Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana, UAE Elected To UN Security Council.

Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana and the United Arab Emirates were elected unopposed to the powerful UN Security Council on Friday 11 June 2021 as non-permanent members for the 2022-23 term. The 193-member UN General Assembly held elections to elect five non-permanent members w…

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European Space Agency to Launch ‘EnVision’ Mission to Venus in 2030.

Following NASA’s footsteps, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced that it has selected EnVision as its next orbiter that will visit Venus sometime in the 2030s.  EnVision is an ESA led mission with contributions from NASA. It is likely to be launched sometime in the 2030…

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Nobel laureate Amartya Sen 's memoir to release in July.

One of the world's leading public intellectuals of our time, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has penned his memoir 'Home in the World'. The book will be published in July by Penguin Random House. In 'Home in the World', Sen shares details from his life and exp…

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Sri Lanka Ranks 40th in Coursera’s Global Skills Report 2021.

As per the ‘Global Skills Report 2021’ released by Coursera, Sri Lanka has been ranked 40th overall globally.  The report is based on performance data of about 77 million learners (from across 100 countries) on the platform collected since the onset of the pandemic. It bench…

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Israel will become the World’s First Mask-Free Country from June 15.

Israel will become the world’s first mask-free country in the Corona period. Here the rule of applying masks in closed places will end from June 15. This was announced by Israel’s Health Minister Yuli Edelstein.  The rule of applying masks outside has already been abolished …

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47th G7 Summit held in Cornwall, United Kingdom (UK).

The 47th G7 Leaders’ Summit 2021 (Outreach Session of the G7 meeting) took place in a Hybrid format from June 11-13, 2021 at Cornwall, United Kingdom (UK). It was hosted by the United Kingdom (UK) as it holds the Presidency of G7 for 2021.  Key highlights of the summit: The T…

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US President Joe Biden nominates Julie Chung as US envoy to Sri Lanka.

US President Joe Biden has announced on 15 June 2021 his intent to nominate the following individuals – including four career members of the Senior Foreign Service – as ambassadors to represent the United States on the world stage: Julie Chung, Nominee for Ambassador Extraor…

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Peru leftist Pedro Castillo claims presidential election victory.

Peruvian socialist candidate Pedro Castillo claimed victory in the presidential election on Tuesday 15 June 2021 after clinging on to a narrow lead as the lengthy vote count ended, although his right-wing rival pledged to fight the result and has yet to concede. Castillo end…

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Sri Lanka regrets adoption of resolution in EU Parliament.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed its regrets over the adoption of a resolution on Sri Lanka in the European Parliament on 10 June 2021. The resolution entitled “The Situation in Sri Lanka, in particular the arrests under the Prevention of Terrorism Act”, contain…

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Rebeca Grynspan appointed as UNCTAD’s secretary-general.

The U.N. General Assembly has approved the appointment of Costa Rican economist Rebecca Grynspan, as the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). She will serve a four-year term of office. She is the first woman and Central Ameri…

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UN General Assembly adopted a Political Declaration to stop Global AIDS Epidemic by 2030.

World leaders in the General Assembly today committed to “urgent and transformative action” to end the gender inequalities, restrictive laws and multiple forms of discrimination that perpetuate the global AIDS epidemic, adopting a lengthy Political Declaration that spells o…

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India elected to UN Economic and Social Council for 2022-24 term.

India has been elected to the Economic and Social Council, one of the six main organs of the United Nations, for the 2022-24 term. The 54-member Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is at the heart of the United Nations system to advance the three dimensions of sustainable d…

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Sri Lanka’s CID gets first female deputy director.

Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigations Department has a new female Deputy Director for the first time in history. SSP Imesha Muthumala was appointed as the first female CID Deputy Director with approval from the Ministry of Public Security, said Sri Lanka Police in a statement. …

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Twelve killed in Myanmar military plane crash.

A military plane has crashed near Myanmar’s second-biggest city of Mandalay, killing at least 12 people. The plane was flying from the capital, Naypyidaw, to the town of Pyin Oo Lwin on Thursday 10 June 2021 and was coming in to land when it crashed about 300 metres (984 fee…

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Israel's new prime minister is sworn in, ending Netanyahu's 12-year grip on power.

