Colombo (LNW): In observance of National Safety Day, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) has announced the initiation of a new awareness programme aimed at educating the public about tsunami dangers.

Major General (Retd) Sudantha Ranasinghe, the Director General of the Disaster Management Centre, revealed that this awareness initiative will utilise a caller tune ringtone on mobile phones.

Tomorrow (Dec 26) marks the 19th anniversary of the 2004 Tsunami, a catastrophic event that remains one of the world’s deadliest natural disasters, impacting more than 10 countries in the Indian Ocean.

To commemorate this solemn occasion, a two-minute silence will be observed nationwide from 9:25 a.m. to 9:27 a.m. in memory of all those who lost their lives in the 2004 tsunami and other natural disasters in Sri Lanka, as per the DMC’s directive.

The 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami resulted from a powerful undersea megathrust earthquake with a magnitude of 9.1 off the coast of Sumatra Island, Indonesia.

The disaster claimed over 230,000 lives across multiple countries, with Sri Lanka being one of the hardest-hit nations, experiencing over 40,000 fatalities and significant property damage.

Since 2005, December 26 has been designated as “National Safety Day,” and commemorative events are held annually as a continuous national remembrance of those who lost their lives in Sri Lanka due to various natural disasters, including the devastating tsunami.

The newly launched awareness programme using mobile phone ringtones seeks to enhance public understanding and preparedness for potential tsunami threats in the future.

Colombo (LNW): The risk posed to the country by the JN-1 sub-strain of the COVID-19 virus in Sri Lanka is minimal, the Ministry of Health officially asserted.

This declaration follows the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) announcement on December 20, 2023, categorising the JN-1 sub-variant as a Variant of Interest (VOI) that warrants further investigation.

The WHO, while acknowledging the minimal potential public health threat posed by the JN-1 sub-variant, cautioned about the increased likelihood of respiratory diseases, including influenza, during the winter season in the Northern Hemisphere.

The JN-1 sub-variant has been identified in several countries, including India, China, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

In response to the global situation, the Ministry of Health has intensified respiratory disease prevention activities in 19 major hospitals and increased COVID-19 testing in collaboration with the WHO’s Southeast Asia Regional Office.

The Medical Research Institute has been tasked with conducting genetic tests to assess the risk of the JN-1 sub-variant spreading in Sri Lanka.

Recent tests conducted in Sri Lanka have shown a very low number of COVID-19 cases. Special attention has been given to collecting samples from major hospitals in the past few days, and all tested samples returned negative for COVID-19.

Based on the current data, it can be emphasised that the risk of an epidemic situation in Sri Lanka due to the JN-1 subtype of the COVID-19 virus is very low.

The Ministry of Health, following expert advice, encourages preventive measures to curb the spread of influenza and other respiratory diseases. These measures include wearing masks in closed, poorly ventilated, crowded places, frequent handwashing, maintaining social distance, and practicing proper cough and sneeze etiquette.

Special attention is urged for individuals over the age of 60, those with chronic illnesses, and pregnant mothers, as they are at an increased risk of complications from respiratory diseases.

Colombo (LNW): The World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued a call to countries in South-East Asia to enhance surveillance efforts in response to the escalating cases of respiratory diseases, including those related to COVID-19 and its new sub-variant JN.1, as well as influenza.

The WHO emphasised the need for people to adopt protective measures.

Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, the regional director of WHO South-East Asia, highlighted the evolving nature of the COVID-19 virus and the importance of closely monitoring its changes.

While the public health risk posed by JN.1 is currently assessed as low globally, ongoing surveillance, sequencing, and data sharing are crucial for tailored responses.

JN.1 has been classified as a variant of interest by the WHO due to its rapid global spread. The variant has been reported in multiple countries, and its prevalence is swiftly increasing.

Dr Khetrapal Singh noted that, given the limited evidence available, the additional public health risk posed by JN.1 is currently considered low at the global level.

With the anticipation that JN.1 may contribute to an increase in COVID-19 cases, especially in countries entering the winter season, the WHO emphasised the importance of protective measures.

As people gather for holiday festivities, particularly indoors where poor ventilation facilitates virus transmission, individuals are urged to take precautions and seek timely clinical care when unwell.

Dr Khetrapal Singh underscored the significance of vaccination against COVID-19 and influenza, particularly for individuals at high risk.

All WHO-approved COVID-19 vaccines remain effective against severe diseases and deaths caused by all variants, including JN.1.

Despite WHO’s declaration in May that COVID-19 no longer constituted a public health emergency of international concern, surveillance efforts need to be strengthened globally.

With COVID-19 continuing to circulate at high levels, countries must focus on surveillance, sequencing, and reporting to effectively manage respiratory diseases and safeguard public health.

Colombo (LNW): In a significant outcome, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) has emerged victorious in the election of the Ruwanwella Various Services Cooperative Society.

The election, held on December 24, resulted in the appointment of all nine board members from the SJB group.

