New Zealand becomes latest country to sign space agreement with NASA.

New Zealand announced on Tuesday 01 June 2021 it was the latest country to sign a space agreement with NASA, just as New Zealand's nascent space industry begins to take off. New Zealand became the eleventh signatory to the Artemis Accords, a blueprint for space cooperati…

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International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression - 04 June.

Every year on June 4th, the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression acknowledges the pain that children around the world suffer. Many of these children are victims of physical, mental, and emotional abuse. It’s also a day that the UN affirms its duty to…

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NASA announces two new missions to Venus.

NASA has announced that it is sending two new missions to Venus in order to examine the planet's atmosphere and geological features. The missions, which have each been awarded $500m (£352m) in funding, are due to launch between 2028 and 2030. NASA administrator Bill Nelso…

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Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga pledges $800 mn to COVAX facility.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Wednesday pledged an additional USD 800 million to COVAX facility aiming for a fair distribution of coronavirus vaccines worldwide. The announcement came at an online vaccine summit which Japan co-hosted with the GAVI vaccine allianc…

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Microsoft launches the first ever Asia-Pacific cybersecurity council.

The first Asia Pacific Public Sector Cyber Security Executive Council has been launched by Microsoft. It consists of policymakers and influencers from Brunei, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. The council aims to accelerate public-private …

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Dr Patrick Amoth of Kenya Appointed as Chair of WHO Executive Board.

Dr Patrick Amoth, the acting Director-General for Health, Ministry of Health of Kenya has been appointed as the Chairman of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Executive Board, for a period of one year. The announcement was made during the 149th session of the WHO Executive…

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UN Sustainable Transport Conference will take place in China - 14-16 October 2021, Beijing, China.

The second United Nations Global Sustainable Transport Conference will be held from 14-16 October 2021 in Beijing, China. It will provide an opportunity to focus attention on the opportunities, challenges and solutions towards achieving sustainable transport worldwide. The c…

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Veteran politician Isaac Herzog elected as the president of Israel.

Isaac Herzog, a veteran politician from a prominent Israeli family, has been elected as the country’s president. The position of president is a largely ceremonial role that is meant to serve as the nation’s moral compass and promote unity. The anonymous vote was held among th…

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African Union suspends Mali's Membership.

The African Union has suspended Mali’s membership in response to last week’s military coup and threatened sanctions if a civilian-led government is not restored. The military arrested interim President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane last week and pressured them to …

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Pakistan and Egypt hold joint military exercise.

Pakistani and Egyptian forces are taking part in the ‘Sky Guardians 1’ exercise to bolster military cooperation between the two countries. The two-week long joint air defence exercise, which began on May 26 in Cairo, is focused on robust and realistic training to confront ex…

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Brazil names Copa America venues.

Brazil named Rio de Janeiro and three other cities as host venues for the Copa America on Tuesday 01 June 2021 in a move that appeared to strengthen the likelihood of the tournament taking place, even as a Supreme Court judge asked President Jair Bolsonaro to explain his su…

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China reports first human case of H10N3 Bird Flu.

A 41-year-old man in China’s eastern province of Jiangsu has been confirmed as the first human case of infection with a rare strain of bird flu known as H10N3. Beijing’s National Health Commission (NHC) confirmed this on Tuesday 01 June 2021. Many different strains of bird fl…

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World Bicycle Day - 03 June.

On June 3, World Bicycle Day targets individuals as a way to promote a healthy lifestyle, especially for those with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Organizers also target local governments to encourage them to improve road safety and integrate bicycling into transportation infra…

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World Clubfoot Day - 03 June.

Every year on June 3rd, World Clubfoot Day seeks to unite those affected by clubfoot so that they can inspire and encourage one another. It’s also a day to spread awareness for this common congenital disability. Each year, up to 200,000 babies across the globe are born with …

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China's "Sinovac" vaccine gets WHO emergency approval.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has approved China's "Sinovac" Covid vaccine for emergency use. WHO said it prevented symptomatic disease in 51% of those vaccinated and prevented severe symptoms and hospitalisation in 100% of samples. Some evidence and data …

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74th World Health Assembly adopts decision to recognize 30 January as World NTD Day.

