COVID-19 UK variant spreading countrywide
COVID-19 UK variant spreading countrywide View(s):The UK variant of COVID-19 is taking a heavy toll in Medirigiriya, Galle, Hikkaduwa, Vavuniya, Kalutara and Kurunegala forcing the Government to adopt countrywide measures, according to Dr Chandima Jeewandara, Director of Operations and Clinical Services of the Allergy, Immunology & Cell Biology Unit of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. The UK variant (B1.1.7) of COVID-19, which has now been identified in the country, is 50 percent more transmissible and has a death rate of 55 percent more than the normal variant of the virus. The Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara districts are among the regions where high numbers of COVID-19 cases are being reported. Earlier this week, the health authorities confirmed that the latest surge in COVID-19 infections was due to the B.1.1.7 variant of COVID-19, first detected in the UK. The new variant spreads faster and infects far more people, causes more severe symptoms and is also airborne, health officials warned.
Source:Sunday Times
May 02, 2021 00:54 UTC
Shipments turned away; Govt. pushes ahead with chemical fertiliser ban
pushes ahead with chemical fertiliser ban By Chris Kamalendran President insists on switch to organic variety; but farmers fear shortage; expert suggests gradual process View(s): View(s):The Government has turned away two shipments from China and suspended the issue of letters of credit (LC) to import chemical fertiliser to the country in a bid to give way to the new policy of converting to organic fertiliser. Two shipments from China carrying 18,000 Mt of chemical fertiliser for paddy and other crops are among the shipments which have been cancelled in keeping with the directive from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to switch over to organic fertiliser with immediate effect. On Friday, the Agriculture Minister met private companies representatives to discuss ways of producing organic fertiliser required for the next season. The Agriculture Ministry said it secured Cabinet approval to convert the state-owned Ceylon Fertiliser Company Ltd. into an institution that would produce, supply and distribute organic fertiliser in association with local government institutions. He has stated that Sri Lanka is the first country in the world to stop the import of chemical fertiliser.
Source:Sunday Times
May 02, 2021 00:54 UTC
Axe on several seniors in limited over cricket
Mathews, Chandimal, Thisara, Dimuth and Lahiru are all in their early 30s with at least two to three years of international cricket left. Dasun Shanaka will retain the T20 captaincy at least until the World Cup. So we have weighed all options and ultimately it comes to Kusal Perera,” sources explain. Sri Lanka recently appointed a five-member new selection panel headed by former Sri Lanka fast bowler Pramodya Wickremasinghe and also brought Tom Moody as Director Cricket, a newly created position with wide ranging powers to make Sri Lanka cricket great once again. Sri Lanka will travel to Bangladesh for a three match ODI series on May 15th and then to England for three ODIs and three T20s on June 8, 2021
Source:Sunday Times
May 02, 2021 00:54 UTC
Hotels permitted to accept dollar payments from Sri Lankans
Hotels permitted to accept dollar payments from Sri Lankans View(s):In a bid to draw foreign currencies in the possession of Sri Lankans into the banking system, the Government has issued a gazette allowing hotels registered with the Sri Lankan Tourism Development Authority to accept such money as payment for services. It permits hotels to accept such payment from persons resident in Sri Lanka in respect of services rendered. “By default, the US dollar is not a trading currency in Sri Lanka,” a travel industry source told the Sunday Times. “Hotels, however, could accept foreign currency from a foreign passport holder, but not a Sri Lankan national,” he continued. The latest gazette does not set any limits on the amount of foreign currency to be used in payment of services.
Source:Sunday Times
May 02, 2021 00:54 UTC
Battle for Colombo Port- May 1521
Battle for Colombo Port- May 1521 Dr Ajith Amarasinghe recalls a turning point in our history 500 years ago View(s): View(s):The Colombo Port City has become the most discussed topic of the day. When Sri Jayawardanepura Kotte became the capital city in the early 15th Century, the port of Colombo became the most important harbour in the island. The Viceroy met the King in Colombo and sought permission to build a fortress in Colombo. The people erected barricades and began to shoot arrows at the Portuguese garrison, killing a few Portuguese soldiers. The battle for Colombo Fort which was fought exactly 500 years ago was a definite turning point in the history of Sri Lanka, as it ensured the continuous presence of Europeans in the island for the next 450 years.
