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
US hits grim 600,000 COVID-19 death toll milestone
The United States hit a grim milestone and surpassed 600,000 coronavirus deaths on Tuesday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. That figure is more than the number of Americans who died during World War I, World War II and the Vietnam War combined, and equal to the yearly cancer toll. The country has the highest overall death figure, reflecting the lack of a unified, national response. Since then, the death rate has dramatically slowed, taking four months and one week to hit 600,000 deaths. As devastating as that 600,000 figure is, the true death toll is believed to be much higher than official counts.
Source:The Nation
June 15, 2021 18:00 UTC
Everything Nintendo announced at the E3 2021 Direct
C. Scott Brown / Android AuthorityEven with so many announcements at E3 2021, no company grabs the spotlight quite like Nintendo. At the Nintendo E3 2021 Direct event, the company showed off a slew of new games for its record-setting Nintendo Switch console. We’ve saved you some time though, as we have rounded up everything announced at the Nintendo E3 2021 Direct event! However, the Nintendo E3 2021 event did have a surprise for us: the announcement of Metroid: Dread, the first 2D platformer game in the Metroid series in 19 years. Other Nintendo E3 2021 announcements
Source:The Nation
June 15, 2021 18:00 UTC
Echoes of Dr. N.M. Perera’s dismissal in present crisis
We retired home to discuss how Dr. Perera might solve the present crisis if he was alive. The crisis that Dr. Perera faced as the Minister of Finance in the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP)/LSSP/Communist Party (CP) Coalition Government in 1972 was far worse than what confronts us today. To end this, Dr. Perera and the coalition government developed the producer co-operatives (such as farmers) and the consumer co-operatives as genuine peoples’ organisations. The co-operatives were so successful that Dr. Perera brought down the price of essentials to affordable levels, and even gave a measure of rice free. I wonder whether what happened to Dr. Perera and Prof. Bibile had any bearing on this.
Source:The Nation
June 15, 2021 18:00 UTC
‘Formal life skills training an antidote to youth suicide’
By Ruwan Laknath JayakodyThe provision of life skills training via the formal education curriculum in schools can be a preventive strategy with regard to problems including that of self harm among adolescents, a health academic noted. According to L. Schlebusch’s “Suicide prevention: A proposed national strategy for South Africa”, individuals with a higher risk for suicide are often poor at problem solving skills and in dealing with interpersonal problems. LaFromboise and B. Howard-Pitney found in “The Zuni life skills development curriculum: Description and evaluation of a suicide prevention programme” that life skills training had improved the negative cognitive affective states and hopelessness, which are the major mediating variables associated with suicide. Pike, and J.R. Herting’s “Promoting care: including parents in youth suicide prevention”, C. Katz, S.L. Katz, C. Isaak, T. Tilston-Jones, J. Sareen, and the Swampy Cree Suicide Prevention Team’s “A systematic review of school based suicide prevention programmes”, D. Wasserman, C.W.
Source:The Nation
June 15, 2021 18:00 UTC
Russia claims to have spotted ANOTHER type of Covid
By Joe Davies For MailonlinePublished: 13:36 EDT, 15 June 2021 | Updated: 13:42 EDT, 15 June 2021Russia claims to have spotted another type of Covid that could thwart the power of vaccines, it was revealed today. Health chiefs have not released any public detail about the variant and local media says experts are confident vaccines should still be effective. 'Alpha' variant First spotted: Kent Scientific name: B.1.1.7 'Beta' variant First spotted: South Africa Scientific name: B.1.351 'Gamma' variant First spotted: India Scientific name: P.1 'Delta' variant First spotted: India Scientific name: B.1.617.2Mr Sobyanin said: 'This is only a temporary solution. Coronaviruses — including the type that causes Covid — are constantly evolving to become better at spreading. Several different Covid variants have already emerged since the pandemic began, including the Kent 'Alpha' variant, which quickly became the world's dominant strain.
