A piece of debris found off the southeast African coast that could be from a missing Malaysia Airlines flight is being sent to Australia for testing, officials said on Thursday, two years after the plane carrying 239 people disappeared. A white, meter-long chunk of metal was found off the coast of Mozambique earlier this week by a U.S. adventurer who has been carrying out an independent search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. The debris will be tested by officials in Australia, with help from Malaysian authorities and representatives of manufacturer Boeing Co (BA.N).

"It is too early to speculate on the origin of the debris at this stage," Australian Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester told parliament. However, the piece was found in "a location consistent with drift modeling commissioned by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau", he said. Chester's comments added to a fresh sense of optimism after Malaysia's transport minister, Liow Tiong Lai, said on Wednesday there was a "high possibility" the metal chunk belonged to a 777 jet, the same type of aircraft as MH370. Flight MH370 disappeared on March 8, 2014, with 239 passengers and crew on board shortly after taking off from Kuala Lumpur bound for Beijing. It is believed to have crashed in the Indian Ocean and an initial search of a 60,000 sq km (23,000 sq miles) area of sea floor has been extended to another 60,000 sq km. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said he had "noted" the report about the new possible piece of debris.

"We will closely track the development of the situation, and maintain close contact with relevant sides. We will also work with relevant countries to make great efforts to continue the search work for MH370," he told reporters in Beijing. A piece of the plane's wing washed up on the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion, on the other side of Madagascar, in July 2015. Voice370, a group representing families of those on board the missing plane, said the discovery meant the search must focus on the coastlines of Mozambique and Madagascar. "Debris fields, though subject to some degree of dispersal by the elements, generally tend to make landfall in close proximity," the group said in a statement.

(Reuters)

The government will conduct fresh probes into the scams involved in the import of a stock of biofertilizer from China and in the introduction of organic farming during the time of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a minister said yesterday.

Cabinet spokesman Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said today that the people will know whether the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) MPs had sought assistance from the President’s Fund as claimed by SJB MP Dayasiri Jayasekara when the rest of the list is released soon.

The circular issued by the Western Province Education Zonal Ministry prohibiting private tutoring classes for students by school teachers, along with the letter issued by the Education Ministry regarding modulators, has been withdrawn, Parliamentarian Mahinda Jayasinghe said.

Adding further controversy to the misuse of the President’s Fund, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Dayasiri Jayasekera yesterday said some of JVP members also sought assistance from the President’s funds prior to 2010.

In response to queries about the potential introduction of new taxes on imported vehicles, Cabinet Spokesman Nalinda Jayathissa said today that the Finance Ministry will make an official announcement regarding taxes in the future.

In response to widespread concerns regarding the alleged presence of Israeli soldier Gal Ferenbook in Colombo, police said that they have not received any verified information on the matter.

The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) is set to add one of its overhauled and upgraded Kfir multirole combat aircraft to its fleet within the first three months of next year, the Daily Mirror learns.

The tri-forces security provided to former Presidents will be removed from today as announced by Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala. The Defence Ministry said instructions regarding the matter have been issued to the Commanders of the tri-forces. The Defence Ministry said only police security will be assigned for the security of former Presidents.

The Ministry of Education announced that the second stage of the third term for the 2024 academic year in all government and government-approved private schools will commence on January 2, 2025. The term is set to run for three weeks, concluding on January 24, 2025.

A female student and another woman were killed after being struck by an express train at the Anuradhapura New Town Railway Station. The victims were part of a group from Ratnapura attending a taekwondo tournament at the Anuradhapura Public Ground.