World Arabic Language Day - 18 December.

Every year on December 18th, World Arabic Language Day celebrates the Arabic language. The day also promotes multilingualism and cultural diversity. More than 290 million people speak the Arabic language. This makes Arabic one of the most widely spoken languages around the w…

Share:

Read More

International Migrants Day - 18 December.

Every year on December 18th, International Migrants Day emphasizes the protection of migrants’ human rights. The day also recognizes the contributions and efforts of migrants around the world. Ever since human beings were created, they moved from one land to another. In most…

Share:

Read More

David Warner & Hayley Matthews bags ICC Player of the Month for November.

Australia opener David Warner and West Indies all-rounder Hayley Matthews were voted the ICC Players of the Month for November. Warner, nominated for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award alongside Pakistan’s Abid Ali and New Zealand’s Tim Southee, emerged victorious with …

Share:

Read More

NASA Enters the Solar Atmosphere for the First Time.

For the first time in history, a spacecraft has touched the Sun. NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has now flown through the Sun’s upper atmosphere – the corona – and sampled particles and magnetic fields there.  The new milestone marks one major step for Parker Solar Probe and one …

Share:

Read More

China sends classified Shijian satellites into orbit with milestone Long March launch.

China successfully launched a new group of satellites Shijian-6 05 into space from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China for space exploration and new technology tests.  The satellites were launched by a Long March-4B rocket which marked the 400th mission of…

Share:

Read More

Rāgā, elevates Sri Lankan "Kithul" Industry to the next level.

Rāgā, an innovative line of organic, kithul-based products was launched by Agri Deshiya (Pvt.) Ltd. – a local company committed to elevate Sri Lanka through value-added agricultural products of Sri Lankan origin to international fame. The official launch took place on the 1…

Share:

Read More

Sri Lanka’s ‘Dumbara Weaving’ recognized as a UNSECO World Cultural Heritage.

Sri Lanka’s traditional craftsmanship of making Dumbara Ratā Kalāla (Dumbara Weaving) has been recognized at the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage. The recognition was given at the 16th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural H…

Share:

Read More

New chairperson and member appointed to HRCSL.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has made two key appointments to the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL). Accordingly, retired Supreme Court Justice Rohini Marasinghe has been appointed as the new chairperson of this independent commission. Meanwhile, Venerable Kalupaha…

Share:

Read More

International Tea Day - 15 December.

Every year on December 15th, tea-producing countries celebrate International Tea Day. The day seeks to draw the attention of governments and citizens around the world to the impact that tea trade has on workers and growers. The tea-producing countries that celebrate Internat…

Share:

Read More

Elon Musk named Time's 2021 'Person of the Year'.

Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk was named Time magazine's "Person of the Year" for 2021, a year that saw his electric car company become the most valuable carmaker in the world and his rocket company soar to the edge of space with an all-civilian crew. Musk i…

Share:

Read More

Dubai becomes 1st ever govt to implement 100% paperless strategy.

In a major step towards sustainability, Dubai crown prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum on Saturday announced that Dubai has implemented the 100% paperless strategy. Pointing at savings of 1.3 billion Dirham ($350 million) and 14 million man hours, the p…

Share:

Read More

Gothic novel author Anne Rice passes away.

American gothic-fiction writer Anne Rice, best known for The Vampire Chronicles novel series, passed away at  the age of 80. Anne Rice's debut novel, published in 1976, Interview with the Vampire revolves around a vampire named Louis de Pointe du Lac, who narrates the sto…

Share:

Read More

New chairman appointed to Board of Investment.

Raja Edirisooriya has been appointed as the new chairman of the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka (BOI). The appointment came two weeks after the BOI chairman along with several other top officials including the members of the Board of Directors and the Director-General tende…

Share:

Read More

Mahela Jayawardena appointed Sri Lanka’s Consultant Coach.

Sri Lanka Cricket has announced the appointment of former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardena as the ‘Consultant Coach’ for the National Teams, effective 1st January 2022. Jayawardena, in his new role, which is effective for a period of one year, will be in charge of the ov…

Share:

Read More

Changes to Criminal Procedure Code to not impose death penalty on minors in Sri Lanka.

The Cabinet of Ministers has given the approval to amend Section 281 of the Code of Criminal Procedure which refers to ‘punishment of detention in lieu of death for persons under eighteen years of age.’ Section 281 states; “Where any person convicted of an offence punishable…

Share:

Read More

Max Verstappen has won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen has won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, giving him his first ever Formula One championship title after a season-long battle with reigning champ and seven-time winner Lewis Hamilton. With both drivers heading into the last 2021 F1 race of the season on equal points …

Share:

Read More

North and South Korea agree ‘in principle’ on formal end of war.

