The first successful paediatric liver transplantation for acute liver failure is another sparkling gem in the crown of the Colombo North Centre for Liver Diseases (Ragama) of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya. The Colombo North Centre for Liver Diseases evolved with a name-change in May this year from the North Colombo Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary and Liver Transplant Unit established in May 2012, contributing pioneering work to saving numerous lives, while also taking on referrals from across the country. Diluni needed a very urgent liver transplant, as otherwise she would die in a few days. A team member of the Colombo North Centre for Liver Diseases says that usually it would take about two months to prepare a child who was suffering from cirrhosis and needed a transplant. Diluni needed a transplant soon because she not only had acute liver failure but also cerebral oedema and encephalopathy (a decline in brain function).

Law and order gone topsy-turvy View(s):Laws of any country are with a view to ensure human rights equitably. In Sri Lanka, law and order has gone topsy-turvy, meaning law and order does not impart any meaning or purpose in its exercise, nor offer any direction in its endeavour. Thus, any aspiration of the people to a sense of community solidarity as against the establishment, is denied to the people. It is idle, therefore, to even talk of a sense of unity of the people by way of law and order. The law touching law and order is not for the people.

Unlimited import of rice in bid to check prices By Damith Wickremasekara and Chrishanthi Christopher Prices of powdered milk go up, talks on increasing prices of gas and other items View(s): View(s):The Cabinet has decided to allow unlimited imports of rice in a fresh attempt to prevent traders from exorbitantly increasing prices following the withdrawal of the gazette notification on maximum retail prices. The Government earlier failed to control rice prices although it carried out raids on paddy stores of large scale rice millers and issued a gazette notification on maximum retail prices for rice. Meanwhile, in a similar move, the Government on Friday withdrew a gazette notifications on prices of powdered milk, flour, gas and cement. 600 price increase but that was when the world market price was $600 a metric tonne. They said that removing the price ceiling on essential items would give traders the licence to increase prices arbitrarily.

Wise decision to remove price control on rice By Prof. Samson Ekanayake Feature View(s): View(s):Various parties have tried to portray the government’s decision to abolish the control price for rice as a defeat, a betrayal of consumers, a surrender to the paddy mill owners, a foolish act, an understanding of the reality, or as a wise decision. When it comes to consumers, they had to pay a higher price than the control price when buying rice, which was even higher than the price that prevailed before the price control was introduced. The first is that consumers must pay a higher price than the control price. Instead of setting a control price for rice, the above measures can be effectively used to stop the mill owners from unjustly raising/fixing the price of rice. Based on the above reasons, it can be concluded that the removal of the control price on rice by the government is a wise decision.

The Architecture programme here at CSA offers experiential learning & communication, appreciating architecture through design projects, written projects, graphics, model making etc. Tell us about your submissionfor the Port City Design Competition and winning the competition. At CSA Students are encouraged to participate in local and international competitions to excel and showcase students’ creative talents. The “Dream” sculpture competition organised by the Colombo port city was a great opportunity. The UWE tour was part of this learning experience and was definitely the highlight of it!

Even if Sri Lanka achieves the desired level of vaccination, all preventive strategies should focus on changing human behaviour. There were a large number of infections within small areas but they could be contained quickly, while Sri Lanka also had severe lockdowns. But in Sri Lanka, now about 10-15% of the population has been exposed to the virus. Until such time, we have to change our lifestyle and live with it,” adds Dr. Kothalawala. Dr. Kothalawala points out that it is of paramount importance to identify the first “symptomatic case”.

Three Lankans honoured with Indian literary award By Ruqyyaha Deane View(s): View(s):As India celebrated its 75th Independence day on August 15, the Indian Government awarded 440 writers across the globe the literary honour – Gujarat Sahitya Academy award. In the list were three Sri Lankan writers, Nilukshika Dimithri Wijerathna, Thasneem Aala and Sakina Mohammed. The Gujarat Sahitya Academy is one of the many Indian literary boards, literary unions, academic institutions and literary entities associated with Motivational Strips forum that began as a modest Facebook page three years ago and today has more than 7,300,000 visitors every month. “Currently I am working on my book ‘My Poetic Place: Journey to self discovery’ which will be on motivational themes. She has published over a 100 articles in local magazines on a range of various topics“It was a moment to be cherished when I was announced as one of the recipients of this prestigious literary award,” she says.

