Meteor explosion cause in Sri Lanka

It was reported yesterday (18) night that lightning has spread in the southern province of Sri Lanka with a loud noise and a meteor collapses.

Astronomer Professor Chandana Jayaratne has expressed these views.

confirmed that the bright light and sound which was heard from the Southern Province (SP) this evening was because of an explosion caused by a meteor.

The explosion was known as a 'fireball explosion' and occurs after an asteroid enters the earth’s atmosphere.

“The asteroid could be a size of 50 centimeters. Every asteroid enters the earth’s photosphere at a speed of 65 kilometers per second. With that speed one side of the asteroid gets heated up due to friction and the other side does not, therefore causing an explosion,” Prof Jayaratne said.

Malta blogger and journalist, killed in car bomb attract.

Caruana Galizia, an investigative journalist who linked Maltese Prime Minister Muscat to the Panama Papers scandal, has died after a bomb destroyed her car. The PM has pledged to find those behind the killing.

One of Malta's most renowned investigative journalists was killed Monday when a bomb exploded in her car just after she had left her home. Daphne Caruana Galizia ran a popular blog that exposed high-level corruption, including those at the very top.

Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said on Monday that he would "leave no stone unturned" in the search for the person or people behind the attack that killed one of his most outspoken critics.

Local television reported that Caruana Galizia, who had exposed links between Malta and information contained in the so-called Panama Papers, had filed a complaint to police earlier this month about threats she had received.

Do not disturb the final outcome of the bond issue.

Acting Attorney General Dappula De Livera at the conclusion of PCoI proceedings said yesterday he would also have some other questions to ask from the Prime Minister apart from the questions put forward by the Commission.

Responding to the statement made by the PCoI, AAG Dappula De Livera also expressed his observations.

AAG De Livera was of the view that his team of Counsel of the Attorney General’s Department assisted the Commission under Section 23 of the Commission of Inquiry Act and spearheaded the investigation pertaining to the bond inquiry with the concurrence of the Commission, as they always kept the Commission informed about the investigation.

Moving the fact that the Attorney General’s Department had to investigate the matter with limited manpower as there were only three regular CID officers supporting the  investigation, AAG De Livera said that the lack of manpower was a significant matter as they had to face numerous difficulties in the investigation process. “I must place this on record that I have had the fullest cooperation of the entire team of the Attorney General’s Department and this effort would not have been possible if not for the team.

How you should treat women better.

Hey men, what are you planning to do better? Because you need to do better. Here are ideas on how you should treat women better.

Talk to your friend who is “kind of a creep” at work.

Don’t talk over women

If you are asked to be on a panel/team and see that it’s all men, say something. Maybe even refuse the spot!

When you see another guy talk over a woman, say: “Hey, she was saying something.”

Learn to read a fucking room.
Don’t call women “crazy” in a professional setting.
Don’t use your “feminism” as a way to get women to trust you. Show us in your day-to-day life, not in your self-congratulatory social media.
Don’t touch women you don’t know, and honestly, ask yourself why you feel the need to touch women in general.

Fairway 2018: Arts festival with a big focus on literature.

The Fairway Galle Literary Festival (FGLF) returns for its ninth year at the Galle Fort from the 24th – 28th of January 2018. Highlights for 2018 include Pankaj Mishra of ‘Age of Anger’, Shrabani Basu whose novel ‘Victoria and Abdul’ is now a major motion picture, Bachi Karkaria author of the nonfiction ‘In Hot Blood’, Alexander McCall Smith of the famous ‘No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency’ novels as well as Oscar award winning film producer Lord David Puttnam to name a few. 

As Sri Lanka’s only dedicated literary festival, FGLF has made a name for itself both locally and internationally.  Described as a ‘unique’ festival with ‘fascinating writers, helpful volunteers, eager, responsive audiences with wonderful warm hospitality’ by past participant, Sir Mark Tully, the Festival is an iconic event in Sri Lanka’s calendar. 

At a Press Conference held on the 11th of October 2018 at Jetwing Colombo 7; their hospitality partner, the FGLF team revealed their plans for the 2018 Festival.  

