Latest News
Dame Jane Goodall remembered as a ‘true hero for the planet’
Conservationist Dame Jane Goodall, a world-leading expert on chimpanzees, has died aged 91.
Former US president Barack Obama was among those who paid tribute to Dr Goodall, who he said, “opened doors for generations of women in science”.
Actor and environmental campaigner Leonardo DiCaprio said that she “inspired millions to care, to act, and to hope”, and called her a “a true hero for the planet”.
Dr Goodall died of natural causes while in California on a speaking tour of the US, according to a statement from the Jane Goodall Institute.
It said her discoveries “revolutionised science” and that she was “a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world”.
The United Nations said it mourned the loss of Dr Goodall, saying that she “worked tirelessly for our planet and all its inhabitants, leaving an extraordinary legacy for humanity and nature”.
Greenpeace said it was “heartbroken” by her death, calling her “one of the true conservation giants of our time”.
Its co-executive director in the UK, Will McCallum, said: “Dr Goodall’s legacy is not only in science but in the global movement she helped spark to protect nature and give hope for a better world.”
Naturalist Chris Packham told the BBC that he counted her among his heroes, calling her “revolutionary” and “remarkable”.
“To have lost a hero at a time when we need all of them on the frontline fighting for life on earth is a tragedy.”
Born in 1934 and raised in London, Dr Goodall said she became fascinated by animals after reading books like The Story of Dr Doolittle and Tarzan.
She met leading primatologist Prof Louis Leakey while staying on a friend’s farm in Kenya in her mid-twenties. Although she had no qualifications, Mr Leakey saw her potential and helped arrange her first research trip to the jungles of Tanzania in 1960.
That year, she became the first person to record witnessing an animal using a tool – a large male chimpanzee, who she had named David Greybeard, digging termites out of a mound with a stick.
Until then, it was thought only humans were intelligent enough to do so. Her observations challenged years of conventional scientific thinking and shaped the future of evolutionary science.
Her work was published in leading journals, and in 1965 she made the front cover of National Geographic, introducing the world to the emotional and social lives of the primates.
She revealed that the animals form strong family bonds and even engage in warfare over territory. She featured in a television documentary narrated by Orson Welles, which saw her playing and wrestling with baby chimps.
Her approach – associating so closely with the animals she studied, naming them and even referring to them as “my friends” – was scoffed at by some, mostly male, scientists at the time. She undertook a PhD based on her findings, despite not having an undergraduate degree or any prior scientific training.
After her experiences in the field she became an activist, working to free chimpanzees kept in zoos or in captivity for medical research, and later urged action on climate change in the face of widespread habitat devastation.
She told BBC in 2024 “We’re in the midst of the sixth great extinction… the more we can do to restore nature and protect existing forests, the better.”
Asked what kept her motivated late in life, she said: “Surely people want a future for their children.”
Getty ImagesDr Goodall was appointed a Dame in 2003 and received the US Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2025.
She was known for travelling constantly for her work, telling the Times newspaper in 2022 that she had not slept in the same bed for more than three weeks since 1986.
Dr Goodall worked right up until her death, being interviewed on stage in New York a week ago. She was due to speak again at a sold-out event on 3 October in California.
“Dr Jane Goodall DBE was a visionary humanitarian, scientist, friend to the planet, and friend to us,” Prince Harry and Meghan said in a statement.
Former Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, said “her compassion will live on” in future conservation work.
Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres hailed her work as a Messenger of Peace, a UN title she has held since 2002 for bringing “global attention to the urgency of protecting our environment”.
Environmental organisations, including Greenpeace and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta), have also commemorated Dr Goodall’s legacy.
[BBC]
Latest News
PM departs Sri Lanka to participate in the 56th World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland.
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya departed Sri Lanka on this morning (19 January) to participate in the 56th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), to be held in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, from 19 to 23 January 2026.
The World Economic Forum 2026 will be convened under the theme “A Spirit of Dialogue” and will bring together over 3,000 global leaders, including heads of state, government leaders, chief executive officers of leading multinational corporations, policymakers, and technology innovators.
