Indonesia’s Sinabung volcano erupted.

A rumbling volcano on Indonesia’s Sumatra island unleashed an avalanche of searing gas clouds down its slopes during an eruption on Thursday 13 May 2021. Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra province was shooting smoke and ash as high as 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) into the air and…

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US approves potential sale of AEGIS Combat System to Canada.

The move comes after the Government of Canada placed a request to purchase four Shipsets of the ACS along with other related equipment to bolster its military capabilities. The proposed sale will also include one AEGIS Combat System Computer Program, four Shipsets of AN/SPY-…

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The International Day of Families - 15 May.

The International Day of Families is observed on the 15th of May every year. The International Day of Families provides an opportunity to promote awareness of issues relating to families and to increase knowledge of the social, economic and demographic processes affecting t…

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Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Kills Top Hamas Commander Bassem Issa.

Israel killed a member of the Hamas military council, Bassem Issa, Wednesday 12 May 2021 as the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) continue to hammer the violent terror group. Israel claimed, and Hamas confirmed, that the IDF had killed Issa and a handful of other senior Hamas mil…

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Dr. Nihal Jayathilaka appointed Chairman of Sri Lanka Standards Institution.

Dr. Nihal Jayathilaka has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI). He succeeds the former Chairman of SLSI Nushad Perera, who recently stepped down from the post to rejoin the private sector. Dr. Jayathilaka has previously served as th…

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China to set up ‘separation line’ on Mt. Everest.

China will create “a line of separation” at the Mt. Everest summit to prevent climbers from the Chinese side from mingling with those climbing the world’s tallest mountain from Nepal. The decision was taken after a number of pandemic cases were diagnosed among climbers ascen…

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Sally Buzbee will be first woman to lead Washington Post as new executive editor.

The Washington Post has selected Sally Buzbee, executive editor and senior vice president at the Associated Press, as its new top editor. Buzbee replaces Marty Baron, who left the job in February. She will be the first woman to run the news organization, according to the Pos…

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Pam Gosal becomes 1st Sikh elected to Scottish Parliament.

Businesswoman Pam Gosal was elected to the Scottish Parliament, making history as the first Sikh and first Indian woman to be elected. Gosal was elected as a Conservative Member of Scottish Parliament (MSP) from West Scotland. It was reported that she won 7,455 votes, 14.1% o…

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International Nurses Day - 12 May.

International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world every May 12, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birth. (the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth in 1820). The day is set aside to honor and note the many contributions nurses make to society. Nurses…

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China's population growth closer to zero.

China's population growth is falling closer to zero as fewer couples have children, government data showed Tuesday, adding to strains on an aging society with a shrinking workforce. The population rose by 72 million people over the past 10 years to 1.411 billion in 2020,…

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Sir David Attenborough named COP26 People’s Advocate.

Sir David Attenborough has been named as the COP26 People’s Advocate for the UK’s Presidency of the UN climate change summit taking place in Glasgow in November 2021. The renowned natural historian and broadcaster will address world leaders at major international events over…

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NASA spacecraft with samples from an asteroid is making its long return back to Earth.

After nearly five years in space, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has begun its 1.4 billion-mile trek back home, which will take about 2.5 years. The spacecraft reached an asteroid in 2018 and spent two years flying near and around it before collecting rubble from the surface late…

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Global Renewable Energy Grew at Fastest Pace in Two Decades in 2020.

Renewable energy grew at its fastest pace in two decades last year, led by China, and will continue to grow in the next two years, a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) showed. New renewable energy capacity in 2020 rose by 45% to 280 gigawatts (GW) last year, the…

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Babar Azam and Alyssa Healy voted ICC Players of the Month for April 2021.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the winners of the ICC Player of the Month Awards for April which recognise and celebrate the best performances from both male and female cricketers across all forms of international cricket throughout the year. Pakistan’…

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Mumbai-born Dr Tahera Qutbuddin First Indian To Win Arab World Nobel Prize.

Dr Tahera Qutbuddin, a professor of Arabic Literature at the University of Chicago, recently became the first person of Indian-origin to win the 15th Sheikh Zyed Book Award. The award is considered to be the Nobel Prize of the Arab world. Dr Qutbuddin, who was born in Mumbai…

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Former Senator Bill Nelson Sworn in as the 14th NASA Administrator.

