Navy Commander receives ICG vessels from India
Commander of Sri Lanka Navy Vice Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne received Captains of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) vessels which were deployed in Operation Sagar Araksha II as they arrived at the Colombo Port for Operational Turn Around today (10), the High Commission of India in Sri Lanka said. Captains briefed the Commander about their role in the Operation, particularly about Samudra Prahari, which is a specialized pollution response vessel. Meanwhile, High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Gopal Baglay, who joined in on the occasion, thanked the Commander and Sri Lanka Navy for extending whole-hearted cooperation to the Indian vessels throughout the Operation. The statement recalled that the three ICG vessels sent from India along with the ICG Dornier aircraft were actively involved in the efforts towards dousing the fire onboard MV X-Press Pearl. Further, pollution Control Vessels were able to assist in assessment of Maritime Pollution Threats and were fully equipped to mitigate environmental concerns.
Source:The Nation
June 10, 2021 10:30 UTC
Sri Lanka reports 1,811 more COVID recoveries
June 10, 2021 04:22 pmThe Ministry of Health says 1,811 more novel coronavirus patients were discharged from medical care within the last 24 hours as they have returned to health. This brings the total number of recoveries from COVID-19 in the country to 182,238. Sri Lanka has so far reported 213,396 positive cases of COVID-19 and among them as many as 29,248 virus-infected patients are still being treated at designated hospitals and treatment centres. The death toll from the outbreak of the virus meanwhile stands at 1,910.
Source:The Nation
June 10, 2021 10:18 UTC
Foreign Minister conveys appreciation to Australian, Russian counterparts for support to Sri Lanka
The Foreign Minister welcomed Australian assistance in the form of a COVID-19 containment package amounting to Rs. The Foreign Minister requested for the Australian government’s support to procure Astra Zeneca vaccines which the Australian Minister agreed to consider positively. Acknowledging the positive role that Australian Development Assistance has played in the national development efforts of Sri Lanka, Minister Gunawardena emphasized the importance of continued support to Sri Lanka at this critical time. In response to a specific request made by the Sri Lanka side, the Australian Foreign Minister offered to make available to Sri Lanka technical assistance to mitigate the environmental damage caused by the ‘X-Press Pearl’ ship in Sri Lankan waters. The Foreign Minister also reiterated Sri Lanka’s appreciation to Russia for the support extended to Sri Lanka in multilateral fora, including in the Human Rights Council, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Source:The Nation
June 10, 2021 10:18 UTC
Michael Vaughan calls for end to cricket's 'ridiculous' Twitter row
Former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan has called for an end to the 'witch hunt' into players' historical tweets. The ex-batsman, 46, branded the weaponising of old posts as 'utterly ridiculous' and 'no one' was offended by them when they were written. His old teammate Michael Atherton also weighed into the row and said the way bosses have handled it had led to a 'snooper's charter' on players' social media. The squad continues to be marred by the emerging of historical social media posts - with some containing unsavoury language. Atherton added ECB chief Tom Harrison's handling of the crisis had led to a 'snooper's charter' into players' old posts.
Source:The Nation
June 10, 2021 10:01 UTC
Ex-military personnel dominating Covid-19 response lack expertise: NCCSL
Sri Lanka’s pandemic response mechanisms and important parts of the public administration seem to be dominated by ex-military personnel, many of whom lack the relevant expertise for the task, the National Christian Council of Sri Lanka (NCCSL) expressed in a statement issued yesterday (09). Adding that Sri Lanka’s quality medical personnel are not adequately at the helm to meet this health crisis, the NCCSL stated that Sri Lanka continues to remain as a nation which lacks a suitably designed public health response. Upon consideration of the Covid-19 pandemic situation in the country, the churches affiliated with the NCCSL seek to urge the government to address the current situation. Further, it was also expressed that justice should be present with regard to access to vaccines both locally and internationally. In this regard, the NCCSL stated that it calls for a credible and independent inquiry into how such a crisis could have occurred.
Source:The Nation
June 10, 2021 10:01 UTC
Ethiopia and Sri Lanka to expand bilateral trade
The Chambers of Commerce of Ethiopia and Sri Lanka will conduct studies to enable expansion of bilateral trade between the two nations, the Foreign Ministry expressed in a statement released yesterday (09). This marked the first instance in which Bilateral Consultations between Sri Lanka and Ethiopia took place. Accordingly, the Foreign Ministry stated that the consultations focused on strengthening political, economic, social and cultural ties. It was revealed that over 400 Sri Lankan professionals are currently employed in the hospitality and apparel manufacturing sectors in Ethiopia and there are opportunities for skilled employment for Sri Lankans in private sector companies in Ethiopia. Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Ethiopia Sugeeshwara Gunaratna, senior officials of the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry and Department of Commerce also participated in the meeting.
Source:The Nation
June 10, 2021 09:11 UTC
Alpha Covid strain found in many parts of SL: Expert
Covid patients infected with the UK Covid strain B117 (alpha) have been found in many parts of Sri Lanka. According to the biological samples obtained, the infected patients were found in Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Kuliyapitiya, Wariyapola, Habaraduwa, Tissamaharama, Karapitiya and Ragama, stated Dr. Chandima Jeewandara, Director, Institute of Immunology and Cell Biology, University of Sri Jayewardenepura. He also said that a person infected with B.1.617.2 (Delta), which is considered to be an Indian Covid strain, was found at the Wadduwa Quarantine Center. It has been reported that the person had come to this country from India.
