Egypt breakthrough as three stunning statues uncovered on ‘Avenue of Sphinxes’.

The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has introduced that three big ram heads – at the least one in all which had a cobra on high – have been discovered south of Karnak Temple in Luxor. It’s thought that 1000’s of years in the past they have been a part of three bigger statues that had the our bodies of creatures that regarded like sphinxes. They featured in a big avenue of ram-headed statues that run virtually two miles between Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple.

The passage is called the “Avenue of the Sphinxes” and consisted of round 700 statues.

Scholar Elizabeth Blyth beforehand famous: “An estimated 700 sphinxes lined the route between Karnak and Luxor temples and its magnificence can scarcely be imagined.”

Karnak Temple was constructed between roughly 4,000 and a couple of,000 years in the past, and far of it’s devoted to Amun-Ra, a god related to the Solar and Thebes, the capital of historic Egypt.

Source: digitpatrox.com

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Donald Trump’s social media app ‘Truth Social’ hijacked.

Former President Donald Trump’s new social media platform “TRUTH Social” was accessed by Twitter users within hours of its announcement and well before officially opening up for new users to sign up.

Accounts were created under the usernames “donaldtrump” and “mikepence” and the handle “donaldjtrump” appeared to have been hacked or nabbed by someone out to mock the former president.

Mr Trump announced that he was launching a media network – the Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG) – including a social media platform called “TRUTH Social”, which he said was an effort to “stand up to the tyranny of Big Tech”

Just a few hours after the announcement, Twitter users had managed to hijack the beta-version of the platform with apparently fake accounts for Mr Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence.

Source: www.independent.co.uk

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Zendaya to become the Youngest CFDA Fashion Icon Award Recipient.

The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) announced that Zendaya will be the 2021 recipient of the CFDA Fashion Icon Award, making her the youngest honoree in history when she is presented with the prize at the CFDA Fashion Awards ceremony on Nov. 10. 

Zendaya joins a standout list of previous Fashion Icon Award recipients, including Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Pharrell Williams and Naomi Campbell.

Most recently, the actress has been putting her shapeshifting style on display throughout her press tour for Dune, where she's rocked everything from a metal breastplate to a bubble hem Valentino mini.

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Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny wins 2021 Sakharov Prize.

The European Parliament has awarded the European Union’s top human rights prize, Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought for 2021, to the imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. 

The 45-year-old activist has been awarded for his immense personal bravery to fight tirelessly against the corruption of Vladimir Putin’s regime.

Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, commonly known as Sakharov Prize, is European Parliament’s top human rights prize. The prize honours individuals and groups of people who have dedicated their lives to the defence of human rights and freedom of thought.

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The Global Food Security Index - 2021.

The Global Food Security Index (GFSI) considers the issues of food affordability, availability, quality and safety, and natural resources and resilience across a set of 113 countries. The index is a dynamic quantitative and qualitative benchmarking model constructed from 58 unique indicators that measure the drivers of food security across both developing and developed countries.

This edition of the GFSI incorporates the "Natural Resources and Resilience" category into the main index. This category assesses a country’s exposure to the impacts of a changing climate; its susceptibility to natural resource risks; and how the country is adapting to these risks, all of which impact the incidence of food insecurity in a country. The category was first introduced into the GFSI in 2017 as an adjustment factor and, given its increasing importance, has been mainstreamed for the first time this year.

The 2021 GFSI is the tenth edition of the index. Economist Impact updates the model annually to capture year-on-year changes in structural factors impacting food security.

According to the report, Sri Lanka held 77th position with an overall score of 54.1 points on the GFS Index 2021 of 113 countries. Other South Asian countries hold below given indexes.

• Pakistan (75th position)
• India (71st Position), 
• Nepal (79th position) 
• Bangladesh (84th position). 

According to the report, World's Top 10 countries are;

Source: https://impact.economist.com

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Ecuador declares state of emergency.

Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso has declared a 60-day state of emergency in the South American country, due to the rise in violent drug crimes. 

President Lasso has pointed to drug trafficking and consumption as the main drivers behind an increase in murders, home burglary, thefts of vehicles and goods, and muggings.