Source:Sunday Times
May 02, 2021 00:54 UTC
Sri Lanka’s vanaspathi exports to India plummet
Sri Lanka’s vanaspathi exports to India plummet By Bandula Sirimanna View(s): View(s):Sri Lanka’s vanaspathi export industry (fully or partially hydrogenated vegetable cooking oil) established to cater to the needs of India under the Free Trade Agreement has been adversely affected following the ban imposed on crude palm oil (HS Code1511.10) by the government. Thirteen companies engaged in the production of vanaspathi using palm oil for the Indian market are on the verge of collapsing, several leading members of the Vanaspathi Exporters Association told the Business Times. The 13 factories with around 5000 workers are set to close down operations as it has to cancel all forward import contracts with palm oil suppliers. The local vanaspathi industry came into being as a result of FTA which has allowed Sri Lanka to export 250,000 tonnes duty-free vanaspati to India per annum with its value at around US$32 million. According to industry sources, the formal local manufacturing industry is worth Rs.
Source:Sunday Times
May 02, 2021 00:54 UTC
India’s harrowing death wail shocks and stuns the world
Dubbed the ‘Modi-made disaster’ by the vociferous Indian media, public outrage rose to a crescendo at the ‘policy paralysis’ of the Modi Government which has led inexorably to India’s COVID Catastrophe. The same driving force prompted the Health Minister of India, Harsh Varadhan, to seek his own hour of glory. But it seems not only religious festivals are considered sacred to Modi’s India. And did Prime Minister Modi give his blessing for the campaigning to go ahead full swing, in spite of the surging COVID toll? In the past week, an alarming resurgence in COVID cases and deaths has gripped Lankans in mortal fear.
Source:Sunday Times
May 02, 2021 00:54 UTC
Why are incontinence patients being denied life changing BOTOX injections?
Botox injections for urge incontinence are highly successful, reducing incontinence in three-quarters of patients, with effects lasting up to a year before a top-up is needed. Some incontinence patients have reported great improvements having being injected with Botox once every six monthsOne said it had given her a new lease of life. It makes my life a misery.’Dr Spence-Jones said part of the problem facing patients was that pelvic-floor services were not yet fully co-ordinated. ‘Services for cancer patients are streamlined to make sure that you wouldn’t have a general gynaecologist treating patients with gynaecological cancer. In the same way, we should not have general gynaecologists or urologists treating patients with pelvic-floor problems,’ he said.
Source:The Nation
May 01, 2021 21:56 UTC
Scientists working on anti-Covid nasal spray
And unlike Boris Johnson’s anti-Covid tablet, a spray to stop the virus even entering the body is already in the offing. If one of them tests positive, they will immediately use the nasal spray, repeating three times a day for a week. Anyone who tests positive will be asked to immediately take the nasal spray, repeating the process three times a day for a week. We think this could be ready by November.’Other scientists have suggested that in the future, the Covid vaccine injection could be replaced with a vaccine nasal spray. The flu vaccine is already given to children in the form of a nasal spray.
Source:The Nation
May 01, 2021 21:00 UTC
The Chess Corner by Dulan Edirisinghe – All about Nepo
If you are new to chess, we will give you a crash course on how to pronounce Nepomniachtchi. A Candidates tournament like no otherThe Candidates tournament is one of the oldest sporting traditions with a colorful history, but describing this particular edition as unprecedented may not fully provide it justice. It kicked off on 16th of March, 2020 in Yekaterinburg, Russia just when the pandemic was starting to hit hard. The most important winInterestingly, Nepo’s first round win over Anish Giri, played more than 400 days ago, proved pivotal. They were childhood rivals (with Nepo winning the World Under 12 title in 2002 edging Magnus in a tie break).
