Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya stated in Parliament today (6) that the Govt. is not using emergency regulations to target the media, the opposition, or public protests. She clarified that the extension of emergency law was introduced solely in response to the impact of Cyclone Ditwah and is necessary to maintain essential services and facilitate the appointment of an Essential Services Commissioner General. The Prime Minister further noted that arrests linked to the recent incident in Trincomalee were carried out under normal legal provisions and not under emergency regulations.

Govt. not using emergency laws to target media or protests – PM

Chamithri Rambukwella, eldest daughter of former Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, was granted bail by the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court.

Former Minister Keheliya’s daughter granted bail

Construction of the Gatambe Flyover in Kandy restarted today(06) under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Originally funded by a Hungarian loan, the project was halted due to the loan suspension amid the economic crisis.&nbsp; Construction now continues with Rs. 12.27 billion in local funds and is scheduled for completion in 22 months. The 374-metre flyover along William Gopallawa Mawatha will include double and three-lane sections, crossing Gatambe Junction and the railway line, aiming to reduce traffic delays between Kandy and Peradeniya.

Construction of Gatambe Flyover resumes under President’s patronage

A massive bombing ripped through a Shiite mosque on the outskirts of Pakistan’s capital during Friday prayers, killing 31 people and wounding at least 169 others, police said. Islamabad police said the blast at the sprawling mosque was an attack and that an investigation was underway. Rescuers and witnesses said some of the wounded were listed as being in critical condition. Television footage and social media images showed police and residents transporting the injured to nearby hospitals. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the explosion, but suspicion is likely to fall on militants such as the Pakistani Taliban or the Islamic State group, which has been blamed for previous attacks on Shiite worshippers, a minority in the country. Militants often target security forces and civilians across Pakistan. Though attacks are not so frequent in Islamabad, Pakistan has seen a surge in militant violence in recent months, largely blamed on Baloch separatist groups and the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, which is a separate group, but allied with Afghanistan’s Taliban. A regional affiliate of the Islamic State group has also been active in the country. Shortly after the explosion was first reported with a lower number of casualties, Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Irfan Memon gave the latest, much higher casualty tolls. President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack in separate statements and extended condolences to the families of those killed. They instructed that all possible medical assistance be provided for those wounded.“Targeting innocent civilians is a crime against humanity,” Zardari said. “The nation stands with the affected families in this difficult time.” Sharif said he has ordered a full investigation. “Those who are responsible must be identified and punished,” he said. Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also condemned the attack, and asked authorities to ensure the provision of best medical care to the wounded. Friday’s attack occurred as Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who is on an official two-day visit, was attending an event with Sharif. The event in Islamabad was several miles away from the site of the explosion. The last deadliest attack in Islamabad was in 2008, when a suicide bombing targeted the Marriott Hotel in the capital, killing 63 people and wounding over 250 others. In November, a suicide bomber had struck outside a court in Islamabad, killing 12 people.The latest attack comes nearly a week after the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army carried out multiple attacks in insurgency-hit southwestern Balochistan province, killing about 50 people. Security forces responding to those attacks also killed more than 200 “terrorists,” according to the military. Source: AP

Bombing at mosque in Pakistan kills at least 31 and wounds scores

You wait ages for former One Direction singers to drop new music, then four come along almost all at once. After seeing Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson dominate the charts last week, Zayn Malik's announced his fifth studio album. Fans will have to wait until April for that, but in the meantime he's released lead track Die For Me as a single and announced a world tour. Keen not to be left out, Niall Horan's also teamed up with 2025 Brits Rising Star winner Myles Smith on new song Drive Safe. Zayn's Die For Me, described as emotive by Rolling Stone, sees him return to his trademark R&amp;B-driven pop sound. It's a move away from his stripped-back 2024 album Room Under The Stairs and sees him begging someone to stay, with lyrics including: "Gave you my heart, don't you dare let it go". Fans might've been expecting a bigger departure, though, after the title of his new album left people asking one question... <h2>What does Konnakol mean?</h2> On his own website, Zayn describes konnakol as "the act of creating percussive sounds with one's voice". The technique is used in South Indian Carnatic - or classical - music, and involves repeating certain syllables and phrases to create a drum-like sound. Zayn, who's from Bradford, says Konnakal is his "most culturally inspired project to date" - but it's not the first time he's featured South Asian influences in his music. He sang in Urdu on Flower, a 104-second folk track on his debut 2016 album, and fans went wild in 2024 when he provided vocals on a collab with Pakistani band Aur. The singer also played some unreleased material - which included lyrics in Urdu - at his recent Las Vegas residency. Some have also pointed out that Konnakol's album art, showing half of Zayn's face merged with a snow leopard's, is also a symbol that links back to South Asian mythology. But fans will have to wait until 17 April to find out if the album includes any of the konnakol vocal percussion it's named after. Another ex-One Direction star releasing new music means one thing, another chance for 1D fans to see them live. Like Harry and Louis, Zayn's also announced his biggest-ever solo tour - with 31 dates worldwide, kicking off at Manchester's AO Arena on 12 May. The 33-year-old, who's also playing in North and South America, has previously cancelled live dates over what he called "extreme anxiety". Zayn rose to stardom with One Direction bandmates Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne. Liam died in October 2024 after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina. Zayn left the group in 2015 to go solo and released his chart-topping debut album, Mind of Mine, a year later. We'll know in April whether his latest releases can emulate the recent success of ex-bandmates Harry and Louis, who topped the single and album charts respectively last week. Source : BBC

