President declares open 2nd Session of 9th Parliament

The firing of a senior staff member in the Solicitor-General’s office over an apparent donation to the ‘Freedom Convoy’ has opposition members demanding more answers from the Ford Government. Matthew Bingley reports.

The province has released more numbers showing just how effective the vaccine has been in Manitoba.

Ford government to provide more details after the leak of donations made to the so-called “Freedom Convoy” GiveSendGo campaign cost a senior staff member her job.The solicitor-general’s now-former director of communications, Marion Isabeau-Ringuette, reportedly donated $100 to the online fundraising platform on Feb. 5.First reported by QP Briefing, the alleged donation came a day after GoFundMe suspended another fundraising campaign over concerns the protest in Ottawa had become an occupation, and just ahead of blockades at the Ambassador Bridge.Ontario’s attorney general eventually stepped in to seek an injunction, freezing the funds for the GiveSendGo campaign several days later.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Great Scott! After almost forty years on the shoulder, the DeLorean is coming back to the roads. It's going to be all electric and, yes, according to the company's CEO, it will have the iconic doors.The DeLorean is one of the most iconic, albeit shortlived, cars ever to be made in American history.

Hazelton Newman, 30, is accused of using Snapchat to try to coax an underage girl to meet up for sex, according to prosecutors.

Quebec opposition parties call for end of COVID-19 state of emergency In another volatile question period, the leader of the Official Opposition lobbed stinging accusations.“The premier has forgotten what it means to govern in a democracy,” said Liberal Leader Dominique Anglade.“(The state of emergency) allows the premier to decide there will be a curfew without debate at the National Assembly, without the opinion of public health,” she continued.However, the government says it needs the state of emergency to uphold things it has already brought in by decree, like salary bonuses for nurses and mask mandates. Premier François Legault said the government intends to lift the state of emergency in a few weeks.

COVID-19 cases across the globe declined last week for the second week in a row, with illness levels dropping in every region except the Western Pacific, the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday in its weekly pandemic snapshot.

Quebec health experts stress COVID-19 booster shot still necessary despite vaccine passport removal The other puts in place a ban on outdoor cooking and consuming alcohol in parks and in public spaces that Marchand says will be revisited this summer.Quebec City police issued 170 tickets and made three arrests during protests in front of the legislature during the first weekend in February. 

The federal government’s move to invoke the Emergencies Act marks an attempt to cut off funds directed to the “Freedom Convoy,” including new cryptocurrency channels.

ATLANTA - COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy is already recommended to prevent severe illness and death in pregnant women, but a new study shows the vaccine may also protect a mother’s newborn baby. According to the study, published Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, completion of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccination series during pregnancy may help prevent hospitalization from the virus among infants who are less than six months old.A group of researchers at the Overcoming COVID-19 network conducted the study at 20 pediatric hospitals in 17 states between July 1, 2021 and Jan. 17, 2022. Among 176 hospitalized infants with COVID-19 aged less than six months, 84% were born to mothers who were not vaccinated during pregnancy. A pregnant woman holds her belly on September 27, 2016 in Cardiff, United Kingdom.

Gojira have rescheduled their upcoming UK and European tour due to COVID-19 restrictions.The French metal titans were supposed to hit the road last month, beginning in Helsinki, with stop-offs in Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Berlin, Prague, Budapest and other cities throughout January into February and March.However, they’ve announced that they will now kick off their European tour on July 5 in Brussels and conclude it in Milan on July 31 at Carroponte.The UK and Ireland leg of the tour, meanwhile, has moved to 2023 and will begin on February 11 in Dublin and conclude at London’s Alexandra Palace on February 22.Gojira will then play rescheduled shows in Bordeaux, Paris, Luxembourg and Lyon between February 24 and 28, 2023.“We cannot express how much we appreciate your continued patience and support while we worked through last month’s postponement,” the band said in a social media post.“Despite our best efforts to resume touring this month, the continued uncertainty in various territories has left us with no other choice but to reschedule the remaining dates of the tour as well.“In light of this unfortunate news we are pleased to share the rescheduled dates for the entire European Tour below.”A post shared by Gojira Official (@gojiraofficial)Original tickets for the tour – which sees support from special guests Alien Weaponry and Employed To Serve – remain valid.