During the visit, the Prime Minister is scheduled to hold a series of high-level bilateral meetings with key international leaders, heads of global institutions, and other distinguished dignitaries.
(Prime Minister’s Media Division)
Several people have been killed in a blast in Afghanistan’s Kabul, the Taliban Interior Ministry said.
The explosion occurred on Monday in the Shahr-e-Naw area of the capital, which is home to foreigners and thought to be one of the most secure areas in Kabul.
“According to preliminary reports, a number of people were killed and injured,” Interior Ministry spokesperson Abdul Mateen Qani told the Reuters news agency, adding that details would be released later.
Blasts in Kabul, and across Afghanistan, are rarer since the Taliban returned to power following the United States Withdrawl in 2021, but ISIL affiliates are still active in the country and carry out sporadic attacks.
(Aljazeera)
Senegal stormed off the field in protest at a penalty awarded against them before returning to beat hosts Morocco 1-0 after extra time, and win the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), amid farcical scenes in the final.
Midfielder Pape Gueye netted the 94th-minute winner on Sunday, after Morocco’s star player Brahim Diaz squandered the chance to win it for the home side by fluffing the last-gasp penalty in normal time following a 14-minute delay.
Senegal coach Pape Bouna Thiaw ordered his players off, and it was talisman Sadio Mane who persuaded them to return.
The penalty was awarded following a VAR check by Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala after Diaz had been tugged to the ground by Senegal full-back El Hadji Malick Diouf while defending a corner kick five minutes into stoppage time.
Officials and players jostled with each other while the referee consulted the touchline screen, and then again when Senegal walked off.
Once the players returned to the field, Diaz inexplicably tried a Panenka-style chip, and his soft penalty effort sailed tamely into the arms of Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.
Senegal’s actions will be seen as a major blight on an otherwise successful tournament, although defeat continues Morocco’s poor record in the tournament, which they only previously won 50 years ago.
The Senegal team had initially been riled by the referee’s decision to disallow for a foul a goal they scored in the second added minute, when Abdoulaye Seck headed off the post at a corner, and Ismaila Sarr nodded in the rebound.
After Diaz’s penalty miss, however, it felt almost inevitable that a galvanised Senegal would go on to score, and they did so in the fourth minute of extra time to stun the home fans in the crowd of 66,526 at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.
Mane won possession in midfield and found Idrissa Gana Gueye, who released his namesake Pape Gueye.
The Villarreal midfielder held off the backtracking Moroccan captain Achraf Hakimi as he advanced towards the box, before beating goalkeeper Yassine Bounou with a superb strike into the top corner.
Morocco were distraught, in particular Diaz, who was promptly substituted.
They could still have forced a penalty shootout, with Nayef Aguerd heading against the crossbar in the second half of extra time.
But it was not to be for the hosts, who had been dreaming of winning the title in front of their own fans to end a 50-year wait to become African champions for just the second time.
(Aljazeera)
PM departs Sri Lanka to participate in the 56th World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland.
Several killed in Kabul blast, Afghan Interior Ministry says
Senegal beat hosts Morocco to win AFCON 2025 after farcical walk-off
At least six killed in Pakistan as fire rips through Karachi shopping mall
Chile declares ‘state of catastrophe’ as deadly wildfires menace cities
At least 21 killed in Spain after crash involving high-speed trains
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
Editorial2 days agoIllusory rule of law
-
News3 days agoUNDP’s assessment confirms widespread economic fallout from Cyclone Ditwah
-
Business5 days agoKoaloo.Fi and Stredge forge strategic partnership to offer businesses sustainable supply chain solutions
-
Editorial3 days agoCrime and cops
-
Features2 days agoDaydreams on a winter’s day
-
Editorial4 days agoThe Chakka Clash
-
Features2 days agoSurprise move of both the Minister and myself from Agriculture to Education
-
Features2 days agoThe Story of Furniture in Sri Lanka