Special unit to be set up for restructuring state-owned enterprises.

The government has decided to establish a “State-Owned Enterprise Restructuring Unit” with the aim of facilitating the restructuring of government-owned business entities. Presenting the Interim Budget 2022 in the parliament, President Ranil Wickremesinghe further proposed t…

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Last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev dies.

Mikhail Gorbachev, who ended the Cold War without bloodshed but failed to prevent the collapse of the Soviet Union, died on Tuesday at the age of 91, hospital officials in Moscow said. Gorbachev, the last Soviet president, forged arms reduction deals with the United States a…

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'Man of the Hole': Last of his tribe dies in Brazil.

The last remaining member of an uncontacted indigenous group in Brazil has died, officials say. The man, whose name was not known, had lived in total isolation for the past 26 years. He was known as Man of the Hole because he dug deep holes, some of which he used to trap anim…

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Guinness World Record: Man rides 38 miles in giant pumpkin.

Duane Hansen has set a new Guinness World Record for riding 38 miles (61km) in a giant pumpkin. He grew the 846lb (384kg) pumpkin in his garden with the aim to beat the 25.5 mile record, set in 2018. Duane travelled down Missouri River and broke the record on his 60th birthda…

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Special decision taken on 20% stake of state-owned banks.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe says the government has decided to allot 20% of shareholding in state-owned banks to the depositors and staff of those banks. The decision was taken in with the intention of meeting the recapitalization requirement borne out due to the increase…

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Retirement age of govt & semi-govt employees to be reduced.

The retirement age of government and semi-government employees will be reduced to 60 years, President Ranil Wickremesinghe says. Presenting the Interim Budget 2022 for the remainder of the fiscal year 2022, the Head of State noted that all employees who have served up to the…

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Indian billionaire Gautam Adani is now the world’s third richest man.

Now he's also the world's third richest person, overtaking LVMH (LVMHF) chairman Bernard Arnault and becoming the first Asian person to take that spot, according to Bloomberg and its Billionaires Index. Adani, who runs one of India's top conglomerates, is now bel…

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Compulsory tax registration proposed for all aged above 18 years.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has proposed to introduce compulsory tax registration for all residents who are aged above 18 years without considering their annual income and tax-free thresholds. He stated this during the second reading of the Appropriation (Amendment) Bill,…

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Sri Lanka to increase VAT from September.

The Value-Added Tax (VAT) will be increased from 12% to 15% effective from September 01, President Ranil Wickremesinghe told the parliament today (30). The Head of State, in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilization, and National Policies, presented the…

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International Overdose Awareness Day - 31 August.

International Overdose Awareness Day on August 31st focuses on reducing the number of deaths caused by overdose and erasing the stigma associated with it. Besides death, drug overdoses also cause permanent injuries. Both of these scenarios devastate family members and friend…

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Europe is experiencing its worst drought in at least 500 years.

Europe is experiencing its worst drought in at least 500 years, with hot and dry conditions fueling wildfires, reducing crop yields and reducing electricity generation, according to a preliminary analysis from the European Union’s Joint Research Center. The report from the E…

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General Shavendra Silva bestowed with honorary title.

Chief of Defence Staff General Shavendra Silva has been bestowed with the honorary title of “Mahamanya Prathapadi-keshwara” by the Asgiri Maha Viharaya. In recognition of his services for the country, religion and national security, Chief of Defense Staff General Shavendra S…

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South Korea records world's lowest fertility rate.

South Korea has again recorded the world's lowest fertility rate with the number sinking to a new low. The rate in the country first dropped lower than one child per woman in 2018. But on Wednesday, figures released by the government showed the figure had dropped to 0.81 …

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First NASA moon mission in five decades.

NASA will launch a mission to return astronauts to the moon on 29 August 2022. More than 50 years after the Apollo Moon landing, NASA is getting ready to go back there. The Artemis I mission was scheduled to lift off from the Kennedy Space Center in the US state of Florida, d…

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International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearance - 30 August.

On August 30 of each year, the UN observes the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearance. This day aims to increase awareness about the numbers of enforced disappearances around the world. There is cause for alarm. The sheer number of people who become victi…

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International Whale Shark Day - 30 August.

