Black boxes located at Indonesian airliner crash site
Earlier in the evening, the head of Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Commission told CNN that they had located two different locations for the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR) from Sriwijaya Air Flight 182. Suryanto Cahyono said that both the CVR and FDR -- which are known as black boxes -- are transmitting intermittent ping signals to a receiver that can "detect and locate the black boxes." National Transportation Safety Board USA has assigned Michael Hauff, their accredited aircraft crash expert, to fly to Indonesia to investigate. Married couple Muhammad Nur Kholifatul Amin and his wife Agus Minarni, were also on board the crashed flight, according to the brother of one of the victims who spoke to CNN. The men said they didn't see a plane crash into the sea, but smelled fuel and spotted debris.
Source:The Nation
January 10, 2021 18:09 UTC
Sri Lanka confirms three new COVID-19 related deaths
He was admitted to the Negombo Base Hospital and had passed away on Friday (January 08) after being transferred to the Mulleriyawa Base Hospital. The cause of death was cited as COVID-19 pneumonia. She was under medical care at the Apeksha Hospital in Maharagama and was later transferred to the Pimbura Base Hospital. She has died of COVID-19 pneumonia and cancer. A man from Ratnapura area, who was aged 64, meanwhile died of COVID-19 pneumonia and heart disease while receiving treatment at the Ratnapura Teaching Hospital yesterday (January 09).
Source:The Nation
January 10, 2021 17:37 UTC
Contraband found thrown over Kalutara Prison walls
January 10, 2021 10:42 pm-A parcel containing contraband has been found hurled over the walls of Kalutara Prison. Prison authorities have seized 04 mobile phones, 07 SIM cards, 10 packets of Kerala cannabis, 12 packets of tobacco and 02 packets of Crystal Methamphetamine (also known as ‘Ice’) concealed in the parcel. The contraband was recovered at around 1.30 pm today (January 10), according to reports.
Source:The Nation
January 10, 2021 17:26 UTC
Sri Lankan ambassador to US tests positive for COVID-19
January 10, 2021 09:19 pm-Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the United States Mr Ravinatha Aryasinghe has tested positive for COVID-19, Sri Lanka’s Embassy in the Washington DC said. In addition, four other staff members of the embassy have also contracted the virus, reports revealed. The embassy which was closed off owing to the COVID-19 situation is meanwhile expected to resume operations from tomorrow (January 11). Coronavirus-infected ambassador and other embassy staffers are reportedly under home-quarantine at present.
Source:The Nation
January 10, 2021 15:45 UTC
Sri Lanka assures early resumption of medical tourism for Seychellois
Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena has assured the outgoing High Commissioner of Seychelles the early resumption of medical tourism for the Seychellois people, the Foreign Ministry said today. It said the outgoing High Commissioner Conrad Vincent Mederic called on Foreign Minister Gunawardena at the Foreign Ministry on Friday. The Foreign Minister complemented the High Commissioner Mederic for his outstanding and significant contributions towards enhancing Sri Lanka – Seychelles relations during his tenure including the Presidential visits in 2017 and 2018 as the first High Commissioner of Seychelles to Sri Lanka. Foreign Minister Gunawardena reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s commitment to enhance close collaboration in areas of trade, agriculture medical tourism, blue economy, hospitality, financial sector and information technology. As Indian Ocean nations, both parties agreed to consolidate the existing relations embracing new areas of cooperation in the years ahead, the Foreign Ministry said.
Source:The Nation
January 10, 2021 14:48 UTC
More coronavirus cases bring total count to 48,376
Sri Lanka’s Covid-19 numbers saw another surge today, as 236 more persons were tested positive for the virus. Department of Government Information confirmed that all 236 of the newly-identified patients are close contacts of earlier cases linked to the Peliyagoda fish market. Accordingly, a total of 536 new cases have been reported within the day. As per statistics, the total number of Covid-19 infections confirmed in the country to date now stands at 48,376. Recoveries from the virus meanwhile climbed to 41,325 earlier today, as more patients regained health.
Source:The Nation
January 10, 2021 14:03 UTC
New Covid-19 cases push total count past 48,000
January 10, 2021 06:07 pm-The total count of Covid-19 cases reported in Sri Lanka reached 48,140 as 300 more persons were tested positive for the virus. According to the Health Ministry’s data, 41,325 of the confirmed patients have made complete recoveries from the virus. However, 6,586 active cases are still under medical care at selected hospitals and treatment centers located across the island. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka has witnessed 229 deaths from the virus so far.
Source:The Nation
January 10, 2021 13:05 UTC
Another variant of COVID-19 found in Japan
January 10, 2021 by Lahiru Pothmulla No CommentsAnother new variant of novel coronavirus has been found in Japan, the Japanese Health Ministry said today. Japan Times reported that the new mutant strain, which is partly similar to different variants reported in the UK and South Africa, was detected in four infected people who arrived from Brazil. With no information available on the transmissibility of the newly found variant, whether it could cause severe symptoms and whether or not it is resistant to vaccines, the National Institute of Infectious Diseases and others are conducting detailed research on the virus strain.
Source:The Nation
January 10, 2021 12:33 UTC
Searchers find debris, body parts from missing Indonesian jet
Indonesian search teams on Sunday found debris and body parts believed to be from a passenger plane that went missing minutes after taking off from Jakarta airport with 62 people on board. “We received a report from the diving team that underwater visibility was good, allowing for the discovery of a number of aircraft parts,” he said. The National Search and Rescue Agency said its workers had collected three bags of aircraft parts and five bags of human remains. “The body parts will be sent to the police disaster victim identification unit for examination,” the agency said in a statement. Dozens of warships, boats and aircraft have been deployed to help locate the missing aircraft and recover victims, officials said.
