The Health and Nutrition Ministry will introduce a National Nutrition Policy in order to develop a national action plan and a strategic plan to be implemented through inter-sectoral cooperation by the provincial health authorities, a Ministry spokesman said.

The residents of Thambarombuwa village in the Kotawehera DS Division of Nikaweratiya are living in constant fear of wild elephants that roam into the human habitats after dusk. A rogue elephant that pulled down the walls of a house gulped down a stock of paddy in the house. The owner of the house was away from home and only his wife H.M.

Up until 1995, the power sector in Sri Lanka was more or less carbon neutral as over 95% of the requirement was produced from hydro-power. In order to meet in increasing demand of the country during the last 13 years the government took steps to establish oil fired power plants.

Chief Epidemiologist at the Ministry of Health Dr. Paba Palihawadana has said that the fast spreading rat fever in the districts of Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Kurunegala, Matara and Kegalle had claimed over a 100 deaths this year alone, and infected over 3000 persons.

The first case of swine flu from the Ratnapura District has been detected from a young girl, the Sabaragamuwa Provincial Health Services Director, Dr Kapila Kannagara said.

The Government has taken steps to launch 2,225 electrification projects at a cost of Rs. 5025 million. Accordingly all remaining power projects will be completed by 2012 and this will cost an additional sum of Rs.1,650 million, the Ceylon Electricity Board stated.

More than a 1000 families in the Binthenna area are in a predicament for want of drinking water caused by the prolonged drought. The Maduru-Oya, which is the only source of water in the area, has run dry and people are compelled to dig pits in the river bed to collect water.

Statistically the death rate of wild elephants due to the human-elephant conflict increased this year when compared to the previous year.

Director General of the Wildlife Conservation Department Ananda Weerasuriya said 160 deaths were reported last year and this increased to 170 elephants for the last nine months of the current year.

The Maldivian president and ministers held the world's first underwater cabinet meeting on Saturday, in a symbolic cry for help over rising sea levels that threaten the tropical archipelago's existence.

Environment and Natural Resources Minister Champika Ranawaka challenged environmentalists, who he says manipulate the emotions of villagers of Dompe, to an open debate on the Kirindiwela garbage disposal project instead of protesting against it in the media.