Zayn Malik announces new album and world tour

A high-profile general in Russia’s military has been shot several times and wounded in Moscow. Lt Gen Vladimir Alexeyev was immediately taken to hospital after the attack in a residential apartment block on the north-western outskirts of the city and his condition is unknown. Alexeyev is number two in the main directorate of Russia’s GRU military intelligence and he is the latest high-ranking military figure to have been targeted in the capital since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began almost four years ago. He was placed under European Union sanctions after the GRU was accused of being behind the 2018 nerve agent attack in Salisbury in the UK. “The victim has been hospitalised at one of the city’s hospitals,” said Svetlana Petrenko of Russia’s Investigations Committee, which said it opened a criminal case for attempted murder. The gunman fled and investigators searched CCTV footage for clues and began interviewing witnesses. Alexeyev has played a significant role during the war in Ukraine, taking part in talks with Ukraine during the Russian siege of Mariupol in 2022. He was also sent to negotiate with the head of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led a short and bloody mutiny in June 2023. His boss at the GRU, Igor Kostyukov, has been in charge of Russia’s negotiating team taking part in talks on security issues with the US and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia’s Vladimir Putin was being briefed on the shooting. “We wish first of all that the general survives and recovers. We hope that will be the case,” he told reporters. It is not yet known who was behind the shooting on Friday morning in a residential block on Volokolamsk Highway in Moscow.Ukraine has claimed some attacks on Russia military figures in the past. Russian intelligence officials claimed they had thwarted an attempted attack on a Russian soldier in St Petersburg at the end of last month. An Uzbek man was jailed in January for the 2024 killing of another general, Igor Kirillov, in an explosion outside a block of flats in Moscow. Ukraine’s SBU intelligence had said it was behind the attack. Lt Gen Kirillov had been in charge of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection troops. In December 2025, another high-ranking officer in the GRU, Lt Gen Fanil Sarvarov, was killed when an explosive device detonated under a car in Moscow. He was in charge of the armed force’s operational training department, according to Russia’s investigative committee. Source: BBC

Russian general shot several times in Moscow

Construction of the Kandy–Gatambe Flyover, stalled for years, officially resumed today (6) under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s patronage.&nbsp; The project, originally launched in 2021 with a Rs. 14.37 billion loan from Hungary, was halted due to the economic crisis.&nbsp; It has now restarted with Rs. 12.27 billion in domestic funds, aiming for completion within 22 months. The flyover, along William Gopallawa Mawatha, will span 374 metres with a dual-carriageway and include a 172-metre auxiliary section to ease railway crossing delays.&nbsp; President Dissanayake inspected the project, with key officials present to oversee progress.

 Construction resumes on Kandy–Gatambe flyover

The crown of French Empress Eugenie was left crushed after being dropped by fleeing thieves during the raid at the Louvre last October - but is "nearly intact" and can be fully restored, the museum has said. Raiders stole an estimated 88 million euros (£76m, $104m) in jewels, but left the diamond-studded headpiece belonging to the wife of Napoleon III on their escape route. The museum has issued the first photographs of the crown since the theft, saying it had been left "badly deformed" after the thieves tried to remove it through a narrow hole they sawed in its glass display case. The crown is missing one of eight golden eagles that adorned it but retains its 56 emeralds and all but 10 of its 1,354 diamonds. It added the 19th Century crown would be restored to its original state "without the need for reconstruction". An expert committee led by the museum's president Laurence des Cars had been selected to supervise the restoration. The heist took place on 19 October and saw the gang use a stolen vehicle-mounted mechanical lift to gain access to the Galerie d'Apollon (Gallery of Apollo) via a balcony close to the River Seine. Two of the thieves got inside by cutting through the window with power tools. They then threatened the guards, who evacuated the area, and cut through the glass of two display cases housing jewellery that once belonged to French royalty or its imperial rulers. Prosecutors said the thieves were inside for less than four minutes before making their escape on two scooters waiting outside. Police have arrested four male suspects who prosecutors allege are the thieves - but the mastermind behind the raid has not been tracked down. The seven other items of jewellery taken, including a diamond-studded tiara that belonged to Eugenie and necklaces, ear-rings and brooches remain missing. Source : BBC

