On This Day – 16 June
At Summer Olympic Games in Montreal, Canada, he broke both Olympic and world record with a time of 47.63 seconds. Over a period of 10 years, from August 1977 until May 1987, Moses collected 122 straight victoriesOn 16 June 1984, Edwin Moses (centre) won his 100th consecutive 400-metre hurdles race. The ultimate hurdler is running her for the gold at Los Angeles Olympics on 5 August the same year2008 – In France, “the 24 hours of Le Mans race” concludes. Audi scores its fifth straight victory, with drivers Allan McNish of Scotland, Rinaldo Capello of Italy, and Tom Kristensen of Denmark. Stuart Broad forced an outside edge off the final ball but it fell inches short of second slip, prompted gasps all around.
Source:The Nation
June 16, 2021 00:45 UTC
The Ink Station: Copying tattoos
Out of these taboos, I can think of none more frowned upon than tattoo copying. While it may seem like a minor offence, tattoo copying is a very harmful practice that impacts everyone involved in the process, from the original artist, their client, copying artist, and their client. But, unlike these other art styles, the copyright laws against tattoo copying are very lax, leaving us to fend for ourselves. As I mentioned before, copyright laws against tattoo copying are still lax. Due to this, tattoo artists must abide by their own morals and not partake in tattoo copying, while clients should do their best to deter their tattoo artists from copying another artist’s work.
Source:The Nation
June 15, 2021 23:03 UTC
FIDE Online Queen’s Chess Festival 2021: Sanidula and Oshini second in Asian Qualifiers
By Ishani UpatharithaSanidula Dahamdi of Musaeus College, ColomboSanidula Dahamdi of Musaeus College, Colombo won the second place in the Asian Qualifier of the rating category between 1500-1799 in the Queen’s Chess Festival, conducted by the FIDE Women’s Commission on Sunday (13). The nine-year-old Oshini Gunawardena from Ferguson High School, Ratnapura also got second place in the rating category of less than 1500 in the same Asian Qualifier event. Gunawardena scored nine points along with two others and had to be satisfied with the second place according to the tie-breaker. The online Queen’s Chess Festival is an open event organised by the FIDE Women’s Commission for female chess players in the world on the Tornelo Platform. It is a blitz chess event which gives three minutes plus two seconds for each move played.
Source:The Nation
June 15, 2021 23:03 UTC
‘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
Discussions begin on Bangladesh trade agreement
Cabinet approves Preferential Trade AgreementBy Imsha IqbalPrime Minister of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa and PrimeMinister of Bangladesh Sheikh HasinaThe Sri Lankan Government is discussing the possibility of entering into a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) with Bangladesh, with whom it entered into a swap agreement recently, The Morning Business learns. Speaking to The Morning Business, Trade Ministry Secretary Bhadrani Jayawardena stated that with both countries being developing countries in the same region, Sri Lanka looks forward to maintaining good trade relations with Bangladesh. Jayawardena stated: “We have not decided a date of signing (the PTA); we (both countries) have agreed, but it is at the discussion stage,” implying that such a trade agreement would be possible, as the involved countries have expressed each other’s agreement. Cabinet approval was granted to a proposal furnished by the Minister of Trade regarding entering into a PTA with Bangladesh, in order to hold discussions with the relevant authorities of the aforementioned country. In terms of economic benefits, Jayawardena said “both countries (Sri Lanka and Bangladesh) are trying to achieve development targets.
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
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
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
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