Sep 23 (NS) Research studies conducted by Ministry of Health using food and blood samples from those in households with patients suffering from the kidney disease within A'pura District have revealed that considerable quantities of cadmium & lead had been detected especially lead in young children leading to cognitive impairment. Cadmium and lead are nephrotoxins, chronic exposure to which causes kidney disease. more..

Sep 23 (Island) The Pathfinder Foundation (PF) has taken a pioneering initiative by entering into a collaboration agreement with the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) having its seat in Moscow, the Russian Federation. The agreement signed by Andrey Kortunov, Director General of RIAC and Bernard Goonetilleke, Chairman, PF seeks to exchange analytical papers between the two institutions, implement joint projects to strengthen the stance of the two countries more..

Sep 23 (NS) Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) as per the procedure for instituting contempt-of-court action handed over papers to Chief Justice (CJ) Priyasath Dep this week against Deputy Minister Ranjan Ramanayake over statements made by the Minister with regard to corruption in the legal profession. Process now involves the CJ seeking and obtaining the opinion of the other SC Judges in this regard and if the majority of the Justices are of the view that action should be taken, more..

Sep 23 (Reuters) Sri Lanka is in talks with two Chinese companies about investing up to $3 billion to build in a new refinery at its Chinese-controlled port. SL wants to build a new refinery in its southern Hambantota port, where China Merchants Port Holdings has a 99-year lease to handle commercial operations. Located near the main shipping route from Asia to Europe, Hambantota port is likely to play a key role more..

Sep 23 (FT) The inauguration ceremony of a water purification unit was held in Welioya of Mullaitivu District, 19 Sept.�This project was implemented by the LAMP; an international NGO under the financial assistance of Korea Int'l Cooperation Agency (KOICA). Country Director of KOICA SL Office Lee Dong Ku, District Secretary of Mullaitivu District Ketheeswaran, Divisional Secretariat of Welioya Nishantha, and Directors of the LAMP Ahn Tea-Ju and Jin Sang Min attended the ceremony.� more..

Sep 23 (FT) A special ceremonial parliamentary sitting will be held on 3 October at 2.30pm to mark the 70th anniversary of the first Parliament of SL. According to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, the Committee on Parliamentary Business reached this decision Thursday. Parliament of Ceylon met for the first time on 14 Oct 1947 with Sir Alfred Francis Molamure presiding as Speaker. Membership was determined at the 19-day-long General Election held between 23 Aug and 20 Sept 1947. more..

Sep 23 (Island) Chairman of the COPE, JVP MP Sunil Handunnetti called on the govt to inform the French and German companies producing A 350 Airbus aircraft on an order from the SriLankan Airlines during the previous regime, of its desire to cancel the deal. Making a special statement with permission from the Chair, MP Handunnetti cautioned the govt on large scale losses it could suffer more..

Sep 23 (FT) People�s Action for Free and Fair Election (PAFFREL) yesterday in a statement called for honesty from the Govt with regard to the 20th Amendment.� Full statement of PAFFREL issued by its Executive Director Rohana Hettiarachchie: A 2/3 majority MPs elected to the SL Parliament through the people�s vote are honoured for passing the amendment of the Provincial Council Act endorsing that future provincial council elections should be conducted in a mixed system. more..

Sep 23 (DM) Speaker Karu Jayasuriya endorsed the Provincial Council Elections (Amendment) Bill a short while ago thus giving effect to it. Parliament sources said that the Speaker placed his signature to give effect to the Bill at around 9 pm. The Bill was passed in Parliament on Wednesday night with a two thirds majority. It was passed after some anxious moments during which a successful attempt was made by the govt to muster the required number of votes to get it approved. more..

Sep 23 (DN) Minister Lakshman Kiriella said that he is prepared to answer any query raised by the Auditor General with regard to road construction costs. He said that the COPE Chairman Sunil Handunetti cannot raise questions as he wants in accordance with the Standing Orders of Parliament. �Handunetti cannot question us merely because somebody else handed him a set of questions to be asked from us,� he said. more..

Sep 23 (DM) A special programme will be initiated from tomorrow to track down undisciplined motorists within the Colombo City limits. According to the programme, police officers in civvies would travel in ordinary vehicles covering several areas within the city limits and will observe the motorists' behaviour. The details of undisciplined motorists would be informed to the police officers in the official outfit on road duties and thereafter those vehicles would be stopped and proceed with legal action. more..

Sep 23 (Island) Govt, for the 8th consecutive time, delayed answering a question about President Sirisena�s foreign trips in 2015. UPFA MP Udya Gammanpila demanded to know the number of President�s foreign trips in 2015, names and designations of the persons who had accompanied the President the cost of each trip. Question, posed to the PM, who is also heading the Ministry of National Policies and Economic Affairs, had been placed on the order paper 7 times earlier. more..

