‘Seed bombing’ in SL: How successful has it been?
With such an ambitious goal in mind, they explored the concept of aerial reforestation, or “seed bombing” as a method of restoring forests in lands unreachable by road networks, and covering larger areas of land faster than manual reforestation. These “seed balls” are made by placing seeds in a potting mix that functions as the growth medium, and seeds are dispersed aerially. To initiate the project, they reached out to the University of Peradeniya’s Agriculture Faculty, as they had been carrying out years of research into the aerial reforestation method. They also collaborated with the Forest Department, who supported them to identify the land for our reforestation efforts and to source the seeds through their network of field officers. Brunch spoke to MAS Holdings Director – Environmental Sustainability Sharika Senanayake to find out if the initial project carried out in December 2018 at the Ranorawa Forest Reserve was successful.
Source:The Nation
June 15, 2021 22:30 UTC
Fitch affirms Sri Lanka sovereign rating
Nevertheless, Sri Lanka’s medium-term debt service challenges are substantial and pose risks to the sovereign’s debt repayment capacity, in Fitch’s view. These resources should enable Sri Lanka to meet its remaining debt maturities through the rest of this year, including a $ 1 billion international sovereign bond maturing in July. They have consistently indicated that they do not plan to seek programme financing from the IMF,” Fitch noted. The rating agency projects foreign exchange reserves to remain at about $ 4.5 billion by end-2021 before declining to $ 3.9 billion by end-2022. Tourist arrivals in the first five months of 2021 were 97% lower than the same period last year,” Fitch added.
Source:The Nation
June 15, 2021 22:18 UTC
How Elizabeth Hurley's gowns all have matching bikinis
Now 56 years old and at the helm of a bikini empire, actress Liz Hurley is never knowingly under-glammed. This week she wore a gorgeous yellow Versace dress with sheer panels, followed by a buttercup string bikini. Looks like she borrowed the crystal details and aqua shade for this £168 aqua bikini at Elizabeth Hurley Beach. On Sunday this week she shared a picture of herself in a vintage Versace dress under the caption 'about last night'. The previous year she wore a pink bikini with ruffle details from her own brand.
Source:The Nation
June 15, 2021 21:56 UTC
Instead of Criticizing 'Wokeness,' Say What You Really Mean
But if you scroll through social media, you’ll note these words are used so often—and to refer to such a wide variety of situations—they often cease to mean much of anything. But if that’s what wokeness means to its most feverish detractors, it’s often used by less militant types simply to describe things they don’t like. The most accurate predictor of your opportunities isn’t your intelligence or work ethic but where you’re born. It seems like what Galloway actually means to say is that fresh workers should roll with the punches rather than crater in the face of discouragement. That’s fair enough, but casting real efforts to create a better, more equitable work environment—through, say, unionizing—as bandwagoning wokeness only sets back the effort to enact meaningful institutional change.
Source:The Nation
June 15, 2021 19:52 UTC
Julie Chung nominated US Ambassador to Sri Lanka
US President Joe Biden has nominated Julie Chung for Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, announced the White House on Tuesday (15). Julie Chung, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, is the Acting Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. She was previously Director of the Office of Japanese Affairs at the Department. Earlier, Chung was Chief of Staff to the Transition Coordinator at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. Chung speaks Korean, Japanese, Spanish, and Khmer.
Source:The Nation
June 15, 2021 19:30 UTC
No jabs for kids despite Education Ministry request
“We have to do this in an ethical manner; but as far as we are concerned, children cannot voluntarily participate in the vaccination process. The Ministry of Education informed that it expects to roll out the vaccine for both schoolchildren and teachers before the recommencement of schools. Speaking to The Morning, Education Ministry Secretary Prof. Kapila Perera said a request has already been sent to health ministry officials regarding the vaccination of schoolchildren. According to Prof. Perera, there are around 4.5 million schoolchildren in the education system at the moment. He had also pointed out that teachers can get the required vaccination through the Health Ministry.
Source:The Nation
June 15, 2021 19:01 UTC
Face shields not face masks substitute – FHB
By Dinitha RathnayakeFace shields should not be used as a substitute for masks, according to the Health Promotion Bureau (HPB). Releasing a statement, the HPB said that by wearing a face mask, we hope to minimise the spread of Covid-19 from one infected person to another, through the air. “If one finds it difficult to maintain the personal distance, one may want to wear a face shield in addition to a face mask in order to prevent drops from falling directly onto one’s face. The use of a face shield can be recommended to prevent dirt from falling onto the face mask. This helps to protect the face mask, especially for hospital staff who frequently deal with patients with symptoms such as a cough.”But, it is not advisable to use a face shield as a substitute for a face mask as wearing only a face shield without a face mask does not provide the desired protection, the statement read.
Source:The Nation
June 15, 2021 19:01 UTC
Android’s newest updates let you star important messages
Google is releasing a string of Android updates that include the ability to star important messages. Starred messages will roll out widely in the weeks ahead. The centerpiece Android update lets you star texts in Messages to quickly find them later. And yes, you can use Messages and other chat apps thanks to an Android Auto update deploying worldwide. As with most of these Android update bundles, the improvements to Messages and other apps won’t necessarily be earth-shattering.
