National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) based Inflation decreased in January 2021

Headline inflation as measured by the year-on-year (Y-o-Y) change in the National Consumer Price Index (NCPI, 2013=100)1 decreased to 3.7 per cent in January 2021 from 4.6 per cent in December 2020. This was due to the statistical effect of the high base prevailed in Januar…

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Pakistani PM Imran Khan arrives in Sri Lanka.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday arrived in Sri Lanka for a two-day official visit to island. The Pakistani premier, who was invited by his Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa, is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including members of the Federal Cab…

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Upul Tharanga retires from international cricket.

Senior Sri Lankan cricketer Upul Tharang on Tuesday 23 Feb 2021 announced his retirement from international cricket.  The left-handed batsman, who last played for Sri Lanka in March 2019, had been an integral part of white-ball cricket for Sri Lankan national team over the y…

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India signs $50 million defence deal with Maldives.

India on Sunday 21 Feb 2021 reiterated its commitment to the Maldives' security and signed a $50 million defence Line of Credit agreement with it to boost the maritime capabilities of the strategic island nation. The $50 million credit line agreement for defence projects…

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Supreme Court allows release of Trump tax returns to New York prosecutor.

The Supreme Court cleared the way for a New York prosecutor to obtain former President Donald Trump's tax returns, dealing a massive loss to Trump who has fiercely fought to shield his financial papers from prosecutors. The documents will be subject to grand jury secrecy…

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NASA rover beams back first sounds ever recorded from the surface of Mars.

NASA's Perseverance rover has recorded the first audio clips captured on the surface of Mars, beaming back to Earth guttural sounds of wind gusting on the red planet. The first-of-its-kind audio was released Monday, along with extraordinary new video footage of the rover…

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Indian and Indonesian Navies conduct PASSEX Exercise in Arabian Sea.

The Indian Navy and the Indonesian Navy on Thursday 18 Feb 2021 conducted bilateral military exercise PASSEX in the Arabian Sea. The exercise was conducted with a view to enhancing interoperability & strengthening Bilateral Maritime Cooperation between the two navies.  I…

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UN Climate Change Conference 2021.

The UK will host the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow on 01 – 12 November 2021. The COP26 summit will bring parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The…

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Hyundai’s Ultimate Mobility Vehicle has launched as TIGER X-1.

The Transforming Intelligent Ground Excursion Robot (TIGER) is Hyundai Motor Group’s second Ultimate Mobility Vehicle (UMV) and the first one to operate autonomously. The UMV is designed to carry various types of payload while travelling over challenging terrain. The “X” in…

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US officially rejoins the Paris climate accord.

The United States officially rejoined the landmark international accord to limit global warming known as the Paris Agreement on Friday 19 Feb 2021. Hours after he was sworn-in on January 20, President Joe Biden signed an executive order beginning the 30-day process for the U…

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First million-year-old DNA extracted from Siberian mammoth teeth.

For the first time, preserved DNA has been recovered from animal remains from Siberia over a million years old. The DNA belonged to two mammoths that lived around 1.2 million years ago. The genetic sequences change our understanding of mammoth evolution. They reveal that, at…

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World Thinking Day - 22 February.

World Thinking Day, formerly Thinking Day, is celebrated annually on February 22 by all Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. It is also celebrated by Scout and Guide organizations and some boy-oriented associations around the world. It is a day when they think about the their '…

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Naomi Osaka Claims her Second Australian Open Title.

Naomi Osaka defeats Jennifer Brady in the women's final of the 2021 Australian Open. The victory gives Osaka her 21st win in a row and she becomes the first woman to win her first four Grand Slam titles since Monica Seles in 1991 Naomi Osaka has given Jennifer Brady a le…

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Russia detects world’s 1st case of H5N8 avian flu transmission to humans.

Russia said on Saturday 20 Feb 2021 that its scientists had detected the world's first case of transmission of the H5N8 strain of avian flu from birds to humans and had alerted the World Health Organization. In televised remarks, the head of Russia's health watchdog …

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Bengaluru had third worst air pollution among Indian cities in 2020.

Bengaluru emerged as the third worst city in India to be affected by air pollution in 2020 with 12,000 estimated deaths, according to a Greenpeace Southeast Asia analysis.  Delhi fared worst with 54,000 such estimated deaths followed by Mumbai at 25,000 deaths.  Greenpeace sa…

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Elise Mertens, Aryna Sabalenka win Australian Open doubles title.

Elise Mertens and Aryna Sabalenka won the Australian Open women's doubles final to collect their second Grand Slam trophy as a team. Sabalenka, a top 10 player with nine WTA singles titles, wants to focus on the singles at the majors but plans to combine with Mertens for…

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Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar Unveils India's BRICS Website.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday 19th Feb 2021 launched India's website for five-nation grouping BRICS. India assumed chairmanship of BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) this year when the bloc is celebrating its 15th anniversary. BRICS is known…

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Facebook blocks Australian users from viewing or sharing news.

Facebook has blocked Australian users from sharing or viewing news content on the platform, causing much alarm over public access to key information. It comes in response to a proposed law which would make tech giants pay for news content on their platforms. The Australian go…

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International Mother Language Day - 21 February.

Every year on February 21st, International Mother Language Day draw awareness for linguistic and cultural diversity. It’s also a day to promote multilingualism. A mother language is the first language that someone speaks. A person’s mother language helps to define a person’s…

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World Pangolin Day - 20 February. (03rd Saturday of February)

World Pangolin Day is an opportunity for pangolin enthusiasts to join together in raising awareness about these unique mammals — and their plight. Pangolin numbers are rapidly declining in Asia and Africa. The demand for pangolins comes mostly from China, where pangolin scal…

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