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Sri Lanka said it was trying to "safeguard ‌lives" on a second Iranian ship off its coast Thursday, ​a day after 87 people ‌were killed in a US submarine strike on an Iranian warship ‌in the same ⁠region.The island's security ‌council, which includes top military officials, met ‌to discuss what steps to take, two government sources told Reuters, without saying ⁠whether it was another military ship."The President, defence officials, and all other relevant officials are aware and we are addressing the situation," cabinet spokesman Nalinda Jayatissa said in response to questions from an opposition leader."We are doing our utmost to safeguard lives," he said, without saying how.The ship was near the port of Colombo, in the country's exclusive economic zone but ​outside its maritime boundary, Jayatissa said.The first ship, IRIS Dena, was sunk on Wednesday 19 nautical miles off Sri Lanka's southern port city of Galle and that two freezers had been ‌dispatched to store the 87 ⁠bodies recovered from the ​sea, he added.Tehran has asked Colombo to help repatriate the bodies, ​Sri Lanka's deputy minister for health and mass media, Hansaka Wijemuni, told Reuters, adding that a timeframe had not yet been determined.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said the warship was struck in international waters without warning thousands of miles from the Gulf, where US and Israeli forces are striking Iran and Tehran is retaliating with missile and drone attacks."The US will bitterly regret the precedent it has set," Araqchi said in a post on X, adding that the warship was a guest of India's navy and was carrying almost ‌130 sailors.IRIS Dena had taken part ‌in a naval exercise organised ⁠by India in the Bay of Bengal from February 18 to 25 and ⁠was on its way back, according ⁠to the drill's website and Sri Lankan officials.Sri Lankan military rescuers responded to an early-morning distress call from the frigate on Wednesday and found 32 survivors.Search and rescue operations would continue for an estimated 10 people who remain unaccounted for, they said.The Indian Navy said it had also launched a search and rescue operation to "augment" Sri Lanka's ​efforts.The attack dramatically widened the scope of the war."An American submarine sank an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters," US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at the Pentagon. "Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo. Quiet death."A Pentagon video purporting to have captured the attack showed a huge explosion blowing apart the rear of the vessel, lifting it from the water, and causing it to begin sinking from the stern. 

The Ministry of Labour announced the launch of the pilot phase of the Moawen Platform—a pioneering digital system designed to redefine domestic worker recruitment, bolster transparency, and safeguard the rights of all stakeholders. This was unveiled during the meeting of Her Excellency Undersecretary of the Ministry of Labour Sheikha Najwa bint Abdulrahman Al-Thani with licensed recruitment offices. Discussions focused on enhancing cooperation with recruitment offices, supporting and developing their operational capacity, and addressing the sector's key challenges—particularly in workforce management and recruitment procedures. The Moawen Platform streamlines every stage of domestic worker recruitment. Recruitment offices can orchestrate applications through a unified digital portal, while employers can select workers and licensed offices with full transparency, based on service quality and pricing. Simultaneously, the Ministry receives comprehensive, real-time data on recruitment office activity, enabling rapid analysis, identification of bottlenecks, and timely, evidence-based interventions—strengthening sector stability. Key features of the platform include: submission and management of recruitment offers; conducting job interviews; worker and office selection; contract finalization; payment of recruitment fees and wage transfers; and management of end-of-service entitlements and processing of refunds in disputes. During the pilot phase, the platform will register recruitment offices and available workers to create verified, comprehensive profiles; enable offices to manage applications, submit feedback, and refine processes; and allow select clients to test end-to-end application submission and tracking. This trial ensures the Ministry can rigorously evaluate Moawen's effectiveness and readiness ahead of its full launch, while providing recruitment offices the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the system and adapt it to practical operational needs.