NDB Bank among “Top 10 Most Admired Companies” in Sri Lanka View(s):National Development Bank PLC was recently named among the ‘10 Most Admired Companies in Sri Lanka’ for the 2020/2021 financial year. NDB Bank said in a media release that it was among the Top 10 due to the bank’s resilience during a year that challenged even the strongest of organisations. The panel of judges, chaired by Ravi Abeysuriya, consisted of Hajar Alafifi, Rolf Blaser, Sunil Dissanayake, Varuni Amunugama Fernando, Santosh Menon, Faizal Salieh, Dr. Sulochana Sigera, and Deepal Sooriyaarachchi. Adding to the many firsts the bank has achieved in its digital evolution, is the launch of the latest video KYC (vKYC) based account opening process. vKYC verification utilises artificial intelligence (AI) technology enabling customers to open NDB accounts from the comfort and safety of the home, without having to visit a branch.

Sri Lanka make four last-minute changes to final T20 squad cricket View(s): View(s):Sri Lanka will make four changes to their squad for the upcoming men’s T20 World Cup with Pathum Nissanka, Lahiru Kumar, Binura Fernando and Akila Dananjaya likely to be included in the 15-man squad, which needs to be finalised by today. However, given Dananjaya’s experience, having played 31 internationals since making his debut at the 2012 World Cup held in Sri Lanka, the off-spinner stand a slight advantage over the uncapped leg-break bowler Tharanga. With the team’s think-tank making changes to the team composition, Nissanka has been identified as the ‘ideal’ opening partner to Kusal Janith Perera. Nissanka did so against Oman in the first game played on Thursday which Sri Lanka won by 19 runs but the right-hander managed just eight runs off his 14-ball stay in the middle. Sri Lanka will play Namibia, Netherlands and Ireland in round one where they need to be among the two teams in the group to earn a place in the main draw.

Rafiq, who is gay, says that over time his behaviour became a source of 'terrible shame for my wealthy family'. He signed a deal this year, thought to be worth at least £10 million, to be the media-friendly face of Qatar. The Qataris we interviewed, who spoke about the mental toll of hiding their sexuality, believe a well-judged pronouncement from Kane and Co ahead of the World Cup could stimulate debate and possibly reform. 'If the World Cup improves things marginally then that is good,' he says. Around the time Qatar began lobbying for the rights to the World Cup, stories about women punished under zina laws stopped appearing in state-run papers.

By Nathan Salt For MailonlinePublished: 17:26 EDT, 9 October 2021 | Updated: 17:48 EDT, 9 October 2021Cristiano Ronaldo netted his 112th goal for Portugal as he starred in a routine friendly win against Qatar. The 2022 World Cup hosts were handed a sobering reminder of just how big the task will be next winter when they come up against elite opposition. Ronaldo, teed up by Manchester United team-mate Diogo Dalot, set Portugal on their way before former Southampton defender Jose Fonte bundled in a second before the half-time whistle. Andre Silva capped off a comfortable evening with a third late on. More to follow.

A theme song and history book marking the 80th anniversary of the State Intelligence Service (SIS) was launched earlier in the month by Secretary of Defence and Disaster Management Maj. Gen. Kamal Gunaratne at a simple ceremony. The SIS began operations on 1 October in the year 1941. After paying floral tributes to the soldiers who laid down their lives for the country in front of the Heroes’ Monument at the SI Headquarters, religious ceremonies were held to pay tributes to the fallen heroes and wish good luck to the institution, officials, and the country. The Secretary of Defence had said that the SIS had fought against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for over 30 years, and even today were playing an important role in pandemic control in the country.

October 10, 2021 by News Admin No CommentsState Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government Roshan Ranasinghe had said that details related to holding the provincial council (PC) elections, including a possible time frame, were being discussed and prepared, and would be presented to the Cabinet of Ministers shortly. The State Minister had noted that the Minister in charge of the subject will submit these proposals to the Cabinet in the near future. The State Minister made this comment to the media during an event in Kandy.

October 10, 2021 by News Admin No CommentsThe appointment of Dr. Jagath Wellawatte as Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Australia had been reversed by the Government. It is learnt that the Government was looking at nominating another in place of Dr. Wellawatte. Politically aligned to Minister of Finance Basil Rajapaksa, Dr. Wellawatte is the former Chairman of the Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation (SLIC) and was nominated as the High Commissioner-designate to Australia in July this year.

October 10, 2021 by News Admin No CommentsMinister of Youth and Sports Namal Rajapaksa last week travelled to Kenya to further develop bilateral ties. Details of Rajapaksa’s visit to Kenya were not immediately known. Rajapaksa tweeted about his visit to Kenya last Thursday (7), saying: “Just arrived in #Nairobi #Kenya. Looking forward to a series productive meetings to further strengthen both bilateral relations & people to people friendships between our nations (sic).”