Notably, groups affiliated with other political parties did not secure any board memberships.

Traditionally, the Ruwanwella Various Services Cooperative Society has been under the governance of representatives from the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), the Podujana Eksath Peramuna, the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA), or the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) since 1994.

The recent victory by the SJB marks a significant shift in the cooperative society’s leadership dynamics.

Colombo (LNW): Archbishop of Colombo, His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, has addressed the critical issue of poverty in Sri Lanka, urging for compassion and decisive action during the Christmas season.

In a poignant speech, Cardinal Ranjith shed light on the plight of millions grappling with basic needs. He presented alarming statistics, underscoring that nearly 8 million Sri Lankans grapple with daily food insecurity, while countless others face challenges such as escalating taxes, unemployment, and restricted healthcare access.

Cardinal Ranjith lamented the shattered dreams of the people, compounded by the weight of debt, the anguish of sacrificing children’s needs for survival, and the sorrow of witnessing widespread corruption.

Expressing dismay at Sri Lanka’s standing among the world’s most corrupt nations, the Cardinal criticised the perceived protection of those involved by the government.

He declared that this Christmas must be a turning point, urging people not to be trapped by a system that exploits and neglects its own citizens.

Rather than succumbing to despair, Cardinal Ranjith offered a message of hope and solidarity. He stressed the universal call for compassion, transcending differences in faith.

The Cardinal declared that this Christmas should be an opportunity to unite, extending a helping hand to those in need.

Colombo (LNW): Authorities in Réunion Island, France, have repatriated a group of Sri Lankan nationals who had illegally migrated to the island by sea, Sri Lanka Navy said.

The repatriated group includes several Sri Lankans who had migrated to Réunion Island in previous years. Among them were seven individuals who had migrated aboard the multi-day fishing trawler IMUL-A-0813-KLT on December 7, 2023, two individuals aboard the multi-day fishing trawler IMUL-A-0469-NBO on August 22, 2022, three persons aboard the multi-day fishing trawler IMUL-A-0014-CBO in 2018, and two individuals who migrated from Indonesia in 2019.

The repatriation was conducted on the UU 0050 aircraft on December 22. The individuals, aged between 21 and 60, are from the Beruwala, Chilaw, and Kalawanchikudi areas.

The Department of Immigration and Emigration and the Sri Lanka Police are pursuing further legal proceedings regarding these illegal immigrants.

The Sri Lanka Navy emphasised that the French government promptly repatriates individuals involved in illegal entry to Réunion Island and urged the public to refrain from participating in or supporting illegal migration facilitated by human traffickers via the sea.

By: Staff Writer

Colombo (LNW): Israel has turned to India and Sri Lanka in its search for much-needed workers to revive its largely comatose construction industry, after the country deported thousands of Palestinian workers and revoked their work permits following Hamas’ Oct 7 attack on it.

Around 82,000 Palestinians worked in the country’s construction industry prior to the assault, accounting for a third of the sector’s workforce.

The 10,000 Sri Lankan workers will join some 9,000 compatriots already in Israel, working in farming and care for the elderly.

The first group selected for jobs in the Israeli agricultural sector left for Israel from the Katunayake Airport ob the 18, the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) said.

Accordingly, thirty persons were included in this group. Another group of twenty left for Israel on the 19, with an additional group of thirty have bee sent to Israelom theeame day

Minister of labour Manusha Nanyakkera stated that according to a bilateral agreement between the two countries, 10,000 workers will be able to fly to Israel in the next few weeks.

It has seen a steep increase in the number of people migrating since the economic crisis in tye island , with about 312,000 leaving in 2022 and 268,000 this year, government data shows.

They have gone to countries including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Britain, Canada and New Zealand.

Left without these workers – as well as another 2,000 from China and Eastern Europe who returned home after Oct 7 – construction sites across Israel have gone quiet, significantly denting the country’s economy.

The labour shortage has been exacerbated by the mobilisation of hundreds of thousands of Israeli reservists for the war against Hamas.

The Israel Builders Association (IBA) estimates that the industry, one of the country’s biggest economic sectors with a market size valued at US$71 billion (S$94 billion) in 2022, has been operating at just 15 percent of its pre-war capacity.

This has brought urgency to the recruitment of fresh foreign workers, and representatives from IBA will be in India and Sri Lanka next week to screen applicants for various roles such as plastering, ceramic tiling, building formwork and iron bending.

“The goal is bringing 10,000 (workers) very quickly to Israel because time is running (out) and we are already in a big, big problem financially,” Mr Shay Pauzner, IBA’s deputy director-general, told The Straits Times on the phone from Tel Aviv.

These workers are expected to be in Israel by the end of January, as “we are working very fast because the situation is very, very dire”, he added.

They are part of a batch of 30,000 new workers that the Israeli government has allowed the IBA to recruit from different countries.

On Dec 15, the Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam, a government recruitment agency in the Indian state of Haryana, put out an advertisement calling for construction workers for Israel.