An acrobat performs during the Three Wise Men (or Three Kings) traditional parade, on the eve of the Epiphany celebration, in Madrid on January 5, 2022. – Kings’ Day (Dia de los Reyes) marks the arrival of the three wise men in Bethlehem after Jesus’ birth.
The Secretary of the Sri Lanka Railway Station Masters’ Association Kasun Chamara Jayasekara stated that several mail trains and long-distance trains have been abruptly cancelled.
He said that the Colombo Fort / Badulla night mail train, Colombo Fort – Batticaloa, and Colombo Fort – Trincomalee mail trains have been canceled.
He also said that several more trains are uncertain until they run.
Meanwhile, the Railway Station Masters’ Association has decided to withdraw from booking train seats for the coming days.
Udaya Gammanpila, Minister of Energy has announced the full agreement signed between Sri Lanka and India for the joint development of the Trincomalee Oil Tank Complex which is to be presented to Parliament on the 18th.
Government of Sri Lanka, Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), Lanka IOC, and Trinco Petroleum Terminal Pvt. Ltd. are the signatory partners.
On January 03, the Cabinet approved a proposal to implement the Trincomalee Oil Tank Complex Development Project with India.
Under the 38-page agreement, 61 tanks in the oil storage complex will be jointly developed by CPC and Lanka IOC as a joint venture. Lanka IOC is a subsidiary of the Indian Oil Corporation, owned by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, India.
Trinco Petroleum Terminal Pvt. Ltd. subsidiary was formed for the joint development of these 61 tanks and CPC owns 51% and Lanka IOC owns 49% of the shares issued by the joint venture company.
Meanwhile, 14 oil tanks in the Lower Tank Complex operated by Lanka IOC will be further rented to the Company for its commercial activities.
In addition, 24 tanks will be set aside for the CPC’s business activities as approved by the Cabinet.
A paper printing press fraud that has been going on for years has come to light.
Around 1000 to 2000 kilos of small discarded paper, which are discarded at the Government Printing Press, was sold daily on a tender basis and the discarded paper will have to be disposed of by the buyer according to the relevant weight.
The weight of the lorry and the lorry with the discarded paper is currently being measured by Wickramaratne Pvt. Ltd., in Peliyagoda Kandy Road.
During the weighing of the papers on the 10th, 2500 kilos of discarded paper had been fraudulently calculated. It is said that this racket was carried out by fraudulently paying Rs. 10,000 to the measurer.
When the trade unions of the Government Printing Press informed the Peliyagoda Police and weighed the load again, it was revealed that about 2500 kilos of paper had been swindled that day and the amount lost to the government was Rs. 150,000.
The trade union representatives allege that the fraud of buying discarded paper for Rs.165 per kilo has been going on for many years.
It has been alleged that the Peliyagoda Police are trying to hide the details of the incident. However, the Head of the Government press has expressed confidence that police inquiry and departmental inquiry will be held into the matter.
The Ministry of Power and Energy has announced that there will be no power cuts today (12) as previously announced.
The Ministry said that no power cuts will be carried out as the technical fault of the Kelanitissa Power Plant owned by a private company has been rectified.
Power outages were reported in several areas yesterday due to the failure of a generator at the power plant.
The ministry said that it has now been restored.
Meanwhile, the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) yesterday announced a proposed power cut schedule.
The CEB had previously announced a one-hour power cut from 5.30 pm to 09.30 pm daily.
Dr. Hans Kluge said a “west-to-east tidal wave” of Omicron was sweeping across the region, on top of a surge in the Delta variant.
The projection was based on the seven million new cases reported across Europe in the first week of 2022.
The number of infections has more than doubled in a two-week period.
“Today the Omicron variant represents a new west-to-east tidal wave, sweeping across the region on top of the Delta surge that all countries were managing until late 2021,” Dr. Kluge told a news conference.
He quoted the Seattle-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation as forecasting that “more than 50 percent of the population in the region will be infected with Omicron in the next six to eight weeks”.
He said European and Central Asian countries remained under “intense pressure” as the virus spread from western countries into the Balkans.
