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Climate Change University to be launched next year
At the briefing on the progress of Climate Change and Green Growth held on Wednesday (31) at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo between President Ranil Wickremesinghe and officials of the Climate Change Secretariat led by President’s Adviser on Climate Change Ruwan Wijewardene it was revealed that the Climate Change University would be launched next year and that the University Grants Commission had identified approximately 130 scientists who have gained international recognition for their research on climate change who, together with their international affiliations would be brought together as part of the initiative.
President Wickremesinghe expressing his perspective on the International Climate Change University, emphasized that it should be a post-graduate institution solely focused on research which does not offer undergraduate courses. Any country or organization that contributes to the university becomes a stakeholder and gains membership on the Board of Governance. The Korean Exim Bank has expressed interest in partnering with the university and negotiations between Sri Lanka and the Korea Exim Bank, led by the External Resource Department have concluded successfully. The President said that prestigious institutions like Harvard and MIT have also expressed interest in collaboration.
The discussions also revolved around inviting a group of international experts from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, tentatively scheduled for July/August to engage in policy conversations, addressing global issues, and exploring potential research projects that could be derived from these policy dialogues.
President Wickremesinghe emphasized that all future research in the field of climate change should be conducted at this institution.
India and Pakistan agree to a full and immediate ceasefire the pause began at 17:00 local time (12:30 BST)
India is adhering to the agreement, but its army remains “vigilant”, officialssay, – Pakistan says it has always strived for peace and security in the region.
The ceasefire is the result of “a long night of talks mediated by the United States,” Donald Trump says.
The US president is likely going to portray himself as a global peacemaker as all-out conflict has been averted.
(BBC)
A diver has died during preliminary operations to recover British tech tycoon Mike Lynch’s superyacht from the waters off the coast of northern Sicily, local police said.
The accident happened on Friday while the diver was underwater in Porticello, police said, adding the precise cause of death was still unknown.
According to local Italian media, the diver was a 39-year-old Dutch national who worked for a specialist salvage company.
It comes as salvage ships arrived earlier this month to waters off the small port of Porticello, near Palermo, where the Bayesian vessel sank during freak weather last August.
Seven of the 22 people onboard the Bayesian last summer were killed, including Lynch 59, and his 18 year old daughter Hannah..
Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, 70, and his wife, Judy, 71, US lawyer Chris Morvillo, his wife Neda Morvillo and the yacht’s chef Recaldo Thomas who was originally from Antigua, also died in the sinking on 19 August.
Fifteen people managed to escape on a lifeboat including a one-year-old and Mike Lynch’s wife Angela Bacares.
The cause of the sinking is still under investigation with naval experts saying a yacht of Bayesian’s calibre should have been able to withstand the storm and certainly should not have sunk as rapidly as it did.
The salvage operation is being overseen by British marine consultancy TMC Marine and led by Dutch-based companies Hebo, a maritime services company from Rotterdam, and SMIT Salvage, with support from Italian specialists.
About 70 specialist personnel have been deployed to Sicily from across Europe to work on the recovery operation
On Thursday, the team said on-site preparations were on schedule and “significant progress” had been made over the past five days.
Analysis of the yacht and the surrounding seabed confirmed there had been no change to its condition since the last inspection, meaning plans to raise the vessel can now go ahead.
Work to move the Bayesian into an upright position and lift it to the surface was scheduled to begin later this month – subject to suitable weather and sea conditions.
Before the vessel is transported to port, sea water will be pumped out of it.
Before the Bayesian is raised it will be held in position by steel slings, as salvage workers detach the vessel’s extensive rigging and 72m (236ft) mast, thought to be one of the tallest in the world.
These will then be stored on the seabed and recovered after the team has recovered the ship’s hull, which investigators say is a primary source of evidence.
There has not been any pollution from the yacht reported, with conditions being monitored and efforts made to secure its tank vents and openings.
Lynch and his daughter were said to have lived in the vicinity of London, and the Bloomers lived in Sevenoaks in Kent.
The tycoon founded software giant Autonomy in 1996 and was cleared in June last year of carrying out a massive fraud over the sale of the firm to Hewlett-Packard (HP) in 2011.
The boat trip was a celebration of his acquittal in the case in the US.
[BBC]
The Sri Lanka Coast Guard launched an operation to clear the oil spill caused by the crash of a Sri Lanka Air Force Bell 212 helicopter into the Maduru Oya Reservoir, during a training flight on 09 May 2025.
The efforts to clear the oil spill are ongoing and will continue today, 10 May.
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