Louvre Museum crown left crushed but 'intact' after raid

Canadian pop star Tate McRae is facing backlash after appearing in a promotional video for Team USA ahead of the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics 2026. "I'm a bit lost," McRae tells a computer-animated white owl in the video, asking for directions to Milan to meet Team USA at the opening ceremony. Fellow Canadians slammed the NBC video on social media, with some calling it "infuriating" and one going as far as to call it "treason". McRae was born in Calgary, Alberta, and attended high school there but she has made her music career in the US. McRae took to Instagram to reassure fans, and shared a childhood photo of herself holding a Canadian flag, captioned: "Y'all know I'm Canadian down." The backlash comes amid larger political tensions between Canada and the US, after President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian goods and repeatedly referred to Canada as the "51st state". Anti-US sentiments and Canadian patriotism have risen in response, leading to boycotts of American liquor on store shelves and fewer Canadians travelling south. The advert also features McRae promoting the upcoming Super Bowl showdown between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots, which will be hosted on 8 February at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. NBC, the US broadcaster for the Olympic Games, ran the video to promote their opening ceremony broadcast, and their subsequent Olympics and Super Bowl coverage. It also features McRae's song Nobody's Girl. The reaction was swift on social media. "Tate McRae doing a promo for NBC and Team USA for the Olympics and not Canada has me a bit sad but okay," said Jordan Cicchelli, a Toronto-based sports writer on X. Canadian culture journalist Courtney Shea wrote in Toronto Life that "watching the ad, you'd have absolutely no idea that McRae was born and raised in the Great White North". "The only question worth asking at this point is: Does Tate McRae remember she's from Canada?" Shea wrote. Not all posts were overly critical. Blaine Badiuk from Alberta wrote that McRae being used to promote the US Olympic team is just proof of Canada's cultural "domination". "They needed a CANADIAN to sell themselves", Badiuk wrote. The 22-year-old pop star attended Western Canada High School in Calgary, and first came into the spotlight as a contestant on the American TV show So You Think You Can Dance before pivoting to music. Her stardom has skyrocketed in recent years, with her 2024 album So Close to What debuting at number one on the Billboard 200. McRae has frequently referenced her Canadian roots in public, including her love for ice hockey. She has been spotted numerous times cheering her home team the Calgary Flames with her family. But the pop star also told a crowd at one of her shows last year that "Canada doesn't feel like home anymore, which is weird". "Calgary, where I'm from, feels a little less like homey than LA," McRae said. McRae is not the only non-American celebrity to promote Team USA. In another advert for NBC published in November, UK pop star Dua Lipa is seen promoting American skiers Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin, as well as American snowboarder Chloe Kim and American figure skater Alysa Liu. Source : BBC

Govt. not using emergency laws to target media or protests – ...

Former Minister Keheliya’s daughter granted bail

Former Minister Keheliya’s dau ...

Construction of Gatambe Flyover resumes under President’s patronage

Construction of Gatambe Flyove ...

Bombing at mosque in Pakistan kills at least 31 and wounds scores

Bombing at mosque in Pakistan ...

Zayn Malik announces new album and world tour

Zayn Malik announces new album ...

Russian general shot several times in Moscow

Russian general shot several t ...

Construction resumes on Kandy–Gatambe flyover

Construction resumes on Kandy ...

Louvre Museum crown left crushed but 'intact' after raid

Louvre Museum crown left crush ...

Canadian singer Tate McRae faces backlash for promoting Team USA

Canadian singer Tate McRae fac ...

Former Minister Keheliya’s daughter granted bail

Former Minister Keheliya’s dau ...

Construction of Gatambe Flyover resumes under President’s patronage

Construction of Gatambe Flyove ...

Bombing at mosque in Pakistan kills at least 31 and wounds scores

Bombing at mosque in Pakistan ...

Zayn Malik announces new album and world tour

Zayn Malik announces new album ...

Russian general shot several times in Moscow

Russian general shot several t ...

Construction resumes on Kandy–Gatambe flyover

Construction resumes on Kandy ...

Louvre Museum crown left crushed but 'intact' after raid

Louvre Museum crown left crush ...

Canadian singer Tate McRae faces backlash for promoting Team USA

Canadian singer Tate McRae fac ...

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Construction resumes on Kandy–Gatambe flyover

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