Nasa's hotly anticipated solar mission renamed to honour astrophysicist Eugene Parker

Renamed the Parker Solar Probe to honour solar astrophysicist who predicted high speed solar wind, the spacecraft will attempt to get close to sun’s surface

The Parker Solar Probe will launch in 2018 and attempt to come within 4m miles of the sun’s surface.

Nicola Davis-Wednesday 31 May 2017

Nasa has announced its hotly anticipated mission to send a spacecraft into the sun’s outer atmosphere has a new name.

Formerly known as the Solar Probe Plus mission, the endeavour will now be known as the Parker Solar Probe, honouring the American solar astrophysicist Eugene Parker who predicted a high speed solar wind – the stream of charged particles, or plasma, that flows from the sun out into space.

Parker, a professor emeritus at the University of Chicago who will turn 90 on 10 June, put forward his theory in 1958. It was initially met with scepticism. “People just thought it was crazy,” said Justin Kasper, a space scientist at the University of Michigan and lead investigator for one of the probe’s scientific research projects. But later observations proved the prediction correct.

Parker’s work delved into a longstanding puzzle. While the temperature at the centre of the sun is about 15mC, further out things get complicated. “One of the mysterious things about our sun’s atmosphere is the [sun’s] surface, which is glowing visible in the yellow and white, is 6,000C, but the corona – its atmosphere – is at 1m-5mC,” said Kasper.

The incredible temperatures in the corona, Parker realised, would create an unstable situation, meaning the sun’s atmosphere is no longer pulled back by the star’s gravity but instead escapes into space.

“Parker said that by a couple of solar radii, the atmosphere would hit the speed of sound, it would break the sound barrier in the sun’s atmosphere, [and] by 10 solar radii it would be going supersonic,” said Kasper. “We enter the space age, and one of the first things we discover is this supersonic solar wind.”

With the probe set to investigate the origins of solar wind, including the mysterious heating of the sun’s atmosphere and how the solar wind accelerates to astonishing speeds of up to 400 miles per second, the renaming of the mission is a fitting tribute to Parker.

It is not the first time that Nasa has renamed a mission to honour a scientist. In 2008 the space agency renamed the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope as the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope in honour of the late Italian physicist Enrico Fermi. In 2012, the space agency announced that it was renaming the Radiation Belt Storm Probes in honour of the late James Van Allen. Van Allen discovered two radiation belts composed of charged particles, known as the Van Allen belts, that encircle the Earth.

“Nasa has never named a spacecraft after a researcher during their lifetime. Well, ladies and gentlemen, we are about to make history,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of the Nasa science mission directorate, announcing the new name of the mission at the University of Chicago.

Speaking at the press conference Nicola Fox, mission project scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, added that a chip would be placed on board the spacecraft carrying pictures of Parker and his scientific papers, as well as a plate with an inscription of his choice. Parker was then presented with a model of the probe.

In addition, Parker was awarded with the Nasa Distinguished Public Service Medal – the highest award from the space agency for non-governmental personnel – in honour of his lifetime’s work.

Dressed in a black suit and tie, Parker said that he was privileged that the mission had been named after him. “I am greatly honoured to be associated with such a heroic scientific space mission,” he said, explaining that designing a spacecraft to withstand temperatures so close to the sun is a considerable feat.

Realising a dream from the beginning of the space age

The size of a car, shaped like the business end of a torch, and built to withstand temperatures of more than 1400C (2552F), the newly named Parker Solar Probe is set to be launched next summer in an unprecedented attempted to get up close to our star, coming within 4m miles of its surface.

“It is just extraordinary - it is something that people have wanted to do from the beginning of the space age,” said Tim Horbury, professor of physics at Imperial College London.

Scientist say the mission, costing in the region of $1.5bn, could radically change our understanding of the sun, while offering vital insights into space weather - phenomena including coronal mass ejections that trigger geomagnetic storms that not only damage satellite systems but can knock out power grids on Earth.

