The Animal Welfare Bill has at last been brought to parliament, nearly three years since the Draft Bill was presented by the Law Commission to President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Since independence the single piece of legislation that exists today for the protection and welfare of animals is the "Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance" of 1907.

Colombo

Minister of Labour Relations and Manpower, Athauda Seneviratne commissioned a rural electricity supply project at Ipilagala-Batahira Gonagala in the Ruwanwella electorate recently. The cost of the project is Rs. 7 million.

Those living in Batahira Gonagala, Uthuru Gonagala, Ipilagala colony and Miyankoladeniya will benefit from the new scheme.

The public was understandably shocked and dismayed at the death of a healthy twelve year old child Peshala Hashani, from a Rubella vaccination, a routine preventive health measure. Naturally there was a public outcry demanding that an inquiry be held and those responsible be punished

The roofs of a line of houses in the Mawussawa Estate in Nuwara Eliya were blown off in a cyclone on Sunday.

There was continuous rain and hail in the area, residents said.

Around 40 workers of the plantation displaced as a result of the cyclone were provided with cooked food by the estate management.

Vehicles registered before 1975 which are often kept as exhibits and brand new vehicles do not need to go through the Vehicle Emission Testing (VET) Progamme to get the annual license, Motor Traffic Commissioner General Bandulage Wijeratne said.

"We want to be in (the new UN climate pact), we want to be pragmatic, we want to look at the science," said Jonathan Pershing, the head of the US delegation, during the talks on cutting greenhouse gas emissions in Bonn last week. So how will the Obama administration reconcile political "pragmatism" with the scientific realities?

Maize farmers affected by the abrupt closure of the Triposha Factory in Ja-Ela would stage a demonstration this week demanding the reopening of the factory within this week. The demonstration would be held either the opposite of the Factory premises in Ja-Ela or opposite the Health Ministry in Colombo, they said adding that the decision would be finalized tomorrow (8).

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has donated $15 million (Rs 1.7 billion) worth of vital food aid for Sri Lanka to the United Nations World Food Program (WFP). The food, consisting of wheat, lentils and vegetable oil, will be distributed to a large number of displaced and conflict-affected people in the northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka.

Under the instructions of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Highways and Road Development Minister T. B. Ekanayake had taken steps to speed up the completion of Colombo- Katunayake Highway.

Highways and Road Development Ministry Media Secretary Shirantha Premawardena told The Island yesterday, plans were afoot to complete the project within 39 months.