“How each country now responds must be informed by its epidemiological situation, available resources, vaccination uptake status and socio-economic context”, he added.
Recent studies suggest that Omicron is less likely to make people seriously ill than previous Covid variants. But Omicron is still highly contagious and can infect people even if they are fully vaccinated.
The record number of people catching it has left health systems under severe strain.
On Monday, the UK reported a further 142,224 confirmed cases of the virus and 77 deaths. A number of hospitals have declared “critical” incidents due to staff absences and rising pressures caused by Covid.
Elsewhere, hospital numbers are also rising. France’s Health Minister Olivier Veran warned last week that January would be tough for hospitals.
He added that Omicron patients were taking up “conventional” beds in hospitals while Delta was putting a strain on ICU departments.
In eastern Europe, Poland reported that 100,000 people had died from the virus in the country since the start of the pandemic. Poland now has the sixth-highest mortality rate in the world from Covid-19, and almost 40% of its population remains unvaccinated.
In Russia, top consumer health official Anna Popova told a meeting of the government’s coronavirus task force that without action to control the spread of the virus, the daily number of new Covid cases there could reach 100,000.
The daily infection rate had recently been declining from a peak of 41,335 cases recorded in early November, Reuters news agency reports.
Ms. Popova said 305 known cases of the Omicron variant had been detected so far, in 13 of the country’s regions. Russia has registered at least 311,281 deaths and 10.5 million cases to date.
On Monday, the pharmaceutical firm Pfizer said it would be able to launch a version of its vaccine that offers special protection against Omicron, to be rolled out in March. Health experts say it is not yet clear whether this is needed.
Courtesy:BBC
The construction work of the second phase of the Eastern Terminal of the Colombo Port commenced this morning (12) following a signal issued by President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and Minister of Ports and Shipping Rohitha Abeygunawardena were also present at the occasion.
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa stated that his hopes of developing Sri Lanka as a naval hub in the world have not changed.
Ports Minister Rohitha Abeygunawardena said the project would be completed within two years. Accordingly, work on the 1320m long terminal is scheduled to be completed in July 2024.
About 68 percent of the school uniform fabrics for this year have been issued to the Zonal Office, said Piyal Nishantha, Minister of State for Education Services.
The rest of the fabrics will be released to the zonal offices before the 31st of this month, he said.
He added that 12,694,000 meters of school uniforms are required this year.
Minister of State Piyal Nishantha said that uniforms, school books, and vouchers have been provided to all school children even though no schools have been held for the past two years.
The Ministry of Power and Energy states that the power supply will be cut off zone-wise until further notice from tonight (12).
Accordingly, the power will be cut off from 5.30 pm to 9.30 pm.
The Ministry of Power and Energy states that the power cut is due to a fault in a private power plant located at the Kelani Tissa Power Plant Complex.
Due to this technical fault, power outages were reported in many parts of the island last night as well.
The list of Vaccination Centers open/operating today is attached herewith.
Please recheck with PHI in the area before going to the centers as there could be slight changes (additions / Reductions).
It is reported that the power supply has been cut off in several areas.
Power outages were reported in Wattala, Malabe, Akuressa, Maharagama, Nugegoda, Boralesgamuwa, Mount Lavinia, Ratmalana and Padukka.
The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) says that a private power plant supplying electricity to the national grid has suffered a technical fault.
It is reported that the Colombo High Court today ordered the Chief Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) of Colombo to check the health condition of Parliamentarian Patali Champika Ranawaka.
MP Patali Champika Ranawaka has been admitted to a private hospital.
The order was issued when the case filed against MP Ranawaka for injuring a person in a road accident in Rajagiriya in 2016 was taken up for hearing today.
It is said that Mr. Champika Ranawaka is currently undergoing a corona examination at the Lanka Hospital.
Although the Minister of Finance has stated that an additional allowance of Rs. 5,000 will be given to government employees and retirees from this month, the pensioners have not been paid the additional allowance in January.
The January salary of the pensioners was paid on the 7th but they did not receive an increase of five thousand rupees.
