World Typing Day - 08 January.

Every year on January 8th, World Typing Day celebrates this written form of communication that ensures speed, accuracy, and efficiency. It’s also a day for typists to enter typing contests. History of the Typewriter Typewriting machines have been around since Christopher Lath…

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Oldest living first-class cricketer Alan Burgess passes away.

The world’s oldest living first-class cricketer Alan Burgess has passed away at the age of 100, the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) announced. A right-hand batsman and slow left-arm bowler, Alan appeared in 11 first-class matches for Canterbury from 1940/41 to 1951/52 and also for…

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Claire Polosak set to become first female match official in men’s Test Match.

Australia’s Claire Polosak is set to become the first female match official in a men’s Test match when she takes up the fourth umpire’s role in the third Test between India and Australia. The 32-year-old from New South Wales has already earned the distinction of being the fi…

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US President-elect Joe Biden has tapped Judge Merrick Garland as his nominee for attorney general.

In 2016, then President Barack Obama nominated Mr Garland to the US Supreme Court but Republican senators refused to hold a vote on his nomination. Mr Garland, 68, is currently the chief judge of the Washington appeals court. He previously worked in the Department of Justice …

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Israel and India test MRSAM air defense system.

Israel Aerospace Industries and the Indian government’s Defence Research and Development Organisation conducted a successful test of the MRSAM, a medium-range surface-to-air missile system. MRSAM was jointly developed by IAI and DRDO over the last several years, and they tes…

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India will host Global Healthcare Summit in Visakhapatnam.

The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin Jan. 7 announced that it will host the 14th edition of its Global Healthcare Summit in Visakhapatnam in January 2021. The summit will span Jan. 1 through Jan. 3, AAPI president-elect Dr. Sudhakar Jonnalagadda said at a …

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Gulf states sign ‘solidarity and stability’ deal at GCC summit.

Gulf leaders have signed a “solidarity and stability” agreement towards ending the diplomatic rift with Qatar at a summit in Saudi Arabia, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman has said. The announcement came at the Gulf Arab leaders meeting in Saudi Arabia, with the annual…

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Grammy Awards postponed.

The 2021 Grammy Awards has been postponed due to the current global pandemic concerns, say the organisers. The ceremony, one of the music industry's biggest awards, was due to take place on 31 January. The event will now take place on 14 March, due to rising infection num…

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Trump bans Alipay and seven other Chinese apps.

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order banning transactions with eight Chinese apps. The apps include popular payments platform Alipay, as well as QQ Wallet and WeChat Pay. The order, which takes effect in 45 days, says that the apps are being banned because …

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UK abolishes 'tampon tax' on menstrual products.

The UK has abolished the 5% rate of value-added-tax (VAT) on menstrual products, known as the tampon tax. It means that from January 1, period products will no longer be subject to VAT. This was a part of wider government action to "end period poverty " which includ…

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Bond actress Tanya Roberts dies at age 65.

Former Bond actress and Charlie's Angel Tanya Roberts has died in hospital in Los Angeles at the age of 65. Roberts appeared with Sir Roger Moore in his final Bond film, 1985's A View To A Kill, and had a recurring role in That '70s Show. She also starred in the f…

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Internet shutdowns in 2020 cost India $2.8 billion.

India suffered economic losses to the tune of $2.8 billion (Rs 20,474 crore approximately) due to internet shutdowns in 2020, according to a report released by a United Kingdom-based digital privacy firm Top10VPN. The report put India at the top of the list of 21 countries t…

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UNDP’s Global Human Development Report handed over to Prime Minister.

UNDP Resident Representative in Sri Lanka, Mr. Robert Juhkam officially handed over the Global Human Development Report (HDR 2020) to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa today (January 05 2021) at his official residence in Wijerama. The HDR is the annual flagship report publish…

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Cabinet approval to draft Port City Commission Bill.

Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal to draft Colombo Ports Commission Bill in accordance with the structure desired by the Government to meet national requirements and to attract foreign investments. The proposal has been tabled by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, th…

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Cristiano Ronaldo surpasses Pele's records.

Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo has surpassed Brazil legend Pele to become the second-highest goalscorer in history and the highest for an active player. Juventus took on Udinese in Serie A on Sunday and ran out 4-1 winners with Ronaldo grabbing a brace. The two goals wer…

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Nancy Pelosi narrowly re-elected as US House speaker.