Under the emergency measures, the armed forces and police would work together to carry out “arms checks, inspections, 24-hour patrols, and drug searches, among other actions. Ecuador is a transit country for cocaine smuggled from neighbouring Peru and Colombia and much of the crime wave is thought to be drug-related.

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Trump announces new social media network called 'Truth Social'.

Former President Trump on Wednesday 20 October 2021 announced the upcoming launch of his own social media network called "Truth Social."

Trump was largely banned from major social media networks, including Facebook and his favored Twitter, at the beginning of the year after the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot. After leaving office, he operated a blog similar in style to Twitter before shutting it down about a month after it was started.

Earlier in October, Trump asked a federal judge to force Twitter into reinstating his account.

A beta launch of the site for "invited guests" is expected in November, with a full launch in the first quarter of 2022.

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India's first Social Crypto Token, Chingari's "$GARI" launched.

Social Token App, Chingari unveiled its' first-ever crypto token,  "$GARI" in Mumbai on 17 October 2021.

It was launched by the brand ambassador of the tech start-up, Salman Khan. Chingari claims to be the first social network in India to have issued crypto tokens.

With this launch, short-video application Chingari has stepped into the world of cryptocurrency with its crypto token "GARI". A fungible blockchain token, GARI will serve both “as a future in-app currency and a governance token," the company said. The token will be built in partnership with the Solana blockchain.

Source: www.news18.com

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Global Pension Index 2021.

The Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index 2021 benchmarks 43 retirement income systems around the world, highlighting strengths and weaknesses.  In 2021, new entrant Iceland is named as having the world’s best pension system overall. 

However, as the world continues to grapple with the  economic implications of the pandemic and its ongoing health crisis, the study also reveals factors causing the gender pension gap around the world. It’s critical that policymakers and governments reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of their systems to deliver better long-term outcomes for future retirees.

Mercer Consulting, a leading global management consulting firm, has released the 13th edition of the Mercer Global Pension Index (2021 MCGPI). 

Iceland has topped this ranking with an index value of 84.2 followed by the Netherlands with 83.5  and Norway with 82.0. Thailand had the lowest overall index value at 40.6. The 2021 MCGPI, has added 4 new retirement systems: Iceland, Taiwan, UAE and Uruguay.

About Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index (MCGPI):

• MCGPI is an annual survey by Mercer Consulting, which aims to benchmark the retirement income system.

• MCGPI uses three sub-indices, adequacy,
  sustainability and integrity to measure each retirement income system against more than 50 indicators.

• The Index is published by Mercer, in collaboration with CFA Institute and the Monash Centre for Financial Studies.

Source: www.mercer.com

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07-year-old girl wins Global Peace Photo Award.

A 7-year-old girl from Karnataka capital Bengaluru has won Global Peace Photo Award (Children's Peace Image of the year). The child will also visit the Austrian Parliament apart from getting a medal and RS 1,000 euros.

The girl Aadhyaa Aravind is a student of Class 2 at Vidyanikatan in Hebbal. She is the only Indian to have won this award. 

A photography aficionado, the girl's camera is the cellphone of her mother Roshini. The girl's father, who is a software professional, has sent many pictures clicked by her to various photography contests, according to a report in Times of India. 

The photograph that won Aadhyaa the award is the one she captured Roshni resting in the lap of her mother at the latter's Kodichikkanahalli home. 

The photo has won her award in the children's category. The photo is themed as the "lap of peace". 

The Global Peace Photo Award recognizes and promotes photographers from all over the world whose pictures capture human efforts towards a peaceful world. The award is give in collaboration with Austrian Parliament and UNESCO. 

Source: www.timesnownews.com

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India’s Kushinagar Airport declared open.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Kushinagar International Airport on Wednesday 20 October 2021 at the Lord Buddha’s Parinirvana in Uttar Pradesh.

The airport is aimed at boosting tourism on the Buddhist circuit, as the ancient city of Kushinagar is the final resting place of Gautama Buddha, where he attained Mahaparinirvana after his death.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi noted that the Kushinagar International Airport won’t just be a mode of air connectivity, rather it will create an ecosystem of business and generate employment opportunities for the local youth.