Source:The Nation
May 01, 2021 20:37 UTC
The best movies on Peacock
So, without further ado, and in no particular order, here are the 20 best movies on Peacock right now. It’s a rousing anthem to standing up for the little guy and one of the best movies on Peacock. And it’s one of the best movies on Peacock. Black ChristmasThe granddaddy of all slasher films is here, and it’s one of the best movies on Peacock. Those are our picks of the best movies on Peacock.
Source:The Nation
May 01, 2021 19:52 UTC
Samsung Galaxy A52 5G review: Scrappy mid-range fighter
About this Samsung Galaxy A52 5G review: I tested the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G over a period of six days. What you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy A52 5GCredit: Eric Zeman / Android Authority$499/£399/€399The Galaxy A52 5G is the follow-up to the Galaxy super-popular Galaxy A51 and Galaxy A51 5G from 2020. Samsung Galaxy A52 vs Galaxy A51The A52 5G also goes head-to-head with Apple and Google. The Galaxy A52 features a 90Hz display, but the best is reserved for the Galaxy A52 5G, which boasts a 120Hz display. Samsung Galaxy A52 5G review: The verdictCredit: Eric Zeman / Android AuthorityThe Samsung Galaxy A52 5G is a solid mid-ranger with a few predictable shortcomings.
Source:The Nation
May 01, 2021 18:09 UTC
Nine including 33-year-old succumb to COVID infection
May 1, 2021 11:11 pmSri Lanka’s COVID-19 death toll reached 687 on Saturday (May 01) as nine persons succumbed to the virus infection, the Director-General of Health Services confirmed. Abstain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or slanderous. Please avoid outside hyperlinks inside the comment and avoid typing all capitalized comments. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines by flagging them(mouse over a comment and click the flag icon on the right side). Do use these forums to voice your opinions and create healthy discourse.
Source:The Nation
May 01, 2021 18:00 UTC
Noel Clarke's Kidulthood co-star Jaime Winstone breaks her silence
Noel Clarke's Kidulthood co-star Jaime Winstone has broken her silence to throw her support behind the disgraced actor's accusers in a poignant Time's Up post. Noel told Interview magazine: 'I grew up in Ladbroke Grove... which sounds really glamorous now, but at the time it wasn't very glamorous.' The pair originally struggled to get the show commissioned and Noel told Sky News at the time he didn't 'think the country was ready' for their positive depiction of two black lead characters. Both actresses later posted identical messages to their social media accounts, reading: 'We stand by the women sexually harassed by Noel Clarke #stoppable #timesup #metoo.' A spokesman said: 'Noel Clarke was a client of 42 M&P until April this year but the company no longer represents him.'
Source:The Nation
May 01, 2021 16:06 UTC
Thousands of 'Kill the Bill' activists march through central London
By Ross Ibbetson For MailonlinePublished: 11:00 EDT, 1 May 2021 | Updated: 11:53 EDT, 1 May 2021AdvertisementThousands of 'Kill the Bill' protesters have marched through central London today as crowds mass in 40 towns and cities across the country against increased police powers. Demonstrators take part in a protest against the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill 2021 in central London on May 1, 2021. Previous 'Kill the Bill' demonstrations have turned violent, with protesters demanding the withdrawal of the legislation, which critics say harshly restricts the right to peaceful protestA protester holds a smoke canister during a 'Kill the Bill' protest in central London todayDemonstrators hold signs outside the Home Office, as they take part in a 'Kill the Bill' protest in London, Britain, May 1Police officers stand guard outside the Home Office on Saturday as hundreds of people arrive to demand the bill is killedProtestors march past Admiralty Arch on the Mall in central London during a 'Kill the Bill' protest on Saturday. Protestors march down the Mall in central London during a 'Kill the Bill' protest on Saturday, May 1, 2021. The Government's Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill would see the police handed greater powers to tackle demonstrations.
Source:The Nation
May 01, 2021 16:06 UTC