Delegates at the 74th World Health Assembly unanimously adopted a proposal by the UAE to declare January 30 as ‘World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Day’. The proposal to recognise the day was floated by the United Arab Emirates. It was adopted unanimously by the delegate…

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Iran’s largest warship sinks in Gulf of Oman.

The Iranian navy’s largest warship sank Wednesday 02 June 2021 in the Gulf of Oman after catching fire. The ship sank during training near the Iranian port of Jask, some 1,270 kilometers (790 miles) southeast of Tehran on the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz — the narr…

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Centre for World University Rankings 2021-22 announced.

The Center for World University Rankings (CWUR) publishes the only academic ranking of global universities that assesses the quality of education, alumni employment, quality of faculty, and research performance without relying on surveys and university data submissions. CWUR…

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Asian Boxing Championship: India’s Sanjeet Kumar wins gold medal.

India boxer Sanjeet Kumar on Monday 31 May 2021 won a gold medal in the 91 kg weight category at the ASBC Asian Boxing Championships. Sanjeet defeated five-time Asian Championships medallist and Rio Olympic silver medalist Vassiliy Levit of Kazakhstan in a 3-2 split decision…

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Niluka Karunaratne becomes 6th Sri Lankan to qualify for Tokyo Olympics.

National badminton champion Niluka Karunaratne will be representing Sri Lanka in the Tokyo Olympics 2020. The two-time Olympic shuttler is the 6th Sri Lankan to qualify for the major international multi-sport event pushed back by the COVID-19 outbreak last year. In February t…

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The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has approved Chinese names to identify areas on Moon.

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has approved eight Chinese names for features around the area on the Moon where China's spacecraft Chang'e-5 probe landed last year to collect samples from the lunar surface and return to Earth. The Chang'e-5 space missi…

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India's Largest Reclining Buddha Statue Underway in Kolkata.

India’s largest statue of the Reclining Buddha was to have been installed at the Buddha International Welfare Mission temple in Bodh Gaya. The ceremony has been put off due to Covid-19 restrictions, but the giant 100-foot fibreglass statue, built over three months by a team …

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Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee have discovered new fossils.

Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee have discovered new fossils showing the existence of a variety of sea cows or dugongs in India millions of years ago.  Dugongs are an endangered species of herbivorous marine mammals that feed on seagrass in s…

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Austrian Muslims to sue government over ‘Islam Map’.

A leading Muslim group in Austria has said it plans to file a lawsuit against the government of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz for unveiling a controversial “Islam map”, according to Austrian media reports. Muslim Youth Austria lambasted the government for publishing a “political…

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Germany recognises colonial era massacres in Namibia as genocide.

Germany has recognised for the first time that it committed genocide in Namibia during its colonial rule more than a century ago and promised financial support worth more than one billion euros ($1.2bn) to fund infrastructure projects in the African nation. German settlers k…

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Former Danish Prime Minister Schlüter dies at age 92.

Poul Schlüter, the Conservative Prime Minister of Denmark from 1982-1993, has died at the age of 92. Schlüter’s family announced his passing via the Conservative Party on Friday 28 May 2021. Government leader for 11 years in the 1980s and 1990s, Schlüter was the longest servi…

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Dr. Abeykoon wins the South-East Asia Region WHO World No Tobacco Day 2021 award.

In recognition of his extraordinary contribution to combatting harmful tobacco use, Dr Palitha Abeykoon, Former Chairman of National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol in Sri Lanka, International Pubilc Health Expert, and WHO Director-General Special Envoy for COVID-19 Prepar…

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Crude oil price hits nearly 3-month high above $70.

Oil prices rose on Tuesday 01 June 2021, with Brent topping $70 and trading at its highest since March, as optimism grew over the fuel demand outlook during the summer driving season of the United States, the world's top oil consumer. Prices were also boosted after data …

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WHO names COVID-19 variants found in India as 'Kappa' and 'Delta'

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday 31 May 2021 announced news labels, using Greek alphabets, for various variants of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), also giving names to the two variants that have been first found in India thus far. Covid variant first found i…

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NATO Conduct Steadfast Defender 21 war Games.

