https://www.elanka.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Squadron1.jpg Source:Sundayobserver It is two days prior to the 73rd independence of Sri Lanka, No. 5 Jet Squadron, the cradle of fighter piloting in the Sri Lanka Airforce celebrates its 30th anniversary on February 1. Commanding officer of the squadron, Wing Commander Roshan Perera said that the birth of his squadron is notable, surrounded by two central reasons. The lack of an air defence fighter to nullify the operations and the violations of the Sri Lankan air space by the outside forces and the escalation of terror activities of the LTTE in the Jaffna Peninsula in 1987 were the most immediate reasons for the formation of the No. 5 Squadron. Wing commander Perera said that with the emergence of terrorism, the Airforce was convinced that the older version of the Aircraft were not in a position to pose a threat to terrorists. Wing Commander Perera said, “When it comes to ...

https://www.rnz.co.nz/assets/news_crops/116973/eight_col_000_92687N.jpg?1612380434 Preparation is underway in case the Covid-19 vaccine arrives earlier than expected, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says. A health worker prepares an injection of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against the coronavirus. Photo: AFP Meanwhile, Pfizer’s New Zealand director will not confirm the number of doses to be delivered in the first quarter – but says the figures quoted by Bloomfield are correct. Medsafe yesterday approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine – which has already been given to millions around the world – for use here. The first half million doses are expected to be delivered before the end of March. Bloomfield told Morning Report today that Pfizer had been approached by New Zealand to see if the vaccine could be delivered faster. “We’re talking with them all the time about making sure they are on track with the timeframes and as you saw yesterday, they are on time with that.” ...

https://www.beehive.govt.nz/sites/default/files/2017-11/beehive-red-og_0.png Another cash lifeline is being rolled out to the regions after the approval of funding towards a wide range of events and activities to stimulate domestic tourism. Contracts have now been signed with all nine regional tourism groupings to enable the $50 million Regional Events Fund to be distributed around the country. “Event organisers and tourism operators from Northland to Southland will benefit from the events outlined in the plans from their regional organisations,” said Tourism Minister Stuart Nash. “Events drive visitors, which brings economic spin-offs across the accommodation, hospitality and wider tourism and retail sectors. The Regional Events Fund was part of the government’s $400 million Tourism Recovery package. “As well as stimulating local economies, the Regional Events Fund will also strengthen regions’ event management expertise and event strategy development,” said Stuart Nash. “Before COVID19 around 60 percent ($24 billion) of tourism spending was from domestic travellers getting ...

https://www.elanka.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Srian-Obeyesekere.jpg Srian Obeyesekere Sri Lanka Cricket’s (SLC’s) writer Srian Obeyesekere has been conferred the prestigious Bernie Wijesekera Silk Award for Outstanding Contribution to Sports 2020 conferred by Sports Info. Obeyesekere is a former Sports Editor of the ‘Island’ newspaper and Deputy Sports Editor of the ‘Sunday Observer’. He had the distinction of editing the ‘Sports Today’ Magazine that was a big hit among sports readers in Sri Lanka. He is also a lyrist who had the distinction of creating the cricket song after spin legends Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan and Australia’s Shane Warne titled, ‘Spin Kings’ which was sung by former Sunday Observer sports writer, the late Ranjan Anandappa with the melody by popular musician Jagath Wickremesinghe. Source link ...

https://www.rnz.co.nz/assets/news_crops/116970/eight_col_000_1W744H.jpg?1612371072 Victoria has reintroduced mandatory mask rules, reduced the cap on visitors in homes and paused an increase on the number of people allowed in offices after a hotel quarantine worker contracted Covid-19. Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews (file) said Victoria now knew how to get on top of Covid-19 outbreaks. Photo: AFP A plan to have up to 75 per cent of workers back in the office from Monday has been paused. It follows the diagnosis of a 26-year-old, who had been serving as a resident support officer as part of the Australian Open quarantine programme. The Noble Park man last worked at the Grand Hyatt on 29 January and returned a negative test after the end of that shift but later developed symptoms. Premier Daniel Andrews said authorities were “assuming the worst” and acting as though the man had the highly infectious UK strain of the virus. Genomic sequencing ...

