Traffic is reported to be extremely severe around Kollupitiya Junction as vehicular movement towards Galle Face via Galle Road has been restricted.
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Severe traffic around Colombo
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Children of Sri Lankan refugees born in Tamil Nadu get birth certificates
The consular birth certificates which are issued by the Sri Lanka Deputy High Commission were issued to 158 children on Tuesday. A day earlier, 184 children, from two camps in Madurai and one in Tirunelveli, were provided with birth certificates — a mandatory document for anyone who is born outside his or her country of origin.
Refugees receiving consular birth certificates at the Sri Lanka Deputy High Commission on Tuesday. PIc courtesy the Hindu/R.Ragu
“We are planning to issue the certificates to 1,500 children this week, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of our country [falling on February 4],” V. Krishnamoorthy, Deputy High Commissioner of Sri Lanka told the Hindu.
In the next three days, refugees from various districts including Vellore, Karur, Dindigul, Virudhunagar, Cuddalore, Erode and Tirupur will come to Chennai to get the certificates for their children for free. Mr. Krishnamoorthy says applications for citizenship would also be processed.
When asked about the number of children living in the camps without consular birth certificates, Mr. Krishnamoorthy says it could be around 10,000 to 11,000. In the last two years, nearly 5,000 children (3,520 children in 2017 and 1,469 in 2016) were covered. “Our plan is to bring it down to zero,” he says.
In addition, he told the publication “Let me make it clear that if anyone wants to go back to Sri Lanka on his or her own volition, he or she is free to do so. We are not promoting forced repatriation.¨
Debate on Bond and PRECIFAC reports on February 6
The Parliamentary debate into the Bond Commission report and the report of the Presidential Committee on Fraud and Corruption (PRECIFAC) would be held on February 6. The announcement was made by Parliament's Deputy Secretary General.
Earlier today, Speaker Karu Jayasuriya convened a Party Leaders' meeting to decide on holding a debate on the two reports.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had earlier proposed that Parliament be convened on February 8 to debate the reports. However, the Elections Commission had written to the Speaker pointing out that it was inappropriate to hold the debate on that date, given that all election related campagining ends at midnight on February 7.
Accordingly, after further consultations with party leaders and the PM, it was decided to hold the debate on February 6. The debate is set to begin at 10.30am.
Microsoft acquires gaming start-up PlayFab
Microsoft has acquired gaming start-up PlayFab for an undisclosed sum and will integrate its services into Azure platform to help developers build better games. PlayFab powers more than 1,200 live games and has served over 700 million players.
"Together, Azure and PlayFab will further unlock the power of the intelligent cloud for the gaming industry, enabling game developers and delighting gamers around the world," Kareem Choudhry, Corporate Vice President of gaming at Microsoft, said in a blog post. PlayFab technology is being used by entertainment companies like Disney, NBC Universal, Wizards of the Coast, Nickelodeon, Bandai Namco, Rovio and Capcom.
"Our platform of scalable game services, game analytics, and LiveOps tools are helping more than 3,000 studios progress from shipping static software to creating games that scale gracefully and evolve over time with new content, live events, and frequent updates," PlayFab CEO James Gwertzman said in a post.
PlayFab claims to process more than 1.5 billion transactions a day, nearly 20,000 transactions a second. "Microsoft, with its deep expertise in gaming and cloud computing, is a perfect home for PlayFab as we expand our platform and features," Athe company said.
"Microsoft's global presence and world-class Microsoft Azure server infrastructure complement PlayFab's services, making it even easier for studios to focus on building great games instead of back-end technology," it added.
Facebook to promote more local news stories
The news you see on Facebook may soon hit closer to home.
Facebook (FB) announced Monday it is beginning to prioritize local news stories in News Feed. It's part of an ongoing campaign to prove the social network can have a positive impact on users and society.
The change initially applies to U.S. users only, with plans for additional countries later in the year.
"Starting today, we're going to show more stories from news sources in your local town or city," Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's CEO and cofounder, wrote in a post announcing the change. "If you follow a local publisher or if someone shares a local story, it may show up higher in News Feed."
