Harsha questions govt.’s Sinopharm vaccine purchases
Opposition MP Harsha De Silva stated today (01) that despite the Sri Lankan Government’s claims that Bangladesh did not purchase the Sinopharm vaccine at US$10 per dose, a national Bangladeshi newspaper says otherwise. “Why is Sri Lanka paying US$15 per dose for 14m doses?,” he asked, adding that Sri Lanka is paying LKR14 Billion more to procure Sinopharm vaccines. He further noted in the said Facebook post that its price is still under discussion. He claimed that the Chinese Embassy in Colombo and the Beijing-based Bio-Institute of Biological Products Co. Ltd., which manufactures Sinopharm, have informed him that there is no agreement to provide the Sinopharm vaccine to Bangladesh for $ 10. He further noted in the said Facebook post that its price is still under discussion.
Source:The Nation
June 01, 2021 08:03 UTC
All liquor stores sealed during travel-restricted period
All licensed liquor sale outlets across the country will be remain sealed during the travel-restricted period as a precautionary measure, the Department of Excise announced today (June 01). Accordingly, the order will be in force until the travel restrictions are lifted on the 07th of June.
Source:The Nation
June 01, 2021 07:52 UTC
iQOO Z3 India launch set for June 8
The iQOO Z3 announced in China in March was supposed to arrive in India in early May, but plans were changed due to the second COVID-19 wave in the country. However, with the situation getting better, the phone maker today announced it will introduce the Z3 in India on June 8. The iQOO Z3 will come with the Snapdragon 768G 5G SoC at the helm, making it India's first smartphone to be powered by Qualcomm's 7nm chipset. iQOO Z3For photography, the iQOO Z3 comes with a total of four cameras - a 16MP selfie shooter inside the notch and a triple camera setup on the back consisting of 64MP primary, 8MP ultrawide, and 2MP macro units. iQOO hasn't revealed the Z3's pricing in India, but the smartphone's base variant with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage costs CNY1,699 ($265/€220) in China, which translates to around INR19,400 at current exchange rates, so expect it to be priced in the same range in India.
Source:The Nation
June 01, 2021 07:41 UTC
Suspect arrested with over 100 kilograms of Kerala cannabis
A man was arrested with 129 kilograms of Kerala cannabis during a search operation carried out by the STF at a house in the Kolonnawa area in Colombo yesterday. Police Media Spokesman DIG Ajith Rohana stated that the arrested person is a 37 year old resident of Dematagoda, Veluwana Road. The stock of Kerala cannabis along with the suspect has been handed over to the Police Narcotics Bureau for further investigation. Meanwhile, STF personnel raided a cannabis field in the Sooriyawewa area and arrested a suspect with 3,000 cannabis plants. The suspect along with the cannabis plants were handed over to the Sevanagala Police and produced before the Embilipitiya Magistrate’s Court, the police spokesman said.
Source:The Nation
June 01, 2021 07:04 UTC
Quarantine facility established for Maha Sanga
June 1, 2021 by Aazam Ameen No CommentsIn light of the recent exponential increase in Covid-19 cases in the country, the Media Bureau of Sri Dalada Maligawa stated today (01) that a purpose-built Covid-19 quarantine center specifically for the Maha Sangha has been established. This facility which is located in Kandy was officially handed over to the Ministry of Health today.
Source:The Nation
June 01, 2021 06:56 UTC
Coronavirus UK: Scientists demand RETHINK on June 21 'Freedom Day'
'These are areas where the variant first identified in India seem to be causing the majority of the infections spreading quickly. And if we don't handle these volcanoes carefully, they could explode and send a massive gas plume across much more of the UK.' Yesterday, one further death in the UK was recorded by the same metric and 3,383 lab-confirmed cases were confirmed. Those tested will not be expected to self-isolate while awaiting the outcome, the Kent County Council said in a statement. They include B.1.1.7, known in the UK as the Kent variant and around the world as the UK variant - but now labelled by the WHO as Alpha.
Source:The Nation
June 01, 2021 06:56 UTC
Honor Band 6 launching soon in India
The Honor Band 6 that was announced in China last November and went on sale globally in March will debut in India soon. This confirmation comes from Indian e-commerce giant Flipkart, which set up a page for the smart band on its website. The Honor Band 6 packs a 1.47" AMOLED color touchscreen, which is 148% larger than its predecessor's display. The Honor Band 6 will be sold in Meteorite Black, Sandstone Grey, and Coral Pink colors in India, but its pricing and availability details remain unknown. In the meantime, you can read our Honor Band 6 review to learn more about it.
