US life expectancy falls by one year.

Life expectancy in the US fell by a full year in the first half of 2020, a change experts say was fuelled by the on going pandemic. The life expectancy for the entire population dropped to 77.8 years, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control. "This is a h…

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UN Releases $15 Million to Fight Ebola in Guinea and Congo

The United Nations announced Tuesday 16 Feb 2021 it is releasing $15 million from its emergency relief fund to help Guinea and Congo combat new outbreaks of Ebola. This is the first time that Ebola has been recorded in Guinea since an outbreak that ended in 2016. The West Af…

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Dispute over Haiti presidential term.

Thousands of people have taken to the streets of the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince and other cities for renewed protests against the government. They lit barricades of burning tyres and debris, demanding the resignation of President Jovenel Moïse. Some demonstrators were rep…

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3rd India-Australia-Japan-USA Ministerial Meeting.

The 3rd India-Australia-Japan-USA Ministerial Meeting was held on 18 February 2021 with participation of the respective Foreign Ministers. The meeting will provide an opportunity to continue the useful exchange of views from their last meeting in Tokyo on 6 October 2020. The …

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Wildlife Photographer Captures ‘Never Before Seen’ Yellow Penguin.

A wildlife photographer has shared a once-in-a-lifetime photo of what he believes is a “never before seen” yellow penguin. Belgian landscape and wildlife photographer Yves Adams was leading a two-month photo exhibition in the South Atlantic in December 2019 when the group ma…

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NASA Perseverance rover has successfully landed on Mars.

The NASA Perseverance rover safely landed on Mars after its 292.5 million-mile journey from Earth, the agency confirmed at 3:55 p.m. ET Thursday 18 Feb 2021. The rover landed itself flawlessly, according to the mission's team.  Perseverance, the biggest, most advanced ro…

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France Passes Anti-Radicalism Bill That Worries Muslims.

Lawmakers in the French parliament's lower house on Tuesday 16 Feb 2021 overwhelmingly approved a bill that would strengthen oversight of mosques, schools and sports clubs to safeguard France from radical Islamists and to promote respect for French values - one of Presi…

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China Overtakes the US as Largest Trading Partner of European Union.

The People’s Republic of China has overtaken the United States (US) as the biggest trading partner of the European Union (EU) in 2020, according to the data by the European Union statistics agency, Eurostat. Britain, which left the European Union in 2020, was the third-larg…

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Preeti Sinha appointed to head United Nations Capital Development Fund.

The UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) has appointed Indian-origin investment and development banker Preeti Sinha as its Executive Secretary. She assumed the role of the highest leadership rank in the institution on Monday 15 Feb 2021.  UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) e…

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Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis retires from Test cricket.

Faf du Plessis, the former South Africa captain, has retired from Test cricket on 17 Feb 2021, after 69 appearances in the format.  With no Test cricket in the immediate future for South Africa, du Plessis wants to "walk into a new chapter" and focus his energies a…

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Pluto Discovered Day - 18 February.

Every year, Pluto Day on February 18th celebrates the discovery of the former planet. Up until 2006, the dwarf planet was considered one of the nine planets in the solar system. Clyde Tombaugh, an American astronomer, discovered Pluto. He made the discovery at the Lowell Obs…

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World Anthropology Day - 18 February (Third Thursday in February)

Every year on the third Thursday in February, World Anthropology Day allows anthropologists to celebrate their discipline and share it with the world. Anthropology is the study of humans, human behavior, and societies in the past and present. Anthropologists take a broad app…

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Bill Gates Calls for US to Move to '100% Synthetic Beef'.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said rich countries like the United States should move to “synthetic beef” to address the global protein problem. The co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and chair of the investment fund Breakthrough Energy Ventures made the comm…

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Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (HPE) & Microsoft to launch Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities to International Space Station (ISS).

Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Microsoft are launching cloud computing to the International Space Station on Feb. 18, 2021 with the Spaceborne Computer-2.  Microsoft will connect its cloud computing Azure Space platform to the Spaceborne Computer-2, a Hewlett-Packard Enterpr…

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Petition filed seeking to amend SLC constitution

The Court of Appeal today issued notice on Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa and SLC officials in connection with a petition filed seeking to amend the constitution of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) before the next election. The court ordered the Sports Minister and others, who have …

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Pope Francis appoints first woman to the Synod of Bishops.

