A program to register temporary residents in the city of Colombo will be held for three days from today.
Police Media Spokesman SSP Nihal Thalduwa stated that this program is being implemented with the aim of ensuring national security.
Thai Pongal is today
Thai Pongal, a Hindu festival celebrated by the Tamil people, falls today (14).
Cooking Pongal milk rice is the first task of the Thai month or January in gratitude to the sun god who gave the harvest.
The festival showcases the religious, social, and cultural ties of the Tamil people.
This festival is celebrated by the Tamil people all over the world and is known as a great festival celebrated without any racial discrimination.
We NewsWave.lk wish you a Happy Thai Pongal!
Here’s the list of 100 Vaccination Centers open Today (14) covering 16 Districts
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).
Hand Grenade in Church: Cardinal seeks independent probe
Rubbishing information revealed by the police on the discovery of a hand grenade at All Saints Church Borella on Tuesday January 11, 2022, Archbishop of Colombo His Eminence Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith called for a transparent probe on the incident.
Cardinal Ranjith told a press conference that the police had not viewed the video clips of the incident. “Police only viewed the CCTV footage in the church for some reason. The Sanchristian (caretaker) of the church was arrested only by viewing the video clips which were recorded after 3:00 pm on that day,” the Archbishop said.
“I requested the parish priest to view the video clips recorded the whole day. It is revealed by the CCTV footage that a suspicious man enters the church and keeps something on the ground.
What really happened to the chairman of Litro?
According to reliable sources, the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance S. R. Attygalle has issued a letter stating that the Chairman of Litro Gas Thushara Jayasinghe has been removed from his post without informing the President.
While inspecting the Litro Gas Terminal at Kerawalapitiya, the President came to know that the Chairman of Litro Gas had been removed.
This incident has taken place when media reports that the former Chairman of the Housing Development Authority Renuka Perera is to be appointed to the post of Thushara Jayasinghe, removing him from the relevant post.
According to social media reports, a group of people including a high-ranking government official were pressuring the chairman of Litro Gas to buy gas from an Oman company at a higher price.
The letter regarding the removal of Theshara Jayasinghe, which is said to have been issued by the Minister of Finance, had not yet reached him. Sources also said that the letter was initially addressed to a Sri Lankan insurance company.
However, the Presidential Media Unit had only officially announced that President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa had inspected the Litro Gas Terminal at Kerawalapitiya today.
The relevant announcement also states:
President Rajapaksa visited the main operations room at the terminal and inspected the process of delivering gas from the ship to the land and storing it.
The terminal has four storage tanks of 2,000 tons each and maintains a daily storage of 8,000 tons of gas. Litro’s monthly gas supply is 30,000 tons. To fulfill this requirement, 07 ships are bringing gas monthly.
Delivering gas to factories using bowser trucks and filling cylinders with gas is being done at the Kerawalapitiya terminal. The company says Litro Gas is distributed nationwide by 42 dealer shops and 12,000 grocery shops. In the last few days, between 70,000-80,000 gas cylinders have been distributed daily throughout the country. The company expects it would be able to meet the current demand for Litro gas in the next few days.
Theshara Jayasinghe, Chairman of Litro Gas, said that an institute for operations and gas research will be set up at the Hambantota terminal this year.
The President inspected the gas storage tank premises and the filling yard and replied to the inquires of the staff of the company.
Minister Bandula Gunawardena, Minister of State Shehan Semasinghe, Chief Adviser to the President Lalith Weeratunga, Secretary to the Finance Ministry S. R. Attygalle, and Secretary to the Ministry of Technology Jayantha de Silva were also present.
Foreign expert to arrive and inspect the currently inactive Norochcholei Power generator
A Chinese expert will visit Sri Lanka to inspect the generator at the Norochcholai coal power plant, which is currently inactive, said Ceylon Electricity Board Chairman, Mr. M. M. C. Ferdinando.
He hoped that the generator would be repaired soon and an electricity capacity of 300 MW would be added to the national grid soon.
He also said that the current situation regarding power supply will be resolved to a large extent with that.
Circular issued to provide Rs. 5000 allowance to govt. employees
A circular has been issued today to pay a monthly allowance of Rs. 5000 / – to government employees and retirees.
Accordingly, Circular No. 03/2022 has been issued by the Ministry of Public Service, Provincial Councils, and Local Government.
Although Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa recently said that this allowance would be given from January, this allowance was not included in the January salary received by pensioners on the 7th.