Former Senator Bill Nelson was sworn in as the 14th NASA administrator tasked with carrying out the Biden-Harris administration’s vision for the agency. Nelson served in the U.S. Senate for 18 years from Florida and as a payload specialist on space shuttle mission 61-C in 1…

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Independent tribunal clears Avishka Gunawardene of corruption charges.

An independent Anti-Corruption Tribunal has unanimously cleared former Sri Lanka player Avishka Gunawardene of two charges against him under the Emirates Cricket Board’s Anti-Corruption Code, allowing him to resume participation in cricket with immediate effect. The Tribunal…

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Sri Lanka to obtain USD 200 M for third phase of highways investment program.

The Cabinet of Ministers has granted the approval to obtain USD 200 million as the third instalment of the agreement between the government of Sri Lanka and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to finance the Second Consolidated Highways Investment Program. The resolution furnis…

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Sri Lanka inks $ 500 m loan with Korea EXIM Bank.

Sri Lanka has entered into a $ 500 million loan agreement with the EXIM Bank of Korea to finance development projects, the Finance Ministry said in a statement. In order to further strengthen the economic cooperation between the two countries, the Government of the Republic …

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Bees in the Netherlands trained to detect current global pandemic.

Some insects are perfectly trainable, too, and a startup called InsectSense, which focuses on that possibility, partnered with a department at Wageningen University, in the Netherlands, to detect current global pandemic. Honeybees have incredibly sensitive olfactory systems,…

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Aryna Sabalenka wins her Maiden Madrid Open Women’s singles title.

The world number seven, Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, defeated world number one Ashleigh Barty of Australia to win the 2021 Madrid Open women’s singles title.  This Sabalenka’s 10th career WTA singles title, second WTA title of the season and first on clay court. Madrid Open i…

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Alexander Zverev beats Matteo Berrettini to win his 2nd Madrid title.

Alexander Zverev defeated Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem on his way to the Mutua Madrid Open finals.  The victory against Nadal clearly gave him enough confidence to clinch the title.  Entering the tournament, he was not in top contenders’ list, but played great tennis throug…

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2021 Laureus World Sports Awards.

World number two tennis player Naomi Osaka of Japan has been named “Sportswoman of the Year” at the 2021 Laureus World Sports Awards. This is Osaka’s second Laureus Sports Awards. In 2019, she won the “Breakthrough of the Year” award. In the men’s category, World number two …

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Lewis Hamilton wins Spanish Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes produced a brilliant, attacking, strategic race to beat Red Bull's Max Verstappen in the Spanish Grand Prix. Hamilton's victory was third win in this season and the 98th of his career, after he set his 100th pole position, and it extends h…

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Nepal’s Kami Rita scales Everest for record 25th time.

Nepalese climber, Kami Rita has scaled Mount Everest for the 25th time, breaking his own record for the most ascents of the world’s highest peak. Rita, 51, first scaled Everest in 1994 and has been making the trip nearly every year since then. He is one of many Sherpa guide…

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International Day of Argania - 10 May.

In 2021, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 10 May the International Day of Argania. The resolution, submitted by Morocco, was co-sponsored by 113 member states of the United Nations and adopted by consensus. The argan tree (Argania Spinosa) is a native species …

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Sri Lanka bans blending of coconut oil.

The extraordinary gazette issued under the provisions of the Consumer Affairs Authority Act No. 09 of 2003 comes into effect from the 7th of May 2021. Accordingly, coconut oil used for cooking CANNOT be mixed with other oils. “Acting under the powers vested in it by Section 1…

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China’s emissions exceeded those of all other developed nations combined.

China emits more greenhouse gas than the entire developed world combined, a new report has claimed.  The research by Rhodium Group says China emitted 27% of the world's greenhouse gases in 2019. The US was the second-largest emitter at 11% while India was third with 6.6% …

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SpaceX accepts Dogecoin as payment to launch ‘DOGE-1 mission to the Moon’.

SpaceX will carry a commercial payload to the moon on its Falcon 9 rocket and be paid entirely in the cryptocurrency Dogecoin. Geometric Energy Corporation (GEC) has collaborated with SpaceX on the DOGE-1 Mission, which will launch a 40kg miniature satellite called a cubesat…

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Importation of chemicals for non-agricultural sectors allowed on approval.

The import of chemicals for non-agricultural industries will be allowed only on the prior approval of relevant authorities, says the Controller General of Imports and Exports. Sri Lanka had banned the importation of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides with effec…

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