Simone Biles named Time magazine's 2021 Athlete of the Year.

Time magazine announced the Olympic-winning gymnast and Houston native is its 2021 Athlete of the Year. At age 24, Biles has become a light in the world through her contributions as an athlete, an advocate for mental wellness and a voice for victims of sexual abuse.  Biles is…

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India to raise legal marriage age for women.

The Indian government has cleared a proposal to raise the minimum age of marriage for women from 18 to 21, according to media reports, as women’s rights activists fear the move could lead to a “real disaster”. The decision to raise the age was made during a cabinet meeting o…

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Seven-times Formula One champion Hamilton receives knighthood.

Britain's seven-times Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton received a knighthood for services to motorsport on Wednesday, days after losing out on what would have been a record eighth title in the last lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Hamilton holds the record for most ra…

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Korean language to be added as A/L subject from 2023.

The Ministry of Education has decided to include the  Korean language as a foreign language for the Advanced Level (A/L) curriculum from 2023. The decision was taken following discussions held between Sri Lankan Education Minister and Korean Ambassador in close cooperation w…

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Scientists Develop a New Molecule That Blocks COVID-19 Infection.

A research team at Aarhus University has developed a new molecule that attaches to the surface of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles. This attachment prevents the virus from entering human cells and spreading the infection. The newly developed molecule belongs to a class of compound…

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Miss World 2021 postponed after contestants & staff contract Covid-19

One of the prestigious beauty pageants Miss World has been postponed due to Covid-19 concerns.  The grand finale of this year’s beauty pageant, which was scheduled to take place in Puerto Rico was called off after several contestants tested positive for Covid-19 and have bee…

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YouGov: World’s Most Admired 2021.

This year’s study surveyed more than 42,000 people in 38 countries and territories to compile the list. Barack Obama retains his position as world’s most admired man in YouGov’s international survey this year, having wrested the position from long-time incumbent Bill Gates l…

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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…

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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…

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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 …

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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 …

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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 …

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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 …

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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…

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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…

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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…

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