WHO chief declares expanding monkeypox outbreak a global emergency.

The chief of the World Health Organization says the expanding monkeypox outbreak in more than 70 countries is an "extraordinary" situation that now qualifies as a global emergency, a declaration on Saturday 23 July 2022 that could spur further investment in treati…

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Pope Francis' Pastoral Visit to Canada.

The Vatican has released the itinerary for Pope Francis’ visit to Canada, during which he will meet with representatives of indigenous peoples, and with indigenous Catholics.  The visit to Canada will take place July 24-29, with a return flight to Rome landing on the 30th, t…

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Gen. Kamal Gunaratne re-appointed Defence Secretary.

General Kamal Gunaratne has been re-appointed as the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence by President Ranil Wickremesinghe. Gunaratne, a decorated veteran of the Sri Lanka Army, was first appointed to the post by former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in November 2019. He is th…

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India to overtake China as the most populous country.

The 2022 version of United Nations World Population Prospects was released during the second week of July. It said the world population will breach the eight billion mark on November 15 this year. And India will overtake China next year to become the world’s most populous na…

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Pope Francis names three women to Vatican body that oversees selection of world's bishops.

Pope Francis has named three women to the Dicastery of Bishops, the Vatican body responsible for overseeing the selection of new bishops. They are the Salesian sister Yvonne Reungoat of France, Superior General of the Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco who in 2019 was appointed a…

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Libya protesters storm parliament building in Tobruk.

Protesters have stormed Libya's parliament in the eastern city of Tobruk and set fire to part of the building. There have been rallies in other Libyan cities against continuing power cuts, rising prices and political deadlock. In the capital, Tripoli, where a rival admini…

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86-year-old woman is longest-serving flight attendant.

At 86 years old, American Airlines flight attendant Bette Nash is the oldest and longest-serving flight attendant in the world, according to Guinness World Records. Nash started flying back in 1957 and will celebrate 65 years in-flight this fall. She can choose any route she …

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West African nations Gabon and Togo join Commonwealth.

Gabon and Togo joined the Commonwealth on Saturday 25 June, becoming the latest nations with no historic ties to Britain to enter the English-speaking club headed by Queen Elizabeth II.   The 54-nation group of mostly former British colonies accepted Togo and Gabon's app…

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46 people found dead in 18-wheeler in San Antonio.

The death toll rose to 50 on Tuesday in a suspected case of human smuggling, after dozens were found inside a tractor-trailer in San Antonio, Texas, according to U.S. authorities. Homeland Security Investigations said initially they found more than 40 people dead upon arriva…

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Global Liveability Index 2022.

The annual ranking of the world’s most liveable cities has just been released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), and 2022’s Global Liveability Index shows some marked differences from the previous year. The EIU, which is a sister organization to The Economist, ranked…

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Ray-Ban's billionaire owner Leonardo Del Vecchio dies.

Leonardo Del Vecchio, the chairman of spectacles maker EssilorLuxottica (ESLOF) and one of Italy's wealthiest business figures, has died aged 87, his company said on Monday. Del Vecchio rose from a childhood in an orphanage to amass a fortune of tens of billions of euros…

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Victoria State bans display of Nazi symbol in Australian first.

Victoria has become Australia's first state to specifically ban the display of the Nazi swastika. Under a new law, people who intentionally exhibit the symbol face up to a year in jail or a A$22,000 (£12,300; $15,000) fine. Victorian Premier Dan Andrews said "nobody …

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Droupadi Murmu is the BJP nominee for Indian president.

India's governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has named Droupadi Murmu, a tribal politician, as its candidate for the forthcoming presidential elections. The 64-year-old former teacher, who comes from Odisha (Orissa) state, has spent decades with the BJP and had a stint…

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According to the ILO, only six per cent of domestic workers have comprehensive social protection.

Only six per cent of domestic workers worldwide have access to comprehensive social protection, according to a new report from the International Labour Organization (ILO). This leaves more than 94 per cent lacking access to the full range of protections, covering medical car…

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Sri Lanka revises Minimum Age for Migrant Domestic Workers.

Sri Lanka has decided to amend the Minimum Age for Migrant Domestic Workers to 21 years. A document from the Department of Government Information said that the Cabinet of Ministers granted permission to revise the said age limit, after considering the recommendations of the …

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Nigeria Police rescue 35 teens exploited as sex slaves.

Thirty-five teenage girls have been rescued from a hotel in southeastern Nigeria where a trafficking ring was forcing them into prostitution. Children birth to these girls are sold, according to local police. The girls, aged between 14 and 17, were rescued from the Gally Gal…

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Anglo-Saxon burial ground unearthed at HS2 site in Buckinghamshire.

An Anglo-Saxon burial site containing the remains of more than 140 people interred with some of their most favoured objects, including jewellery, knives and even a personal grooming kit, has been discovered by archaeologists working on the HS2 route. The site, near Wendover,…

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QS World University Rankings 2023: Top global universities.

Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), London-based global higher education has released the 19th edition of the world’s most consulted international university ranking. The QS World University Rankings 2023 ranks the top 900 universities based on 8 key ranking indicators. This is the …

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EU Parliament approves ban on new fossil-fuel cars from 2035.

European Parliament lawmakers on Wednesday voted to support an effective EU ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2035, rejecting attempts to weaken the proposal to speed Europe's shift to electric vehicles. The EU assembly voted in Strasbourg, France to req…

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UNGA adopts resolution on multilingualism, mentions Hindi language for 1st time.

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has adopted an India-sponsored resolution on multilingualism that mentions the Hindi language for the first time. The resolution passed encourages the UN to continue disseminating important communications and messages in official a…

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