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is organising “Steadfast Defender 21 war games” military exercises in Europe as tensions with Russia increases. These war games are being organised with the aim of simulating the response of a 30-nation military organisation for the…

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US hands over key military base in Kabul to Afghan forces.

The top NATO Commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Scott Miller, on Friday 28 May 2021 oversaw handing over of a key military base in the capital Kabul to the Afghan forces as the US continued with the withdrawal amid surging violence in the country. The ‘New Kabul Compound’ was su…

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Indian Cricket legend Ravi Shastri's debut book 'Stargazing' to release this year

Cricket legend, commentator and one of Team India's most successful coaches, Ravi Shastri has penned a book titled 'Stargazing: The Players in My Life'.  The news was announced by publisher HarperCollins India on Ravi Shastri's birthday on May 27, 2021. In …

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Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson wins 2020-21 Kia NBA Sixth Man Award.

Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson has been named 2020-21 NBA Sixth Man of the Year award after averaging a career-high 18.4 points, four rebounds and 2.5 assists through 68 games, as well as posting two of the five 40-point games off the bench in franchise history. This is the firs…

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S&P affirms CCC-plus/C on Sri Lanka ratings with stable outlook.

S&P Global Ratings on Monday affirmed its long-term foreign and local currency sovereign credit ratings on Sri Lanka at CCC-plus. It also affirmed short-term foreign and local currency credit ratings at C. The transfer and convertibility assessment is CCC-plus. The outlo…

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Stock Market Buoyant in 2021.

The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) has recorded 9.3% growth in Year-to-Date (YTD) All Share Price Index (ASPI) within the first 05 months of 2021. The S & P SL 20 Index fared even better with YTD growth of 13% The market also saw record breaking YTD Market Turnover volume…

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CCPI based Inflation increased to 4.5 per cent in May 2021.

Headline inflation, as measured by the year-on- year (Y-o-Y) change in the Colombo Consumer Price Index (CCPI, 2013=100)1, increased to 4.5 per cent in May 2021 from 3.9 per cent in April 2021. This was driven by monthly increases of prices of items in both Food and Non-foo…

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ICC expands men's world events: ODI WC to 14 teams, T20 WC to 20 teams.

The 2027 men's ODI World Cup will feature 14 teams after the ICC Board decided to expand the quadrennial tournament in its next cycle of events. The decision came after a meeting on Tuesday amid a raft of significant changes to the ICC events calendar from 2023-2031, in…

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Naomi Osaka withdraws from French Open.

Naomi Osaka’s decision to withdraw from the French Open, after revealing her battle with depression and anxiety, has thrown the tournament into turmoil and cast a harsh light on the mental health of the sport’s superstars. The 23-year-old world number two, and four-time majo…

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China announces three-child policy to boost falling birth rate.

Married Chinese couples may have up to three children, China announced on Monday 31 May 2021, in a major shift from the existing limit of two after recent data showed a dramatic decline in births in the world's most populous country. Beijing scrapped its decades-old one-…

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Global Day of Parents - 01 June.

The Global Day of Parents is observed on the 1st of June every year. The Day honors parents throughout the world. The day provides an opportunity to appreciate all parents in all parts of the world for their selfless commitment to children and their lifelong sacrifice towar…

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World Reef Awareness Day - 01 June.

World Reef Awareness Day on June 1st serves as a call to action for consumers, businesses and organizations to reflect on the delicate ecosystem of our ocean’s coral reefs. The day brings together the general public, influencers and opinion leaders to create active change t…

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World Milk Day - 01 June.

Real milk takes the spotlight on World Milk Day, always on June 1. The day is intended to bring attention to activities connecting the dairy sector. The annual observance is marked with events across the globe: milking demonstrations and farm visits; games and competitions; …

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World Narcissistic Abuse Awareness Day - 01 June.

World Narcissistic Abuse Awareness Day on June 01 dedicates the day to education, support and effective change. Unlike physical abuse, narcissistic abuse leaves no physical marks. A form of Psychological and emotional abuse, it is invisible and difficult to prove. Yet, its e…

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