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President’s Fund initiates two new Scholarship Programs
As per the instructions of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, the President’s Fund has initiated two additional scholarship programs alongside the on-going scholarship initiatives.
These scholarships will be extended to monks, nuns, and lay students enrolled in Piriven and Seelamatha Educational Institutions, as well as those pursuing Information and Communication Technology (ICT) at G.C.E. (Advanced Level), effective from May 2024.
The scholarship distribution will cover all 822 Piriven and Seelamatha Educational Institutions across the country. A total of 06 scholarships will be granted to each institution. The selection of scholarship recipients from the respective departments/Seelamatha Educational Institutions will be the responsibility of the Parivenadhipathi Thero/Institution Director.
Scholarships will be granted in two categories, with an anticipated 5000 scholarships set aside for lay scholars. Under the first category, scholarships will amount to Rs. 3000 per month for 12 months, beginning in May 2024. The second category will offer scholarships at Rs. 6000 per month for a duration of 24 months.
Further details and the application form will be made available on the official website of the President’s Fund, www.presidentsfund.gov.lk, as well as on the official Facebook page, www.facebook.com/president.fund. Additionally, the application and instructions will be published in the Government Gazette on 10th May 2024.
Candidates interested in this scholarship program must submit duly completed application forms to the Parivenadhipathi/Head of Institute by 22nd May 2024. The selected scholarship recipients’ names, chosen by the Parivenadhipathi/Head of Institution, will be forwarded to the Director of (Piriwen) at the Ministry of Education via the Regional Assistant Director of Education (Piriwen).
Under the guidance of the President, a scholarship program has commenced with operational backing from the President’s Fund, utilizing funds provided by the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka for the students who are following Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as a subject for G.C.E. (Advanced Level) Examination.
This scholarship program aims to cover all education zones across the country, with a minimum provision of 50 scholarships per zone. Eligible students will receive a monthly scholarship of Rs. 6000 for up to 24 months starting from May 2024 until they sit for the G.E.C (Advanced Level) Examination.
For information on qualifications and application details, applicants can refer to the official Facebook account of the President’s Fund (www.facebook.com/president.fund ) and the website www.presidentsfund.gov.lk. Additionally, details will be available on the official website of the Ministry of Education: www.moe.gov.lk.
Information regarding this initiative has also been posted on the official website of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission.
Eligible students interested in applying for these scholarships are required to submit their completed applications directly to the President’s Fund via registered post by 22nd May 2024. Furthermore, the application form and instructions are scheduled to be published in the Government Gazette on 10th May 2024.
In line with the President’s manifesto presented to Parliament on 07th February 2024, the President’s Fund has initiated several scholarship programs for school students in 2024, which are presently underway and progressing smoothly.
The scholarship program to support the students with financial difficulties, who have passed G.C.E. (Ordinary Level) Examination in the academic year 2022/2023, was initiated in the 100 education zones across the country while selecting 60 students from each educational zone. This program offers a monthly scholarship of Rs. 6000 to aid students until they sit for the GCE (Advanced Level) Examination.
Currently, 6000 scholarship recipients have been selected under this program, and their details have been published on the official Facebook page and website of the President’s Fund. The disbursement of scholarships to these recipients is scheduled to commence from April 2024, along with the clearance of any pending arrears.
In the meantime, the President’s Fund has launched a scholarship initiative targeting 100,000 students in grades 1 to 11 facing financial difficulties in accessing education. Covering all 10,126 schools in the country, the program aims to distribute scholarships of Rs.3, 000 per month to eligible students. Each school is set to receive a minimum of 04 scholarships and a maximum of 22 scholarships. Presently, the selection process for these scholarships is in progress, with the distribution scheduled to take place soon.
At present, the President’s Fund is collecting information on scholarship applicants from the zonal education offices. Once all necessary details are computerized, the scholarship distribution process will commence, with funds directly deposited into individual bank accounts on a monthly basis. Recipients will receive confirmation via SMS upon receiving the scholarship.
(PMD)
A depleted New Zealand attack – effectively reduced to just two-and-a-half frontline bowlers – was made to toil as a defiant West Indies rearguard stretched the contest into a fifth day on an increasingly docile Hagley Oval surface.
