Eradication of child labour a priority: Labour Minister
“While some interpret child labour as the cause of parental poverty, it is illegal for some parents to employ underaged children to earn money. The Minister of Labour further stated that the United Nations has declared 2021 as the Year for the Elimination of Child Labour. The Minister said that the time has come to change the Child and Labour Laws and Orders to prevent the use of child labour as well as child trafficking and to review the dangerous occupational regulations, especially under the Women, Youth and Child Employment Act. De Silva said that child labour in the country is at a very low level at present. The Minister also pointed out that although child labour levels are not even one percent of the population of Sri Lanka, there are still many NGOs that talk about child labor.
Source:The Nation
July 02, 2021 09:00 UTC
Up to 5million British holidaymakers could be BARRED from Europe
Up to five million British holidaymakers could potentially be banned from Europe because they were given Indian-made versions of the AstraZeneca Covid jab. Those who were given the Covishield jab will have the numbers 4120Z001, 4120Z002 or 4120Z003, according to the Telegraph. Up to five million British holidaymakers could potentially be banned from Europe because they were given Indian-made versions of the AstraZeneca Covid jab. Britons who were jabbed with certain batches of the AstraZeneca vaccine could be barred from entering Europe. Minister Subrahmanyan Jaishankar said he raised the issue of authorisation of the Covishield vaccine during a meeting with EU representatives in Italy this week.
Source:The Nation
July 01, 2021 23:15 UTC
On This Day – 2 July
1951 – A memorable day for Worcestershire wicketkeeper Hugo Yarnold in Dundee. She won it by defeating Maria Bueno in the Ladies Singles Championship, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1Billie Jean King, an icon in women’s tennis1969 – The day David slew Goliath. West Indies were humbled by Ireland in 1969West Indies were demolished by Ireland for just 25. Then, after Ireland made 125/8Katherine Brunt, probably the greatest women’s fast bowler in the history of England cricket1985 – Birth of Katherine Brunt, England women’s all-time leading wicket taker. She also took 3/6 against New Zealand in the 2009 World T20 final, England’s first win in the tournament.
Source:The Nation
July 01, 2021 23:03 UTC
The Best Podcast Apps for Your iPhone and iPad (2021)
Apple Podcasts is the standard podcast app for many iOS users, but recent iOS 14 updates have made it an unbearable mess. Pocket Casts brings together almost every useful feature found across pretty much every other podcast manager out there, plus plenty that are unique. Given how many features Pocket Casts packs in, it seems odd that it lacks this kind of customization. To be clear, it’s still one of the best podcast apps out there, and an excellent alternative to Pocket Casts (let alone the official Apple app). It was updated again on 7/1/2021 with a new competitor pick, iCatcher!, and updated feature information for Pocket Casts, Overcast, Procast, and Breaker.
Source:The Nation
July 01, 2021 21:33 UTC
On This Day – 30 June Jayasuriya birthday!
The legend was in the making, in MataraSanath Jayasuriya, who was born today, left his mark on the cricket world with a series of stunning assaults. He was the player of the 1996 World Cup, most famously battering 82 off only 44 balls against England in the quarter-finals. In 2007, Jayasuriya became only the third spinner to reach 300 wickets in ODIs, and the first cricketer to play 400 ODIs. Australia won by seven wicketsA special Sri Lankan who redefined world cricket is born today. He decimated India at the Ferozeshah Kotla in the 1996 World Cup.
Source:The Nation
July 01, 2021 21:22 UTC
Sri Lanka cricket maintains its slide to ignominy
Eoin Morgan’s England squad is deep with skilled and experienced players. Firstly, he is saying that England bowlers did not allow SL batters to take the handbrake off; England bowlers did not show any mercy or charity towards their guests. England bowlers were not generous hosts. Despite the team manager’s dunderheaded excuses* for three player’s inexcusable behaviour, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) management has rightfully recalled the three players back to SL. Selectors have not done themselves any favours by stacking the tour squad with bowlers and bowling all-rounders.
Source:The Nation
July 01, 2021 20:26 UTC
Can You Really Make Money on Twitter?
Photo: Primakov (Shutterstock) Photo: Primakov (Shutterstock)Twitter has launched two new features, Super Follows and Ticketed Spaces, that the company says will help creators make money off of their followers. Probably not, unless you already have a huge Twitter following eager to consume your content at a premium. (If you qualify but aren’t accepted, you’ll be added to a waitlist until the services open up to more users, according to Twitter). Assuming that you’re lucky enough to make $70,000 on Twitter, you’d see after-tax earnings of less than $30,000. For that reason, it’s hard to not to see Super Follows as more of a glorified tip jar, rather than a direct competitor, at least for now.