https://www.rnz.co.nz/assets/news_crops/112853/eight_col_83277081_l.jpg?1605168239 Despite the latest unemployment figures being better than expected, there are warnings that for Māori, Pasifika, and women the economic revival is not that rosy. Photo: 123rf Bucking economists’ predictions of a rise, the December quarter jobless rate in fact dropped from 5.3 percent to 4.9 percent. Westpac chief economist Dominick Stephens said he was “absolutely flabbergasted” unemployment fell to that extent. “Clearly Covid did less damage to the economy than anticipated and the government and Reserve Bank’s efforts to stimulate the economy have just had a roaring impact,” he said. Madison Recruitment general manager Christian Brown was also initially surprised. “I, like everybody else, was expecting the unemployment rate to go up. But, in saying that, once I reflected on it the fact that it’s gone down is actually probably consistent with what we’re seeing across the market,” he said. While the figures show the tourism sector is ...

https://www.beehive.govt.nz/sites/default/files/2017-11/beehive-red-og_0.png Seven new District Court judges have been appointed and will take up their roles in March.  Attorney-General David Parker said the appointees replace sitting Judges who have reached retirement age. Their appointment was foreshadowed in a press release in mid-December.  Those appointed are:  Ian Carter, barrister of Lower Hutt has been appointed as a District Court Judge with jury jurisdiction to be based in Whanganui.    His legal career commenced with Earl, Kent and Co before two years as a Judge’s clerk in the Auckland High Court. Following that he spent time as an associate and senior solicitor specialising in commercial and civil litigation.  He then joined Crown Law in Wellington and was there until 2013 as Crown Counsel specialising mainly in public law, civil and commercial litigation.  In 2013 he commenced practice as a barrister, although shortly after was appointed as General Counsel for the NZ Security Intelligence Service.   ...

https://www.elanka.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Thewatte-Basilica.jpg Source:Dailymirror The neighbours got alarmed and had burnt the prayer room Ann constructed a small chapel afterwards  The Bishop permitted a larger chapel to be built in the area The Vatican accepted the devotion to Our lady of Lanka on February 15, 1947  In the village of Narangodapaluwa in Ragama lived a young good looking girl Kurukula Arachchilage Donna Ann Nanayakkara, who married a Maduraperuma Arachchige Migel a Buddhist. This was a love marriage. Migel was a Buddhist but converted to Catholicism during their marriage in 1876. This was the first catholic family to be settled in the vicinity of the Basilica at Thewatte according to Archbishop Emeritus Oswald Gomies who had penned the history of the Basilica in his book Thewatte Basilica Wansa Kathawa which was published in 2016. Ann had later got a small prayer room constructed in her garden for her family. However, her husband Migel died ...

https://www.rnz.co.nz/assets/news_crops/115845/eight_col_Helen_two.png?1609824149 Whānau Ora’s commissioning agency Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu has released a new funding programme for the South Island regions to help with pandemic recovery progress. The Pouārahi for Wave 13, Helen Leahy. Photo: Supplied / Helen Leahy Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu represents a legal partnership of the nine iwi of the South Island. The programme, Wave 13, wants to provide funding to whānau and communities to help create new opportunities and projects which are whānau-centred, intergenerational, self-determining and provide direct impact. The Wave rounds run by Whānau Ora’s South Island agency give access to Whānau Ora investments through an open tender. The Pouārahi for Wave 13, Helen Leahy said the funding would provide whānau with a platform to create opportunities out of the challenges we all experienced last year due to Covid-19. “We know that the most creative and effective solutions to those challenges can be found ...

https://www.beehive.govt.nz/sites/default/files/2017-11/beehive-red-og_0.png Ki ngā toa ka takoto ki te Pō takoto, takoto tēnā tātou katoa. Ki te Mana Whenua tēnā koutou. Ki te manuhiri tūārangi nau mai, haere mai. Huri noa, huri noa. Tēnā tātou katoa. The Right Honourable Dame Patsy Reddy, Governor General of New Zealand; Her Excellency Laura Clarke, British High Commissioner to New Zealand; Pita Tipene, interim chair of Te Ruapekapeka Trust and its trustees, my fellow Ministers and Members of Parliament; esteemed guests and decedents here today: welcome. I want to begin by echoing our Governor General’s acknowledgement of Mr Allan Halliday whose absence is so keenly felt today. Allan was a man of great generosity and selflessness. He put so much of himself into these commemorations. I hope he would be proud of today. And so too I begin by acknowledging all the hard work that has gone into Ruapekapeka 175 by the Trust and by ...