According to the Alcohol &amp; Drug Information Center (ADIC), approximately 50 people die each day in Sri Lanka due to alcohol-related causes, encompassing both legal and illegal alcohol consumption.&nbsp; ADIC Executive Director Sampath de Seram highlighted that less than 20% of the country's population consumes alcohol.&nbsp; Among those, 34.8% are men over 15 years old, while the percentage of women using alcohol remains extremely low at 0.5%. He also expressed concern over the rising use of illegal alcohol, which the Department of Census and Statistics estimates accounts for about 10% of total alcohol consumption in the country.&nbsp; De Seram pointed out that illegal alcohol contributes to 5-6 deaths daily, yet this issue remains largely unspoken in public discourse. "Overall, alcohol kills around 50 people every day in Sri Lanka, and this includes both legal and illegal use," he emphasized. "Despite these alarming figures, hardly anyone talks about this silent crisis."

Sri Lanka loses 50 lives daily to alcohol

The Police repatriated two members of a notorious organized crime gang from Dubai today (16).&nbsp; The suspects are wanted in connection with multiple homicides.&nbsp; A woman, who was arrested alongside the suspects in Dubai, was also brought back to Sri Lanka.&nbsp; The police confirmed she is a resident of Mount Lavinia and had been wanted for alleged misappropriation of state funds.&nbsp; Upon their arrival at the airport, the suspects were taken into custody, and investigations are ongoing to uncover further details related to their criminal activities.

Sri Lankan authorities repatriate notorious criminal suspects from Dubai

As U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung departs Sri Lanka today (16), the U.S. Embassy has announced that Deputy Chief of Mission Jayne Howell will serve as Chargé d’Affaires ad interim.&nbsp; She will oversee embassy operations until the arrival of a new U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka.

 U.S. Embassy announces interim leadership in Sri Lanka as Ambassador Chung departs

Harry Styles has hinted he is about to end his four-year musical drought, with a series of cryptic billboards appearing in cities around the world including New York, Manchester, Palermo, São Paulo and Berlin. The posters bear the message "we belong together" superimposed over a photo of a stadium of fans, taken from the last date of Styles' 2022-23 world tour. A website with the same branding launched simultaneously. Clicking on the page opens a WhatsApp group chat called "HSHQ" - Harry Styles Headquarters. Fans believe that all this activity points to Styles gearing up to announce his fourth album, after a brief detour into marathon running last year. The star, who was propelled to fame as part of One Direction, was spotted at both the Tokyo and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/cy04y8glrrwo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Berlin Marathons</a>&nbsp;last year - clocking up an impressive time of 2 hours 59 minutes in the latter race in September. He was also seen in St. Peter's Square for the announcement of the new pope and then,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/harry-styles-zoe-kravitzs-relationship-36459363" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">according to the Mirror,</a>&nbsp;with actress Zoe Kravitz in his Cheshire hometown over Christmas. But he is believed to have been working on new music since his Love On Tour concerts wrapped up three years ago. The new album would be his first since 2022's&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64612218" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Brit</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64533539" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Grammy Award-winning</a>&nbsp;Harry's House, which spawned singles As It Was, Late Night Talking and Music For A Sushi Restaurant. Sessions for the record were initially confirmed in August 2024, when Styles was seen arriving at London's RAK Studios. Last year, Australian radio hosts Fifi, Fev and Nick claimed it was finished and that Styles wrote it entirely "on a typewriter" - although their sources seemed dubious, at best. The New York Post has also reported that Styles has signed a deal for a residency at the city's iconic&nbsp;<a href="https://pagesix.com/2026/01/12/entertainment/harry-styles-set-to-perform-madison-square-garden-residency-in-2026/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Madison Square Garden</a>, where he played for 15 nights on his most recent tour. There have also been rumours that the star will play a residency at Manchester's Co-op Live arena. Styles is a significant investor in the venue, which opened in 2024 and will host this year's Brit Awards. Source : BBC