South and North Korea, China and the US have agreed “in principle” to declare a formal end to the Korean war, almost 70 years after the conflict ended in a shaky truce, the South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, has said. But Moon conceded that talks on the 1950-53 war were be…

Share:

Read More

Grammy-winning Mexican singer Vicente Fernández passess away.

Grammy-winning singer Vicente Fernández, the prolific and beloved Mexican artist who sold more than 50 million records in his career, died Sunday 12 December 2021 at age 81 in Mexico. A cause of death was not released for Fernández, who was injured in a fall in August. Born i…

Share:

Read More

Norway's Magnus Carlsen takes home fifth World Chess Championship Title.

Norwegian grandmaster Magnus Carlsen retained his world chess title on December 10 with fourth win over Russian challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi. The world number 1 sealed victory by winning the 11th game of the 14-game series in their €2 million match in Dubai. Carlsen, who tur…

Share:

Read More

World Talent Ranking Report - 2021

International Institute for Management Development (IMD) World Competitive Centre published its “World Talent Ranking Report”.  In the report, Europe has dominated the ranking in 2021. Switzerland leads the top 10 economies in the IMD 2021 World Talent Ranking 2021, showing …

Share:

Read More

Harnaaz Sandhu crowned as 70th Miss Universe 2021.

Indian Actor-model Harnaaz Sandhu made history as she was crowned Miss Universe 2021 beating contestants from 80 countries, 21 years after India last brought home the title. While Paraguay’s Nadia Ferreira, 22, finished second, South Africa’s Lalela Mswane, 24, came third. O…

Share:

Read More

Chile same-sex marriage: Law overwhelmingly approved by parliament.

Chile has approved a landmark law allowing same-sex marriage in the historically Catholic country. The legislation, overwhelmingly approved by parliament on Tuesday, also enables gay couples to adopt children. The bill was supported by President Sebastián Piñera, who has to s…

Share:

Read More

US State Department designates 12 foreign officials for human rights violations.

The State Department of the United States has designated two members of Sri Lanka’s security forces over their “involvement in gross violations of human rights”. According to a statement issued by the department on Friday (Dec. 10), Sri Lankan naval intelligence officer Chan…

Share:

Read More

World’s largest natural corundum Blue Sapphire found in Sri Lanka.

The largest single natural corundum as a single crystal (Blue Sapphire) in the world has been found in Sri Lanka. With a weight of around 310 kilograms (1.550,000 carats), it has been named as the “Queen of Asia”. The National Gem and Jewellery Authority says that the gemston…

Share:

Read More

Israeli study finds Pfizer booster vaccine protects against omicron.

Israeli researchers said on Saturday 11 December 2021 they found that a three-dose course of Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine provided significant protection against the new omicron variant. The findings were similar to those presented by BioNTech and Pfizer earlier in…

Share:

Read More

International Universal Health Coverage Day - 12 December.

Every year December 12th marks International Universal Health Coverage Day as a way to urge countries to accelerate progress toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC). The day also seeks to promote the idea that access to affordable quality health care is a human right. Univers…

Share:

Read More

International Day of Neutrality - 12 December.

Every year on December 12th, the International Day of Neutrality promotes the importance of peaceful, friendly, and mutually beneficial relations between countries. When a country is neutral, it means they are not taking a side in times of war or conflict. One of the best-kn…

Share:

Read More

Thilanka Palangasinghe clinches bronze at Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships.

Sri Lankan weightlifter Thilanka Palangasinghe has secured a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships 2021 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Friday.  The 28-year-old weightlifter competed in the men’s 61kg category. He has successfully lifted 145kg in clean and …

Share:

Read More

Senior White House official Catherine Russell appointed new UNICEF chief.

UN Secretary‑General António Guterres announced on Friday (10th), that Catherine Russell of the United States will become the next Executive Director of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). She will succeed Henrietta Fore, who said she was “delighted to hand over to someone …

Share:

Read More

International Mountain Day - 11 December.

Every year on December 11th, International Mountain Day aims to increase awareness about the importance of mountains. The conservation of mountains is a key factor in sustainable development. Mountains cover 27% of the earth’s landmass. According to the United Nations, 15% o…

Share:

Read More