Source:The Nation
June 01, 2021 06:00 UTC
Sri Lanka Police Headquarters to move to Attidiya, Dehiwala
COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka’s Cabinet of Ministers has granted approval for the construction of the new Sri Lanka Police Headquarters in Attidiya Road, Dehiwala. According to a document released by the Department of Government Information, the new Sri Lanka Police headquarters will be moved to a 14-acre land located at No. 142., Bellantota Junction in Attidiya Road. The Sri Lanka Police Headquarters is currently operating in three buildings which are more than 100 years old, connecting York Street and Chaithiya Road and has also rented buildings due to the lack of space at the premises. It added that on the 11th of July 2021 approval was granted by the cabinet to construct the Sri Lanka Police Headquarters Complex in Mirihana, however, the necessary steps were not taken in accordance with the cabinet decision.
Source:The Nation
June 01, 2021 05:48 UTC
Iran and Sri Lanka to strengthen cultural ties
A discussion between the Iranian Ambassador and State Minister of Women and Child Development, Pre-schools and Primary Education, School Infrastructure and School Services, Piyal Nishantha De Silva took place recently. Accordingly, the State Minister highlighted that the long-lasting relationship between Sri Lanka and Iran should be strengthened. He also added that Sri Lanka has established enhanced relations with Iran in the fields of Investment, tourism promotion, and education. The Iranian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, pointed out that effective steps would be taken to uplift and promote relations with Sri Lanka in tourism and investments fields.
Source:The Nation
June 01, 2021 05:48 UTC
Over 84,000 doses of vaccine administered yesterday
June 1, 2021 by Mihi Perera No CommentsUnder the country’s Covid-19 immunization program, 84,565 doses of vaccines were administered yesterday (31). Minister of State Prof. Channa Jayasumana stated that this is the highest number of vaccines given in a single day. The first dose of the Sinopharm vaccine was given to 72,887 people and the first dose of the Sputnik v vaccine was given to 10,157 people. In addition, the second dose of the AstraZeneca Covishield was given to 1,521 people yesterday. So far, 347,310 people have received both doses of the Covid vaccine.
Source:The Nation
June 01, 2021 04:41 UTC
Over 2,900 Covid cases reported yesterday
June 1, 2021 by Mihi Perera No CommentsSri Lanka recorded a total of 2,912 COVID-19 infections on Monday (31), said the National Operations Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO). 2,882 of these cases were from the Post-New Year Cluster while the remaining 30 were those who tested positive for the virus after returning from overseas.
Source:The Nation
June 01, 2021 03:00 UTC
More than 1,000 arrested over quarantine law violations yesterday
Sri Lanka Police has arrested 1,047 individuals on Monday (May 31) for violating quarantine regulations such as wearing face masks and maintaining social distancing in public places. According to Police Spokesperson DIG Ajith Rohana, this is the highest number of quarantine law violators arrested within a period of 24 hours. Reportedly, 160 of the arrests were made by Matale Police, 119 by Nikaweratiya Police and 98 others by Kandy Police. In addition, three suspects who violated quarantine rules and regulations have been apprehended in a special drone operation carried out in Katukurunda area, DIG Rohana stated. Police spokesperson said nearly 23,000 police officers have been deployed to apprehend people flouting movement restrictions and health protocols.
Source:The Nation
June 01, 2021 02:48 UTC
WHO introduces naming system for COVID variants to avoid stigma
The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced a new naming system for variants of COVID-19. The UK variant for instance is labelled as Alpha, the South African Beta, and the Indian as Delta. Earlier this month the Indian government criticised the naming of variant B.1.617.2 - first detected in the country last October - as the “Indian variant”, though the WHO had never officially labelled it as such. “No country should be stigmatised for detecting and reporting variants,” the WHO’s COVID-19 technical lead, Maria Van Kerkhove, tweeted. — Maria Van Kerkhove (@mvankerkhove) May 31, 2021Letters will refer to both variants of concern, and variants of interest.
Source:The Nation
June 01, 2021 02:03 UTC
Country is going to be doomed?
BBC World Service kept listeners around the globe informed during the Second World War. In fact, the deceit surrounding ‘The Diana interview’ is far worse than what is referred to in the editorial. Lord Dyson also queried the bizarre decision of the BBC, rehiring Bashir in 2016 as religious affairs correspondent, quickly promoting him to the post of BBC’s Religion Editor. After showing Spencer the fake bank statements, Bashir induced him to arrange a meeting with Diana. Bashir encouraged Diana to believe Tiggy had an affair with Charles and even aborted his baby.
Source:The Nation
June 01, 2021 01:06 UTC
I don’t like sloppy cricketers – Arthur
Arthur, a stern advocate of fitness, during his previous stint with Pakistan axed Umar Akmal in 2017 for poor fitness levels. His fitness levels are not there where it has to be,” Arthur said. His fitness levels too are not at required standards. But at the moment his skin folds have gone up and he’s got to work on it,” Arthur explained. It was just sloppy cricket and I don’t like sloppy cricketers.
Source:The Nation
June 01, 2021 00:56 UTC