“It is just a hugely important and scientifically fascinating mission,” said David McComas, vice president of the Princeton University plasma physics laboratory and principal investigator for the probe’s “Integrated Science Investigation of the sun”, research that will probe how electrons, protons and other charged particles are accelerated in the sun’s atmosphere.

An artist’s impression of the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft approaching the sun. Photograph: Johns Hopkins University Applied/PA

“It is far closer than anything ever built by humanity has ever gotten to the sun,” McComas said.

Instruments for a number of scientific investigations on board the spacecraft will probe myriad solar phenomena from the electric and magnetic properties of the sun’s plasma to counting and catching the components of solar wind. The latter, a project dubbed the Solar Wind Electrons Alphas and Protons Investigation, is led by Kasper.

“The sun is obviously very hot – its outer atmosphere is at hundreds of thousands of degrees Kelvin, and as a result it blows a bubble into interstellar space,” said Horbury. “We live in that bubble, we live in the heliosphere, and it is the solar wind that blows that bubble.”

The goal of the probe is to understand how the sun makes the solar wind, and explore the physical process that are occurring. A member of the science team for the probe’s Fields instrument, Horbury plans to study turbulence within the solar wind.

“When we first started [looking at the sun from space] that we realised the sun is not a boring yellow sphere, it is an incredibly dynamic, active plasma object,” he said.

But the challenges have been immense, Horbury adds, describing the mission as “just on the edge of achievable”. The major difficulty was designing the probe to prevent it being toasted by the sun’s immense heat - as part of the solution the probe boasts a large heat-shield that is actively cooled by radiator systems.

“There is a tiny spacecraft cowering behind this big heat shield,” Horbury said. “It is just extreme - everything is different when you are that close in [to the sun].”

The Parker Solar Probe will travel far closer to the sun that any previous probe. While 4m miles might sound like a sizeable distance from the sun, it corresponds to under 10 solar radii. “[The Earth is] about 250-odd solar radii away, so it is really close,” said Horbury.

 Nasa launches Iris mission to explore solar energy

The distance is crucial. Solar wind accelerates away from the sun, but it is about 10 solar radii that it effectively goes supersonic. “The point about the probe is it is going to get within that critical point,” said Hornbury.

McComas’s part of the mission will explore in detail how certain particles, ejected by events including coronal mass ejections but not part of the solar wind, end up with very high energies, travelling at speeds of up to 80% of the speed of light. “They are really interesting and important particles because, for example, they can cause radiation damage in space to spacecraft, they can be a threat to astronauts in space,” he said. 

The mission is not only expected to offer unprecedented insights into the physics of the sun – an endeavour that will shed light on processes happening in stars across the universe – but will also yield vital information about space weather, that could help scientists to predict major events before they affect Earth.

The stakes for the mission are high, admits Horbury.

“The thing about space is everyone has done the easy stuff – we are only left with the difficult things, so by definition this is risky,” he said. “They are really pushing the limits of what is possible. But that is the way you make progress.”

What could the ‘dementia tax’ mean for your future?

By Georgina Lee-1 JUN 2017

The Tories have come under fire after announcing reforms to social care policy in their manifesto last month.

In particular, they drew criticism for proposals to change the rules on how elderly people pay for their own care in later life. After just four days, the Tories were forced to issue a “clarification” to the policy, which itself was described as “chaotic” and “confusing”.

But amid the media furore, you might have missed the detail of the policy and the subsequent u-turn. What could it mean for you?

Cuts to social care funding

The Department of Health defines social care as “extra care or support – practical or emotional – to lead an active life and do the everyday things that many of us take for granted”. Recently, the debate has focused on funding for elderly social care.

According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, local authorities have cut spending on adult social care by an average of 11 per cent across England since 2009-10. In the north-east and London, cuts have been even more severe, at around 18 per cent in those areas. The King’s Funddescribes the financial outlook for the next five years as “bleak”.

The amount of money spent on social care is for local councils to decide. But the IFS points out that Tory cuts to local government spending are the reason councils have had to reduce spending on social care.

How do people fund their own care?