The Pope has appointed a woman as an undersecretary to the Synod of Bishops for the first time. Sister Nathalie Becquart, who is from France, will have voting rights in the body, which advises the pontiff and debates some of the most controversial issues in the Roman Catholi…

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China bans BBC World News from broadcasting.

China has banned BBC World News from broadcasting in the country, its television and radio regulator announced on Thursday 11 Feb 2021. China has criticised the BBC for its reporting on coronavirus and the persecution of ethnic minority Uighurs. The BBC said it was "disa…

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Archaeologists discover ancient beer factory in Egypt.

Archaeologists have discovered a massive 5,000-year-old brewery in the ancient Egyptian city of Abydos, according to Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. The brewery was located in Egypt's Sohag Governorate, and likely dates back to the reign of King Narmer, …

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Russian cargo ship Progress MS-16 launched.

Russian cargo ship Progress MS-16 launched to International Space Station on 15 Feb 2021 .  The Progress MS-16 cargo ship blasted off as scheduled at 9:45 am from the Russia-leased Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan and reached a designated orbit en route to the station. I…

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Indian Cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin become the first bowler to dismiss 200 Left-Handers in Tests Cricket.

Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Sunday 14 Feb 2021 became the first player in the 143-year history of Test cricket to take 200 wickets against left-handed batsmen. He has picked 391 wickets in his cricketing career so far. He achieved the feat during the second day of Ind…

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Hsieh Su-wei makes history by becoming eldest quarterfinalist.

Taiwan veteran Hsieh Su-wei made history by reaching her maiden Grand Slam quarter-final after 16 years of trying, the 35-year-old becoming the oldest player to make the final eight for the first time during the Open Era. In her 10th Australian Open, and her 38th Grand Slam …

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Vincent Jackson, former Chargers and Buccaneers wide receiver, found dead at age 38.

Vincent Jackson, who played in the NFL for 12 seasons with the San Diego Chargers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was found dead Monday 15 Feb 2021 in Florida. Jackson was 38 years old. The investigation into Jackson's death is ongoing. A statement was released by the Hillsbor…

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International Childhood Cancer Day (ICCD) - 15th February.

Every year on February 15th, International Childhood Cancer Day (ICCD) seeks to spread awareness for childhood cancer. The day also encourages support for the families of children with cancer. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 300,000 children between the age…

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World Hippo Day - 15th February.

Each year, World Hippo Day on February 15th provides a special day to celebrate the world’s third-largest mammal. It’s also a day to learn more about the hippopotamus. The blue whale and the African elephant are the only two mammals in the world that are larger than the hipp…

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National Flag of Canada Day - 15 February.

National Flag of Canada Day commemorates the official birth of the Maple Leaf Flag, installed on February 15th, 1965. Canadians celebrate the day by wearing red and white, raising their flag high and paying tribute to the big leaf ! Although Canada gained its independence fr…

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Galileo Galilei's Birthday - 15 February.

Galileo Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642), was an Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher who played a major role in the Scientific Revolution. His achievements include improvements to the telescope and consequent astronomical observations an…

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Brooks Koepka has won the Phoenix Open professional golf tournament.

American Golfer Brooks Koepka chipped in from 32 yards for eagle on the 17th hole to break a tie for the lead and then parred the last for a one-stroke victory Sunday in the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Five strokes behind Jordan Spieth and Xander Schauffele entering the r…

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Elon Musk's SpaceX now owns about a third of all active satellites in the sky.

SpaceX created a swarm of about a thousand satellites that is circulating about 340 miles overhead, and building the constellation has put SpaceX in a "deep chasm" of expenses, according to CEO Elon Musk. The constellation has also raised concerns about potential …

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Priyanka Chopra Jonas's debut book.

Priyanka Chopra come up with her autobiography as debut book ‘Unfinished: A Memoir’ hit the stands on 9 February 2021 and it seems like it already is a raging success.  The critics and reader-approved memoir chronicles Chopra’s childhood, facing racism during her teenage yea…

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Arora Akanksha, the Indian-origin employee at UN announces her candidacy for UN Secretary-General Post.

Arora Akanksha, an Indian-origin employee at the UN has announced her candidacy to be its next Secretary-General. She is the first person to throw her hat in the ring against incumbent Antonio Guterres, who is seeking a second five-year term beginning January 2022 as chief …

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