Japanese billionaire Maezawa blasts off into space.

Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa set out to became the first space tourist in more than a decade to travel to the International Space Station (ISS) when he blasted off on Wednesday, a voyage he sees as a dry run for his planned trip around the moon with Elon Musk's S…

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World population set to decline for the first time in centuries.

According to a new study published in the Lancet journal, the world population will decline for the first time in the next century. The world’s population is currently estimated to be at 7.8 billion people. According to the estimate, the global population would peak at aroun…

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China warns nations will 'pay price' for Olympic boycott.

China has warned countries who have announced a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics that they "will pay the price for their mistaken acts". The US, UK, Australia and Canada will not send government representatives to the Games because of concerns over…

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Asia Power Index 2021.

The annual Asia Power Index launched by the Lowy Institute in 2018 to measures resources and influence to rank the relative power of states in Asia.  The project maps out the existing distribution of power as it stands today, and tracks shifts in the balance of power over ti…

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World Inequality Report 2022.

The latest World Inequality Lab’s report presents the most complete data on the various facets of inequality worldwide: global wealth, income, gender and ecological inequality. The analysis is based on several years’ work by more than one hundred researchers from around the…

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Canada, UK, Australia all join US in diplomatic boycott of Beijing Olympics.

Canada on Wednesday 08 December 2021 joined a growing list of countries refusing to send government officials to the Beijing Winter Olympics. The US, UK and Australia already have all said they won't send official delegations to the Games in response to China's human…

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Wasantha Karannagoda appointed new Governor of North Western Province.

Admiral of the Fleet Wasantha Karannagoda has been appointed as the Governor of the North-Western Province, says the President’s Media Division (PMD). He was sworn in before President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat today (December 09). Karannagoda has prev…

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Italy watchdog fines Amazon €1.13 billion.

Italy’s competition regulator said today it had fined e-commerce giant Amazon €1.13 billion for alleged abuse of market dominance. In a statement, the watchdog said Amazon had harmed competing operators in the e-commerce logistics service. The watchdog said it would impose on…

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Srimali wins gold medal at Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships.

Sri Lankan weightlifter Srimali Samarakoon won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships 2021 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Thursday 02 December 2021.  The twenty-two-year-old talented weightlifter was competing in the women’s 45kg category.  The Commonwealth…

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New Species of Bird Discovered in South America.

Flatbill flycatchers are members of the genus Rhynchocyclus in the exclusively New World family Tyrannidae. Four known species in the genus are distributed from southern Mexico to northeastern Bolivia, eastern Venezuela, and Brazil. Rhynchocyclus currently includes four speci…

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Major General Vikum Liyanage appointed Army’s new Chief of Staff.

Major General Vikum Liyanage has been appointed as the 59th Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army, with effect from December 07, 2021. The appointment was made by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on the recommendations of Army Commander General Shavendra Silva and the Defence Min…

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International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime - 09 November.

Each year on December 9th, the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime seeks to raise awareness of the Genocide Convention. It’s also a day to commemorate and honor the victims of genocide. Un…

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International Anti-corruption Day - 09 December.

Every year on December 9th, International Anti-corruption Day raises public awareness for anti-corruption. It also encourages the public to work on innovative solutions aimed at winning the battle against corruption. Corruption is defined as dishonest or fraudulent conduct. …

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UAE becomes first country to transition to 4-and-half day work week.

The United Arab Emirates on Tuesday 07 December 2021 announced to change its existing five-day workweek to a four-and-a-half day starting January 1, becoming the world's first country to make the employee-friendly transition as part of its efforts to improve productivit…

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SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) Charter Day - 08 December.

The SAARC observes December 8 each year as the establishment day of the regional body. On this day in 1985, SAARC Charter was adopted in Dhaka, during the first summit of the group. Since then, 08 December every year is commemorated as the SAARC Charter Day. This year marks…

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Russia beats Croatia to win third Davis Cup.

Russia claimed its third Davis Cup title on Sunday after Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev both won their singles matches to defeat Croatia. Medvedev’s 7-6 (9-7), 6-2 victory over Marin Cilic came after Rublev had prevailed 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) over Borna Gojo, giving Russia an un…

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India’s defence chief, 12 others killed in chopper crash.