Source:The Nation
June 10, 2021 06:56 UTC
Poolside party raided in Colombo, nine arrested
June 10, 2021 by Mihi Perera No CommentsPolice have raided a poolside party held at an apartment complex in Colombo in violation of travel restrictions. Nine partygoers were arrested at the party that was held on the rooftop of the apartment complex in Colombo 03. Accordingly, Police Spokesman DIG Ajith Rohana said that they will be subjected to quarantine as well.
Source:The Nation
June 10, 2021 06:00 UTC
Coir Creations introduces eco-friendly helmet to Ministry of Environment
The local private company called Coir Creations has invented a new eco-friendly helmet and other type of coir productions to the Ministry of Environment today (10). “This helmet and other coir productions are more environmentally friendly and safer than the imported helmets currently used in our country, made using 100% coconut coir fiber,” the Ministry of Environment said today. The officials from the Coir Creations presented their productions to Minister of Environment Mahinda Amaraweera at the Ministry of Environment yesterday (09). “Safety helmets made from these coir fibers are healthier than the other Plastics and synthetic helmets currently in use. Especially absorbing sunlight, easy to wash and clean, light weight, no discomfort to the head even in dry weather, no damage from ultraviolet rays, no odor like other helmets, Its coir fiber helmets are natural and eco-friendly and will decompose quickly after release into the environment,” Coir Creations officials said.
Source:The Nation
June 10, 2021 06:00 UTC
Covid vaccine clinical trials: Challenges and opportunities
Voo and N. SreeharanThe large-scale deployment of Covid-19 vaccines will seriously affect the second and third phases of the ongoing randomised placebo-controlled trials assessing SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidates. Until then, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover trials will continue to play a role in the development of new vaccine candidates. Firstly, what investigators should do with placebo recipients of the ongoing vaccine RCTs with the deployed vaccines. And thirdly, what should happen to ongoing and future trials of other Covid-19 vaccine candidates currently in clinical development. Discussions and agreement on the most ethical way to do clinical trials and licensure of vaccine candidates in the context of a pandemic deserve further evaluation.
Source:The Nation
June 10, 2021 04:52 UTC
Airlines could weighing passengers under new FAA rules
New FAA guidelines for estimating passenger weight could result in some passengers getting bumps from flights if airlines don't adequately plan for changes. Scales are one, with airlines weighing a broad sample of passengers either at high-trafficked locations in airports, or individually before boarding an aircraft. Airlines, however, are more likely to opt for a simpler and less intrusive route, and can rely on CDC health survey results to determine their average passenger weight. That's eight pounds heavier than the airline's estimate under the previous guidelines. Carry-on and checked bags are heavier too, with American determining that each are five and four pounds heavier respectively, according to the outlet.
Source:The Nation
June 10, 2021 04:07 UTC
67 Covid deaths confirmed yesterday
June 10, 2021 by Mihi Perera No CommentsA total of 67 COVID-19 deaths have been confirmed on Wednesday (09),stated the Director General of Health Services Dr Asela Gunawardene today. Accordingly, 19 deaths occurred from May 17th to 31st while 48 deaths occurred from June 01st to June 08th. The total number of fatalities in Sri Lanka is 1,910.
Source:The Nation
June 10, 2021 03:45 UTC
Spells of showers expected in parts of the island today
Several spells of showers will occur in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central and North-western provinces and in Galle and Matara districts. Sea areas:Showers or thundershowers will occur at several places in the sea areas extending from Puttalam to Hambantota via Colombo, Galle and Matara. Showers or thundershowers will occur at a few places in the other sea areas. Winds will be south-westerly in the sea areas around the island. The other sea areas around the island can be fairly rough at times.
Source:The Nation
June 10, 2021 03:03 UTC
Huawei's HarmonyOS 2 already passes 10 million users
Huawei's new HarmonyOS 2 seems to be quite successful in China, as it's already passed 10 million users - aka active devices using it. To mark the momentous occasion, the company has decided to celebrate with a rather unique-looking cake, as you can see below. It will be interesting to see how the company handles the transition to HarmonyOS outside of China, on international devices. Anyway, the numbers of products running a version of HarmonyOS are definitely only set to grow in the future, after this great start. Huawei in fact hopes to achieve 360 million active devices running HarmonyOS by the end of the year, as well as convincing 1.2 million developers to write apps for its platforms.
Source:The Nation
June 10, 2021 01:18 UTC
Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram have worldwide outages
By Adam Schrader and Sam Tonkin For Dailymail.ComPublished: 19:21 EDT, 9 June 2021 | Updated: 20:52 EDT, 9 June 2021Facebook as well as its sister social media platforms WhatsApp and Instagram faced massive outages worldwide on Wednesday. More than a thousand people in countries including the United States, Morocco, Mexico, Bolivia and Brazil reported outages since 6 p.m. to DownDetector.com. Nick Tesfaye, who lives in the Moroccan city of Meknes, reported to the web service that Facebook had a 'total blackout.' It was not immediately clear if the Facebook outage on Wednesday was related to the larger outage. DailyMail.com has reached out to Facebook for more information and additional comment about the outage.
Source:The Nation
June 10, 2021 01:05 UTC