Harry Styles teases fourth album with cryptic posters

The Princess of Wales hosted England’s women’s rugby union team at Windsor Castle to celebrate their World Cup success in September. England beat Canada 33-13 in front of 81,885 spectators at Twickenham to lift the trophy for a third time. Catherine, a patron of the Rugby Football Union (RFU), met with officials and staff from the organisation as well as the 32-player squad. She followed England during the home World Cup campaign and was in attendance when they beat Australia in Brighton in the pool stage. Captain Zoe Stratford, two-time World Cup winner Marlie Packer and head coach John Mitchell, who were all named as OBE recipients in the New Year Honours, were among those at the royal reception. Vice-captain Megan Jones, back row Sadia Kabeya and Sports Personality of the Year nominee Ellie Kildunne were also recognised with MBE awards in December. Kildunne, who tattooed ‘2025’ on head coach Mitchell after their World Cup success, became synonymous with a cowboy hat during the competition and placed it on the head of Catherine after one of their victories. Speaking at Windsor Castle, Kildunne said: “It was the first thing she said when she came over to our group, ‘Have you forgotten your cowboy hat this time?’ I said ‘it looks like you’re the one that has forgotten your cowboy hat’. “When she came to watch the game - I didn’t really know the royal rules and whether you’re not allowed to put a hat on - she put it on and did a bit of a cowboy dance and it’s a special moment that she is now officially a cowboy, so I’ll have to tattoo her soon.” The Red Roses were an hour late after their bus broke down and the bus driver then took a wrong turn, meaning the team missed out on a tour of Windsor Castle. Following the royal reception the squad went to Downing Street to meet Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Source: BBC&nbsp;

Princess of Wales hosts England Women’s Rugby World Cup winners

Julie Kozack, the IMF’s communications director, announced that an IMF fact-finding mission will visit Sri Lanka from&nbsp;22 to 28 January.&nbsp; The mission aims to assess the impact of the recent Cyclone Ditwah on the country’s economy and infrastructure.&nbsp; The team will engage in policy discussions concerning Sri Lanka's Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program, focusing on economic recovery strategies and support measures.