Today during a White House press briefing, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH, said she was cautiously optimistic about the trajectory the United States was currently on, 2 months after the Omicron variant became the dominant strain in the nation.

COVID-19 hospitalizations in Quebec is expected to continue to decline over the next two weeks, a government health-care research institute projected Wednesday.By the end of the month, the number of people in Quebec hospitals with COVID-19 should drop by about 500, to 1,500 patients, according to the Institut national d’excellence en santé et services sociaux. There should be about half the number of intensive care patients by that time, or about 60, it added.“For all of Quebec, the projections suggest a slight decrease in new hospitalizations,” INESSS said in a news release, adding that it expected the number of new hospitalizations to reach around 90 per day within the next two weeks.The research institute said its projections should be interpreted with caution as it cannot forecast the effect of changes to COVID-19 restrictions. Quebec reopened gyms and spas on Monday, shortly after lifting restrictions on private gatherings and limits on the number of people who can dine together at restaurants.A separate health-care research institute said Wednesday that preliminary results from a vaccine study indicate three doses of COVID-19 vaccine offer more protection compared with two doses against severe and mild forms of the disease caused by the Omicron variant.“The effectiveness is highest against serious COVID-19 infections — those that lead to hospitalizations,” the Institut national de santé publique du Quebec said in a news release.

COVID-19-related deaths on Wednesday, lifting the death toll in the area to 387.“Today we are reporting two deaths in our community related to COVID-19. One individual was a male in his 60s.

SOMERSET COUNTY, N.J. - Authorities in New Jersey are investigating what the governor called a "racially disparate" response by police to a fight between two teens at a mall in Bridgewater Township over the weekend.Video captured and shared by Sienna Freidinger shows two teens arguing and then physically fighting at the Bridgewater Commons Mall on Saturday, Feb. 12.

Stock image of generic crime scene tape.  COATESVILLE, Pa. - Police in Coatesville and Chester County are investigating the "suspicious death" of a woman. According to police, 59-year-old Donna Louise Taney was found dead on the floor in her bedroom on Tuesday morning. A search warrant was issued allowing authorities to search her residence. Authorities are investigating as they wait for results from the autopsy. Police believe this is an isolated incident that presents no danger to the community. Anyone with information is urged to contact the police at 610-384-2300 ext.

The Lincoln Memorial is seen on President's Day in Washington, DC. President's Day was first observed in 1796 in recognition of George Washington's birthday.

Mark Wahlberg stars as Victor "Sully" Sullivan and Tom Holland is Nathan Drake in Columbia Pictures' UNCHARTED. Photo by: Clay Enos Chicago - Here’s the assorted loot you’ll find in the treasure chest of "Uncharted": Two slam-bang action setpieces, some lackluster plotting, a charming leading man turn from Tom Holland, an ensemble of wasted supporting players and a woefully miscast Mark Wahlberg.

mum who quit her banking job to become an OnlyFans star says Covid-19 has helped tackle sex work stigma with the rise of virtual living.Australian Lucy Banks makes a staggering £30,000 each month from adoring subscribers to her exclusive raunchy content online. In 2019 the mum-of-two from Perth sacked in her unfulfilling job and marriage to launch an OnlyFans account, which she has seen boom throughout the pandemic.Lucy believes the impact of lockdowns and isolation has helped to shift old attitudes towards sex work because so many more people 'craved intimacy'.

Seven of 10 US physicians say that the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened drug supply chain problems, limiting their ability to provide quality patient care, according to a new US Pharmacopeia (USP) survey.

Remote clinical trials with inclusive social media recruitment may help improve racial, ethnic, and geographic diversity among clinical trial participants, according to a US study published early this week in JAMA Network Open.

