Boxing star Manny Pacquiao to run for Philippines president.

Philippine boxing star Manny Pacquiao says he is to run for president in next year’s election. He was nominated as a candidate by a faction of the ruling party, PDP-Laban. On top of a glittering career as a fighter, Mr Pacquiao, 42, is a senator in the Philippines’ parliamen…

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Chinese astronauts land after historic 3-month mission to new space station.

A spacecraft carrying Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo touched down safely in the Gobi Desert in Inner Mongolia on September 17 2021, at 1:34 a.m. EDT (0534 GMT; 1:34 p.m. Beijing time) bringing the historic Shenzhou 12 mission to an end. Shenzhou 12 launched on June…

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Fossil tracks may reveal an ancient elephant nursery.

Fossilized footprints found on a beach in southern Spain betray what may have been a nursery for an extinct species of elephant. The track-rich coastal site, which scientists have dubbed the Matalascañas Trampled Surface, is typically covered by 1½ meters of sand, says Clive…

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Colombo light rail MOU signed in South Korea.

KCI Metro Link Korea Co and the GBK Consortium of more than 15 South Korean companies have signed a memorandum of understanding to undertake a feasibility study for a light rail line running north from Colombo to Bandaranaike International Airport and Negombo, along with an…

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Russian President Vladimir Putin's party has won the parliamentary election.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's party has won a parliamentary majority following an election marred by reports of fraud. With almost all of the votes counted, the United Russia party had won nearly 50% of the vote, marking a slight drop in support from the previous el…

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Australian graphic design business Canva has become one of the world's biggest privately-owned companies.

Australian graphic design business Canva has become one of the world's biggest privately-owned companies after being valued at $40bn (£29bn). The online design platform said it had grown during the pandemic as more customers worked from home. It has revealed a fresh $200m…

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Cuba becomes first country to vaccinate young kids against Covid-19.

Cuba started vaccinating children as young as two years old against covid-19 this week, becoming the first country in the world to inoculate toddlers. At least 12 young kids have died from c ovid-19 in Cuba this year, while there were no infant deaths from the disease in tha…

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European Union unveils Indo-Pacific strategy, tries to allay China fears.

The European Union on Thursday (16th) unveiled a new strategy for boosting economic, political and defense ties in the Indo-Pacific, just hours after the United States, Britain and Australia announced a new security alliance likely to reshape their relations with the vast r…

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Ozone hole over the South Pole is now bigger than Antarctica.

The hole in the ozone that forms every year over the South Pole is now larger than Antarctica, scientists from the European Union's Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service said. The ozone depletes and forms a hole over the Antarctic in the Southern Hemisphere's spri…

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French military kills ISIS leader.

The French military reportedly killed ISIS leader Adnan Abou Walid al Sahraoui, who claimed responsibility for masterminding the ambush-style murder of four U.S. special forces soldiers during a 2017 attack in North Africa. Those killed in the 2017 attack included Army Sgt. …

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CBSL to unveil new short-term economic roadmap for Sri Lanka.

New Governor of Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Ajith Nivard Cabraal says that a new economic roadmap has been prepared for the upcoming six months. Posting on Twitter, he said that the CBSL is currently getting ready to unveil this 6-month plan on October 01. The plan cover…

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Port City Colombo marks 7th anniversary with vertical development set to commence.

Port City Colombo, the largest and most ambitious development project ever undertaken in Sri Lanka, proudly marks its 7th anniversary since the initial land reclamation work commenced in 2014.   During this period, the project has committed USD 1.4 billion of foreign direct …

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Home computer pioneer Sir Clive Sinclair dies aged 81.

The home computing world is mourning the loss of pioneer Sir Clive Sinclair, who has died at the age of 81. The entrepreneur’s company launched the ZX models in a decade where personal computer use began to boom in the UK, with Sinclair becoming the first company in the worl…

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New Zealand call off Pakistan cricket series after security alert.

New Zealand on Friday (17th) pulled out of their tour of Pakistan just before the start of the first ODI in Rawalpindi due to a “security alert”.  New Zealand Cricket (NZC) in a statement on Friday said that the team will not continue with the tour following an “escalation i…

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Girls excluded as Afghan secondary schools reopen.

The Taliban have excluded girls from Afghan secondary schools, with only boys and male teachers allowed back into classrooms. Schoolgirls told the BBC they were devastated not to be returning. "Everything looks very dark," one said. Taliban officials who seized powe…

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Sri Lanka surpassed WHO vaccination goals.

