World Religion Day - 17 January.

Every year on the third Sunday in January, people from all cultures and backgrounds come together World Religion Day. The day celebrates the commonality of the major faiths of the world. It may surprise you to know that there are over 4,000 recognized religions in the world.…

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Sri Lanka Tamils appeal to UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for rights accountability.

Sri Lanka’s minority Tamil political parties and civil society groups have urged the UN Human Rights Council to establish an international independent investigatory mechanism with a strict time frame to ensure accountability from the island nation on the alleged human right…

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New Species of Bat Found in West Africa.

A new species of a striking orange & black bat has been discovered from the Nimba Mountains in West Africa. The species has been named Myotis Nimbaensis in recognition of the Guinea Mountain Range it inhabits. The American Museum of Natural History tweeted about this new …

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U.S. imposes sanctions on Chinese officials.

The United States announced sanctions on Chinese state-owned enterprise and military officials and added Chinese oil giant CNOOC to a blacklist, accusing them using coercion against states with rival claims in the South China Sea. The moves by the Trump administration will f…

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Archaeologists find world's oldest animal cave painting in Indonesia.

Archaeologists have discovered the world's oldest known animal cave painting in Indonesia - a wild pig - believed to be drawn 45,500 years ago. Painted using dark red ochre pigment, the life-sized picture of the Sulawesi warty pig appears to be part of a narrative scene. …

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Biden names ex-US ambassador to the UN Samantha Power to lead international aid agency.

Joe Biden on named Samantha Power, the former US ambassador to the United Nations, as his choice to lead the US Agency for International Development (USAid). Samantha Power was US ambassador to the United Nations in the Obama-Biden administration and also served on Barack Ob…

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Daily Telegraph owner Sir David Barclay dies at age 86.

Sir David Barclay, one of the two billionaire brothers who own the Telegraph newspaper group, has died unexpectedly after a short illness, aged 86. The newspaper reported that the billionaire died “unexpectedly”. Sir David, alongside his twin brother Sir Frederick, had built…

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Biden picks Kurt Campbell to head Asia Policy.

United States President-elect Joe Biden has picked veteran diplomat Kurt Campbell, who was the architect of the trilateral dialogue with India and Japan during the Obama Administration, to lead his Asia Policy. The brain behind the Asia Pivot of the Obama Administration from…

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International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2021 to celebrate the work of legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray.

The 51st International Film Festival of India (IFFI) will be celebrating the work of legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray by screening five of his classics.  As part of the tribute, the festival will showcase Ray's acclaimed "Pather Panchali", the first film of his…

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Apple announces education funding under racial justice plan.

Apple has announced it's $ 100 Million initiative funding for technology education efforts as part of its racial justice initiative launched last year during the civil unrest sparked by police killings of African Americans. The projects include a global innovation and le…

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Sri Lanka’s trade deficit narrows in November.

According to the latest external trade data released by the Central Bank, country’s trade deficit narrowed in November 2020 by US $ 198 million to US $ 565 million, from US $ 762 million recorded in November 2019, due to a larger decline in imports compared to the decline i…

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Selling rate of US $ exceeds Rs.196 mark.

According to the daily exchange report of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), the current buying rate of the US Dollar today stands at Rs.190.77 and selling rate of the US dollar stands at Rs.196.05. This is the highest buying and selling rate recorded for a US dollar, sin…

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Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) emerges as world’s second best performing equity market in 2021.

The main index of the Colombo Stock Exchange, the All Share Price Index (ASPI) has been ranked as the second best performing stock index in the world as of 13 January 2021, with a positive price return of 9.88%, according to Bloomberg data. In a Twitter message, State Minist…

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Port City Colombo attracts world’s top investor Nathaniel Rothschild.

World renowned financier and a member of Rothschild family, Nathaniel Rothschild who is in Sri Lanka for a brief business tour, paid a visit to Port City Colombo yesterday (14). He was accompanied by prominent Sri Lankan born British politician and former EU parliamentarian …

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Record-breaking day (15th Jan) for Colombo Stock Exchange.

