By Ifham Nizam
A critically endangered new species of geckos (Cnemaspis lokugei) was discovered from Haputale and Idalgashinna areas in Sri Lanka’s central highlands. This was the first to be recorded so far for 2021.
The newly discovered species was named in honor of Ajith Nethkelum Lokuge, a pioneer ecologist, analogue forestry specialist and a senior member of Young Zoologists’ Association (YZA) of Sri Lanka, for his significant contribution towards environmental conservation and research in Sri Lanka.
“With the new find, the number of Cnemaspis species has increased to 38”, says lead scientist Suranjan Karunarathna of the Nature Explorations and Education Team.
ECONOMYNEXT – Non-medical cotton buds and lunch sheets less than 20 microns thin are among five types of single-use plastic and polythene related products have been banned in Sri Lanka from last week, the Department of Government Information (DGI) said.
Disposable polythene and plastic, PET bottles (PolyEthylene Terepthalate), sachets (non-food and non-pharmaceutical), and air-filled plastic are the other items manufactured for local use that have been banned by the Ministry of Environment.
Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera has accommodated requests made by several manufacturers to provide a grace period of three months to sell existing stocks of the five banned products. The DGI said no restrictions have been imposed on the export of these products either.
by Suresh Perera`
In the backdrop of an independent panel of medical experts cautioning against administering the controversial Chinese manufactured Covid-19 Sinopharm jab over “safety and efficacy” concerns, a key body of eminent medical specialists last week warned of the adverse fallout of using an unproven vaccine in Sri Lanka.
In what was described as a “strong warning”, the Association of Medical Specialists (AMS) drove home the point that adopting the roll out of any vaccine that’s unproven could reflect adversely on the fight against the pandemic.
“As the expert medical panel concluded there was insufficient data provided to make a determination on the safety, efficacy and immunogenicity of the Sinopharm vaccine, it was accordingly concluded that this vaccine should not be used in Sri Lanka under the present circumstances”, Dr. Lalantha Ranasinghe, the president of the prestigious body of medical professionals, said.
After the successful first manned space flight by Yuri Gagarin on April 12, 1961, earning the title of ‘First Cosmonaut’, he visited Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) eight months later on December 7, 1961.
The year 2021 marks 60 years since this historic moment and the Russian House in Colombo and the Sri Lanka Russia Friendship Society have jointly organized a special Stamp and Photographic Exhibition on April 6, 7 and 8 to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s Space Flight and Visit to Ceylon.
More than a thousand rare and original postage stamps on the first manned space mission and exploration will be on display for public viewing at the Russian House in Colombo.
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