Sep 23 (DM) During the cross-examination of former Governor Arjuna Mahendran, Additional Solicitor General Dappula De Livera suggested that he fixed the Feb 27, 2015 treasury bond auction with an ulterior motive. At the onset of yesterday�s PCoI proceedings, Additional Solicitor General Dappula de Livera PC, who initiated the cross-examination, intensely questioned former Governor Arjuna Mahendran. more..

Sep 23 (DM) A political authority in the highest echelons recently got his aides to arrange a meeting with the foreign media personnel to brief them on the topical national issues in the country and the govt's stand on them. And a date and time for the event was immediately set. However, to everyone�s surprise, an official communique was issued last week-end announcing that the proposed meeting with foreign media personnel was cancelled.�The discreet inquiries made by interested parties more..

Sep 23 (Island) Arjuna Mahendran admitted before the Presidential Commission yesterday that PM Ranil Wickremesinghe had asked him to accept the post of Governor of the Central Bank. Mahendran, giving evidence before the Commission of Inquiry, said he thought it was on the evening of Jan 08, 2015 that he had been asked to accept the post by the PM. Mahendran said so in response to questions posed by Senior Additional Solicitor General Dappula de Livera, PC. more..

Sep 23 (FT) A senior AG Department official suggested that Former CB Governor Arjuna Mahendran had interfered with due process in the 27 Feb 2015 treasury bond auction, thereby influencing its outcome. Mahendran denied the allegation, claiming that bids were accepted in concurrence with the then CBSL deputy governors and senior Public Dept Department (PDD) officials, with the objective of raising funds to meet more..

Sep 23 (DM) Monday (25), being World Pharmacists Day as declared by the Int'l Pharmaceutical Federation, it would be a healthy move to reflect on how the national unity govt is implementing the Seneka Bibile Policy to make quality medicinal drugs available to the people at affordable prices. �Earlier this year, Minister Rajitha Senaratne in a dynamic move significantly slashed the prices of almost 50 essential drugs through the National Medicinal Regulatory Authority (NMRA) more..

Sep 23 (DM) The much awaited G.C.E.(A/L) Exam concluded the other day leaving a lot to ponder on. It has proved again and again that the system has many a loophole to attend to. Exams are necessary evils. The gravity of the situation is that there is no other alternative for exams to serve as the qualifier for people to be offered employment. Yet, the system in our country is chronically ill. Every year, it is reported in the mass media, that something or other has happened. more..

Sep 23 (DM) Many communities living in the vicinity of natural forests are directly and indirectly dependent on the natural ecosystems. Despite conservation efforts, deforestation, forest degradation and biodiversity loss continue in Sri Lanka. �The average annual rate of deforestation has been identified as 7,145 ha/year during 1992-2010. �Among the Asian elephant range states Sri Lanka has the highest density of elephants; more..

Sep 23 (ST) Animal bites make up more than 33% of accidents in Sri Lanka, eating into a large chunk of the Health Ministry funds, according to the ministry�s first ever data compilation report on accidents. Health Ministry officials said most of these accidents were preventable and if people were vigilant, tragedies could be minimised and the state could save the large amount of money it spent on anti-rabies vaccine, serum & other medicine. more..

Sep 23 (NS) Organizations working towards the prevention of suicides highlighted that there was a rise in suicides among senior citizens above the age of 60 years. Sumithrayo which has 10 centres island-wide with trained volunteers helping prevent suicides, citing statistics, pointed out that during 2016, 3,050 persons had committed suicide. Highest number of suicides was reported from Polonnaruwa, A'pura & Ratnapura. more..

Sep 23 (DN) Speaker Karu Jayasuriya instructed Minister Faiszer Musthapha to conduct a special audit into an alleged misuse of money in Bandarawela by allocating funds twice for the construction of rural roads. The Speaker made this observation when Badulla UNP MP Chaminda Wijesiri brought to the notice of Parliament that Rs. 4 million allocated by the Local Govt and Provincial Councils Ministry and more..

Sep 23 (EN) Sri Lanka's forex reserves rose one by almost a billion rupees, to 7,706 million dollars by end August 2017 from 6.7 billion US dollars in July, data shows. Sri Lanka's forex reserves are made up of monetary reserves collected by the central bank by dollar purchases and mopping up rupee liquidity that s created in the process, and also fiscal reserves which are kept as US dollars. more..

Sep 23 (Island) Colombo Chief Magistrate yesterday remanded, till�Oct., 6�a hotel employee (30) who attempted to enter the former President Mahinda Rajapaksa�s official residence in Colombo on Thursday, carrying a knife. The Magistrate also ordered the Prisons Superintendent to produce the suspect before a psychiatrist and obtain a report on his mental condition. When the security personnel caught him, more..

Sep 23 (ST) Three-wheeler operators will have time until the end of December to comply with rules to install fare meters under the Motor Traffic regulations. And once again, as on previous occasions, there are disputes over the meters, affordability, receipts and standards. Deputy minister Ashok Abeysinghe, said that it had been unanimously decided by officials that more time was needed to instal meters that meet SLS more..