The inauguration of the Kushinagar International Airport was marked by the landing of the inaugural flight at the airport from Colombo, Sri Lanka, carrying a Sri Lankan delegation of over 100 Buddhist monks and dignitaries, including the 12-member holy relic entourage bringing the holy Buddha relics for exposition.

The delegation also comprises anunayakas (deputy heads) of all four nikayas (orders) of Buddhism in Sri Lanka; Asgiriya, Amarapura, Ramanna and Malwatta.

Five ministers of the Lankan government led by cabinet minister Namal Rajapaksa, who is also the son of Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, will accompany the delegation.

Source: www.indiatoday.in

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Sri Lankan Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa met Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Sri Lankan Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Parinirvana Stupa on Wednesday (20th) after the inauguration of the Kushinagar International Airport in the city.

Following the inauguration ceremony, Sri Lanka’s Cabinet Minister gifted a Sinhala version of the Bhagavad Gita to PM Modi, which also carried a message from Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Speaking at an event organised to mark Abhidhamma Day, Mr Rajapaksa thanked Prime Minister Modi for extending a grant of USD 15 million to Sri Lanka to strengthen the Buddhist ties between the two nations.

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2021 Global Hunger Index.

The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is a tool designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger at global, regional, and national levels. GHI scores are calculated each year to assess progress and setbacks in combating hunger. The GHI is designed to raise awareness and understanding of the struggle against hunger, provide a way to compare levels of hunger between countries and regions, and call attention to those areas of the world where hunger levels are highest and where the need for additional efforts to eliminate hunger is greatest.

Measuring hunger is complicated. To use the GHI information most effectively, it helps to understand how the GHI scores are calculated and what they can and cannot tell us.

Assembling the GHI

How are the GHI scores calculated?

GHI scores are calculated using a three-step process that draws on available data from various sources to capture the multidimensional nature of hunger (Figure A.1).

For each country, values are determined for four indicators:

• UNDERNOURISHMENT: the share of the population that is undernourished (that is, whose caloric intake is insufficient);

• CHILD WASTING: the share of children under the age of five who are wasted (that is, who have low weight for their height, reflecting acute undernutrition);

• CHILD STUNTING: the share of children under the age of five who are stunted (that is, who have low height for their age, reflecting chronic undernutrition); and

• CHILD MORTALITY: the mortality rate of children under the age of five (in part, a reflection of the fatal mix of inadequate nutrition and unhealthy environments).

In the 2021 Global Hunger Index, Sri Lanka ranks 65th out of the 116 countries with sufficient data to calculate 2021 GHI scores. With a score of 16.0, Sri Lanka has a level of hunger that is moderate.

Neighboring countries like India (89), Nepal (76), Bangladesh (76), Myanmar (71) and Pakistan (92) are also in the ‘alarming’ hunger category but have fared better at feeding its citizens than India, according to the report.

Top countries in the Index

A total of 18 countries, including China, Kuwait and Brazil, shares the top rank. The GHI score of these 18 nations is less than 5. This means that these countries suffer very less from hunger and malnutrition.

Source: www.globalhungerindex.org.

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ICC joins hands with UNICEF to raise awareness on mental health of children.

The ICC has partnered with UNICEF to amplify awareness around mental health and well-being of children and adolescents throughout the men's T20 World Cup, beginning on Sunday (17th). 

The partnership will amplify UNICEF's global campaign #OnYourMind which calls for commitment, communication and action to promote good mental health for every child. 

The T20 World Cup -- the biggest ever in the UAE and Oman -- comprises 45 matches across four venues.

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Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index (RECAI).

Since 2003, the biannual RECAI has ranked the top 40 markets based on investment in renewable energy, a key part of the energy transition.

The Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index (RECAI) ranks the world’s top 40 markets on the attractiveness of their renewable energy investment and deployment opportunities. 

The rankings reflect our assessments of market attractiveness and global market trends.

US, China & India are ranked at top 03 positions respectively.

Top 10 ranking and index score.

Source: https://www.ey.com

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Access to a healthy environment, declared as a human right by UN rights council.