Guelph General Hospital says they are hopeful and cautiously optimistic as COVID-19 restrictions begin to lift in the province.But Melissa Skinner said in an interview this week that capacity issues the hospital had pre-pandemic have not gone away.“Over the past several years, based on the size of our hospital and the size of our community, each day we have struggled with having enough beds,” she said. “COVID has just exacerbated that and really shown how much pressure there really is on a system and on our hospital.” Doctors’ group proposes Ontario fund new surgical centres to catch up on procedures Even before the pandemic, one official described the situation at Guelph General in October 2019 as “bursting at the seams.”For example, the hospital’s emergency room was seeing 15,000 more annual visits than it was originally designed to handle.Construction to expand the department by 6,400 square feet is currently underway to address overcrowding.As for the current COVID-19 situation, Skinner said the hospital is still seeing high volumes in the emergency department but added that it is manageable and an improvement from just a few weeks ago while Omicron COVID-19 cases were peaking in the community.“The impact of COVID — we are seeing a decline.

Middlesex-London Health Unit reported no new deaths on Wednesday and 85 COVID-19 cases.This marks just the fourth day this month that no new virus-related deaths were reported by the MLHU, with the other days being Feb. 7, 9 and 14.

A new study comparing excess years of life lost (YLL) during the first year of COVID-19 in parts of England and Wales shows that economically deprived areas suffered three times as many deaths as affluent regions, and young adults (15 to 44 years old) were 11 times more likely to die from the virus in poorer parts of the United Kingdom. The study is published in PLOS Medicine.Though excess deaths have been used as a metric during the pandemi

COVID-19 testing clinic on Holiday Inn Drive was forced to close on Wednesday afternoon after its phones and internet access went down.A spokesperson for the hospitals says all of the tests and assessments for the afternoon have been cancelled.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - NASCAR on Wednesday named FOX CEO Lachlan Murdoch the honorary starter of the season-opening Daytona 500.Murdoch, the executive chair and chief executive officer of FOX Corp., will wave the green flag Sunday to start "The Great American Race." Murdoch served as Executive Chairman of 21st Century FOX prior to the closing of the merger of 21st Century FOX and The Walt Disney Company in March 2019. RELATED: 64th annual Daytona 500 is sold out(Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic) The 64th running will be aired live on FOX, which is in contract negotiations with NASCAR on the current television deal that expires at the end of the 2024 season.RELATED: Country music star Trace Adkins to sing national anthem at Daytona 500The Daytona 500 will have a heavy Fox presence: Pro Football Hall of Famer Charles Woodson, a Fox Sports analyst, will give the "Drivers, Start Your Engines" command as grand marshal for the Great American Race at 2:30 p.m. ET Sunday, Feb.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 30: A boxed AirTag on display at the Apple Store George Street on April 30, 2021 in Sydney, Australia. Apple's latest accessory, the AirTag is a small device that helps people keep track of belongings, using Apple's Find My PHILADELPHIA - Attorney General Josh Shapiro is issuing a consumer alert Wednesday in regards to Apple AirTags. The consumer alert is an effort to share safety recommendations with Pennsylvanians that  "will protect them from the malicious misuse of Apple AirTags." Apple AirTags have recently been used to track people in many situations, which has raised an alarm for authorities. According to the AG Shapiro, some individuals have reported finding unknown AirTags attached to their cars, in their purses, coat pockets, and other personal property while others have reported receiving alerts on their phones that their location information is being shared.

Ontario fund a new model for outpatient health-care centres to help tackle a growing backlog of surgeries and other procedures.A new report from the Ontario Medical Association outlines a proposal to create Integrated Ambulatory Centres across the province, which would work with local hospitals to perform medical services insured by the province.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - NASCAR on Wednesday named FOX CEO Lachlan Murdoch the honorary starter of the season-opening Daytona 500.Murdoch, the executive chair and chief executive officer of FOX Corp., will wave the green flag Sunday to start "The Great American Race." Murdoch served as Executive Chairman of 21st Century FOX prior to the closing of the merger of 21st Century FOX and The Walt Disney Company in March 2019. RELATED: 64th annual Daytona 500 is sold out(Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic) The 64th running will be aired live on FOX, which is in contract negotiations with NASCAR on the current television deal that expires at the end of the 2024 season.RELATED: Country music star Trace Adkins to sing national anthem at Daytona 500The Daytona 500 will have a heavy Fox presence: Pro Football Hall of Famer Charles Woodson, a Fox Sports analyst, will give the "Drivers, Start Your Engines" command as grand marshal for the Great American Race at 2:30 p.m. ET Sunday, Feb.

