News
French author Annie Ernaux wins 2022 Nobel Prize in literature
(Al Jazeera) French author Annie Ernaux, known for her deceptively simple novels drawing on personal experience of class and gender, has been announced as the winner of the Nobel Prize in literature.Ernaux was honoured “for the courage and clinical acuity with which she uncovers the roots, estrangements and collective restraints of personal memory”, the jury at the Swedish Academy in Stockholm said.
Interviewed on Swedish television immediately after the announcement, Ernaux, 82, called it a “very great honour” and “a great responsibility”.Her more than 20 books, many of which have been school texts in France for decades, offer one of the most subtle, insightful windows into the social life of modern France.
The prize carries a cash award of 10 million Swedish kronor (nearly $900,000), which will be handed out on December 10. The money comes from a bequest left by the prize’s creator, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel, in 1895.One clear contender for the literature prize this year was Salman Rushdie, the India-born writer and free-speech advocate who spent years in hiding after Iran’s
then-supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, called for his death over his 1988 novel, The Satanic Verses.Rushdie, 75, was stabbed and seriously injured in August at a literary festival in New York.Kenyan writer Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, Japan’s Haruki Murakami, Norway’s Jon Fosse and Antigua-born Jamaica Kincaid were also the frontrunners.
Last year’s literature prize went to the Tanzanian-born, UK-based writer Abdulrazak Gurnah, whose novels explore the impact of migration on individuals and societies.
Gurnah was only the sixth Nobel literature laureate born in Africa, and the prize has long faced criticism that it is too focused on European and North American writers. It is also male-dominated, with just 16 women among its 118 laureates.The prizes to Gurnah in 2021 and US poet Louise Glück in 2020 helped the literature prize move on from years of controversy and scandal.
In 2018, the award was postponed after sex abuse allegations rocked the Swedish Academy, which names the Nobel literature committee, and sparked an exodus of members.The academy revamped itself but faced more criticism for giving the 2019 literature award to Austria’s Peter Handke, who has been called an apologist for Serbian war crimes.
A week of Nobel Prize announcements kicked off Monday with Swedish scientist Svante Paabo receiving the award in medicine for unlocking secrets of Neanderthal DNA that provided key insights into our immune system.
Three scientists jointly won the prize in physics on Tuesday. Frenchman Alain Aspect, American John F Clauser and Austrian Anton Zeilinger had shown that tiny particles can retain a connection with each other even when separated, a phenomenon known as quantum entanglement, that can be used for specialised computing and to encrypt information.
The Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded on Wednesday to Americans Carolyn R Bertozzi and K Barry Sharpless, and Danish scientist Morten Meldal for developing a way of “snapping molecules together” that can be used to explore cells, map DNA and design drugs that can target diseases such as cancer more precisely.The 2022 Nobel Peace Prize for economics award on Monday.
The Indonesian Naval Ship, ‘KRI SULTAN ISKANDAR MUDA – 367’, arrived at the port of Colombo today (22 Jan 26) on a scheduled port call for logistics replenishment and a goodwill mission.
In keeping with time-honored naval tradition the ship was accorded a ceremonial welcome upon arrival.
The 90.71m – long Sigma Corvette FS is commanded by Commander Annugerah Anurullah.
During the stay in Colombo, the crew members of the ship are expected to visit some tourist attractions in the city limits.
Further, this visit provides an avenue to enhance professional interaction and courtesy engagements among two navies.
The Royal Navy of Oman Ship ‘AL SEEB’ arrived at the Port of Colombo on a logistics replenishment visit today (22 Jan 26).
The Sri Lanka Navy welcomed the visiting ship in compliance with naval traditions.
The 75m – long ship is commanded by Lieutenant Commander Hamad Bin Mohammed Aldarmaki. The port call will facilitate professional interaction and goodwill exchanges between the two navies.
During her stay in Colombo, crew members of the ship are expected to visit some tourist attractions in the city of Colombo.
News
Mechanism to be established involving university academics and experts for Education Reforms – President
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated that the Government is taking steps to establish a comprehensive mechanism, supported by an appropriate legal framework, to bring together university academics, experts and all relevant parties in order to resolve issues arising during the implementation of education reforms.
The President made these remarks during a discussion with the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) held on Wednesday (21) morning at the Presidential Secretariat.
During the discussion, FUTA members emphasized the challenges encountered while trying to implement educational reforms through a framework established by the National Institute of Education, in line with the current laws and regulations.
They further emphasized that while their association acknowledges the need for new education reforms, the urgency of such reforms is greater for students in rural schools than for those in urban schools.
The Federation of University Teachers’ Associations further stated that they appreciate the decision taken by the Government, under the leadership of the President, to address the issues arising from education reforms and affirmed their readiness to contribute to this process.
As a continuation of the previous discussion, proposals addressing the challenges faced by academics within the university system, along with possible solutions, were presented to the President. In response, the President emphasized that the Government would take all possible measures to safeguard the university system and strengthen education.
The discussion also covered proposed amendments to the Universities Act.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake noted that, in the aftermath of the recent disaster, the Government has been effectively implementing a nationwide rebuilding programme, addressing economic stability, development and all critical sectors. The President also called upon university academics to actively support these reconstruction efforts.
The meeting was attended by Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation, Anura Karunathilaka, as well as representatives of the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations, including its President, Prof. P. R. Weerathunga, Vice President M. A. M. Sameem and Secretary Charudaththe Ilangasinghe.
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Indonesian Naval Ship ‘KRI SULTAN ISKANDAR MUDA – 367’ arrives in Colombo
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Mechanism to be established involving university academics and experts for Education Reforms – President
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