The All Share Price Index (ASPI) of the Colombo Stock Exchange gained 291.34 points today (15), marking the highest daily points gain in its history. The ASPI closed at 7,734.57 points - the highest since February 28, 2011 - gaining 3.91% from the previous day of trading.  Th…

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South Asia’s Largest Tyre Manufacturing Plant Now in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka’s largest manufacturing facility for tyres and radials, Ferentino Tyre Corporation (Pvt) Limited, was declared open by President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa yesterday (14). The occasion was also joined by Minister of Industries Wimal Weerawansa and Minister of Ports and S…

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Astronomers Have Discovered an Alien Planet with Three Suns.

Astronomers think they've spotted an alien planet with three suns on its horizon — but that still isn't the most interesting thing about the strange new world's sky. Scientists found the world, which they've dubbed LTT 1445Ab, in data gathered by NASA's T…

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Biden lays out $1.9 trillion Covid relief package with $1,400 stimulus checks.

President-elect Joe Biden laid out his $1.9 trillion relief package in a prime-time address Thursday 14 January 2020 — focusing on a new round of stimulus checks to struggling Americans and an ambitious vaccine distribution plan to control the deadly pandemic. Biden will ask…

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U.S. declares Cuba a state sponsor of terrorism.

The Trump administration declared Cuba a state sponsor of terrorism, the latest in a series of actions aimed at undoing the Obama-era legacy of opening U.S. relations with the island nation just weeks before President-elect Joe Biden takes office. Cuba was placed on the list…

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NASA plans to ignite the most powerful rocket it's ever built on January 17.

It will be the first firing of the Space Launch System (SLS), the long-awaited (and delayed) rocket ship that NASA plans to use for non-commercial human space flight. However, during this first ignition, only the liquid fuel engines at the core of the rocket will be tested, …

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Tesla sets up India subsidiary in Bengaluru.

Elon Musk-owned electric vehicle (EV) company Tesla has registered a fully-owned subsidiary in Bengaluru, Karnataka. Tesla, the world’s most valued carmaker has incorporated a fully owned subsidiary ahead as a first step to set up an R&D unit and a manufacturing plant f…

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Sadyr Japarov wins the presidential election in Kyrgyzstan.

The frontrunner in Kyrgyzstan's presidential election, Sadyr Japarov, has won by a landslide, official results show. The Central Election Commission said Mr Japarov had won 79% of votes cast. Mr Japarov, who served time in jail for taking a rival hostage, will also have s…

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Ethiopian army kills ex-Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin

Ethiopia says its forces have killed three members of the conflict-hit Tigray region’s former ruling party, including ex-Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin. The three Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) officials were killed after they refused to surrender to the m…

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France hosts 4th One Planet Summit.

World leaders met for an online One Planet Summit to discuss climate change and the preservation of biodiversity and ecosystems. The Summit was organised in cooperation with the United Nations and the World Bank. The theme of the Summit was “Let’s act together for nature!” Th…

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Estonian Prime Minister resigns.

Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas resigned on Wednesday 13 January 2021 amid corruption allegations against his political party. His ruling Center Party came under investigation as part of a corruption probe. The 42-year-old insisted that he had not made "any malicious…

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EU grant Rs. 8.26 bn to support SL justice sector, food safety, climate change mitigation.

The European Union (EU) announced the signing of three grants worth EUR 35.75 million (LKR 8.26 billion) which will support Sri Lanka’s justice sector, help improve food safety, and strengthen efforts to mitigate climate change.  The grants were signed on behalf of the Gover…

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World Logic Day - 14 January.

Every year on January 14th, World Logic Day brings the intellectual history and practical implications of logic to interdisciplinary science communities’ attention. The day also celebrates the idea that logic, as reasoning, is a central feature of human beings. Logic is defi…

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Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) records highest market cap ever and number of trades within a day.

The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) recorded two significant milestones today with the market capitalization reaching an all-time high value of Rs. 3.25 trillion and recording 52,559 trades which is the highest number of trades recorded within a market day. The number of trade…

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Sri Lankan rupee under pressure again. Selling rate of US $ recorded at Rs.194.07.

The Sri Lankan rupee has come once again under pressure. According to the daily exchange report of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), the current buying rate of the US Dollar today (13) stands at Rs.190.33 and selling rate of the US dollar stands at Rs.194.07. This is the …

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Henley Passport Index - 2021

The Henley Passport Index is the original ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. The ranking is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which mainta…

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