RELATED: Remote schooling means snow days could become optional in NJIn Washington Township, New Jersey, Superintendent Jeffrey Mohre said remote learning or not, he’ll still call snow days."Easiest decision I’ve had to make all year," Mohre said in 2020.Young lions at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, made the most of recent snowy weather on Jan. 19, running around and playing in the powder.

City of Toronto workers will start heading back to the office next week.In a statement issued Wednesday, City officials said that workers will begin returning to the office on Tuesday under a “hybrid model.”Office spaces will be opened to allow for maximum capacity based on health guidelines, the statement said. City of Toronto delays return to office after province issues new public health advice Office workers make up about 20 per cent of the City of Toronto’s total workforce.

PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia health officials on Wednesday announced new COVID-19 response levels that will now tie the city’s mask and vaccine mandates to specific metrics. Under the new multi-tiered systems, city and health officials say they will stop enforcing certain mandates as COVID-19 metrics improve. Should the numbers worsen, officials say they will use the same system to determine when those mandates should be enforced again. Based on current metrics, officials announced on Wednesday that Philadelphia had reached a Masks Precautions Only level - meaning that the requirement to show proof of vaccination at indoor dining establishments that serve food for onsite consumption was dropped, effective immediately. Philadelphia’s Department of Public Health will focus on four key metrics to guide decisions on mandates and restrictions. The metrics include average new cases per day, number of hospitalizations, percent of tests reported as positive, and the rate of change of new cases. City officials say tying their response to these metrics will help the public understand why the city is enforcing specific mandates, as well as what needs to happen in order the enforcement to stop. Philadelphia’s COVID-19 website will be updated to included detailed breakdowns of the four key metrics.On Wednesday, Philadelphia health Commissioner Dr.

COVID-19 patients in the hospital are dropping, he still figures it could be months before the facility will be able to return to pre-pandemic surgical volumes.Dr. Craig Ainsworth, director of the cardiac care unit at Hamilton General Hospital, told 900 CHML’s Hamilton Today that Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) is still only operating at 50 to 60 per cent of surgical activity levels which will delay some non-urgent and non-emergent services.“It would be silly for me to say we’ll be back at 100 per cent by tomorrow or next week, but we’re trying very hard to get to get there as fast as we can, but it’s likely going to be months,” said Ainsworth.

Queen Elizabeth was photographed for the first time since the public was concerned for her safety.

Other symptoms to look out for

Covid-19 outbreak in the US are pointing sharply downward.

Ottawa blockade that has kept the capital at a standstill for nearly three full weeks are calling the federal government’s use of the Emergencies Act a scare tactic.Trucks, RVs and other vehicles with Canadian flags or banners with the word “freedom” in giant letters along their front grilles remain on Wellington Street in front of Parliament Hill, with drivers saying they will stay put until all COVID-19 vaccine mandates and restrictions are lifted.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the act on Monday for the first time in Canadian history, with details of the regulations contained in cabinet orders published Tuesday night.Under the act, bringing children to the antigovernment blockades, participating in the protests directly, or bringing aid such as food or fuel to those involved could result in a fine of up to $5,000 or five years in prison Bringing children, food or fuel to convoy blockades prohibited under Emergencies Act Blockades are not allowed on Parliament Hill and surrounding streets, official residences, war monuments, airports, harbours, border crossings, piers, lighthouses, canals, interprovincial and international bridges, hospitals and COVID-19 vaccine clinics, trade corridors and infrastructure needed for the supply of utilities including power generation and transmission.The cabinet orders are now in effect but must all be confirmed by motions to be put to both the House of Commons and the Senate for a vote.The government could take until next week to table the motion invoking the act itself, but has only until Thursday to do so for the motions on the specific powers being enacted, which will remain in place for 30 days unless the government revokes them sooner.

