First intake of students to SMTIEducationThe first intake of the ‘Naval Engineering Cadet Officers’ to Southern Maritime Institute (SMTI) was held at the Institute’s auditorium at Maradana, Colombo recently. The first batch comprises of thirteen Cadet Officers including one woman officer. Once completed the training programme, Cadet Officers are qualified to sail as a watchkeeping officer. Southern Maritime Training Institute offers a superlative training for Sri Lankan youth to succeed in the international commercial maritime industry. A bright future awaits the determined students who choose SMTI for their maritime education.

Source: phys.orgResearch published in the journal Science China Chemistry is expected to serve as comprehensive background knowledge and to provide researchers with insight into the recent developments of solar-driven green synthesis of epoxides.

IIHS launches its much-anticipated Bachelor of Business Administration Programme with UGC approvalEducationThe International Institute of Health Sciences (IIHS), which has long been recognised as a pioneer in the healthcare sector, has ventured into the business administration segment by launching the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree programme. The newly launched BBA programme at the IIHS has received approval from the University Grants Commission (UGC), solidifying its legitimacy and ensuring that students receive a recognised educational qualification. Renowned medical doctor, Dr. Kithsiri Edirisinghe is heading the newly launched BBA programme at the IIHS. This is a unique advantage for students looking to pursue a business administration degree. Enrolment for the BBA programme at IIHS is now open.

Source: phys.orgThe Einstein telescope project has reached a new stage, with the E-TEST prototype—developed in the ULiège and CSL laboratories—being sent to the Liège Space Centre to undergo a battery of cryogenic and vibration tests. To function optimally, the future mirror of the Einstein telescope has to withstand being cooled to extreme temperatures and be subjected to almost no vibration.

Source: phys.orgA large international team of astronomers has discovered the smallest known star to date, and found that it is paired with another, somewhat larger star. Their paper is published in the journal Nature Astronomy,.

Source: phys.orgSpaceX is set to send up the 11th launch from the Space Coast this afternoon with a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Base.

Controversial Malwana land used by Basil taken over by Justice MinistryNewsA 15-acre land and building in Malwana, widely believed to be of former Minister Basil Rajapaksa and later disclaimed is to be made use for a proposed development project of the state, Justice Minister Wijedasa Rajapakshe said. The Justice Minister today visited the site and told reporters that a cabinet paper will be submitted shortly on the proposed development project for which the land will be used. The Minister said that the land was acquired by the Justice Ministry after all persons whose names were in the deeds disclaimed ownership of the land and the building that existed. The Justice Minister said that the building was initially due to be made use for an international Judges training centre. In June last year the Pugoda Magistrate’s Court ordered the disputed 16-acre land and house in Malwana to be auctioned after former minister Basil Rajapaksa and its registered owner denied ownership of the property.

New Chief of Staff for SL NavyNewsRear Admiral Pradeep Rathnayake has been appointed as the Chief of Staff of Sri Lanka Navy. Rear Admiral Rathnayake received the official letter of appointment from Navy Commander Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera today (Feb. 21) at Navy Headquarters. He has been holding the position of Deputy Chief of Staff at the Navy Headquarters until his appointment as Chief of Staff. In addition, he received the Uththama Sewa Padakkama in recognition of his impeccable moral integrity and commitment to service. Rear Admiral Rathnayake has had the honor of leading a number of Fast Attack Craft, Ships, and Establishments.

In a joint news conference late on Tuesday night, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari announced that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif, 72, is set to assume the role of the Prime Minister once again. Independent candidates - a majority backed by 71-year-old Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party -- won 93 National Assembly seats. Meanwhile, in a post on X, 71-year-old Khan's PTI hit out at the newly cemented PPP, PML-N alliance as 'PDM 2.0' "PDM 2.0 = #MandateThieves." Shehbaz Sharif, who was prime minister from 2022 to 2023, said that the journey ahead for the new government would not be easy but fraught with many difficulties and obstacles. He asserted that the coalition alliance will tackle them together, the Dawn newspaper reported.

Source: phys.orgPhysicists at Paderborn University have used complex computer simulations to develop a new design for significantly more efficient solar cells than previously available. A thin layer of organic material, known as tetracene, is responsible for the increase in efficiency. The results have now been published in Physical Review Letters.

Source: phys.orgNew research from the University of Kansas might resolve a mystery in the "aging process" in species—or, how a species' risk of going extinct changes after that species appears on the scene.

Source: phys.orgUsing NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), astronomers have detected a new ultra-short-period exoplanet. The newly found alien world is nearly two times larger than the Earth and orbits its host star in less than one day. The finding was reported in a paper published February 12 on the preprint server arXiv.

Sri Lanka - India talks on ETCA next monthNewsSri Lanka and India will convene for the fourteenth round of discussions on the Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) in the first week of March 2024, in New Delhi. The 13th Round of discussions addressing the current state of the ECTA and the report made by President Ranil Wickremesinghe were reviewed by the Cabinet of Ministers during their meeting on Monday, February 19. Consequently, talks had begun between the nine subcommittees that oversee the following areas: Rules of the origin, Goods trade, Introduction, General Provisions and General Exceptions, Trade Accords, Technical Constraints for Trade and Rules of Sanitation and Sanitation of Vegetation. Also the subcommittee on conflict resolution and final provisions is expected to hold its meetings at the end of this month New Delhi. You can share this post!

Source: phys.orgAtmospheric rivers (ARs) are filaments of intense moisture transport in the atmosphere. These weather systems drive a large fraction of the extreme precipitation events over coastal regions. Detecting ARs in satellite observations has long been a challenging task due to the lack of wind information. In a study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, scientists derived an approximation of the 3-dimensional (3D) wind field based on the spatial distribution of the satellite-based temperature.

Special committee formed to address demands of health sector trade unionsNewsRepresentatives from health sector trade unions and Minister of Health Dr. Ramesh Pathirana have agreed to form a special committee to look into the demands by the health workers. Ravi Kumudesh, President of Joint Council for Professions of Supplementary to Medicine said that the Minister of Health had vowed to address the requests of the Health Trade Union Alliance. The Ministry of Health in a statement announced the appointment of a special committee to examine the demands of the health sector trade unions. The committee, including the Secretary to the Ministry of Health Dr. Palitha Mahipala, Minister of Health Dr. Ramesh Pathirana, and members of the Health Trade Union Alliance (HTUA) is scheduled to convene tomorrow (20), at 3:00 p.m. Health sector unions have decided not to initiate any strike actions for the time being.