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Now, Devananda boasts of having got jab for Jaffna

By Shamindra Ferdinando
EPDP leader and Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda has become the latest Minister to claim he got the Covid-19 vaccine doses for the people of his electoral district––Jaffna.
The Jaffna district has received 50,000 doses of a Sinopharm stock recently received from China. Altogether China delivered 1.1 mn doses on March 30 and May 26.
Political sources alleged that Minister Devananda was seeking, like some of the other ministers, petty political advantage at the expense of the government. Responding to The Island queries, sources said that the government released vaccines for the Jaffna district in line with overall assessment of the situation.
The Fisheries Ministry, in a statement dated May 30 quoted Minister Devananda as having said that the inoculation drive would begin on Monday (31). Minister Devananda has issued instructions to relevant officials to launch the inoculation on Monday in areas affected by the Covid-19 epidemic. However, the Jaffna vaccination programme got underway yesterday (30) with Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa reaching there overland to oversee the programme.
Minister Rajapaksa accompanied by SLPP MP Angajan Ramanathan and Northern Province Governor P.M.S. Charles visited several vaccination centers at Nallur,
Kaithady, Karaweddi and Point Pedro.
The Sports Ministry quoted lawmaker Namal Rajapaksa having invited those 30 years of age and above to get the first dose and others to receive vaccine in their respective electorates.
The vaccination programme for the public initially confined to the Western Province comprising Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara districts has been expanded to Galle and Matara in the Southern Province and Kurunegala in the North Western Province, Kandy District in the Central Province, Ratnapura and Jaffna in the Sabaragamuwa and Northern Provinces, respectively.
Several politicians, including Gampaha District SLPP heavyweight Prasana Ranatunga and Kandy District Minister Keheliya Rambulwella among others declared they would get vaccines for their districts.
Authoritative sources however insisted that expansion of the inoculation drive depends on proper health ministry assessment of the situation in a particular district not based on political considerations.
Meanwhile controversy over the ongoing vaccination drive took an unexpected turn yesterday with Health Minister Pavitradevi Wanniarachchi declaring that inoculation at Abhyaramaya temple, Narahenpita hadn’t been carried out under the purview of her ministry. Minister Wanniarachchi was responding to Ven Muruththettuwe Ananda Nayaka thera accusation that the government bungled the inoculation drive.
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President and representatives of IMF discuss progress of EFF

A comprehensive discussion regarding the progress of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) took place on Thursday (06) at the Presidential Secretariat, between President Anura Kumara Disanayake and the IMF delegation.
The current government has already reached a staff-level agreement with the IMF on the third review regarding the extended arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) of USD3 billion.
The details of this review are expected to be presented to the International Monetary Fund’s Board of Directors by the end of this month. In this regard, discussions were held regarding the progress and the government’s involvement in continuing the program moving forward.
Once the approval is granted by the IMF Executive Board, Sri Lanka is expected to release the fourth tranche of the extended loan, amounting to 333 million dollars.
The discussion was also attended by IMF Executive Director Dr. Krishnamurthy Subramanian, Alternate Executive Director Dr. P. K. G. Harischandra, Deputy Minister of Economic Development Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwadana, and Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe.
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New Commanders of the Tri-Forces meet the President

The newly appointed Commander of the Tri-Forces met with Commander-in-Chief, President Anura Kumara Disanayake on Thursday (6th) afternoon at the Presidential Secretariat.
The meeting was attended by Lieutenant General Lasantha Rodrigo, the new Army Commander; Vice Admiral Kanchana Banagoda, the new Navy Commander and Air Marshal Vasu Bandu Edirisinghe, the new Air Force Commander.
Following tradition, the new commanders formally met with the President after assuming their duties. During the meeting, they also presented the President with a commemorative token.
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Musk reveals ‘crazy waste’ of USAID funds in Sri Lanka

USD 7.9 mn spent on teaching Lankan journalists how to avoid “binary-gendered language”
USAID has spent $7.9 million to teach Sri Lankan journalists how to avoid “binary-gendered language”, Elon Musk who heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) said in a post on X on Thursday.
Musk called it a “Crazy waste of your tax money!”
Musk’s criticism came with a detailed breakdown of USAID’s spending across various countries, which he argued reflects misguided priorities. According to a document Musk shared, USAID has funded a range of projects globally, including $20 million for a new Sesame Street show in Iraq, $4.5 million to “combat disinformation” in Kazakhstan, and $6 million to transform digital spaces to reflect feminist democratic principles.
The list also included $1.5 million for art projects promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities and $2 million for sex changes and LGBT activism in Guatemala. $10 million worth of USAID-funded meals, allegedly ended up in the hands of an al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group, the document states.
Other USAID programmes include $25 million for Deloitte to promote green transportation in Georgia, $6 million for tourism development in Egypt, and $2.5 million to foster inclusion in Vietnam. The documents also pointed to $5 million awarded to EcoHealth Alliance, a group linked to bat virus research at the Wuhan lab, and $20 million for an organisation tied to what Musk described as a “key player” in the Russiagate impeachment inquiry.
Further funds were allocated for various LGBT-related initiatives worldwide, including $5.5 million for LGBT activism in Uganda, $6.3 million for men who have sex with men in South Africa, $3.9 million for LGBT causes in the western Balkans, and $6 million for advancing LGBT issues globally. Additionally, $2 million was allocated to promote LGBT equality through entrepreneurship in Latin America, while $1.5 million was designated for LGBT advocacy in Jamaica.
The data also highlighted spending closer to home, with $1.2 million going to help the African Methodist Episcopal Church Service and Development Agency in Washington, D.C., build a 440-seat auditorium. A further $1.3 million was provided to Arab and Jewish photographers, while $1.1 million supported an Armenian LGBT group.
Musk criticised other expenditures as well, including $3.9 million for artisanal gold mining in the Amazon and $500,000 aimed at solving sectarian violence in Israel just days before the October 7 Hamas attack.
Attention was also drawn to USAID’s $150 billion “whole-of-agency” climate strategy, which outlines efforts to build an “equitable world” while pursuing net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.
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