Freedom Convoy” blockade of downtown Ottawa are being warned by police to “leave the area now” as questions heat up about when police will act to remove the demonstrators who have paralyzed the nation’s capital for 20 days.“You must leave the area now. Anyone blocking streets, or assisting others in the blocking streets, are committing a criminal offence and you may be arrested.

PHILADELPHIA - The Wells Fargo Center says fans will no longer be required to show proof of vaccination when attending events at the arena.The announcement comes as Philadelphia announced on Wednesday that it was immediately ending the vaccine requirement for establishments that serve food for onsite consumption. The arena fell under the city’s criteria for establishments that were required to ask for proof of vaccination from customers and staff.The vaccine requirement had gone into place on Jan. 3.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, Park Byeong-Seug visited the Parliament on Friday (21).The Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea is in Sri Lanka on the invitation of Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena.Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, Secretary-General of Parliament Dhammika Dasanayake, and Sergeant-at-Arms Narendra Fernando welcomed the Speaker of the Republic of Korea and his delegation.Thereafter, the Speaker of the Republic of Korea will pay a courtesy call on Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena and then observe Proceedings of the House from the VIP Gallery.

COLOMBO (News 1st): The renovated ‘Sirimathipaya,’ the Prime Minister’s Office at Flower Road, Colombo, was declared open by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on Thursday (20).President Rajapaksa inspected the photographs displayed in the renovated office and inspected the office premises as well.A first day cover and a commemorative postage stamp was also released marking the inauguration of the duties of the new office under the aegis of the President.The Sri Lanka Navy renovated the building under the supervision of former Secretary to the Prime Minister Gamini Senarath as per the vision of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.This two-storeyed mansion was built by Albert Emmanuel de Silva in 1916 for his son Sir Albert Ernest de Silva.The mansion was handed over to the State by family members in 1960 following the demise of Sir Ernest de Silva.The Ministry of Education and Broadcasting, and the Ministry of Local Government, Housing and Construction were then established in Sirimathipaya.In 1978, the then Prime Minister Ranasinghe Premadasa established the Prime Minister’s Office in Sirimathipaya.Sirimathipaya, which is more than a hundred years old, has undergone a complete overhaul after 44 years.A book consisting of the history and photographs of Sirimathipaya was presented to the President by the President’s Secretary Gamini Senarath.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The United Nations commended Sri Lanka’s green agriculture programme at a meeting held between UN Assistant Secretary-General Kanni Wignaraja and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat on Tuesday (04).Wignaraja serves as the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific.Wignaraja said Sri Lanka was ranked 87th out of 165 countries in the 2021 Sustainable Development Report, moving seven points ahead from the previous year’s ranking. The possibility of attracting foreign investors to the green agriculture programme by further developing these conditions was also discussed.The President pointed out the steps being taken by Sri Lanka to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals while seeking solutions to the socio-economic impacts caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.The President said that a comprehensive mechanism has been set up for this purpose, including the Presidential Task Force on Economic Revival and Poverty Alleviation and the Presidential Task Force on Creating a Green Sri Lanka and Sustainable Solutions to climate change.UNDP Resident Representative Robert Juhkam, Deputy Resident Representative Malin Herwig, Secretary to the President P.B.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The adjournment debate on the Government’s Policy Statement presented by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is due to commence on Wednesday (19).The Head of State presented the Policy Statement on Tuesday (18) with the beginning of the 2nd session of the 9th Parliament.Earlier, it was decided that the Adjournment debate on the Statement of Government Policy presented by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, will be held on January 19th and 20th.During Tuesday’s (18) meeting, Chief Government Whip Johnston Fernando had requested for the debate to run until Friday (21) as most government MP’s had wanted to express their views.Accordingly, the Prime Minister had instructed to allocate Friday (21) for the debate after informing the Speaker.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has been bestowed with the ‘Sri Lankadheeshwara Padma Vibhushana’ award on Sunday (2), tweeted the President’s SpokespersonIt was awarded by the Sri Kalyani Samagridharma Maha Sangha Sabha of the Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte Maha Viharaya. අතිගරු ජනාධිපති ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂ මැතිතුමන් වෙත, මහාවිහාරවංශික ශ්‍රී ජයවර්ධනපුර කෝට්ටේ ශ්‍රී කල්‍යාණී සාමග්‍රිධර්ම මහාසංඝසභාව මගින් “ශ්‍රී ලංකාධීශ්වර පද්ම විභූෂණ” ගෞරවාභිධානය පිරිනමනු ලැබුණා.#LKA— Kingsly Rathnayaka (@KingslyRathnyka) January 2, 2022