Under the current system, if you’re in a care home, your local council will pay for your care if the combined value of your house and your savings is less than £23,250.

The calculation is different if you’re cared for in your own home and receiving so-called “domiciliary care”. In those cases, councils do not include the value of your house when they’re assessing your ability to pay. They only look at how much you have in savings.

Whether you’re at home or in a home, once you hit that £23,250 “capital” threshold, you have to start contributing to the cost of your care. These contributions are not taken directly. Instead, the care costs are drawn down from the value of your house and your savings.

But councils can’t just keep depleting the value of your assets until they are worthless. They have to leave you with a minimum of £23,250 to your name.

What did the Tories originally say?

The Tories’ original manifesto announcement gives with one hand and takes with the other.

Their giving hand offers to raise the minimum amount that councils have to leave you with to £100,000. That more than quadruples the amount of money you can pass on to your kids.

But their taking hand wants to change the arrangements for funding care in your own home. When councils decide whether you can afford to pay for your care in your own home, the Tories want them to include the value of your house as part of the calculation.

The Tories say this is about bringing the policies for funding domiciliary care in line with arrangements for care in a home. It certainly does that, but will mean more people have to pay for their late-life care.

How many more people would need to pay for care?

There aren’t any official figures on how many more people would have to pay for care, but we can look at the data we have to make a rough estimate.

According to the UK Homecare Association, 873,500 people were cared for at home in 2014-15. 65 per cent of pensioners own their own home. So on that basis we can assume that around half a million people who need domiciliary care will be home owners.

We don’t know exactly how many of those home owners will have assets worth more than the £100,000 threshold. But we do know that the average UK house price is £215,848, which would mean the average homeowner having to contribute to their own care costs.

So our best guess, based on the data available, is that the number of people who would have to pay for their own care could be in the hundreds of thousands.

These are just our estimates, and we await further research.

What was the u-turn about and does it change anything?

There was a major backlash after the Tory manifesto announced the social care policy, forcing the party to rush out a “clarifying” statement.

The u-turn, to describe it more accurately, saw the Tories try to mitigate the effects of the original proposal by promising to introduce a cap on the total amount of money that someone would have to pay for care.

But crucially, they won’t put a number on the total amount. Instead, they’ve said they’ll launch a public consultation if they win the election to decide at what level to set the cap. In theory, that should mean that you will know the maximum you’ll ever have to pay.

Without a hard figure, it’s difficult to predict the effect on pensioners of the u-turn.

Twins in sub-Saharan Africa 'more likely to die' in early childhood

By Tulip Mazumdar-1 June 2017

One in five children born as a twin in sub-Saharan Africa dies before their fifth birthday, according to new research in the Lancet.

The study is the first to analyse death rates among twins in the region.

The report suggests improvements in survival for twins is lagging far behind other children.

The death rate among single-born children aged under-five halved between 1995 and 2014. For twins, the rate came down by a third.

'Poor fate'

Giving birth to twins is riskier than delivering just one baby - no matter which country a mother delivers in.

There is an increased risk of early delivery, low birth weight and mothers suffering severe blood loss.

But researchers say these risks are "compounded" by higher overall birth rates and poor maternal and newborn care in sub-Saharan Africa, where many mothers give birth at home.

In Finland for example - which has some of the best maternity care in the world - researchers say for every 1,000 twins born, 11 die before their first birthday.

According to the study, the equivalent figure for sub-Saharan Africa is 137 per 1,000 twins who die before they turn one.

And 213 in 1,000 die before their fifth birthday.

Image copyrightSPL

How common are twin births around the world?

Sub-Saharan Africa: 18 per 1,000 pregnancies

East Asia and Latin America: six to nine per 1,000 pregnancies

Europe, North America and the Middle East : eight to 16 per 1,000 pregnancies

Source: Lancet

'Special attention'

Researchers are calling for better health services to help these more vulnerable women and children.

Co-author, Prof Christiaan Monden from Oxford University, said: "So far, the poor fate of twins has gone largely unnoticed."

He said twin pregnancies needed to be detected earlier and mothers should give birth in a hospital with staff trained in twin deliveries.