The announcement marks the third big change to News Feed this month emphasizing quality over quantity for news. Facebook previously said it would show more content from friends and less from publishers. It's also looking to prioritize news from sources that users deem "trustworthy."
Facebook is trying to recover from a bruising year of criticism about its platform enabling fake news, foreign election meddling and filter bubbles. Zuckerberg has said his personal goal for 2018 is "fixing" Facebook's many problems.
The latest tweak is said to be inspired by Zuckerberg's listening tour of the country last year in the wake of the 2016 election.
"Many people told me they thought that if we could turn down the temperature on the more divisive [national] issues and instead focus on concrete local issues, then we'd all make more progress together," Zuckerberg said.
Facebook isn't necessarily defining local news by the size of the publication, but rather by the concentration of readers of that publication in a certain area, according to a company blog post.
"Large local publishers will benefit, as well as publishers that focus on niche topics like local sports, arts and human-interest stories," according to Facebook's explanation. "That said, small news outlets may benefit from this change more than other outlets, because they tend to have a concentrated readership in one location."
The social network has also been testing a new section dedicated to local news and events. The section, called Today In, is currently available in six U.S. cities.
Last week, Google (GOOGL) began testing a platform for crowdsourced, hyperlocal news. In effect, two of the tech companies most often criticized for undermining the business model of news publishers are now looking to shore it up.
Facebook and Google gobbled up more than 60% of digital ad spending in 2017, according to research firm eMarketer, making it that much harder for big and small online publishers to compete.
Monday, January 29, 2018
European Union 'very unfair' on trade with US, problems may become 'very big', says Donald Trump
The European Union's trade policy with America is "very unfair", President Donald Trump said in an interview to be aired Sunday, warning that his many problems with Brussels "may morph into something very big".
"We cannot get our product in. It's very, very tough. And yet, they send their product to us -- no taxes, very little taxes. It's very unfair," Trump told ITV News in the interview conducted Thursday.
"I've had a lot of problems with (the) European Union, and it may morph into something very big from that standpoint -- from a trade standpoint."
Trump delivered the warning during a wide-ranging interview on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he took his "America First" agenda to the global business elite.
In a speech Friday he told the forum that his mantra "does not mean America alone" and hinted that the US could rejoin the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a deal he withdrew from a year ago.
But earlier this month the Trump Administration imposed steep tariffs on imported washing machines and solar panels, and his comments in the interview to air Sunday may cause alarm in European capitals over future trade with the US.
The Trump Administration last year vowed to impose nearly 300 percent punitive tariffs on airplanes manufactured by Canada's Bombardier.
A bipartisan US trade panel blocked that decision on Friday but the dispute, which has inflamed relations with Ottawa -- and to a lesser degree Britain, where Bombardier has a large workforce -- could be a harbinger for the EU. In other remarks released ahead of the interview's airing, Trump appeared to slight British Prime Minister Theresa May's handling of fraught Brexit negotiations, declaring that he would have "negotiated it differently".
"I would have had a different attitude," he said of the talks, which have followed Britain's June 2016 referendum vote to leave the EU, and will continue through to its planned departure in March 2019.
"I think I would have said that the European Union is not cracked up to what it's supposed to be. And I would have taken a tougher stand in getting out," Trump added.
In excerpts of the discussion screened in Britain Friday, the US president apologised for the first time for retweeting a British far-right group's videos apparently showing Islamist violence.
"If you're telling me they're horrible racist people, I would certainly apologise if you'd like me to do that," the president said.
Trump confirmed he will visit Britain later this year, where he believes he is "very popular", according to the interviewer Piers Morgan, who wrote an account of the sit-down in the Mail on Sunday newspaper.
The president said he does not care about those opposed to his British visit, who include London mayor Sadiq Khan and the opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, amid predictions of large protests.
"I think a lot of people in your country like what I stand for, they respect what I stand for," he told Morgan, according to the presenter.