Sri Lanka surpassed WHO vaccination goals, with 50% of population fully vaccinated. Sri Lanka reached an important milestone yesterday (September 18) with 50% of the population fully vaccinated, surpassing vaccination goals set by the World Health Organization (WHO). Vaccinat…

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Tropical Storm Peter and TD 17 form in tropical Atlantic Ocean.

Forecasters said Tropical Storm Peter formed over the Atlantic Ocean early Sunday (19th), and a new tropical depression was spinning over the far eastern Atlantic. Peter was centered about 630 miles east of the northern Leeward Islands, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in …

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UNICEF stresses Afghan girls must not be excluded from school.

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Friday (17th) welcomed the news that secondary schools are due to reopen in Afghanistan on Saturday, after months of closure due to COVID-19, but stressed that girls must not be kept from the classroom. According to news reports, the announ…

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India, El Salvador hold third Foreign Office Consultations.

India and El Salvador held the third Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) on September 17 and reviewed the whole gamut of bilateral relations in all fields including health, trade and investment, the Ministry of External Affairs (EAM) informed on Saturday. An MEA release state…

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Sri Lanka-born researcher appointed to U.S. National Cancer Advisory Board.

A leading Johns Hopkins cancer researcher Dr. Ashani Weeraratna, who is of Sri Lankan origin, has been appointed by U.S. President Joe Biden to serve as a member of the National Cancer Advisory Board. The White House announced the appointment on Wednesday (15th). Dr. Weeraeat…

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Jhumpa Lahiri to launch her new book ‘Translating Myself and Others’.

The next book from Jhumpa Lahiri , the Pulitzer Prize-winning fiction writer, will highlight her work as a translator. Princeton University Press announced that Lahiri's 'Translating Myself and Others' will come out next spring. Lahiri has lived off and on in Rom…

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2 times Olympic Gold Medalist Yuriy Sedykh passes away.

One of track and field’s longest-standing world record holders, Yuri Sedykh, died of a heart attack Tuesday (14th), according to the Russian federation. Sedykh, who won Olympic hammer throw gold at both the Montreal 1976 and Moscow 1980 Games and silver at Seoul in 1988, was…

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International Equal Pay Day - 18 September.

International Equal Pay Day is celebrated on 18 September. The inaugural edition of the day was observed in the year 2020. The day aims to achieve equal pay for work of equal value and break the walls against all forms of discrimination, including discrimination against wom…

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World Bank Group has discontinued "Doing Business Report"

The World Bank Group has issued the following statement on 16 September 2021 regarding the Doing Business report. After data irregularities on Doing Business 2018 and 2020 were reported internally in June 2020, World Bank management paused the next Doing Business report and …

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World Water Monitoring Day - 18 September.

The World Water Monitoring Day is observed every year on September 18 since 2003 to increase public awareness and involvement in water monitoring and protecting water resources around the world. This day is celebrated to increase public awareness and involvement in water mo…

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International Red Panda Day - 18 September.

During the third Saturday in September, International Red Panda Day dedicates a day to learning about about red pandas. Join the campaign to raise awareness about saving their habitats. Red pandas are much smaller than the more familiar black and white pandas. In fact, red p…

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World Bamboo Day - 18 September.

Every year on September 18th, World Bamboo Day raises awareness about this fast-growing plant. The day also recognizes the importance of bamboo on a global scale. Bamboos are used for various purposes mainly in East and Southeast Asia. Bamboo is a tall, tree-like grass of th…

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International Coastal Clean-Up Day 2021 - 18 September.

The International Coastal Cleanup Day is traditionally held on the third Saturday in September. In 2021, the day is being held on 18 September. Coastal Cleanup Day was established by the Ocean Conservancy, an organization that works to help protect the ocean from the challe…

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Ford will cease manufacturing in India.

Ford Motor Co. will shut its car factories in India and record roughly US$2 billion in restructuring charges, scaling back significantly in a country that past management saw becoming one of its three biggest markets. Manufacturing of vehicles for sale in India will stop imm…

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New species of Jurassic-age Hybodont Shark discovered from Rajasthan's Jaisalmer.

Teeth of new species of Hybodont Shark of Jurassic age have been reported for the first time from Jaisalmer by a team of officers from the Geological Survey of India (GSI). This discovery marks an important milestone in the study of Jurassic vertebrate fossils in the Jaisalm…

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