When inquired about this, a spokesman for the Department of Pensions stated that the Ministry of Finance has not yet issued a circular regarding the allocation of the allowance of Rs. 5,000.
He also stated that the allowance of Rs. 5,000 could not be paid until a circular is issued.
It is reported that there is a shortage of fuel in many parts of the island since this morning.
Some fuel outlets in Colombo, Gampaha, Galle, Matara, and Matale districts have been closed since this morning and notices with the words ‘No fuel’ were displayed.
Filling station owners said they closed filling stations because they did not receive the required stocks.
A spokesman for the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation said that fuel imports were limited due to the shortage of dollars.
However, arrangements are being made to supply fuel by this afternoon, he said.
Cabinet approval has been given for the promotion of Buddhist heritage between India and Sri Lanka. The Cabinet has endorsed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two countries.
For the implementation of selected projects under this programme within five years, India has donated Rs.2.89 billion. Infrastructure development, cooperation in cultural and archeological sectors, exposition of sacred relics and organization of Buddhist pilgrim sites are among them.
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa presented the Cabinet paper in this regard.
Public Security Minister Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekara said policemen had no right to carry out unlawful dictates of politicians.
Addressing a workshop for 105 new heads of police stations, he said he would not allow politicization of the police service. He said some politicians made recommendations on the appointment of the heads of police stations, but most of them were declined.
He said appointments are made based on merits.
“That is also done through a committee based on recommendations by the Inspector General of Police and the Ministry Secretary,” he said.
The Minister said the public service commission had placed the police service on par with the others. However, he said 3500 police officers sacrificed their lives in the war against the LTTE. Besides, he said 15,000 fell sick with Covid-19, and 55 of them succumbed to the disease. Also, he said 230 police officers had died while carrying out traffic duties.
“They discharge their duties at the cost of their lives. Their lives are at stake due to the threat from the underworld,” he said.
Cabinet approval has been granted to introduce the Animal Welfare Bill in Parliament.
The statement issued by the Cabinet Office in this regard is as follows.
Approval was given to expedite the drafting process the Animal Welfare Bill by the Cabinet at the meeting held on 19 October 2020.
Accordingly, the Attorney General’s clearance has been received for the Bill which has been drafted by the Legislature.
The proposal made by Hon. Minister of Agriculture, to proceed with the related activities, was approved by the Cabinet.
Cabinet approval has been granted to the Minister of Trade to import 300,000 metric tons of rice.
The statement issued by the Cabinet Office in this regard is as follows.
The proposal made by Hon. Minister of Trade to import 200,000 metric tons of Nadu rice and 100,000 metric tons of GR 11 Short Grain Rice to replace Samba rice to ensure adequate stocks of rice in the open market was approved by the Cabinet.
SriLankan Airlines reports a Company Profit of USD 9.25 million and a Group Profit of USD 10.66 million for December 2021, which is the first profitable month for the Airline since the onset of the Pandemic in early 2020. The revenues are up by almost 200% compared with the same period last year and has reached over 80% of the pre-pandemic level. Further, the Airline reports a profit of USD 11.43 million for December 2021 at Air Transportation level, which is the highest recorded profit from Air Transportation in over 20 years.
Reflecting on the significance of the airline to the country, Ashok Pathirage, Chairman of SriLankan Airlines stated, “For the past four decades, we have been flag bearers of the nation through thick and thin. SriLankan Airlines has not only prevailed through each challenging chapter that the country has had to navigate through, but endeavored to help the country back on its feet. From sustaining travel and trade links between Sri Lanka and the world as other airlines cut back on flights to Sri Lanka due to the country’s ongoing economic crisis to bringing down stranded Sri Lankans home during the thick of the pandemic in the recent past, SriLankan has always been a pillar of strength to the nation. The resilience of our legacy is really the resilience of our people, and I would like to thank every employee of SriLankan Airlines for their show of dedication and commitment that has seen us through difficult times.”
SriLankan operated close to 800 flights during the month and carried a total of 228,203 passengers – in excess of 13 times the number of passengers carried in December 2020. Moreover, SriLankan uplifted a total of 7,877 metric tons of cargo, which is a 147% increase from December 2020.