Naftali Bennett was sworn in as Israel's new prime minister on Sunday 13 June 2021, after winning a confidence vote with the narrowest of margins, just 60 votes to 59.  His victory ends a 12-year grip on power by former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the country'…

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Novak Djokovic wins 19th Grand Slam Title.

Novak Djokovic came all the way back after dropping the first two sets to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-7 (6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in the French Open final Sunday for his 19th Grand Slam title. Djokovic’s second trophy at Roland Garros moves him one major championship away from t…

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World Elder Abuse Awareness Day - 15 June.

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is dedicated to highlighting the issue of elder abuse. This day came into existence in June 2006 when a request was established to declare June 15 a special day for elders. But it was the year 2011 when the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day was…

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Magna Carta Day - 15 June.

Magna Carta Day on June 15 commemorates the signing of the Great Charter that limited the powers of the English monarch. While the Magna Carta came about after barons rebelled against King John’s taxes and feudal law, it outlined specific rights and privileges previous docum…

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World Blood Donor Day - 14 June.

World Blood Donor Day takes place on 14 June each year. The aim is to raise global awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products for transfusion and of the critical contribution voluntary, unpaid blood donors make to national health systems. The day also provides …

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Microsoft to end support for Windows 10 in 2025.

Microsoft has announced that it will end support for Windows 10 in 2025. The company’s updated Windows lifecycle fact sheet states that the company will drop support for Windows 10 Home, Pro, Pro for Workstations, and Pro Education on October 14, 2025. This means that the U…

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G7 Leaders Launch Build Back Better World (B3W) Partnership.

G7 leaders to discuss strategic competition with China and commit to concrete actions to help meet the tremendous infrastructure need in low- and middle-income countries. Build Back Better World: An Affirmative Initiative for Meeting the Tremendous Infrastructure Needs of Lo…

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Czech Barbora Krejcikova wins first French Open.

Unseeded Czech Barbora Krejcikova has defeated 31st seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia to win her first Grand Slam title at the French Open in Paris, In a match between two first-time slam finalists, it was Krejcikova who came out on top to win 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 on Court Ph…

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Kumar Sangakkara among 10 ICC Hall of Fame special inductees.

Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara, widely recognized as one of the greatest wicketkeeper-batsmen in the world, has been inducted into the International Cricket Council (ICC) Hall of Fame. The ICC announced a special edition intake of 10 cricket icons into the ICC Hal…

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G7 nations to agree tough measures on burning coal to tackle climate change.

G7 nations to agree tough measures on burning coal to tackle climate change. World leaders meeting in Cornwall are to adopt strict measures on coal-fired power stations as part of the battle against climate change. The G7 group will promise to move away from coal plants, unle…

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Iran regains UN voting rights.

Iran regained its voting rights in the U.N. General Assembly on Friday 11 June 2021 after making the minimum payment on its U.N. dues and lashed out at the United States for maintaining sanctions that have prevented it from accessing billions of dollars in foreign banks. U.N…

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Child Labor rises to 160 million.

The number of children in child labour has risen to 160 million worldwide – an increase of 8.4 million children in the last four years – with millions more at risk due to the impacts of COVID-19, according to a new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and U…

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Russian navy builds first fully stealth warship.

The Russian navy is building its first fully stealth warship to make it harder to detect. The hull of the Mercury naval corvette, known as project 20386, has already been constructed and the ship is expected to be delivered to the navy next year. According to state media outl…

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Bdelloid rotifer survives 24,000 years frozen in Siberia.

A microscopic multi-celled organism has returned to life after being frozen for 24,000 years in Siberia, according to new research. Scientists dug up the animal known as a bdelloid rotifer from the Alayeza River in the Russian Arctic. Once thawed, it was able to reproduce ase…

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Scientists discover new exoplanet named as "TOI-1231 b".

An international group of collaborators, including scientists from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and The University of New Mexico, have discovered a new, temperate sub-Neptune sized exoplanet with a 24-day orbital period orbiting a nearby M dwarf star.  The planet has…

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Kenya Receives $750 million for COVID-19 Recovery Efforts.

Kenya has received US$ 750 Million from the World Bank to reinforce its resilient, inclusive green economy recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. The World Bank approved this development policy financing to support policy reforms that will strengthen transparency and accountabil…

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