This should be followed by continued monitoring in the first few days and even months of their lives.

But this is a big ask in some of the poorest countries with some of the weakest health systems in the world.

Families, particularly those living in remote areas, often do not have hospitals anywhere near where they live.

Many cannot afford the transport to get to the nearest maternity facility, let alone pay for the care they need.

Even if they could, facilities such as specialist twin delivery care are few-and-far-between in many developing countries.

Prof Monden added: "It is very easy to say mothers should just give birth in a nice hospital, but that is not a realistic option for many.

"What surprised us when we found the higher death rate among twins is we thought this must be well-known by big UN organisations and that they pay special attention to twins - but this is not the case."

Co-author, Dr Jeroen Smits, from Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands, said: "Without special attention to this vulnerable group it will be very difficult to achieve the UN's sustainable development goal target of fewer than 12 per 1,000 neonatal deaths and fewer than 25 per 1,000 under-five deaths by 2030."

Numbers behind the study:

The report used data from 1.69 million children born in 30 sub-Saharan African countries between 1995 and 2014

It included more than 56,000 twins.

16,399 twins died before their fifth birthday.

WE WILL NOT STOP OUR CAMPAIGN FOR JUSTICE WARNS THE FAMILIES OF THE FORCEFULLY DISAPPEARED

Image: Tamil people led by Organisation for the Families of the Forcefully Disappeared blocked the A 9 road on 29th for hours as part of their 100th day protest. Image credit @garikaalan.

01/06/2017

In an open memorandum to president Sirisena, Organisation for the Families of the Forcefully Disappeared has warned that until their demands are met they would continue to advocate and take necessary actions if needed to pursue the cause. The memorandum has not elaborated what the necessary actions means. On 29th May they blocked the A 9 road for hours demanding that president respond to their demands immediately. Both their demands are not clear and the second one is based on the assumption of there are secrete detention camps in the country, which the government has denied repeatedly.

The memorandum which set out the demands of the Organisation for the Families of the Forcefully Disappeared follows:

MEMORANDUM TO HIS EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT OF SRI LANKA BY FAMILIES OF THE DISAPPEARED ON 30 MAY 2017, MARKING THE HUNDRED DAYS CAMPAIGN.

30th May, 2017.
His Excellency President Maithripala Sirisena
Presidential Secretariat,
Colombo.

Your Excellency the President,

The peaceful campaign in search of the forcibly disappeared is continuing 8 years after the war was brought to its end in 2009. Our relatives were forcefully disappeared during the war or after its end and were either handed over to the authorities, abducted, taken away which being given rehabilitation etc. This campaign in search of our relatives who disappeared has become our life’s struggle now.

We have made our plight known to government institutes, government leaders, local political personalities, human rights organisations, non governmental organisations and other institutes such as the UNHRC, international human rights organisations, international non governmental organisations but it has not brought forth any results. This situation is deeply distressing and has caused extreme agony.

As our trauma is being used for the political benefit and selfish gains of individuals and institutions, we decided to take this struggle into our own hands and forge ahead till we reach our objective.

Although there are differences in ourselves, we are united in the formulation of our demands and have decided to lead the campaign ourselves with the support of those sympathetic to our cause.

Despite the fact that the war has been brought to an end, the root causes of the conflict i.e. the lack of a political solution for the ethnic conflict, matters relating to land and political prisoners as well as accountability issues at the end of the war have yet to receive due consideration for arriving at just solutions. This has caused many continuous peaceful campaigns in many places through which
Thazmizh people are striving to exercise their democratic rights.

We consider these campaigns as necessary and extend our sincere friendship to them. On the other hand, our campaign in Kilinochchi on behalf of the relatives of the forcefully disappeared is reaching its 100th day today.

Even though we have put forward numerous demands, we wish to prioritise two of them in this campaign:

1. Release the name list of those forcefully disappeared.

2. Release the name list of those being held in secret detention centres and permit us to visit such centres.

We state that until these demands are met we would continue to advocate and take necessary actions if needed to pursue the cause.

