
Vision: Anne Boden backs online solutions in banking and the officeIt was not unusual for Anne Boden to work in the office from dawn to dusk – at least until the pandemic struck. And at Starling I felt I had to be there early in the morning because I was a leader. Others have said prospective candidates for jobs are asking questions about how many days they will have to work in the office. 'I think we've gone through this great realisation that many people are far more effective working from home,' Boden says. Starling's 1,400 staff work across the UK, with more in Cardiff than London.
Source:The Nation
June 26, 2021 20:48 UTC
Dawid Malan hits 76 from 48 balls in a 3-0 sweep as England secure victory against Sri Lanka
The challenge for Malan, however, was provided not by the strength of the opposition but of rivals queueing up for top-order batting places behind him. There have been quicker Malan 50s in T20s for England - two for the record - but this innings could not have been better timed following two single-figure flops in Cardiff. And it came from his favoured opening position after Jason Roy was ruled out due to a tight hamstring. This was only the fourth occasion on which Malan has gone in first for his country. David Willey claimed three wickets as a 3-0 clean sweep was achieved at a canter.
Source:The Nation
June 26, 2021 20:15 UTC
Realme Buds 2 Neo are coming on July 1
Realme launched the Buds 2 wired earphones in 2019, and the company will introduce the Neo variant on July 1 in India alongside a hair dryer and a couple of beard trimmers. This revelation comes through Indian e-commerce giant Flipkart, which has set up a promo page on its website for the Buds 2 Neo, revealing their design and features. Realme Buds 2 Neo color optionsThe Realme Buds 2 Neo will come in the regular Black and a new Blue color. The Realme Buds 2 are sold at INR599 ($8/€7) in India at the time of writing this, and the Buds 2 Neo will likely be cheaper than them. We'll know more about the Realme Buds 2 Neo's pricing and availability on Thursday.
Source:The Nation
June 26, 2021 19:30 UTC
Matt Hancock resigns as Health Secretary after kissing aide scandal
Matt Hancock has resigned as Health Secretary the day after video footage emerged of him kissing an aide in his ministerial office in a breach of coronavirus restrictions. Labour also called for the Health Secretary to go and branded the Prime Minister 'spineless' for failing to sack him. Liberal Democrat health spokesman Munira Wilson said: 'Matt Hancock is a terrible Health Secretary and should have been sacked a long time ago for his failures. Downing Street repeatedly refused to comment on whether Health Secretary Matt Hancock had broken the law after he was pictured kissing a close aide in his Whitehall department. Liberal Democrat health spokesman Munira Wilson said: 'Matt Hancock is a terrible Health Secretary and should have been sacked a long time ago for his failures.
Source:The Nation
June 26, 2021 18:00 UTC
How Prabhakaran’s story was stitched
There was one chapter devoted to the man in my first book: Tigers of Lanka, which dealt with the origin and growth of Tamil militancy. Since its publication, friends have been pressing me to write Prabhakaran’s biography. But I was surprised by those who felt that a biography cannot be written without the explicit co-operation of the subject matter. I must underline that my knowledge of spoken and written Tamil helped me connect with those who were not comfortable with or did not know English. A Prabhakaran relative had written a long piece on the man for another Tamil journal in Chennai, but this was apparently halted after five chapters on Prabhakaran’s instructions.
Source:The Nation
June 26, 2021 18:00 UTC
Sunny Side Up: Ranil visits Abhayarama
Former Prime Minister and incumbent United National Party (UNP) Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe last Wednesday (23) surprised many by visiting the Abhayarama Temple in Narahenpita and meeting with Chief Incumbent Ven. Muruththettuwe Ananda Thera, after attending his first parliamentary session after returning to Parliament as a National List MP. Ananda Thera also played a key role in ensuring SLPP’s victory at the 2019 presidential election and 2020 general election. After visiting the temple, Wickremesinghe engaged in religious observances before receiving blessings from Ven. Ananda Thera.
Source:The Nation
June 26, 2021 17:37 UTC
Sunny Side Up: The MR-RW combo
Muruththettuwe Ananda Thera, during a recent chat with UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, had noted that the ideal political leader for Sri Lanka would be one with Wickremesinghe’s head and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s body. Wickremesinghe was amused by the Thera’s statement. Ananda Thera had expressed his disappointment at the conduct of the current Government, which he had also played a key role in bringing into power. He had called on Wickremesinghe to always keep the country’s interest at heart and that he would never go wrong. The Thera had made these observations when Wickremesinghe had visited the Thera to receive his blessings after being sworn in as a parliamentarian last Wednesday (23).