IMF team to arrive in Sri Lanka 

Elon Musk's AI tool Grok will no longer be able to edit photos of real people to show them in revealing clothing in jurisdictions where it is illegal, after widespread concern over sexualised AI deepfakes. "We have implemented technological measures to prevent the Grok account from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing," reads an announcement on X. The UK government said it was "vindication" for it calling on X to control Grok while regulator Ofcom said it was a "welcome development" - but added its investigation into whether the platform had broken UK laws "remains ongoing". Campaigners and victims say the change has come too late to undo the harm already done. "We are working round the clock to progress this and get answers into what went wrong and what's being done to fix it," Ofcom said. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall welcomed the move but said she would "expect the facts to be fully and robustly established by Ofcom's ongoing investigation". Journalist and campaigner Jess Davies, who was among women whose images on X were edited with Grok, said the platform's changes were a "positive step" but it should never have allowed such imagery in the first place. "It's a sobering thought to think of how many women including myself have been targeted by this [and] how many more victims of AI abuse of being created," she told the BBC. Davies also characterised the platform's response on the whole as "really pathetic". "They're just trying to do as little as possible within the loose legal guidelines that there are," she told BBC news. Dr Daisy Dixon, a lecturer in philosophy at Cardiff University, previously told the BBC that people using Grok to undress her in images on X had left her feeling "shocked", "humiliated" and fearing for her safety. She said on Thursday the platform's U-turn was a "battle-win" for campaigners. "But we must remember that the abuse should never have happened – many women are now left with extensive damage," Dr Dixon said, adding the way women relate to and experience their bodies had been "hijacked and distorted against our will". Andrea Simon, director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW), said while it remained to be seen how X would implement its changes, it showed "how victims of abuse, campaigners and a show of strength from governments can force tech platforms to take action". "But it can't stop here - given the evolving nature of AI-generated harms, tech platforms must be required to take proactive preventative action," she said. Political pressureX's change was announced hours after California's top prosecutor said the state was probing the spread of sexualised AI deepfakes, including of children, generated by the AI model. "We now geoblock the ability of all users to generate images of real people in bikinis, underwear, and similar attire via the Grok account and in Grok in X in those jurisdictions where it's illegal," X said in its statement.. It also reiterated that only paid users will be able to edit images using Grok on its platform. This will add an extra layer of protection by helping to ensure that those who try and abuse Grok to violate the law or X's policies are held accountable, according to the statement. With NSFW (not safe for work) settings enabled, Grok is supposed to allow "upper body nudity of imaginary adult humans (not real ones)" consistent with what can be seen in R-rated films, Musk wrote online on Wednesday. "That is the de facto standard in America. This will vary in other regions according to the laws on a country by country basis," said the tech multi-billionaire. Musk had earlier defended X, posting that critics "just want to suppress free speech" along with two AI-generated images of UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in a bikini. It is unclear how his platform will implement location-based blocks on Grok's ability to edit images of real people to create sexualised imagery, and whether users would be able to get around them. People seeking to circumvent similar geoblocks on features or content often look to tools such as virtual private networks (VPNs), which can disguise their location online to allow them to use the internet as if they are in a different country. VPN app downloads spiked in the UK last year after porn sites were required to start checking the age of visitors to comply with the Online Safety Act. Ofcom said on Monday it would investigate whether X had failed to comply with UK law over the sexual images. And if X does not comply, Ofcom could seek a court order to force internet service providers to block access to the site in the UK altogether. Earlier this week, Sir Keir warned X could lose the "right to self regulate" amid a backlash over the AI images, but later in the week said he welcomed reports that X was taking action to address the issue. The prime minister said he would "take the necessary measures" and strengthen legislation if X failed to act. Policy researcher Riana Pfefferkorn said she was surprised X took so long to deploy the new Grok safeguards and that the editing features should have been removed as soon as the abuse began. Questions remain on how X will enforce its new policies, such as how the AI model will know if an image is of a real person and what actions it will take when users break the rules, said Pfefferkorn. Musk has not presented the company in a serious light either, she said, adding that it would help if he stopped "doing things like re-posting an AI image of Keir Starmer in a bikini." Source : BBC

X to stop Grok AI from undressing images of real people after backlash

Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey has trademarked his image and voice to protect them from unauthorised use by artificial intelligence (AI) platforms. Clips including his famous catchphrase "alright, alright, alright" from the 1993 film, Dazed and Confused, have been registered to the United States Patent and Trademark Office database, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports. It is the first time an actor has attempted to use trademark law to protect their likeness from AI misuse, his lawyers and an expert said. Stars across Hollywood and the music industry including Scarlett Johansson and Taylor Swift have endured a wave of fake video, audio and images online, created by AI tools. Lawyers for the Magic Mike star told the WSJ they had no current examples of McConaughey's likeness being manipulated by AI, but hoped the trademarks could be used broadly against any unauthorised copies of him. A secondary aim would be to "capture some of the value that is being created with this new technology", Kevin Yorn - one of the lawyers representing McConaughey - told the AFP news agency. "My team and I want to know that when my voice or likeness is ever used, it's because I approved and signed off on it", McConaughey said via email to the newspaper. "We want to create a clear perimeter around ownership with consent and attribution the norm in an AI world". Several clips were registered by the commercial arm of the Just Keep Livin Foundation, a non-profit organisation created by the Dallas Buyers Club actor and his wife Camila, according to AFP. Alina Trapova, an assistant professor in copyright law at University College London, also believes it to be first time an actor has attempted to use trademark law to their benefit against AI. Trapova has worked on copyright and AI for more than eight years. She told the BBC that AI is a big problem for celebrities, saying that they may object to unauthorised AI "due to reputational reasons", but for Hollywood stars it "is often a case of missed licensing opportunities". She said celebrities are experimenting with different forms of protection as "unauthorised commercialisation" of their likeness in the forms of deepfakes becomes "more and more challenging in the age of AI". McConaughey is not a hardline opponent of generative AI. He has a stake in ElevenLabs, a software company specialising in AI voice modelling "for several years now", according to the 56-year-old. The company has created an AI audio version of the 'Interstellar' actor, with his permission. Dr Sandra Wachter, professor of technology and regulation at the University of Oxford, says she would not be surprised if others in the creative industries did the same as McConaughey in the future. "It is simple for companies to take your work and train a model to do your job. It is comparatively difficult for you to protect your work in the first place," she told the BBC. AI images and deepfakes are of growing concern in the entertainment world. In 2024, Scarlett Johansson said she was left "shocked" and "angered" after OpenAI launched a chatbot with an "eerily similar" voice to her own. OpenAI removed the voice, but insisted that it was not meant to be an "imitation" of the Avengers star. In June 2025, Disney and Universal sued AI firm Midjourney over its image generator, which the Hollywood giants alleged was a "bottomless pit of plagiarism". Also last year, an AI video generator on Elon Musk's X social media platform was accused of making "a deliberate choice" to create sexually explicit clips of Taylor Swift without prompting. Grok Imagine's "spicy" mode "didn't hesitate to spit out fully uncensored topless videos" of the pop star without being asked, the Verge reported. Source : BBC