Asked if he had received an invitation to the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle later this year, Trump replied "not that I know of".
"I really want them to be happy. They look like a lovely couple," he added when pressed if he would like to attend the ceremony. During the interview -- billed as the first of his presidency with a non-US international broadcaster -- Trump was asked if he identifies as a feminist.
"No, I wouldn't say I'm a feminist," he replied.
"I mean, I think that would be, maybe, going too far. I'm for women, I'm for men, I'm for everyone."
Trump also signalled he would be willing to sign the US back up to the Paris climate accord, but only if the treaty undergoes major change.
He was met with global condemnation when he announced in June 2017 that America was pulling out of the Paris climate agreement, painting it a "bad deal" for its economy.
"The Paris accord, for us, would have been a disaster," he said in the interview to run Sunday.
"If they made a good deal... there's always a chance we'd get back."
Friday, January 26, 2018
I saw Khilji as a challenge: Ranveer Singh on 'Padmaavat'
Bollywood star Ranveer Singh, who has registered his biggest opening day collection with "Padmaavat", says most people had told him that a hero shouldn't play the anti-hero.
"Padmaavat", directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, registered opening day collections of Rs 19 crore net, according to producers Bhansali Productions and Viacom18 Motion Pictures.
For Ranveer, whose previous best opening day records were for "Gunday" (Rs 16.12 crore net) and "Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela (Rs 16 crore net), playing a merciless anti-hero Alauddin Khilji was a gamble.
Ranveer said in a statement to IANS: "It is extremely rare and overwhelming to get this kind of love from the audience. I'm grateful and touched that everyone has been so appreciative of my performance."
While the critics have lauded that Ranveer has given one of the best villains to Bollywood through his performance, the actor said: "I will be honest -- when I was offered Padmaavat, most people were of the opinion that a hero should not play the anti-hero.
"But I believed otherwise. I saw Khilji as a challenge for me, as an actor. And I wanted to take the challenge up. I went with the vision of Sanjay Leela Bhansali and my instinct of what I could achieve with Khilji.
"I'm happy that the audiences are seeing and loving a character that both Sanjay sir and I have worked on tirelessly for over two years to bring to life."
Thrilled about the response, he said: "I took a big risk with this character and it's wonderful to see my gamble pay off. This kind of validation gives one the confidence to take bigger and bigger risks, challenge stereotypes and continue to push the envelope in the realm of mainstream Hindi cinema.
"I feel very happy and very fulfilled today."
The movie, based on 16th century poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi's "Padmavat", also stars Deepika Padukone and Shahid Kapoor. It released on January 25 amid much brouhaha as the Shri Rajput Karni Sena protested over the alleged distortion of facts in the movie.
Trying to kill her
MThree of his children have been admitted to the hospital with a poisonous substance, including a mother who tried to kill her.
This incident took place in Gemunupura area. A woman from that part gave her a half-and-a-half-year-old children with a poison.
Three of the area's residents were recovered and hospitalized. The police said that the three were included in the Emergency Department.
Investigations in June against Hirunika
The trial will be held on 7th June in the trial of Parliamentarian Harunika Premachandra.
Colombo High Court Judge R. Kurusinghe announced today the date of hearing of the case.
The Attorney General has been lodged with the Attorney General against Hirunika under the 17 charges including kidnapping a young man in Dematagoda area and acting as an institution for illegal detention.
Eight of the other suspects charged with the incident were convicted on November 24 last year.
Eight individuals who had pleaded guilty to the case were remanded to Colombo High Court Judge R. Kurusinghe and sentenced to two years imprisonment and fined.
Accordingly, it is noteworthy that they were released on unconditional bail after paying their penalty today.
Sapoor dhotagupuram mining activities started in the ground
Sapoor dhotagupuram mining activities started in the ground
The Archaeological Department has announced that excavation works on Trincomalee, Sampur Dadugapuram have been initiated today.
The director of the Department said that a seven-member team is engaged in excavation.