Sep 23 (DM) Even though Minister Sarath Fonseka had claimed that he was denied a visa to enter the US, as far as the Daily Mirror is aware none of the ministers were included in the President Sirisena-led delegation to attend the UN General Assembly. Minister said that he was not granted visa though his name was included in the delegation to the UN. It was reported that PM parliamentary sessions scheduled for the week. more..

Sep 23 (DM) Additional Solicitor General Yasantha Kodagoga PC making a special statement on behalf of the AG Department's Counsel assisting the PCoI, at the very onset of yesterday�s proceedings said they deplored the comment made by Arjun Mahendran's Counsel Romesh de Silva PC insinuating that they were wasting tax payer�s money by moving for an adjournment of the proceedings. more..

Sep 23 (PMD) President Maithripala Sirisena says Sri Lanka is performing for the betterment of its people with much responsibility, in keeping with the charters of UN, as a member of United Nations. He said the govt is taking the process to ensure human rights and reconciliation forward step by step. President made these remarks during his meeting with Prince Zeid al-Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. more..

Sep 23 (CT) Sports lovers always crave to see their favourites, whether they be individuals or teams, perform well. A sport can only draw a large spectator turnout if the fans feel they will be provided with their money's worth. For instance, when Usain Bolt performed, even those who had no interest in athletics would want to watch that marvel in action. Even when Bolt was beaten, in his swansong, it was he who was cheered, while the winner was jeered. India has managed to provide more..

Sep 23 (Island) This resplendent isle and paradise on earth, was just that, only a few decades ago. This beautiful pearl of the Indian Ocean was considered a very rare jewel. It had everything�breath-taking beauty, its magnificent wildlife and flora and generations of its inimitable populace which ranged from astute eminent professionals to the humble farmer. The legislature had brilliant orators of outstanding education who guided the destiny of this land. more..

Sep 23 (NS) A five-year national strategic plan will be implemented from 2018 onwards by the National STD / AIDS Control Programme with the view of eradicating AIDS by 2025. Director of the Programme, Dr. Sisira Liyanage said that the roadmap in this regard is currently being prepared and at present external evaluation programmes are being conducted in relation to the matter. The preparation will end by November this year and will be implemented from 2018 onwards. more..

Sep 23 (AD) MP Roshan Ranasinghe stated that the current govt is forcibly depriving the public of their democratic rights through the enforcement of several new amendments to the constitution.� He further stated that a corrupt situation where bribery is seen within the parliament to gain favour for votes has been observed on several instances. MP further stated that the govt, who is covering in fear of a public election, is now attempting to deprive the public of their basic rights more..

Sep 23 (NF) National Youth Front held a meeting in Ja � Ela on Saturday afternoon. Former MP and Ja Ela Electorate coordinator of the UNP Joseph Micheal Perera had an argument with the organisers of this meeting. Event was saw the participation of UNP MP Dr. Kavinda Jayawardena and Ravi Karunanayake. Ja Ela electorate coordinator of the UNP Joseph Micheal Perera had entered the premises of the meeting while MP Dr. Kavinda Jayawardena was addressing the gathering. more..

Sep 23 (LT) The founding editor of Sunday Leader Lasantha Wickrematunge has been murdered by a gang of murderers from Tripoly Army Camp, Maradana, Colombo. 10 say reports. The investigations regarding the murder are being carried out on information received of a senior official of State Intelligence Service who had given the order for the murder with the knowledge of a higher official of the Defense Ministry. Statements have been recorded from a large number of more..

Sep 23 (EN) Actress-turned politician Geetha Kumarasinghe has accused her police bodyguards of gross negligence leading to a gas stove fire that caused her severe burns nearly three weeks ago, officials said. In a statement to police after recovering from burns suffered at her home in the Welikada police area at the beginning of this month, Kumarasinghe said she blamed her Ministerial Security Division guards for the incident. more..

Sep 23 (NR) Anunayake of the Malwathu Chapter, Ven. Dimbulkumbure Wimaladhamma Thera has stated that no one should obstruct the construction of the Colombo-Kandy highway. Anunayake added that taking the construction work forward was the responsibility of the govt. The Prelate added that at a time like today, every step should be taken to reduce the time spent to travel from Colombo to Kandy. He added that they expected this project to be completed without delay more..

Sep 23 (DN) The Bill before Parliament is a very important bill that introduces the proportion of 30% of women candidates who have to be nominated in the nomination paper submitted by any political party or an independent group when they contest a Provincial Council Election. said TNA � MP M. A. Sumanthiran in Parliament. �This is a very important issue that we have been talking about and when a Bill is debated in the House, any member, under Standing Orders could move committee more..

Sep 23 (EN) Govt is likely to reduce the prohibitive taxes on small cars and offer greater incentives for electric vehicles in the first budget to be unveiled by minister Mangala Samaraweera in November. He has already promised a leaner, greener budget ahead of possible LG elections that could be held as early as January or at least before the end of the first quarter of 2018. Former finance minister Ravi Karunanayake had jacked up taxes more..