India’s Defence Chief Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 other people were killed after a military helicopter they were travelling in crashed in southern India on Wednesday (08th), the Indian Air Force said. It said Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat, his wife were among 13 killed…

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Premier Imran Khan awards certificate of appreciation to Malik Adnan, who tried to save Priyantha Kumara.

Prime Minister Imran Khan awarded on Tuesday (07th) a certificate of appreciation to Malik Adnan, who tried to save Priyantha Diyawadana from being lynched, stressing the government will not spare those who resort to violence in the name of religion. Members of the federal c…

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Indian-Origin Doctor Anil Menon among 10 astronauts chosen by NASA for Moon Mission.

Indian-origin physician Anil Menon, a lieutenant colonel at the US Air Force, has been selected by NASA along with nine others to be astronauts for future missions, the American space agency has announced. Menon, 45, was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Ukrainia…

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Contract signed to build European Planet Telescope.

A €200m (£170m) contract has been signed with European industry to build the Ariel space telescope. The observatory will study planets around other stars to try to understand how these objects formed and how they have evolved through time. Aerospace giant Airbus will lead the…

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Switzerland approves euthanasia device for ‘painless death’.

Switzerland has legalised a ‘suicide machine’, named Sarco, that allows users to kill themselves relatively painlessly by inducing hypoxia and hypocapnia (the state of inadequate oxygen supply at the tissue level and reduced carbon dioxide in the blood leading to death).  Sh…

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Argentina beat six-time champions Germany to lift Junior hockey world cup.

Argentina showcased its organised game with great composure to beat six-time champion German side 4-2 and win the title after 16 years in the men’s Hockey Junior World Cup at the Kalinga Stadium. Argentina has become the only third team after Germany (six wins) and India (2…

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Mathematician Nikhil Srivastava selected for inaugural Ciprian Foias Prize.

Indian-origin mathematician Prof. Nikhil Srivastava, who teaches at the University of California, Berkeley, has been jointly selected for the inaugural Ciprian Foias Prize by American Mathematical Society (AMS). The Ciprian Foias Prize in Operator Theory is awarded for notab…

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The World Health Organization has launched Omicron variant study tracker.

The World Health Organization has launched the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant assays and animal models study tracker. The tracker compiles information that will facilitate matching those who have materials for Omicron-related studies with those who need them. The WHO’s research …

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Viktor Axelsen, Tai Tzu Ying named 2021 BWF Player of the Year.

Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen and China’s Taipei’s Tai Tzu Ying were named Male and Female player of the year 2021 respectively by the Badminton World Federation (BWF).  It was the first season-ending award in this category for both Vicktor Axelsen and Tai Tzu Ying — the All Engl…

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Adama Barrow wins second term as Gambia’s President.

The President of Gambia, Adama Barrow, won the second term as President during Gambia’s presidential election by achieving over 53% votes from 50 of 53 constituencies.  He defeated his main challenger Ousainou Darboe who won 27.7% of vote. The results of the election were de…

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Second Edition of Lanka Premier League (LPL) started with grand opening ceremony.

The second edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) tournament got underway on 05th December 2021 with a colourful opening ceremony at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium. The five-teams Jaffna Kings, Galle Gladiators, Kandy Warriors, Dambulla Giants, and Colombo …

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US announces diplomatic boycott of 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

The US has announced a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China. The White House said no official delegation would be sent to the Games because of concerns about China’s human rights record. But it said US athletes could attend and would have the gover…

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Malaria deaths hike by 69,000 in 2020 due to COVID pandemic - WHO.

Healthcare disruptions linked to the coronavirus pandemic helped malaria kill 69,000 more people in 2020 than the previous year, but a worst-case scenario was averted, the World Health Organization said. In total over 627,000 people globally - most of them babies in the poor…

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British Airways to become first airline to use sustainable fuel.

British Airways will become the first airline to use sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) produced on a commercial scale in the UK. The carrier announced it will fly planes using the lower carbon fuel from early next year. The SAF will be produced at Phillips 66’s Humber Refinery,…

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