SriLankan Airlines has been fraught with challenges over the past three years starting with the Easter Sunday attacks in April 2019 that led to a decline in tourist arrivals in the immediate aftermath, followed by the onset of the pandemic in the first quarter of 2020, which is now entering into its third year.
However, as the national carrier, SriLankan Airlines rose to the occasion, by deploying resources to fly stranded Sri Lankans home from various parts of the world, including pilgrims from India and students stranded in various parts of the world including from COVID-19 stricken Wuhan in China. Since then, the Airline has not only engaged in ferrying Sri Lankans, but also stepped up to assist citizens of other countries return home. SriLankan also adapted its strategy with a renewed focus on cargo operations which was a boost for exports and air transportation of vital medical supplies, vaccinations and other commercial cargo across borders as global passenger air travel came to a virtual halt. Thus, the Airline managed to keep its fleet in operation while many other airlines grounded most of their aircraft.
Despite the difficulties of the pandemic, SriLankan has also maintained its commitment to support the national economy, bringing tourism, connecting business, carrying freight and earning foreign exchange. In the past year, SriLankan launched operations to several new destinations including to Seoul; Nairobi; Moscow; Paris; and Kathmandu as the pandemic showed signs of slowing and borders gradually opened.
The new destinations were promoted through marketing initiatives in the respective markets, including by participating in international tourism trade fairs such as IFTM Top Resa in Paris and OTDYKH LEISURE in Moscow. SriLankan also became the first airline to conduct Familiarization Tours (FAM) for travel trade journalists based in Russia, France and India last year. The country’s tourist arrivals remarkably topped 44,000 in November 2021 as a result of these initiatives.
As these positive numbers ring in the New Year for SriLankan, the Airline hopes to continue the momentum by pressing forward with a renewed energy and focus.
People’s Bank of Sri Lanka has been removed from the black list of the Economic and Commercial Office of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China.
Ranjith Kodithuwakku, General Manager and CEO of the bank said that the removal was done after the bank paid the money to the Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group Co., Ltd.
The office had earlier deregistered and entered the People’s Bank to the black list in connection with the incident involving the Chinese manure ship when an injunction was imposed on the bank to pay the amount under a court order.
Following the lifting of the court injunction, the bank proceeded to pay the amount.
The Ministry of External Affairs states that four diplomatic representatives are scheduled to visit Sri Lanka within the next two weeks.
Accordingly, the Hungarian Foreign Minister is scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka tomorrow.
The Foreign Minister of Great Britain, the Speaker of the Korean Parliament, and the Foreign Minister of Turkey are scheduled to visit Sri Lanka on the 18th and 19th of this month respectively.
These diplomats are visiting Sri Lanka at the invitation of President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.
This is the first time that such a large number of Foreign Ministers have to visit Sri Lanka in a single month.
A Singaporean national has been arrested by the Police Special Task Force yesterday with a firearm and several drugs.
The Special Task Force (STF) said that among the weapons recovered from the house of the Singaporean national, who was residing in a house on Pahalawela Road, Pelawatta, were possession of haz oil, Kerala cannabis, a German-made pistol, and a small bow-shaped improved pistol and 21 arrows used for it.
The raid was carried out on a tip-off received by STF OIC Chief Inspector Nadeeka Silva. The suspect has been handed over to the Thalangama Police Station for further investigations.
… – ADB Vice President informs President Rajapaksa
Asian Development Bank (ADB) Vice President Shixin Chen stated that the Bank will support the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) sector for the economic development of the country.
The Vice President Chen made these remarks when he met President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat, today (10).
Mr. Chen commended the success of ongoing projects in Sri Lanka with the assistance of the Asian Development Bank. He further said that the ADB is ready to provide funds to restructure several state- owned enterprises.
The ADB has allocated US$ 786 million for Sri Lanka this year for implementation of 27 projects. The Asian Development Bank’s Annual Meeting will be held in Sri Lanka from May 02 to 05, with the participation of 68 countries. Simultaneously, plans are afoot to hold several activities, including business conferences. About 5,000 local and foreign representatives are expected to attend these events. The Annual Meeting will be held under the theme “Positioning Climate Resilient Green Economy for the Post COVID-19 World.”
