IMF Executive Board Approves US$ 1.4 Billion in Emergency Financing Support to Ukraine.

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved a disbursement of US$1.4 billion (SDR 1,005.9 million) under the Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) to help meet urgent financing needs and mitigate the economic impact of the war. The Executive Board ex…

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Barack Obama said he tested positive for COVID-19.

Former President Barack Obama said Sunday (13) that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is "feeling fine" other than a scratchy throat.  Both the 60-year-old Obama and his wife Michelle Obama are fully vaccinated and boosted, the former president said. Michelle…

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Leonardo DiCaprio donates $10 million to Ukraine.

Academy Award-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio has reportedly donated roughly $10 million to the people and efforts of Ukraine. The war-torn nation is the birthplace of DiCaprio's grandmother, Helene Indenbirken, whom the Hollywood star is extremely close to, according to…

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Freedom in the World 2022 Report: Sri Lanka ranked ‘partly free’.

The report titled “Freedom in the World 2022 – The Global Expansion of Authoritarian Rule” by Freedom House, a US-based NGO that ‘assesses political rights and civil liberties has issued recently. The report used 25 indicators, grouped into the categories of political rights…

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2022 International Women of Courage Award Recipients Announced.

On Monday, March 14, at 10:00 a.m. EST, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will host the annual International Women of Courage (IWOC) Awards in a virtual ceremony at the U.S. Department of State. The 2022 IWOC Award ceremony will honor a group of twelve extraordinary wome…

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One of oldest women in Sri Lanka passes away at 116.

Sri Lanka's oldest person, 116-year-old Kankanam Gamage Dingihami, passed away on Thursday 10 in Weligama in southern Sri Lanka. Dingihami was born on Jan. 11, 1906. Her age was confirmed by the Sri Lankan government in 2017, with the latter giving a certificate that she…

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Microsoft suspends sales in Russia.

Microsoft is suspending all new sales of products and services in Russia, in a major addition to the trend of companies cutting ties over the invasion of Ukraine. The company said it was also stopping “many aspects of our business in Russia in compliance with governmental sa…

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Dubai’s Museum of the Future is now open.

The Museum of the Future, which opened on February 25, envisions what the world could look like 50 years from today, with flying taxis, windfarms, and solar energy projects conducted in space. Dubai opened the doors Friday, February 25, to an architecturally stunning buildin…

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Apple suspends all product sales in Russia.

Apple (AAPL) has stopped selling all of its products in Russia due to the invasion of Ukraine, the company announced Tuesday (01). The company said in a statement that it is "deeply concerned" about the Russian invasion and that in response, it has "paused all…

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Meta blocks Russian state media from running ads worldwide.

Facebook’s parent company Meta announced it’s prohibiting the Russian state media to run ads or monetize on all of its platforms during the conflict with Ukraine. Facebook is another big tech group to announce sanctions against the Russian Federation. According to the head o…

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US Senate Approves Resolution for Ukraine, warning Russia.

The U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly Thursday 17 Feb 2022 to show unwavering support for an independent Ukraine and “condemn" Russian military aggression toward its neighbor as fresh fears emerged of a possible invasion that could spiral toward a European war. Source: w…

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Kenya becomes the 7th African fishing nation to ratify the Work in Fishing Convention.

Kenya has become the 20th ILO Member State and the seventh African fishing country to ratify the Work in Fishing Convention, 2007 (No. 188).  The Convention, which entered into force on 16 November 2017, provides the international legal framework for decent work in the fishi…

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Philanthropist Bill Gates honored by Pakistan.

Microsoft founder and philanthropist, Bill Gates has been conferred with Hilal-e-Pakistan, the second-highest civilian honour in the country, for his efforts to help eradicate polio in Pakistan.  Gates was on a day-long visit to Pakistan and has met with Pakistan Prime Minis…

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Ronaldo becomes first ever to reach 400 million followers on Instagram.

Portuguese star footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has set another record as his Instagram followers reached the 400 million mark, making him the first person ever to reach the milestone, Mail Online reported. Even before surpassing 400 million, the Manchester United footballer wa…

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India adds 54 more Chinese apps to ban list.

India has blocked access to 54 mobile apps, mainly Chinese but also including Singapore-based Sea Ltd's (SE.N) "Free Fire" mobile game, over security concerns, government sources said. Since the start of political tension with China in 2020 following a border c…

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WHO launches Quit Tobacco App.

The World Health Organization has launched on 15 Feb 2022 ‘Quit Tobacco App’ to help people kick the cigarette butt and give up use of tobacco in all forms - including smokeless and other newer products.  The app, the first such by WHO, and the first that targets all forms o…

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Canadian Federal government invokes Emergencies Act for first time.

Canadian Federal government invokes Emergencies Act for first time ever in response to protests, blockades. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he's invoking the Emergencies Act for the first time in Canada's history to give the federal government temporary p…

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"How to Prevent the Next Pandemic" A book authored by Bill Gates.

The COVID-19 pandemic isn’t over, but even as governments around the world strive to put it behind us, they’re also starting to talk about what happens next. How can we prevent a new pandemic from killing millions of people and devastating the global economy? Can we even ho…

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Israel becomes 01st country to allow drones in civilian airspace.

The Transportation Ministry certified the Elbit defense contractor’s StarLiner drone to fly in civilian airspace, making Israel the first country in the world to allow unmanned aerial vehicles of this type to do so, the company said. The Civil Aviation Authority of the State…

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University of Vavuniya declared open under President’s patronage.

The University of Vavuniya, with a centre for co-existence, was declared open by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Friday 11 February 2022 making it the 17th national university in the country. The university has a capacity of enlisting around 1000 students at each intake. It …

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