Matthew McConaughey trademarks iconic phrase to stop AI misuse

The Speaker of Parliament, Jagath Wickramaratne, participated in the 28th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth.&nbsp; In a bilateral meeting, Indian Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla emphasized strengthening parliamentary ties through regular exchanges, friendship groups, and collaborative policymaking.&nbsp; Discussions also focused on advancing technological innovations like AI-enabled systems and multilingual translation, aiming to deepen India-Sri Lanka cooperation.&nbsp; Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to fostering strong people-to-people links, shared cultural heritage, and ongoing dialogue to bolster bilateral relations.

Sri Lanka loses 50 lives daily to alcohol

Sri Lankan authorities repatriate notorious criminal suspects from Dub ...

Sri Lankan authorities repatri ...

U.S. Embassy announces interim leadership in Sri Lanka as Ambassador ...

U.S. Embassy announces interi ...

Harry Styles teases fourth album with cryptic posters

Harry Styles teases fourth alb ...

Princess of Wales hosts England Women’s Rugby World Cup winners

Princess of Wales hosts Englan ...

IMF team to arrive in Sri Lanka

IMF team to arrive in Sri Lank ...

X to stop Grok AI from undressing images of real people after backlash

X to stop Grok AI from undress ...

Matthew McConaughey trademarks iconic phrase to stop AI misuse

Matthew McConaughey trademarks ...

Speaker holds bilateral talks in India

Speaker holds bilateral talks ...

Sri Lankan authorities repatriate notorious criminal suspects from Dub ...

Sri Lankan authorities repatri ...

U.S. Embassy announces interim leadership in Sri Lanka as Ambassador ...

U.S. Embassy announces interi ...

Harry Styles teases fourth album with cryptic posters

Harry Styles teases fourth alb ...

Princess of Wales hosts England Women’s Rugby World Cup winners

Princess of Wales hosts Englan ...

IMF team to arrive in Sri Lanka

IMF team to arrive in Sri Lank ...

X to stop Grok AI from undressing images of real people after backlash

X to stop Grok AI from undress ...

Matthew McConaughey trademarks iconic phrase to stop AI misuse

Matthew McConaughey trademarks ...

Speaker holds bilateral talks in India

Speaker holds bilateral talks ...

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Harry Styles teases fourth album with cryptic posters

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IMF team to arrive in Sri Lanka

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X to stop Grok AI from undressing images of real people after backlash

X to stop Grok AI from undress ...