Source:The Nation
July 01, 2021 19:41 UTC
Teenager, 19, stabbed two sisters to death in London park
A teenager stabbed and killed two sisters in a 'celebration of death' after making a 'diabolical' deal with a demon to win the lottery, a court heard today. Danyal Hussein, 19, is on trial at the Old Bailey accused of murdering Bibaa Henry, 46, and Nicole Smallman, 27, in the early hours of June 6 last year. The sisters' bodies were discovered concealed in bushes near a picnic spot where they had been celebrating Ms Henry's birthday in Fryent Country Park, Wembley. The sisters, who had been celebrating Ms Henry's birthday with friends, were found the following day by Ms Smallman's boyfriend. Hussein, of Blackheath, south-east London, has denied two counts of murder and possessing a knife.
Source:The Nation
July 01, 2021 19:07 UTC
130 countries agree global taxation deals that will affect tech giants such as Amazon and Facebook
The OECD added in a statement that global companies, including US behemoths Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Apple would be taxed at a rate of at least 15 percent. Ireland, the EU home to tech giants Facebook, Google and Apple, has a corporate tax rate of just 12.5 percent. The second 'pillar' is a minimum level of corporate tax globally, so that governments do not compete with each other by lowering taxes to attract investment from large multinationals. The G7 also agreed to set a global standard of corporation tax - set at 15 per cent minimum. Germany, another backer of the tax reform, hailed it has a 'colossal step towards tax justice', and France said it was 'the most important tax agreement in a century'.
Source:The Nation
July 01, 2021 18:11 UTC
Nurses trade union action cripples hospital services
Leading nurses’ unions in the country launched an island-wide strike on Thursday (July 01), bringing operations at main hospitals to a standstill. The two-day trade union action was launched by the Public Service United Nurses’ Union, Government Nursing Officers’ Association and the All-Ceylon Nurses’ Association. Nursing staffs of all hospitals and health institutions – except specialized hospitals such as COVID treatment centres, women and children’s hospitals and the Apeksha Hospital in Maharagama –joined the trade union action today. However, all nurses at specialized hospitals voluntarily reported for duty out of uniform and without marking attendance. The strike resulted in disruption of services at hospitals across the country, including the Colombo National Hospital, the Colombo South Teaching Hospital, the Colombo North Teaching Hospital, the National Eye Hospital and the Kandy National Hospital.
Source:The Nation
July 01, 2021 18:00 UTC
5 Tips To Change Career After The Pandemic
Change Your PerspectiveChange can be overwhelming, especially something as big as a career shift after a pandemic. In the U.K., 70% of their workers are considering a career change as a result of the pandemic. You can either dwell on the negative effects of this pandemic or view the crisis as an opportunity for change. Research, Research, ResearchBuilding your own unique niche and attaining immediate and long-term success from it is a very challenging pursuit. It can be easy for a virtual interview to feel less formal than a physical meeting, even if it’s not.
Source:The Nation
July 01, 2021 18:00 UTC
Daily COVID cases count climbs to 1,815
July 1, 2021 09:07 pmThe Health Ministry says 642 more people have tested positive for COVID-19 today (July 01) increasing the daily count of positive cases to 1,815. All new cases reported within the day have been associated with the New Year cluster, which recorded a total of 253,429 virus infections since mid-April this year. The new development brings Sri Lanka’s confirmed coronavirus cases tally to 260,904. According to official data, as many as 227,840 patients who were infected with the virus have regained health so far. Meanwhile, the death toll now stands at 3,120.
Source:The Nation
July 01, 2021 15:33 UTC
COVID- 43 new victims take death toll to 3,120
July 1, 2021 07:49 pmSri Lanka has registered 43 more COVID-19 related fatalities confirmed by the Director General of Health Services on Saturday (July 30). The new development has pushed the official death toll due to the virus in Sri Lanka to 3,120. According to the data released by the Department of Government Information, the latest victims confirmed today include 27 females and 16 males. Six of the victims were aged between 30-59 years and the remaining 37 were aged 60 and above.
Source:The Nation
July 01, 2021 14:15 UTC
Sri Lanka has no proper understanding of Delta variant, PHI Union charges
Sri Lanka’s COVID-19 elimination program is carried out without a proper understanding of the Delta variant, the Public Health Inspectors’ (PHI) Union charges. The Chairman of the Union Upul Rohana said that this could push the country into a risky situation. He pointed out that infections of the Delta variant have been reported from several areas of the country in a context where nearly 2,000 coronavirus-positive cases are reported daily. He said, “Proper research should be conducted on the Delta variant in all [reported] areas and the accurate findings must be given to us. The COVID-19 control program is currently implemented without a full understanding of this [Delta variant].”The Delta variant is becoming the globally dominant version of the disease, the World Health Organization’s chief scientist said recently.
Source:The Nation
July 01, 2021 13:30 UTC
1,173 new COVID-19 cases reported
July 1, 2021 06:25 pmThe Ministry of Health reports that another 1,173 persons have tested positive for coronavirus today (July 01). All new cases are associated with the New Year Covid-19 cluster. This brings the total number of COVID-19 cases confirmed in the country thus far to 260,262. Presently 31,280 infected patients are being treated at hospitals and treatment centers across the island. Meanwhile, the number of total recoveries has reached 225,952.
Source:The Nation
July 01, 2021 12:56 UTC