The Director also mentioned that the excavation measures are expected to be completed in the next one month.
The Sampur mining center was demolished by unidentified persons in December last year. Following this, the Archeological Department began investigations with the police.
It has been reported that the earliest dosage is the earliest period of the Anuradhapura age. Accordingly, excavations are currently underway.
Thursday, January 25, 2018
Did you write a letter and missing the engineer? Body rescue
The Engineer of a was lost in a. He said that he was rescued today's day.
The about of the person is reported to be recovered from the lagoon near our bridge.
This incident will come to know more.
In The Kāriyālayattil Electricity Council, it was duty to be an electric chapter. Umāramaṇaṉ was lost in his house.
After this, he was released from the a bridge before yesterday. His body was recovered today in this occasion.
It was identified as the naparuṭaiyatu of the body, and the police were rescued by the death.
The rescued body has been brought to the hospital for the coroner coroner, and further investigations are made.
Young woman who earned 4 crores by cat!
A 4 crore rupee incident from the company used by the American woman was surprised by a 4 crore rupees from the company.
A coffee company used the photo of the woman's growing cat in the California province of America.
This cat is very popular with a photo published in the last 2012-year websites. Everyone looked at the cat face with anger.
In this situation, the company of kiraṉēṭ pivarēj is allowed to use the cat's photo for a cold drink ad.
But there was a-year copyright case in the company that was used for many products without permission.
In that case he ordered the judge to pay RS 4 crore for the justice of the judge. The incident that earned RS 4 crore from his foster cat was surprised by everyone.
Urgent around to stop the the system!!
In various parts of the country, there are many methods to be used as the. Resources will be made around the series to control these. This is announced by Sri Lankan received
The Media report has been reported in the media statement that has been published in the media report, in order to continue using the the system, some data has been leading to the police.
In the middle of the union, the joint and the kaṭaṟṟoḻilāḷarkaḷu are selling the the in the lowest price. No action was defined for fishermen and their families to get low income.
For them, to distribution the required, all the fill and fill are given. The is the reason for the subsidy to prevent the big. In order to prevent the methods of the in the distribution, there are more emergency around the vaḷaippuk.
If we get information about the sale of received, it can be done as a ban. In the received joint tab, the telephone section of the 077 7748 417 can be referred to as a contact with the number of numbers.
The Vanilla that will change the blood!!
NASA company tagged the moon in the full full moon day on 31th day.
On that day, NASA has mentioned that the people in the world will be able to take the change in the land.
On the day of full moon, the moon will show the moon in blue and red.
The NASA company has mentioned that when the moon is very close to the earth.
The future that appears on Wednesday will be very big to the other day.
NASA has said that this type of event is one of the two years.
A PERSON WHO MARRIED 9 women in Britain
Ron Sheppard (69) said that he has been married for more times in Britain. He said that he has been affected by the skin cancer and has been recovered from it.
Ron Sheppard (69) was married to 8 women so far, in this situation, the 27-Year-old cristel lalec was married for 27 years.
This is the victim of skin cancer and has been recovered from it. He said about this, I have given the help of women who have been married so far.
I believed on those who believed in me, but they went from me to another one.
In the meantime, the cancer has hit me, but my recent wife has been watching me with love and I have been recovering from it.
The ninth wife who is currently married is going to be me all the time. He said he decided to end my future.
Miracle in Sri Lanka! Ruby stones everywhere
In Sri Lanka one part of gem treasure has been announced.
Badulla - a ruby treasure found under the bridge at chenkalady east main street.
In that area yesterday, in the these activity, luṉukala was seen in the drilling. M. L. H. Dissanayake said.
The Secretary in which many of the diamond stones are tried to go to the field.
Even though the ruby stones were kept safe in the place of kīṉakoṭa, he told them.
The Diamond treasure is announced to the ornaments and diamond.
The Power Council responsible for the ruby stones has before the steps to sell it in the auction.
In the past few years, there was a big amount of Ruby stones in the same area. In that area there are many more diamond treasures.