 

The newly appointed Festival Director, Janitha Dias Bandaranayake, introduced the latest events and ideas for the 2018 Festival and spoke about how far FGLF has come.

Here are 10 places you need to visit in Austria in winter.

Austria is undeniably beautiful in the summer months but it’s in the winter that its varied landscapes and historic towns and cities can be really spectacular. Here are our top winter destinations - from skiing in the Alps, to hiking in a winter wonderland, or enjoying some of Austria’s famed Gemütlichkeit (coziness).

Hallstatt is a tiny lakeside village and UNESCO World Heritage Site in Upper Austria (in the Salzkammergut region). It looks all the more glorious when the nearby Salzburg mountain is blanketed in snow. It is often voted as one of the prettiest villages in the world. Home to less than 1,000 people, Hallstatt has been inhabited for thousands of years because of its deposits of natural salt that were mined.

Innsbruck in Tyrol really comes alive in winter, with Christmas markets, magical lights, and traditional food and drink in historic surroundings. Make sure you take the cable car and funicular via Nordkette to the Seegrube ski station at 2200 meters above sea level, where you can enjoy a wonderful panoramic view of the city. The futuristic Nordkettebahnen stations were designed by Zaha Hadid, who also designed the Bergisel ski jump.

Bad Gastein - this spa and ski town is a destination for all winter sports fans - families with children, hikers out on a leisurely winter stroll, and athletic ice climbers. Located in the Hohe Tauern mountains south of Salzburg, it’s known for the belle epoque hotels and villas built on its steep, forested slopes. There are four ski areas around Gastein which are popular with skiers and boarders, and there’s plenty of beautiful tranquil areas for cross-country skiing and snowshoers to enjoy as well. Afterwards, relax in one of the town’s thermal baths or spas.

Mrs. Aban pestonjee awarded entrepreneur of the year 2017

On a night that saw the gathering of the most esteemed figures in Sri Lankan society  under one roof, Mrs. Aban Pestonjee, the chairperson and founder of the Abans Group of companies  was named Sri Lanka's Entrepreneur of the year 2017 at the Derana Sri Lankan of the year Awards hosted  on the 27 th  of September at the Colombo Hilton.

Working out of her home garage, pestonjee start-ed her humble beginnings in 1968,where the managed to sell and restore used electronic  appliances that she carefully sourced from auctions.Her motivation stemmed from her own experiences as a mother and homemaker where she wanted to provide appliances to housewives that added an ease of convenience to their day -to -day chores.In 1978, when Sri Lanka emerged into an open economy 

Indian economy on ‘very solid track’, says Christine Lagarde

“But for the medium term, we see a very solid track ahead for the Indian economy,” Lagarde said to a question on India.

Days after the International Monetary Fund lowered its growth forecast for the current and the next year, IMF chief Christine Lagarde today said the Indian economy is on a “very solid track” in the mid-term.

“Turning to India...we have slightly downgraded India; but we believe that India is for the medium and long-term on a growth track that is much more solid as a result of the structural reforms that have been conducted in India in the last couple of years,” the IMF Managing Director Lagarde said.

Describing the two major recent reforms in India — demonetisation and Goods and Services Tax (GST) — as a monumental effort, Lagarde said it is hardly surprising that there “is a little bit of a short-term slowdown” as a result.

Eco-friendly bag from cotton collection.

Staying true to it commitment to the environment ,cotton collection recently launched the 'bring your own bag' project ,a sustainability initiative organized with the objective of reducing the plastic footprint of the retailer as well as its customers.

To the effect,cotton collection is giving the customer the option of purchasing a reusable bag made of cloth ,at the nominal fee,instead of the plastic bag that is usually issued .With the emphasis being on reuse, the customer is encouraged to replace plastic bag wherever and whenever possible with this industrious little bag through the 'Bring Your Own Bag' initiative. The bag sports slogans about the importance of going green that will be an expression of the wearer's consciousness with regard to the environment and can carry up to eight kilograms ,much more in capacity than what a plastic bag would allow.