COLOMBO (News 1st); President Gotabaya Rajapaksa inspected the renovation work of the Ehelepola Walawwa, which is more than 400 years old, at Raja Veediya in Kandy on Thursday (06).The building, which was used as a prison during the British colonial period and then a remand prison, was taken over by the Urban Development Authority and developed under the supervision of the Department of Archeology.All renovation works of the building, which is of historical value, have been carried out without compromising the ancient design of the Walawwa.The President gave instructions to complete the renovation immediately.

COLOMBO (News 1st); President Gotabaya Rajapaksa visited the Malwathu Vihara on Thursday (06) and received blessings from the Most Venerable Dimbulkumbure Wimaladhamma Anunayake Thera.The Anunayake Thera chanted Seth Pirith and invoked blessings on the President. The Thera said that the Maha Sangha have faith that the aspirations of the people would be fulfilled by overcoming all obstacles.The President called on the Most Venerable Niyangoda Vijithasiri Thera, the Anunayake of Malwathu Chapter, and engaged in a brief conversation.Ven.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa delivered the Government’s Policy Statement, after declaring open the 2nd session of the 9th Parliament on Tuesday (18).The President said that while successfully encountering short-term problems, the primary responsibility is to continue to implement the long-term development program presented by the government to the people and endorsed by a majority.“The sustainable future of the country is built on it,” said the President.Here’s are some of the key takeaways from the President’s speech:National Security:“Our Government has secured national security and the people have no fear of terrorism today,” said the President in his statement.He said the government has been able to change the situation concerning the underworld that terrorized people, during the past two years.The President further stated that Sri Lanka was becoming a hub for international drug traffickers and the situation today is largely under control due to the action taken by the security & intelligence services in the country.Human Rights:The President in his statement said Sri Lanka needs to correct the misconceptions that have been taken to the international community in the past with regard to Human Rights in the country.“During my tenure, the government did not support any form of human rights violations. We do not condone such actions in any manner,” he said.Electricity:“We will not approve the construction of coal power plants in the future for any reason,” said the President adding that “Our goal is to achieve the carbon-neutral target by 2050.

COLOMBO (News 1st): President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will ceremonially declare open the 2nd Session of the 9th Parliament on the 18th January 2022.The President will present the Government Policy Statement on Tuesday (18) at 10:00 AM in accordance with the powers vested in him by Article 33 (2) of the Constitution.Prior to this, the second session of the Ninth Parliament will be ceremonially opened under the patronage of the President, Parliamentary Secretary General Dhammika Dasanayake said.On the instructions of the President, arrangements have been made to hold the ceremony in a very simple manner thus that there will be no gun salutes or car parades.Instead, the President will be received in front of Parliament with a cultural salute with the participation of the Police Cultural Division.Following the presentation of the Government Policy Statement by the President, the House will be adjourned. Afterward, a tea party is organized for the members of Parliament and invited guests.Foreign diplomats, former Presidents, Prime Ministers, Chief Justice, Supreme Court Justices, and the Attorney General have been invited to the ceremonial opening of the second session of the Ninth Parliament, Secretary-General of Parliament Dhammika Dasanayake said.He also stressed that the second session of the Ninth Parliament will be ceremonially opened following all health guidelines.