Nancy Pelosi has been narrowly re-elected speaker of the United States House of Representatives as a new Congress took office amid the surging current global pandemic and a plot by some Republicans to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s victory over President Donald Trump. …

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US House bill seeks termination of Pakistan status as non-Nato ally.

On 04th January 2021, a bill has been introduced in the US House of Representatives to terminate the designation of Pakistan as a major non-Nato ally. The bill was presented by Republican Congressman Andy Biggs to remove Pakistan's special status, which allows access to …

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Brian Urquhart, early leader of United Nations, dies at age 101.

British diplomat Brian Urquhart, an early leader of the United Nations who played a central role in developing the UN practice of peacekeeping has died at age 101. Urquhart, born in Bridport, England in 1919, served in British military and intelligence during World War II. H…

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Greece appoints first openly gay minister.

Greece has appointed its first openly gay minister as part of a cabinet reshuffle.   Nicholas Yatromanolakis made history after he was named the new deputy minister of culture. The 44-year-old was promoted from his role as general secretary of contemporary culture at the same…

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Indian Flag Installed at UNSC as a Non-permanent Member.

The Indian national flag on January 4 was installed at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) stakeout as the country started its tenure at the UN body for the eighth time as a non-permanent member.  India's Permanent Representative to the UN, TS Tirumurti, called th…

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Bajaj Auto becomes world’s most valuable two-wheeler company.

Indian multinational two-wheeler and three-wheeler manufacturing company, Bajaj Auto has become the most valuable two-wheeler company in the world, after it crossed a market capitalization of more than Rs. 1 lakh crore, on January 01, 2021. Bajaj’s share price on NSE closed …

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Sri Lankan filmmaker Prasanna Vithanage to represent the Jury of 51st International Film Festival of India (IFFI).

The International Jury for 51st edition of International Film Festival of India has been announced on 05 January 2020 with eminent filmmakers across the world.  According to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, Sri Lankan eminent filmmaker Prasanna Vithanage will join …

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Cristiano Ronaldo becomes 1st to get 250 Million Instagram followers.

Superstar footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has  reached 250 million followers on Instagram and making him the first person ever to reach that milestone. Ronaldo is followed by pop star Ariana Grande (214 million followers) and Hollywood actor and wrestling icon Dwayne ‘The Rock…

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Tesla launches the world's largest Supercharger station.

Tesla has launched the world’s largest Supercharger station in Shanghai, China with 72 charging stalls in January 2021.  The 72-stall facility in Shanghai easily bests the 56 stall station the company opened last month in Fresno county, California. The station is located at J…

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Russian scientists discover intact Ice Age woolly rhino in Siberia.

Scientists in Siberia have discovered a well-preserved Ice Age woolly rhino that likely roamed Russia's extreme north thousands of years ago. The carcass was first revealed in August by melting permafrost in the diamond-producing region of Yakutia. The rhino was found on …

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Germany approves over Euro 1 billion in arms deals to Middle East.

The German government approved a total of Euro 1.16 billion ($1.41 billion) in arms exports during 2020 to countries involved in both the Yemen and Libya conflicts. Germany, by December 17 2020, had signed off on permissions to export weapons and military equipment worth Eur…

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US Congress Passes 'Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act' for Pakistani Women.

The US Congress has passed the 'Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act' which will expand the number of scholarships available to Pakistani women to receive higher education under a merit and needs-based programme. Passed by the House of Representatives in March 2020, the…

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India becomes co-chair of Asia Protected Areas Partnership (APAP)

India has been chosen as the co-chair of the IUCN-supported Asia Protected Areas Partnership (APAP) for a period of three years till November 2023.  India will replace South Korea, which held the post for 3 years until November 2020.  As a co-chair, India would be responsibl…

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Bloomberg Billionaires Index - 2021

The Bloomberg Billionaires Index is a daily ranking of the world’s richest people. Details about the calculations are provided in the net worth analysis on each billionaire’s profile page. The figures are updated at the close of every trading day in New York. Top 3 in the Bl…

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Slovakian Tennis player Dagmara Baskova banned for match fixing.

Slovakian tennis player Dagmara Baskova has been banned for 12 years by the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) and fined USD 40,000 for match-fixing. The TIU said that it uncovered five incidents of match fixing by Dagmara in 2017. Dagmara had a highest WTA ranking of 1117 in singl…

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