The ADB Vice President commended the successful Covid-19 vaccination programme and the streamlined health mechanisms implemented by the government. President Rajapaksa said that the Government and the people of Sri Lanka are grateful for the assistance provided by the ADB to make the vaccination programme a success.
Asian Development Bank Senior Advisor Aiming Zhou, Country Director of Sri Lanka Resident Mission Chen Chen, Secretary General Muhammad Ehsan Khan, Deputy Country Director Utsav Kumar, Secretary to the President P.B. Jayasundera, Finance Secretary S.R.Attygalle, Deputy Secretary to the Treasury R.M.P Rathnayake, Director General of the External Resources Department Ajith Abeysekera and Chief Executive Officer Dr. D.S. Jayaweera were also present.
A special gazette notification has been issued extending the term of office of members of local government bodies until March 19 next year.
The gazette notification was issued yesterday (10) by Janaka Bandara Tennakoon, Minister of Public Service, Provincial Councils, and Local Government.
Accordingly, the term of office of members of 41 small Municipal Councils, 24 Main Municipal Councils, and 275 Pradeshiya Sabhas will be extended by one year.
A woman detained by the CID has died after falling from the 5th floor this morning.
Police say she committed suicide by jumping out of a fifth-floor toilet window.
46 year old Rajapaksa Mudiyanselage Apsara Menike Rajapaksa has died this way.
The incident took place at around 3.50 this morning. She is a resident of Sedagala Namal Uyana, Pannipitiya.
According to police, the woman was in the custody of the Special Investigation Division 01 of the CID.
Police Media Spokesman SSP Nihal Thalduwa stated that the woman was arrested in connection with a CID investigation into a complaint lodged against her over a financial fraud of over Rs. 60 million. He further stated that this fraud has taken place by setting up a lending society and obtaining loans from banks and lending again through that credit society.
This is the first time in the history of the CID that a woman has died in this manner. The first such incident in the history of the CID was the arrest of A. V. Podiappuhamy in Ratnapura on April 15, 1966. He fell to his death from the fourth floor. Known as Dodampe Mudalali, he was arrested by the CID as a suspect in the 1966 anti-government military coup.
Police said the death was a suicide. But other opinions at the time suggested that he had been pushed from the 4th floor. Even today, there are differing views on the matter.
With that death comes a heated debate in society regarding the 4th floors and a social panic builds upon the 4th floors. It is also noteworthy that several persons who were in the custody of the CID since then have fallen to their deaths from the building where the CID is located.
The list of Vaccination Centers open/operating today is attached herewith.
Please recheck with PHI in the area before going to the centers as there could be slight changes (additions / Reductions).
The number of registered political parties in the country has increased to 79 and three new political parties have been registered as recognized political parties by the Elections Commission.
The Election Commission states that the Tamil Makkal Kuttani, (Nawa Lanka Nidahas Pakshaya) – the New Lanka Freedom Party, and the (Demala Pragathishili Sandhanaya) – Tamil Progressive Alliance have been registered as the new political parties for the year 2021.
The Tamil Makkal Kuttani Party is active under the leadership of former Chief Minister C. V. Wigneswaran, the new Lanka Freedom Party under the leadership of Parliamentarian Kumara Welgama, and the Tamil Progressive Alliance under the leadership of Mano Ganeshan.
The fuel storage terminal at the Hambantota Port has been awarded the Fitness for Service.
It has been awarded by Lloyd’ Register-HP, an organization that provides consultancy services to marine and offshore industries.
Lloyd’s Register Marine & Offshore Asia LLP, in liaison with HIP’s energy services department handled the process of certification.
The Hambantota Port is located ten kilometers off the trade artery thank links Europe with Asia.
President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has issued a special gazette notification changing the portfolios of 10 ministries.
Accordingly, the scope of the Ministries will be changed with effect from yesterday.
The relevant gazette notification is given below.
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