International Whale Shark Day on August 30th aims to increase awareness about a magnificent sea-dwelling creature. The whale shark’s declining numbers alerts us to their need for protection and conservation. These gentle giants fascinate marine biologists and aquatic enthus…

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Karim Benzema and Alexia Putellas won UEFA Player of the Year award.

Karim Benzema and Alexia Putellas were rewarded for outstanding seasons by winning the UEFA men’s and women’s player of the year prizes at a ceremony in Istanbul, Turkey. France striker Benzema captained Real Madrid to victory over Liverpool in the Champions League final an…

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Mali appoints government spokesman Abdoulaye Maiga as Interim Prime Minister.

Mali has appointed an interim prime minister to act in place of leader Choguel Maiga, who is resting amid media reports he had been hospitalised. Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga, currently government spokesman and minister of territorial administration, is the new acting prime minis…

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The International Day Against Nuclear Tests - 29 August.

The International Day Against Nuclear Tests on August 29th raises awareness and educates about the harmful effects of nuclear testing. Nuclear weapons testing began in 1945. Since that time, nearly 2,000 nuclear tests have taken place. When nuclear testing first began, scien…

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Women’s Equality Day - 26 August.

Women’s Equality Day is celebrated in the United States annually on August 26. The day commemorates the decision to give women official voting right in the USA in 1920 after a long struggle. An amendment known as the Nineteenth Amendment was made to the US constitution in 1…

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UK economy shrank record 11% in 2020.

The British economy shrank by 11% in 2020, its sharpest contraction in more than 300 years, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, revised data by the official statistics body showed on Monday (22). The Office for National Statistics had originally estimated that Britain&#…

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WHO pledges USD 4 million worth medical supplies to Sri Lanka.

Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus pledged essential medical supplies worth USD 4 million to Sri Lanka, the President’s Media Division (PMD) says. The UN health agency’s chief said he has tasked the WHO Health Emergencies P…

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Japan’s police chief resigns over ex-PM assassination.

Japan’s police chief has said he will resign over the killing of former prime minister Shinzo Abe. Itaru Nakamura, head of the national police agency, said he wanted to take responsibility for the July 8 shooting. An investigation has found there were serious flaws in how the…

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Jury awards $31 million damages over Kobe Bryant crash photos.

Los Angeles County must pay $31 million in damages to Kobe Bryant’s widow and a co-plaintiff over graphic photos taken at the site of the helicopter crash that killed the basketball star and eight others, a jury ordered Wednesday (24). Sheriff’s deputies and firefighters who…

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The world's first 100% hydrogen-powered train starts running in Germany

The first fully hydrogen-powered passenger train service is now up and running in Germany. Coradia iLint trains built by Alstom are running on the line in Lower Saxony, Germany. The only emissions are steam and condensed water, and Alstom notes that the train operates with …

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Circular issued for govt officials on taking no-pay leave for foreign jobs.

The Ministry of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies has issued the circular to facilitate employees of public institutions to take no-pay leave to work abroad for a maximum period of five years. The circular, signed by Treasury Secretary Mahinda Siriwardana…

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Thai court suspends PM Prayuth Chan-ocha from duties.

Thailand’s Constitutional Court suspended the prime minister from his duties on Wednesday (24) while it decides whether the man who led a military coup in 2014 has violated the country’s term limits, potentially opening a new chapter of turmoil in the nation’s troubled poli…

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British-Belgian pilot becomes youngest to fly around the world solo.

A teenage pilot has become the youngest person to fly solo around the world in a small aircraft. Mack Rutherford, 17, landed at Sofia in Bulgaria, after a five-month journey across 52 countries. Along the way, Mack, who was born to British parents but has grown up in Belgium,…

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Ancient bones confirm earliest-known human ancestor walked upright.

What may be the earliest-known human ancestor, an ape-man called Sahelanthropus tchadensis who lived in Africa roughly 7 million years ago, walked upright for much of the time, according to a new study.  The findings suggest that the ability to walk upright — known as bipeda…

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Israeli spyware company NSO Group CEO steps down.

Israeli spyware firm NSO Group said on Sunday its Chief Executive Shalev Hulio is stepping down with immediate effect, with Chief Operating Officer Yaron Shohat appointed to oversee a reorganisation of the company before a successor is named. A source in the company confirme…

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