Forced off the field on day three by an eye infection, Shai Hope returned with sunglasses under his helmet to compile an unbeaten 116. It followed his first-innings 56 and marked his second century in three innings, a seamless extension of the defiance he showed while stonewalling India for long periods in New Delhi in October.
If Hope was the fulcrum, Justin Greaves was the anchor beside him. He reined in his instincts to play a composed, almost uncharacteristically restrained hand to finish 55 not out off 143 balls. His unbroken fifth-wicket partnership with Hope was worth 140 as New Zealand’s attack toiled under the blazing Christchurch sun.
Nathan Smith did not come out to bat and spent the entire innings off the field with a side strain. When Matt Henry left the field after the 35th over – later heading to hospital next door for scans – with West Indies 92 for 4, New Zealand may have hoped to finish off the game quickly.
But with his bowling resources rapidly thinning, Tom Latham – already standing in with the gloves due to Tom Blundell’s torn hamstring that ruled him out of not just this Test but the next – was left to lean heavily on Rachin Ravindra and Michael Bracewell’s part-time spin around pacer Jacob Duffy. On a surface that only got easier to bat on against the old ball, Hope and Greaves settled in and applied themselves admirably.
Having begun with positive intent, Hope was tested periodically with the short ball, Duffy setting a square leg halfway to the rope along with a short leg and fine leg for the pull. Hope mostly swayed and ducked out of harm’s way, and on the rare occasions he was tempted into the shot, he did well to keep it down. He brought up his fourth Test century off 139 deliveries.
Duffy employed a similar plan to Greaves, whose natural game is far more instinctive. But to his credit, Greaves appeared to take a cue from Hope, choosing restraint instead. He played only when the ball was at his body, using his height to ride the bounce and fend safely. While he was a lot more enterprising against spin, the fundamental of his knock was crease occupation.
Hope and Greaves laid down the template for those who perished prior to their arrival. Tagenarine Chanderpaul and John Campbell were put through a stern new ball test by Foulkes and Henry as they repeatedly tested both their edges in an engaging first spell. Chanderpaul’s propensity to shuffle across got him into trouble more often than not, and was out to a short ball that he inside-edged to the keeper for 6 off 45 balls.
Campbell – out an over earlier – was taken out by Foulkes as he jabbed at an away-swinger with no feet movement as Bracewell took a superb low catch at second slip. In the overs prior to his dismissal, Campbell wore a blow on his boot as he smashed one back off an inside-edge, making him groan in discomfort. This may have eventually had a hand in his dismissal.
Alick Athanaze never got going, and the frustration of being unable to score had him attempt a pull, only to be rushed into the stroke by Bracewell. He only managed to toe-end a pull to mid-on. And when Roston Chase fell in eerily similar fashion to his dismissal in the first innings – nibbling at a Henry away-swinger while being rooted to the crease – West Indies were collapsing swiftly and were 72 for 4.
A four-day defeat loomed until Greaves and Hope dug in to give West Indies some hope even as New Zealand’s tired attack wheeled away in the hope of a mistake. That wasn’t to come, as West Indies took the fight into the final day even though hopes of scaling down the 531-run target they were set seem just a pipe dream for now.
Earlier in the morning, New Zealand surprised many by choosing to bat on. Perhaps this was to give their bowlers more rest on a placid surface, considering the slew of injuries. Kemar Roach picked up three of the four wickets to fall, finishing with figures of 5 for 78 to take his wickets tally to 290.
Brief scores:
West Indies 167 and 212 for 4 (Shai Hope 116*, Justin Greaves 55*; Jacob Duffy 2-60) trail New Zealand 231 and 466 for 8 dec (Rachin Ravindra 176, Tom Latham 145; Kemar Roach 5-78) by 319 runs
(Cricinfo)
President Vladimir Putin has warned again that Ukrainian troops must withdraw from Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region or Russia will seize it, rejecting any compromise over how to end the war in Ukraine.
“Either we liberate these territories by force, or Ukrainian troops will leave these territories,” he told India Today. Moscow controls around 85% of Donbas.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has ruled out ceding territory.
Putin’s comments come after President Donald Trump said his negotiators discussing a US peace plan believed Russia’s leader “would like to end the war” after Tuesday’s talks in Moscow.
Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, who was in Moscow, is due to meet Ukraine’s team in Florida.
Trump said Tuesday’s talks in the Kremlin were “reasonably good”, adding it was too soon to say what would happen as “it does take two to tango”.
The original iteration of the US peace plan proposed to hand over areas of the Donbas still under Ukrainian control to the de facto control of Putin – but the Witkoff team presented a modified version in Moscow.
In his India Today interview ahead of a state visit to Delhi, Putin said he had not seen the new version before his talks with Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law.
“That’s why we had to go over every point, that’s why it took so long,” the Kremlin leader said.
He also said Moscow disagreed with parts of the US plan.
“At times we said that yes, we can discuss this, but to that we can’t agree,” Putin said.
He did not name the sticking points. At least two significant points of contention remain – the fate of Ukrainian territory seized by Russian forces and security guarantees for Ukraine.
Putin’s senior foreign policy adviser and key negotiator Yuri Ushakov earlier said straight after the talks that they produced “no compromise” on ending the war.
Ushakov also implied that the Russian negotiating position had been strengthened thanks to what Moscow said were its recent successes on the battlefield.
Ukraine has repeatedly accused Russia of stalling any ceasefire agreements, saying Moscow is seeking to seize more Ukrainian territory.
Commenting on the Kremlin talks, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybhia said Putin was “wasting the world’s time”.
Ukraine has long insisted on firm security guarantees for Ukraine in any deal.
On Wednesday, Zelensky said “the world clearly feels that there is a real opportunity to end the war” – but negotiations must be “backed by pressure on Russia”, which Kyiv and its European allies accuse of deliberately stalling any ceasefire agreements.
The Ukrainian president said last week his top negotiators had managed to make some key changes in the original US peace plan – seen as strongly favouring Moscow – during talks with an American delegation in Geneva on 23 November.
In a joint statement, US and Ukrainian negotiators said at the time they had drawn up an updated and refined peace framework – but provided no further details.
Top negotiators from Europe – who had voiced concern over the original US plan – were also in the Swiss city last week, meeting separately with the Ukrainian and the US teams.
In a separate development on Thursday, Germany’s Der Spiegel news website said it had obtained a confidential transcript of a conference call in which European leaders expressed concern over the US negotiations.
“There is a possibility that the US will betray Ukraine on the issue of territory without clarity on security guarantees,” French President Emmanuel Macron reportedly said, according to an English transcript of Monday’s conference call.
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz was quoted as warning that Zelensky had to be “extremely careful in the coming days”.
“They are playing games, both with you and with us,” Merz reportedly said.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb was also quoted as saying: “We mustn’t leave Ukraine and Volodymyr alone with these guys.”
The BBC has not seen the reported transcript.
In response to a Der Spiegel inquiry, France’s Élysée Palace stated that “the president did not express himself in those terms”. The presidential office declined to provide details on how Macron expressed himself, citing confidentiality.
Stubb declined to comment to Der Spiegel, and Merz has not commented on the issue.
In a statement to the BBC, the White House said: “Secretary [Marco] Rubio, Special Envoy Witkoff, Mr Kushner, and the President’s entire national security team are working tirelessly to stop the killing between Russia and Ukraine.”
“They have held productive meetings to gather feedback from both sides on a plan that can foster a durable, enforceable peace,” the statement read.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Moscow currently controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory.
In recent weeks, Russian troops have been slowly advancing in south-east Ukraine, despite reported heavy combat casualties.
[BBC]
The situation report issued by the Disaster Management Center at 0600hrs today [5th December] confirms that 486 persons have died and another 341 persons are missing after the devastating weather conditions in the past week.
171,778 persons have been displaced and have taken refuge at 1,231 safety centers established by the government.
Hope holds firm as West Indies drag New Zealand into fifth-day battle
Ireland among countries boycotting Eurovision after Israel allowed to compete
Putin says Russia will take Donbas by force or Ukraine’s troops will withdraw
486 dead, 341 missing, 171,778 displaced as at 0600hrs today [05]
Showers above 75 mm are likely at some places in the Western and Sabaragamuwa Provinces and in Galle and Matara districts
Media slams govt.’s bid to use Emergency to silence critics
‘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
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