Yours Truly,

Representative

Organisation for the families of the forcefully disappeared

Open Letter To The President: Saptha Aparihaniya Commitments Of Good Governance

By Chandra Jayaratne –JUNE 1, 2017

Chandra Jayaratne

Dear Mr. President,

Assurance of Good Governance through Interim Executive Orders – Saptha Aparihaniya Commitments of Good Governance

You have recently demonstrated your commitment to deliver on the promises made in seeking office as the President of Sri Lanka.

Many of the good governance commitments made as election promises, which are not yet effectively in place due to various reasons, can be brought in to force on an interim basis, pending formal review, reaching consensus and where necessary by the enactment of laws, regulations and adoption of appropriate codes of conduct and ethics.

You will recall that the edicts binding the Vajjians in Governance assured the welfare of all stakeholders of that society. The upholding of the principles pronounced by the Gauthama the Buddha in the Saptha Aparihaniya Dhamma, led the way in statecraft of the Vajjian rulers and resulted in peace, stability, prosperity, welfare of citizens and assurance of  good governance.

In terms of article 33 (2) (h) of the Constitution, quoted herein after, wide powers are vested in the President;

“In addition to the powers, duties and functions expressly conferred or imposed on, or assigned to the President by the Constitution or other written law, the President shall have the power-

(h) to do all such acts and things, not inconsistent with the provisions of the Constitution or written law, as by international law, custom or usage, the President is authorized or required to do”.

In pursuit of the above article of the Constitution and in line with the desire to embed good governance principles in the practices, processes, procedures applicable in the management and administration of the executive functioning of the government, bound by Saptha Aprihaniya Commitments of Good Governance, it is proposed that you as the President, consider the issue of interim Executive Orders in writing (not formal gazette notifications), addressed to and binding;

1. The Prime Minister,

2. The Cabinet,

3. Ministers, as well as Deputy Ministers and State Ministers, as appropriate,

4. Secretaries of Ministries, in their capacity as Chief Accounting Officers of the Ministries,

5. The Heads of the Armed Services and the Police,

6. The Attorney General,

7. The Auditor General;

requiring them to adopt such practices, processes, procedures  as directed in the said Executive Order, in the management  and administration of the executive functioning of the government, with effect from a date so specified in the order.

If empowered by the Constitutional rights, even the;

8. Judges of the Supreme and Appeal courts

9. Constitutional Council members,

10. Heads of the Permanent Commissions appointed in terms of the Constitution

may be bound by the relevant Executive Order.

The undernoted are seven suggestions for inclusion in the first of such Good Governance assuring Executive Orders, binding all members referred to in 1-7 above, which you may consider issuing,

whereby you require them to report to the Secretary to the President and the Secretary to the Cabinet;

1. Immediately, any incidents, acts or events connected with such persons, their immediate family members and key state officials reporting to them, which may negatively impact on the reputation, esteem and integrity of the government, the persons concerned and their direct reports; including but not limited to acts, issues and events which may tantamount to a non compliance with laws and regulations of the country; or involves  or appears to involve them in  an illegal activity or a breach of any standard or binding code of conduct; or be an act of bribery, corruption, money laundering and terrorism financing, in terms of the applicable laws;
2. Immediately, annually thereafter and whenever a status change occurs in regard to prior declarations of the persons, their immediate family members and direct reports in relation:    
   1. all  personal and business  interests and related party interests, wherever and howsoever arising;
   2. all incomes, remuneration, salaries, allowances, perks and benefits drawn or received, directly or indirectly and in whatever form, from the State and or from public finances
3. Immediately, declare any conflicts of interests  or potential conflicts of interests, which may arise in the course of exercising and functioning in office in relation to the persons, their immediate family members and direct reports,;
4. Immediately, declare any gifts, gratuitous payments, hospitality, entertainment and other perks and benefits, exceeding reasonable and modest levels  permissible in normal course of operation, received in whatever form, directly or indirectly by the persons, their family members and their direct reports,;
5. Immediately, report any involvement or potential involvement with any offenses connected with insider information, market abuse and disclosure of any knowledge, decision or other information prejudicial to the interests of the State and any misrepresentation of information of any sort, involving the persons, their immediate family members and their direct reports;

   Read More

36 years of burn wounds: The Jaffna Library

Cover art by Sagi Thilipkumar

31 May  2017

Thirty-six years ago today, the Jaffna Public Library, a crown jewel among Tamil cultural institutions and one of the largest libraries in South Asia, burned at the hands of Sri Lankan security forces and state-sponsored mobs.