Source:The Nation
June 15, 2021 18:56 UTC
First President-TNA meeting postponed
“The Presidential Secretariat informed us a little while ago that tomorrow’s (today’s) meeting has been postponed and that a new date and time will be notified soon.”The meeting was to primarily discuss ongoing constitutional reforms but had attracted much attention due to the divergent political views of the Government and the TNA. According to sources, the meeting was to be held at 4 p.m. and the main point that was to be considered at the meeting were constitutional reforms. Sumanthiran PC on 14 June said the meeting with the President was to discuss ways of taking forward the process of constitutional reform. This would have been President Rajapaksa’s first meeting with the TNA since he assumed office in November 2019. However, according to TNA sources who spoke to The Morning, the PLOTE and TELO still have taken such a decision.
Source:The Nation
June 15, 2021 18:45 UTC
Small Claims Court to ease district court caseload
Cabinet approves key justice reform proposalBy Pamodi WaravitaThe Cabinet of Ministers yesterday (15) granted approval to commence work on the establishment of a Small Claims Court which would hear cases below a specific monetary threshold, following a proposal by Minister of Justice Minister Ali Sabry. “The rationale behind this is to ease the caseload of the district court, which would accordingly be able to hear the higher value disputes more efficiently and also to introduce a faster, more efficient procedure for the recovery of smaller claims,” Justice Ministry’s Co-ordinating Secretary Shamir Zavahir told The Morning. This court is one of the key aims of the justice reform programme of the Justice Ministry, which is aimed at reducing delays in laws, Zavahir added. These recommendations have been put forth by a committee headed by Sri Lanka Judges’ Institute Director and Court of Appeal Judge Justice Dr. Ruwan Fernando. Accordingly, Cabinet approval has been granted to amend the Judicature Act No.
Source:The Nation
June 15, 2021 18:45 UTC
Health Ministry may launch mix-match study
However, if institutions such as the Medical Research Institute, universities, or other institutions wish to conduct a study in this regard, the administrative clearance needed for it would be given by the Health Ministry, he said. He said that the mixing and matching of vaccines was a complex matter and could not be concluded until a proper study was done. How this is done is by receiving the first dose of AstraZeneca and the second dose from Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. Sri Lanka’s Health Ministry is also currently considering this,” she stated. Therefore, we are on alert to any new research made on the mixing and matching of vaccines,” she said.
Source:The Nation
June 15, 2021 18:45 UTC
Fuel concessions for selected sectors?
The decision to increase the fuel prices was a collective decision; however, we are happy that members of our Government have different opinions about the decision,” he claimed. At present, serious concerns are being raised by the transportation, fisheries, and power and energy sectors, in the wake of the fuel price hike. Meanwhile, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa defended the decision to increase fuel prices on Sunday, stating that it will help strengthen the local economy. Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila announced the decision to increase fuel prices. However, subsequent to the said announcement, Gammanpila was asked by the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) to resign over the recent fuel price hike.
Source:The Nation
June 15, 2021 18:45 UTC
What's Up With Apple's New 'Private Relay'?
Here’s how it works: When active, Private Relay will encrypt your browsing data and send it through two relays (or servers, essentially). How does Apple’s Private Relay compare to a VPN? Apple Relay separates everything between two relays, similar to the way Tor anonymizes browsing data, but with fewer relays; in theory, this means Private Relay shouldn’t affect browsing speeds as much. Finally, Apple’s Private Relay is only available on Safari to users on iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monteray. To Apple’s credit, the company makes it clear that Private Relay is not a VPN.
Source:The Nation
June 15, 2021 18:45 UTC
CID yet to receive email database
The CID had previously sought the database from the local agent Sea Consortium Lanka Private Limited for its investigation into the maritime disaster and even obtained an order from the Colombo Magistrate’s Court to that effect. President’s Counsel (PC) Sarath Jayamanne, speaking on behalf of the local agent, said that although the Court had instructed the CID to only obtain the emails relevant to the incident, the CID had requested the entire database which infringes upon the privacy of the business. Further, Anura Maddegoda PC, representing the managing director of the local agent company had said that the database amounts to around 6,000 gigabytes and that it is currently being prepared to be handed over to the CID. Accordingly, the Court has ordered the CID to commence investigations into the communications between the SLPA and the ship Captain. The Chairman of the local shipping agent company is due to give a statement to the CID today (16).
Source:The Nation
June 15, 2021 18:11 UTC
The perfect 10! Cristiano Ronaldo breaks Michel Platini's Euros record
1. vs Greece, Euro 2004 Group StagesRonaldo's first goal was in the opening game of Euro 2004, as he headed the hosts a late consolation as they were shocked by Greece in the opener. Czech Republic, Euro 2012 Quarter FinalA diving header against the Czech Republic sent Portugal through to the semi-finals in 2012. Ronaldo's diving header against the Czech Republic in Warsaw sent Portugal into the semis7. Hungary, Euro 2016 Group StagesPortugal were struggling and on their way out before Ronaldo's intervention in France - first his cute backheel. Hungary, Euro 2020 Group StagesRonaldo made history and became the all-time record goalscorer in European Championships after netting from 12 yards.
Source:The Nation
June 15, 2021 18:00 UTC