Source:The Nation
January 10, 2021 12:11 UTC
Sri Lanka confirms 487 new Covid-19 recoveries
January 10, 2021 04:33 pm-The Ministry of Health says that 487 patients being treated for Covid-19 have recovered and discharged from hospitals within the last 24 hours. The majority of the patients discharged are from the Kandakadu treatment center (76), Dambadeniya treatment center (55), Bingiriya treatment center (46), Punani treatment center (36), and Karandeniya treatment center (29). This brings the total number of Covid-19 recoveries in the country to 41,325. The tally of coronavirus cases reported in the country thus far is 47,840 while 6,286 of them are under medical care presently.
Source:The Nation
January 10, 2021 12:00 UTC
Here’s why everyone should own a cheap Android tablet
With that in mind, I want to bring some attention to an oft-overlooked segment of the tech world: cheap Android tablets. Cheap Android tablets: The workhorsesCredit: C. Scott Brown / Android AuthorityIn my house, one of the screens I touch the most is what I call my kitchen tablet. As I said, I use this cheap Android tablet nearly every day. That’s fine, but there’s probably an area where a cheap Android tablet would be useful for you. Related: The best cheap Android tablets availableMaybe you have a studio where you get creative with arts and crafts.
Source:The Nation
January 10, 2021 12:00 UTC
WHO asks rich countries to stop cutting the vaccines queue
The head of the World Health Organization says there is a “clear problem” that low- and middle-income countries are not yet receiving supplies of COVID-19 vaccines and urged countries to stop striking bilateral deals with manufacturers. “Rich countries have the majority of the supply,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in strongly-worded comments on vaccine nationalism at a Geneva news briefing. WHO officials also urged vaccine manufacturers to provide it with data in real-time in order to expedite the rollout. “The virus is spreading at alarming rates in some countries,” Tedros said. Ryan urged countries to not politicised the vaccine and warned that the one distributed so far have “zero impact” on transmission dynamics.
Source:The Nation
January 10, 2021 11:04 UTC
Harin writes to IGP over President’s remarks, requests adequate security
Wickremeratne against the remarks made by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday. He said he saw video footage of President Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa delivering remarks at an event in Uhuna, Ampara. Wickremeratne,Inspector General of Police,Police Headquarters,Colombo 01Dear Mr. Wickremaratne,Yesterday, I saw video footage of President Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa delivering remarks at an event in Uhuna, Ampara. In many of these cases, the attacks were preceded by implied threats or frivolous litigation initiated by politicians and officials including Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Mr. Wickremaratne, I must remind you that you are the Inspector-General of Police for the Republic of Sri Lanka, not the personal servant of Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Source:The Nation
January 10, 2021 11:04 UTC
Chinese presence in Sri Lanka can cause a serious problem to India’s security concerns; Pranab Mukherjee’s autobiography
Former Indian President Pranab Mukherjee has said that “there is no doubt that the massive Chinese presence in the name of infrastructure development in Sri Lanka can cause a serious problem to India’s security concerns,” the Hindu reported quoting Mukherjee’s autobiography. On the influence of China on Sri Lanka, Mukherjee felt that “there is no doubt that the massive Chinese presence in the name of infrastructure development in Sri Lanka can cause a serious problem to India’s security concerns.”He also advocated greater support of India to Sri Lanka for developmental needs so that Colombo “cannot use the lack of adequate [sic] developmental help from India as an excuse to depend on another country that can pose problems for us.”In the final volume of his autobiography The Presidential Years 2012-2017, Mukherjee has stated that bilateral ties had been “greatly influenced by Tamil politics in India, particularly with the emergence of a strong Dravidian party in Tamil Nadu since the mid-60s.”By the term “Dravidian party,” he meant the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), which came to power in 1967. On the concept of Tamil Eelam, the former President, who served as External Affairs Minister in two spells (1995-1996 and 2006-2009), observed that it was raised by “the Tamil population residing on both sides of the Palk Strait that the northern part of Sri Lanka and the southern part of India, having a common cultural and ethnic identity, be brought under the so-called Tamil Eelam.”However, the concept, as defined in the May 1976 Vaddukoddai resolution of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), referred only to a separate State in Sri Lanka, consisting of people of the Northern and Eastern provinces. The resolution also stated that “full and equal rights of citizenship” of Tamil Eelam would be ensured to “all Tamil speaking people living in any part of Ceylon [Sri Lanka] and to Tamils of Eelam origin living in any part of the world who may opt” for the citizenship. Once, his meeting with Mr. Rajapaksa in Colombo began at midnight and ended in the early hours of the next day wherein he discussed the anti-terror operations along with steps to “implement the 13th Amendment of the Sri Lankan Constitution [envisaging autonomy to provincial councils], initiated by Rajiv Gandhi, to arrive at a political settlement between the Sri Lankan Tamils and the Sinhalese.”On his return to India, Mukherjee stopped at Chennai and briefed the then Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi of the outcome of the meeting.
Source:The Nation
January 10, 2021 09:56 UTC
Nigerians illegally staying in Sri Lanka arrested over cyber crimes
Sri Lanka Police has received information on Nigerian nationals who are engaged in cybercrimes while staying in Sri Lanka, said Police Media Spokesperson DIG Ajith Rohana. These crimes are carried out via social media, email, and text messages, the DIG added. Based on a tip-off received by the Western Province Intelligence Division two Nigerians who had been residing in Mount Lavinia illegally have been arrested yesterday (10). It has been revealed that they had overstayed their visit to the country on tourist visas and committed cybercrimes. DIG Ajith Rohana said that a special investigation has been launched into the incident, adding that the public should be on the constant lookout for such individuals.
Source:The Nation
January 10, 2021 08:03 UTC