This was due to the non-issuance of this circular.
The relevant circular is given below.
The United States Supports Free Online Mentoring Platform for Entrepreneurs
The U. S. government’s Agency for International Development (USAID) launched a free online mentoring platform today to connect emerging entrepreneurs with experienced business experts. The platform, available to the public at www.yes.youlead.lk, connects aspiring entrepreneurs across Sri Lanka with more than 100 experienced business leaders and subject matter experts to help them navigate unprecedented challenges and support the long-term success of their businesses.
“Mentoring is very often the missing link in the success of many startups, especially for those owned by women or located outside the urban centers with limited access to networking opportunities and support facilities,” said Reed Aeschliman, USAID Mission Director for Sri Lanka and Maldives. “USAID’s YouLead project is strengthening entrepreneurship in Sri Lanka by giving business owners an online platform to discuss their plans and receive objective guidance from experts, free of charge.”
Litro Chairman removed
Chairman of Litro Gas Limited Theshara Jayasinghe to be removed from the post and Renuka Perera to be appointed as the Chairman, officials said.
A wave of protests on 21st of Jan. demanding Rs. 5000 allowance
The Ceylon Federation of Trade Unions states that protests will be organized from the 21st of this month to demand an allowance of Rs. 5,000 for private-sector employees.
Accordingly, the 21st of this month will be declared as a day of protest and protests will be organized in factories and workplaces in all cities across the country, according to the Ceylon Federation of Trade Unions.
Co-Secretary of the Trade Zones and General Employees’ Union Anton Marx said at a discussion in Colombo today that workers in various factories and workplaces could set aside a suitable time to hold protests on that day.
He said that all the trade unions will meet in Colombo on the 19th of this month to decide on the future course of action to be taken by the private sector to obtain the Rs. 5,000 allowance. He also said that the Rs. 5,000 allowance should be given to private and estate employees as it is unfair to give the allowance only to government employees.
College of Education for student-teachers will commence on 15th
The Colleges of Education will be inaugurated from the 15th of this month, said the Minister of Education Dinesh Gunawardena.
The Minister of Education said that after the commencement of the activities of the Colleges of Education from the 15th of this month, the student-teachers will be able to carry out their academic activities from the 18th.
Colleges of Education were closed for months due to the spread of covid and some colleges were used as covid treatment centers.
There are 19 active Colleges of education in the country and 7784 student-teachers are undergoing training.
Bhanuka Rajapaksha changed his mind
Sri Lanka Cricket middle order batsman Bhanuka Rajapaksa who submitted his resignation letter announcing his retirement from international cricket has changed his mind.
Mohan de Silva, secretary of Sri Lanka Cricket, said he had been officially informed of Bhanuka’s decision.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa was met with Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa at Temple Trees yesterday morning.
During the meeting, the Minister of Sports requested to reconsider the decision taken by Bhanuka.
After agreeing to the request, Bhanuka changed his mind.
No trains – Station Masters strike again
Based on several demands, the station masters have decided to leave from all their duties and engage in a trade union action from midnight yesterday.
They have started this trade union action based on several demands such as unannounced cancellation of reserved trains, improper administration of train staff, non-operation of the normal train schedule.
Due to this, the trains are not running today, Association said.
However, if the trains are running today, all the trains will run unsafely, the Station Masters’ Association said.
The reason is as a result of the strike, the station masters’ duties including all the work of the main control room, signaling for trains, issuing tablets, and issuing tickets are not functioning.
The Railway Station Masters’ Association told newswaveLK that a continuous strike would be launched if a proper solution is not found.
Here’s the list of 147 Vaccination Centers open Today (13) covering 16 Districts
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).
Woman in the air
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.
Several mail trains are abruptly cancelled
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.
Here is the Trincomalee oil tanks agreement between SL and India
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.
Fraud identified in the Government press
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.
“No power cuts today” – Ministry of Power and Energy
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.
Possibility of infecting Omicron to half of Europe
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
Constructions in the Eastern terminal of Colombo port started
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.
68% of School uniform fabrics were already distributed
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.
Zone-wise power outage from today – Click to watch your zone
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.
Here’s the list of 150 Vaccination Centers open Today (12) covering 17 Districts
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).
No electricity for several areas
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.
Colombo High court ordered to check the medical condition of Patali
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.
Pensioners haven’t received the promised Rs. 5000 allowance
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.
Fuel shortage since morning
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.
MoU to promote Buddhist heritage between India and Sri Lanka
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.