Source:The Nation
June 15, 2021 17:48 UTC
Bring on liquor delivery
The truth is, despite the lockdown or the ban on the sale of liquor, liquor consumption has not stopped – it merely declined. To make matters worse, some social media posts also suggest that a tendency has developed among those who consume liquor to manufacture and sometimes sell illicit liquor in small quantities. Allowing the delivery of liquor to homes could be a short-term solution to the rising illicit liquor demand, which poses a threat to the lives of those who consume it, as there is no way to evaluate its quality or the improvised production methods used to produce illicit liquor. In fact, delivering liquor is a newly introduced service, and there are many liquor delivery services in the South Asian region. Even in Sri Lanka, there are a handful of liquor delivery services which are not operating during the lockdown.
Source:The Nation
June 15, 2021 17:48 UTC
ECB insist England's Twenty20 matches against Sri Lanka will go-ahead despite faulty floodlights
An ECB spokesperson insisted: 'We are planning for the games to go ahead as scheduled.' The floodlights need to be fully operational, despite next week featuring the longest day of the year, in case of gloomy weather. It means single spectators require 11 seats each, and the revised attendance will therefore be an estimated 1,500-1,800. Priority in ticket distribution will be given to the ECB and its commercial partners, followed by Glamorgan members and the club's own sponsors. Remaining ones will go to those who purchased first, until no socially distanced seats remain.
Source:The Nation
June 15, 2021 16:52 UTC
Gifting Ideas for Father’s Day 2021
Well- dad always saves the day, and now with Father’s Day just around the corner on the 20th of June- it’s your turn! You can include items from every category and so much more in your Father’s Day gift hamper from Hello Gifts Sri Lanka. The ‘cool’ dads love their ‘cool’ gadgets, and that’s what makes tech accessories a great Father’s Day gift. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/walktoglow/Contact: 0772 838 728William PennThey’re offering a complimentary rose and free packaging on high-value purchases for Father’s Day. They have two Father’s Day boxes containing DIY Father’s Day crafts (with guidelines of course), stationery kits and yummy treats- so your kid can really get creative while putting together a lovely token of appreciation for his/ her favourite superhero.
Source:The Nation
June 15, 2021 16:07 UTC
GSMArena.com turns 21, happy birthday to us!
It’s a big day for all of us here at GSMArena as we complete our 21st lap around the sun. With great power comes great responsibility and we promise to be responsible with our alcohol consumption now that we’re old enough to drink. Dark mode is now present on our mobile site for registered users, joining the ranks of the GSMArena app. We also added a widget to compare devices undergone our battery endurance test to see which one lasts the most. Deal hunting also got easier with our Daily deals page which scouts the Internet for the best discounts on smartphones across several markets.
Source:The Nation
June 15, 2021 15:22 UTC
My phone scared me into changing my passwords
The alert told me that several of my passwords had been compromised in a recent security breach and suggested that I change them right away. In early June, news broke of a new password leak in what may be the largest of all time. A user on a popular hacker forum posted a 100GB .txt file with an estimated 8.4 billion passwords therein. When I checked to see what they were, no fewer than 20 of my passwords had “appeared in a data leak” which put the accounts at “high risk of compromise.” Apple’s password manager recommended I change the passwords right away. Apple’s password manager also signals which passwords are being reused and should be updated.
Source:The Nation
June 15, 2021 15:06 UTC
Sri Lanka confirms 55 new COVID deaths
June 15, 2021 08:11 pmSri Lanka has registered 55 more victims of COVID-19, the Director-General of Health Services confirmed today. The latest fatalities have moved death toll from the virus infection to 2,315, according to Government Information Department’s data. Reportedly, the victims have succumbed to the virus infection on Monday (June 14). As per official data, 44 victims were aged 60 years and above and the remaining 11 were aged between 30-59 years.
Source:The Nation
June 15, 2021 15:00 UTC