The Human Rights Council has recognised, for the first time, that having a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is a human right. 

In resolution 48/13, the Council called on States around the world to work together, and with other partners, to implement this newly recognised right. 

The text, proposed by Costa Rica, the Maldives, Morocco, Slovenia and Switzerland, was passed with 43 votes in favour and 4 abstentions - from Russia, India, China and Japan.

At the same time, through a second resolution (48/14), the Council also increased its focus on the human rights impacts of climate change by establishing a Special Rapporteur dedicated specifically to that issue. 

According to World Health Organization (WHO), 24% of all global deaths, roughly 13.7 million deaths a year, are linked to the environment, due to risks such as air pollution and chemical exposure.

Source: https://news.un.org

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Martin J. Sherwin, Pulitzer-winning scholar, dead at 84.

Martin J. Sherwin, a leading scholar of atomic weapons who in “A World Destroyed” challenged support for the U.S. bombing of Japan and spent more than two decades researching the pioneering physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer for the Pulitzer Prize-winning “American Prometheus,” has died.

He was 84 and had been battling lung cancer. Kai Bird, a close friend and the co-author of “American Prometheus,” called him “probably the preeminent historian of the nuclear age.”

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Sri Lanka’s Ruwanthi wins Taiwan Fashion Design Award 2021.

Sri Lankan designer Ruwanthi Pavithra Gajadeera has won the first prize at the “Taiwan Fashion Design Award 2021” (TFDA), the first South Asian to represent and win the award.

The finals selection show of “Taiwan Fashion Design Award 2021” (TFDA) successfully concluded at Taipei Fashion Week, in Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, Taipei, Taiwan on October 6th. 

Among nearly 450 designers from 18 countries and regions including Europe, America and Asia, Ruwanthi from Sri Lanka became the winner of the first prize for her work “kǣli–A Sustainable Collection”, and won a prize worth US$10,000.

Ruwanthi Gajadeera is a highly enthusiastic fashion designer who studied at Ladies College and AOD, with a passion for perfecting Sri Lankan heritage crafts such Handloom, Beeralu (Bobbin Lace), and Natural Dyes to produce innovative and sustainable textiles and garments. 

Ruwanthi is also the first South Asian to represent and win the Taiwan Fashion Design Award.

TFDA launched in 1987 as a local contest, and the Taiwan Fashion Design Award 2021 marks its 35th edition. Hosted by the Industrial Development Bureau, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Taiwan and organized by the Taiwan Textile Federation, it’s the first official fashion competition in Asia. 

It was first opened as an international competition in 2013 (27th), and this year is the 9th international competition.

Source: www.adaderana.lk

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Malayali Girl sets world record by singing 120 songs in 120 languages.

Malayali Girl sets world record by singing 120 songs in 120 languages in 7 Hours and 20 minutes.

Suchetha Sathish has become an overnight sensation. She has made it to the Guinness Book of World Records by singing 120 songs in 120 languages in seven hours and 20 minutes. 

The 16-year-old accomplished her attempt at the ‘Music Beyond Borders’ concert in an even held at the Indian Consulate in Dubai on August 19, 2021.

Accordingly, she has broken the record set by another Indian Kesiraju Srinivas who sang in 76 languages in 2008. 

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The Henley Passport Index: Q4 2021 Global Ranking.

The Henley Passport Index includes 199 different passports and 227 different travel destinations. Updated quarterly, the Henley Passport Index is considered the standard reference tool for global citizens and sovereign states when assessing where a passport ranks on the global mobility spectrum.

The index comes at a time when countries are easing travel restrictions for international visitors after almost two years since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The rankings are based on the survey of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) data.

Sri Lanka rank has slipped by eight places compared to last year and stands at number 107 on the list.

Japan and Singapore hold the first rank on the passport index.

Top 5 countries in the Index:

• Rank 1: Japan, Singapore
• Rank 2: Germany, South Korea
• Rank 3: Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain
• Rank 4: Austria, Denmark
• Rank 5: France, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden

World’s 5 least powerful passports:

• Yemen
• Pakistan 
• Syria 
• Iraq 
• Afghanistan

Source: www.henleyglobal.com

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