A three-wheeler that runs on electric power produces Ukraine.

“Triangle Tuk-Tuk is a future vision of the next generation three-wheeler vehicle by Vadym Demydiuk. This futuristic Tuk-Tuk has been designed as the result of living in Asia and having been exposed to the custom and culture. It’s a cool vehicle to accommodate three passengers, two at the front (including a driver) and one behind,” Tuvie.com site informs.

The photo has been removed from the exhibition because of the anguish of the Africans.

A museum in China has removed an exhibit this week that juxtaposed photographs of animals with portraits of black Africans, sparking complaints of racism.

The exhibit titled This Is Africa at the Hubei Provincial Museum in the city of Wuhan displayed a series of diptychs, each one containing a photo of an African person paired with the face of an animal. In a particularly striking example, a child with his mouth wide open was paired with a gorilla and other works included baboons and cheetahs.

The exhibit was eventually removed after complaints by Africans, including some living in China, the curator said. All the photographs were taken by Yu Huiping, a construction magnate who has traveled to Africa more than 20 times, has previously won awards for his work and is vice-chairman of the Hubei Photographers Association.

Racial sensitivities are often muddled in China, where about 92% of the population belongs to the dominant Han ethnicity and ethnic minorities mostly live in the sporadically populated far west of the country. African countries are increasingly important trading partners, but cultural stereotypes dominate Chinese popular discourse on the continent.

The goal of terrorism is to create an unholy society.

The United Nations says attacks on schools worldwide are on the rise, with more than 500 attacks in the first six months of the year, many of them in war zones.

Virginia Gamba, the U.N. special representative for children in armed conflict, told a U.N. Security Council meeting that 2017 might be a record year for the number of schools bombed and destroyed.

In 2016, Gamba said the United Nations was able to verify 753 attacks on schools and hospitals. But she said the actual number is likely much higher because many places are too dangerous for U.N. staff to enter.

She said a new pattern of attacks has emerged in recent years that have targeted schoolchildren, teachers and education facilities. She said this could have happened because schools are seen as a symbol of the state or armed groups are unhappy with the school’s curriculum.

Afghan women change.

By Ezzatullah Mehrdad-An Afghan woman is taught not to live behind walls of her family’s compound. She is supposed to be a good girl and stay with her mom. Later in her life, she should get married and please her husband. After giving birth to children, she has no other choice, rather than spending her time to look after kids. She has never been encouraged to be an active citizen in a bid to participate in working life.

But in Afghanistan today, a considerable number of women have stepped up to change this rigid and conservative environment. They are not anymore confined to home’s walls in order to follow the traditional pathways. At the moment, they pave new pathways by participating in working life. “According to our figures, a number of female employees have increased during the past decade.” Executive Director at Afghan Women’s Network Hasina Safi said. “Day by day, more women get into media, business, education, health, social, agriculture and many other sectors to work.”  She explained in English.

Quantum computers in the future

Imagine super-fast computers that can solve problems much quicker than machines today. These "quantum computers" are being developed in laboratories around the world. But scientists have already taken the next step, and are thinking about a light-based quantum internet that will have to be just as fast.
It's not easy to develop technology for a device that hasn't technically been invented yet, but quantum communications is an attractive field of research because the technology will enable us to send messages that are much more secure.

There are several problems that will need to be solved in order to make a quantum internet possible:

Getting quantum computers to talk to each other 

 Making communications secure from hacking

  Transmitting messages over long distances without losing parts of the message; and 

 Routing messages across a quantum network

Japan steel scandal grows as more car-makers hit.

 

Top Japanese automakers said  they were scrambling to assess the safety of vehicles containing products from Kobe Steel, which has admitted falsifying quality data in a growing scandal.

Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Mitsubishi Motor, Subaru and Mazda joined aviation firms and defence contractors Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Kawasaki Heavy Industries and IHI that have used the steelmaker's products.

The brewing crisis is the latest in a string of quality control and governance scandals to hit major Japanese businesses in recent years, undermining the country's reputation for quality.