As dravidian-inspired building burned for two nights from the 31st May 1981, the Tamil nation lost over 95,000 ancient Tamil palm leaves (olai), manuscripts, parchments and irreplaceable books, magazines and newspapers.

In 2010 the restored library, closed to the public for a medical conference, was again vandalised by a group of Sinhalese tourists who were denied entry.

The 1981 burning happened under the watch of a UNP government, during a period of electioneering for District Development Council elections and notably while two notoriously Sinhala chauvinist cabinet ministers - Cyril Mathew and Gamini Dissanayake - were in Jaffna. Earlier on the 31st May, three Sinhalese police officers were killed during a rally by the TULF (Tamil United Liberation Front).

In December 2016, an ‘apology’ for the burning, by current Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, was criticised - after initially receiving praise as a step towards reconciliation; the offhand manner in which it was delivered revealing a marked disregard for how deeply Tamils on the island continue to mourn the burning.

Today, the iconic white domes once again gleam out against the Jaffna skyline, determined to survive the onslaughts of Sinhala chauvinism, as the Tamil nation has always been.

The library administration reported a rise in membership for the year 2016. Tourist buses, mostly containing Tamils from other districts and the diaspora, still flock daily to the gates, to stand before the emblem of the ancient Yaazh and reflect on the Tamil nation’s long and complex history.

The scholar and community leader, Reverend Father David reportedly died from shock days after the incineration of his beloved institution. While his statue in the library courtyard is surrounded now by the spirit-soothing greens of local flora, his demise epitomises the loss suffered by every member of the Tamil nation alive on that day, and each generation born afterwards: the irrevocable loss of memories, of the lives and deaths our predecessors, of the beauty they created as well as of the destruction they may have wreaked.

Thirty-six years later, the Tamil nation remains scorched by the flames that engulfed the Jaffna Public Library. Thirty-six years later the Tamil nation still awaits justice, for this, and for the countless other atrocities committed against it since.

Learning is excellence of wealth that none destroy; To man nought else affords reality of joy. Thirukkural 400

TGTE appeals global solidarity to support people affected by disaster

- May 31, 2017

Issuing a communiqué today the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) urges Tamil diaspora to extend their sincere support to Sri Lankan who are affected by the disastrous floods and landslides.

Following is the statement from V. Rudrakumaran, Prime Minister of the TGTE

The devastating floods and landslides in southern Sri Lanka have extracted a heavy toll of life and property causing immense suffering for thousands. According to latest figures 164 have died, 104 are still missing and more than 100,000 people have been dislocated.

The Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) calls upon the international community to contribute generously towards the rescue and rehabilitation of populations affected by the floods. The TGTE
also appeals to the global Tamil diaspora to extend their sincere support to alleviate the suffering of victims and volunteer efforts to help deal with the unfolding calamity through all possible avenues.

In this moment of humanitarian crisis it is imperative for all concerned show solidarity with the victims of this unprecedented tragedy. In the long run the current crisis indicates the need for better preparedness and improvements in infrastructure at the local levels throughout the island of Sri Lanka to mitigate the impact of
such natural disasters.

Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran
Prime Minister
Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE)

Court Orders Arrest Of Chunnakam Power Plant Officials

MAY 31, 2017

The pollution of groundwater through the alleged dumping of waste-oil by the Chunnakam Power Plant, a subsidiary of Walker and Sons and a contractor for the Ceylon Electricity Board, has been litigated for some years now. Issues were whether the water is really polluted, and if so by whom.