Source:The Nation
June 26, 2021 17:37 UTC
Samsung Galaxy A22 India price leaked
The Samsung Galaxy A22 4G unveiled earlier this month is expected to debut in India soon. Samsung hasn't revealed when it will launch the Galaxy A22 4G in India, but a leaked image tells us the 4G model with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage will cost INR18,499 ($250/€210) in the Asian country. It appears Samsung won't bring other memory configurations to India, and the same goes for the color options since the poster only includes two color models instead of all four. The Samsung Galaxy A22 4G is powered by the Helio G80 SoC and sports a 6.4" HD+ Super AMOLED 90Hz screen. Samsung also announced the Galaxy A22 5G earlier this month, but we don't know if it will be launched in India alongside the 4G version.
Source:The Nation
June 26, 2021 17:26 UTC
Sunny Side Up: New portfolio in the making
Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) National Organiser Basil RajapaksaThe Government, it is learnt, is in the process of preparing a new portfolio that is to be assigned to Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) National Organiser Basil Rajapaksa upon his entry to Parliament in early July. Basil’s return to Sri Lanka from the US, where he was visiting his family, has resulted in news of his return to Parliament on 6 July and eventual appointment as Minister of Finance and Economic Development, making the rounds in the country’s political circles. However, it was not immediately clear as to who out of these MPs would submit their resignation. After returning to Sri Lanka on Emirates flight No. Minister Prasanna Ranatunga and State Minister Nimal Lanza were at the Bandaranaike International Airport to welcome Basil upon his return to the country.
Source:The Nation
June 26, 2021 17:15 UTC
Sunny Side Up: Udaya greets Sagara
Minister Udaya gammanpilaMinister of Energy Udaya Gammanpila last week greeted Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) General Secretary MP Sagara Kariyawasam at the President’s house in Fort when the governing party parliamentary group met last Monday (21). Gammanpila, along with the other Cabinet Ministers, was on his way to attend the parliamentary group meeting after participating in the weekly cabinet meeting when he had seen Kariyawasam standing at the entrance to the hall where the meeting was to be held under the patronage of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. Kariyawasam had been greeting governing party members entering the hall and had turned the other way, seeing Gammanpila making his way to the meeting venue. Seeing how Kariyawasam had turned away after seeing him, Gammanpila had made his way towards the SLPP General Secretary and tapped him on the back before greeting him with a smile and a “hello Sagara, how are you?”Kariyawasam had, however, remained silent and Gammanpila had made his way forward to meet with the rest of the parliamentary group. Kariyawasam played a key role in causing a controversy within the Government by issuing a statement under the SLPP letterhead criticising Gammanpila over the recent fuel price hikes and demanding his resignation over the issue.
Source:The Nation
June 26, 2021 17:15 UTC
Covid-19 vaccination programme: Sri Lanka expecting 5 vaccine types in July
Rajapaksa said that five million doses of the Chinese Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine and 2.5 million doses of the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine are expected to be received during the month of July. He said: “In addition, arrangements have also been made to obtain two million doses of the Russian Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine and the country is expecting to receive those doses in August. Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Prof. Jayasumana said that the Government is expecting more doses of Sputnik V, Sinovac, and Moderna vaccines within the month of July. China will most probably send us five million doses of Sinopharm and out of that, two million doses will be received as the first consignment during the first week of July. By the end of July, there won’t be anyone above 60 years of age in Sri Lanka who wouldn’t have received the vaccine,” he said.
Source:The Nation
June 26, 2021 17:03 UTC
Multi-storey car parks: Solving the parking crisis in Colombo
By Uwin LugodaIn order to address the ever-growing parking crisis within Sri Lanka’s major cities, the Government has made plans to introduce multi-storey car parks in Colombo and other selected cities. The proposed multi-storey car park to be constructed in PettahAs such, the construction of the latest multi-storey car park in the Gold Centre in Pettah commenced just last week, on 20 June. According to Ranaweera, the Gold Centre car park will be done via a public-private partnership (PPP). The car parks will be given to the private sector on a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) basis, where they will pay the UDA Rs. He went on to state that they aim to finish the construction of this multi-storey car park in two years.
Source:The Nation
June 26, 2021 17:03 UTC
The light that lit Galle Face
I make my way to Galle Face, park my cycle somewhere, and walk all the way to Nana’s shop. How many of us come to Galle Face, yet aren’t aware of the first time it witnessed light? Does Galle Face sleep in the night? “You know Kamal, only those who witness the dark would know the value of light. I can come in a car every week to Galle Face, park it and just walk.
Source:The Nation
June 26, 2021 17:03 UTC