Japan's famous "Shinkansen" bullet trains also used Kobe Steel's aluminium, as did high-speed trains in Britain, according to engineering firm Hitachi.

"Products used (for both Japanese and British trains) met safety standards. But they did not meet the specifications that were agreed between us and Kobe Steel," a Hitachi spokesman told AFP.

Honda spokesman Tamon Kusakabe said: "As to safety, we are still studying (a possible) impact."

Indian supreme court rules Child marriage is rape.

India's Supreme Court has struck down a legal clause that permits men to have sex with their underage wives.

The clause, which was part of India's law on rape, said intercourse between a man and his wife was permissible as long as she was over 15 years of age.

The age of consent in India is 18, but marital rape is not considered an offence. The verdict has been hailed by women's rights activists.

However correspondents say that the order will be difficult to enforce.

The judgement said that girls under 18 would be able to charge their husbands with rape, as long as they complained within one year of being forced to have sexual relations.

Bolivia's army appose the celebration of Che Guevara

A row has broken out in Bolivia between the government and army veterans over the 50th anniversary of the death of the Cuban revolutionary, Ernesto "Che" Guevara.

The Bolivian government is planning a series of commemorations next week in the presence of foreign guests.

A spokesman for the army veterans who fought Che's forces said they would not take part in the official ceremonies.

They said they wanted to pay homage to the Bolivians who had died.

Government officials have said they expect the veterans to attend the commemorations.

Che Guevara, one of Cuba's most important ideologues, was captured on the 8 October 1967 and shot dead the next day by Bolivian government troops.

He had left Cuba to establish guerrilla groups elsewhere in Latin America.

Solar-powered car challenge race begins in Australia.

Teams from around the world are competing on solar cars in an epic transcontinental race.

Solar-powered cars from more than 30 countries around the world have begun a biannual 3,000km (1,865-mile) race from Darwin to Adelaide, north to south across the centre of Australia. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the competition.

Teams in the World Solar Challenge are made up of students who have built their vehicles with their own hands.

The competitors did some test runs before the start and then raced on Saturday to establish the final grid position.

President, to find our legacy.

All Agri Tech Equipment Tax Free

Year 2018 declared as the Year of Local Food Production

Many proposals to strengthen the economy of farmers in the 2018 budget

National Housing Policy to protect the agricultural sector

President Maithripala Sirisena says in order to make the National Food Production drive a success, the Government will remove all the taxes on imported Agricultural Technological Equipment.

He made these remarks addressing the inauguration ceremony of the National Food Production Battle held at the premises of the paddy field of Thibbotuwawa, Kekirava, 

Holding the ‘National Wap Magul Ceremony’ the 2017/2018 Maha Season was started with a new strength under the National Food Production Battle launched under the guidance of President Maithripala Sirisena with the aim of taking forward the national food production programme, by overcoming the challenges of the climate changes, with a new strength continuously in a sustainable manner to revive the agricultural sector of the country.

Kazuo Ishiguro, born in Japan, won the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Kazuo Ishiguro, is the winner of the Nobel Prize in literature, the awarding Swedish Academy said Thursday. Born in Japan and raised in Britain, Ishiguro is best known for the novels “The Remains of the Day” and “Never Let Me Go.”

He is one of a handful of authors who write bestselling books while winning prestigious literary awards.

Published in 1989, “The Remains of the Day” won the Man Booker Prize and was adapted into the 1993 film starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson, nominated for eight Oscars. It’s the story of a butler, Stevens, at an English country estate, and begins in the comedic vein of P.G. Wodehouse’s Jeeves stories and ends somewhere quite different.

“In British and Japanese society, the ability to control emotions is considered dignified and elegant,” Ishiguro told The Times in 1990. In Stevens, there is “the tendency to mistake having any emotions at all with weakness.”   

“Ultimately,” he continued, "the book is about the tragedy of a man who takes that thing too far, who somehow denies himself the right to love and be human. This is something the middle-class and upper-middle-class English do a lot.”

In its citation, the Nobel committee praised Ishiguro “who, in novels of great emotional force, has uncovered the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with the world.”