Yesterday, Tuesday 30 May, the Mallakam Magistrate, A. Judeson, ordered the police to arrest the officials of the Power Plant responsible for this pollution and produce them in court on the next date of hearing, June 27.

In addition he ordered three things:

1)      Fresh drinking water be supplied to people living within a 2 km radius of the power station.

2)      Since it is suspected that the polluting oil in the groundwater is moving northwards, officials in charge of the environment should have their attention drawn so as to facilitate suitable remedial action.

3)      Complaints by the public should be examined by such environmental agency officials in collaboration with water supply and drainage and health officials.

Following the Magistrate’s determination, a puzzled member of the public asked how the Expert Panel appointed by Northern Provincial Council concluded that there is no pollution. He also wondered why the NPC appointed experts with no expertise relevant to examining the purity of water. Moreover, one of the experts so appointed by the NPC, a Dean at University of Jaffna, has a conflict of interest in the task assigned since he had been a consultant to the power company. Besides, having no knowledge of analysing water, why did he accept the assignment?

An Analytical Chemist, who had once been in charge of testing water served to visiting state dignitaries for potability, said that although the tests are simple, statistical and sampling errors are common and at least two independent labs must do the testing separately for rigorous confidence.

Read More

What is happening to brand Sri Lanka?

Brand Sri Lanka valued at $ 80 billion is continually being battered in the last two years from financial irregularities to manmade disasters and now natural disasters – Pic by Shehan Gunasekera

30 May 2017

It’s strange but brand Sri Lanka has been under attack for the last two years. Overall exports have declined by 5% in 2015, then again by 2% in 2016. The total FDIs have declined in 2016 in the midst of the global pool expanding, which does not bode well for a country that is having a progressive government at play.

What is happening to brand Sri Lanka.docx by Thavam Ratna on Scribd

Sri Lanka: Foreign aid arrives as flood toll tops 200

Sixteen countries send relief supplies to Sri Lanka where the worst flooding in more than a decade has left 202 dead.

31 May 2017 

Tens of thousands of Sri Lankans remained unable to return to their homes on Wednesday as the death toll from devastating floods and mudslides climbed past 200, officials said.

Foreign Minister Ravi Karunanayake said 16 countries had rushed relief supplies and medicine to Sri Lanka to assist more than 600,000 people who were driven away from their homes following Friday's monsoon deluge.

"We also have a lot of enquiries from other countries and organisations wanting to know our immediate needs. We are moved by the spontaneous response," Karunanayake told reporters in the capital Colombo.

India and Pakistan have also deployed medical teams on the ground in some of the worst-affected areas, he said.

The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) confirmed that the death toll rose to 202 after the discovery of more landslide victims beneath tonnes of mud in Sri Lanka's hard-hit southwest.

READ MORE: Sri Lanka calls for international aid 

Another 96 people were listed as still missing.

As the floods receded in most areas, hundreds of volunteers have fanned out to begin cleaning drinking wells to bring fresh water to survivors, officials said.

Sri Lanka: Air force steps in to help rescue flood victims as toll rises

Rajitha Senaratne, a government spokesman, said additional medical teams were also being deployed to prevent the spread of waterborne diseases.

The United Nations has said it will provide water containers, water purification tablets and tarpaulin sheets while the World Health Organisation will support medical teams in affected areas.

The charity Save the Children said that about a tenth of those displaced were children below the age of five years, and raised concern over stagnant flood waters becoming breeding grounds for dengue spreading mosquitos. 

Emergency teams rushed to distribute aid to another half a million people displaced by the island nation's worst flooding in more than a decade.

In May 2003, 250 people were killed and 10,000 homes destroyed after a similarly powerful southwest monsoon, officials said.

READ MORE:  Death toll rises inSri Lanka floods, landslides

The DMC said the monsoon ended a prolonged drought that had threatened agriculture as well as hydropower generation.

Mudslides have become common during the monsoon season in Sri Lanka as land has been heavily deforested to grow export crops such as tea and rubber.

Last year, the monsoon rains caused flooding and landslides, killing more than 100 people in the country.