International Human Solidarity Day (IHSD) - 20 December.

International Human Solidarity Day (IHSD) is observed annually on December 20 across the globe to celebrate the ideal of unity in diversity. IHSD highlights the goal of the United Nations and its member states to create awareness about poverty and the need to reduce poverty…

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60 million-year-old meteorite crater discovered in Wilayat of Mahut.

Sultan Qaboos University announced the discovery of a huge meteorite crater with a diametre of one kilometre in the Wilayat of Mahut, which is likely to be 60 million years old. Prof Dr Sobhi Jaber Nasr, a professor at the Department of Earth Sciences at the College of Scien…

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New Sri Lanka Navy Commander calls on the President.

Newly appointed Navy Commander Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera met President Ranil Wickremesinghe at the President’s Office this morning (19). Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera assumed duties as the 25th Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy yesterday. After assuming duties, the new Navy…

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Inland Revenue Amendment Act comes into force from today (19).

The Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena today (19) endorsed the certificate on the Inland Revenue (Amendment) Bill which was recently passed by a majority of votes after debate in Parliament. Following the debate on the second reading of the bill held recently (De…

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Committee on High Posts approves appointment of several diplomats to Sri Lankan missions abroad.

The Secretary General of Parliament, Dhammika Dasanayake stated that the Committee on High Posts has approved the appointments of Four Ambassadors and two Permanent Representatives recently (Dec. 13).  Accordingly, approval was given for the appointment of Ms. Niroshani Mani…

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EU adopts global minimum 15% tax on big business.

The European Union has adopted a plan for a global minimum 15% tax on big business. Leaders gave their final approvals on Thursday after months of political wrangling. The landmark deal between nearly 140 countries aims to stop governments racing to cut taxes in a bid to attr…

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NASA Launches International Mission ‘SWOT’ to Survey Earth’s Water.

The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the French space agency Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) have jointly launched the newest Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) spacecraft to track nearly all the water on the surface of the Earth.…

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Ukraine’s missile graveyard in the second city, Kharkiv.

Ukraine’s missile graveyard 'is evidence against Russia’ Ukraine’s second city, Kharkiv, has suffered from heavy Russian shelling and air strikes since the start of the war in February. Officials there told the BBC they have been collecting the remains of Russian munition…

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Joe Root becomes the 3rd player to score 10000 Test runs and pick up 50 wickets.

Former England skipper Joe Root became only the third cricketer in history to score 10000 runs and pick up 50 wickets in Test cricket. He achieved the feat during the ongoing second Test against Pakistan in Multan. Root reached the milestone when he dismissed Faheem Ashraf …

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Poland’s only cosmonaut dies at age 81.

Poland’s only cosmonaut, Gen Mirosław Hermaszewski, who circled the Earth in a Soviet spacecraft in 1978, has died. He was 81. The retired air force pilot’s death on Monday (12) was announced via Twitter by his son-in-law, European Parliament member Ryszard Czarnecki. He lat…

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Peru declares 30-day state of emergency amid protests at president’s arrest.

The government of Peru declared a nationwide state of emergency on Wednesday (14) as it sought to control widespread violence following the ouster last week of the country’s elected president, who had tried to dissolve Congress. It was an extraordinary turn of events even in…

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Interim order issued on compulsory retirement of doctors and specialists.

The Court of Appeal has issued an interim order suspending the inclusion of doctors and specialist doctors in the gazette notification on the compulsory retirement of government sector employees. Accordingly, the compulsory retirement age of 60 will not be enforced on doctor…

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Ampara and Mannar UCs to be upgraded to Municipal Council status.

The Cabinet of Ministers has granted approval to upgrade Ampara and Mannar Urban Councils to Municipal Council status, the Cabinet Spokesman Minister Bandula Gunawardena said. Earlier, approval had been granted during the Cabinet meeting held on August 08, 2022, to take nece…

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TRCSL lining up 5G licensing process for 2023.

The Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) has confirmed to the country’s government that it is preparing for the implementation of commercial 5G services in 2023. TRCSL officials told the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Technology that the regula…

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Twitter bans CNN, NYT, WaPo journalists without explanation.

Twitter on Thursday (15) evening banned the accounts of several high-profile journalists from top news organizations without explanation, apparently marking a significant attempt by new owner Elon Musk to wield his unilateral authority over the platform. The accounts belongi…

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The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women - 2022

Forbes releases list of top 100 most powerful women of 2022. The European Commission's first-ever female leader, Ursula Von Der Leyen, tops the list. Other names include Vice President Kamala Harris, Oprah Winfrey, and Taylor Swift. List of top 10 most powerful women of 2…

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US prints first banknotes with women's signatures.

The U.S. The Treasury (United States of America’s Finance Ministry) has printed the first US banknotes (currency notes) with two women’s signatures. The new currency notes of $1 and $5 value carry the signature of the Secretary of Treasury (American Finance Minister) Janet …

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Veteran US sports journalist Grant Wahl dies.

FIFA World Cup 2022: Highly-regarded American soccer journalist Grant Wahl passed away covering the ld Cup in Qatar. He was passed away while covering the World Cup match between Argentina and the Netherlands in Qatar. This was the 8th World Cup for Wahl, who has been coveri…

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Japan’s ispace launches historic first commercial Moon lander.

A Japanese space startup has launched its own private lander to the Moon aboard a SpaceX rocket, marking a significant step towards what would be a historic first, both for the nation and a private company. The Tokyo-based ispace Inc’s HAKUTO-R mission took off without incid…

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ICC Player of the Month - November 2022.

England’s T20 World Cup-winning captain Jos Buttler was named ICC men’s Player of the Month for the first time following his stupendous show in November. Pakistan’s Sidra Ameen became the second successive winner of the women’s Player of the Month award from the country, th…

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World Health Organization names Dr Amelia Latu Afuhaamango Tuipulotu as Chief Nursing Officer.

Dr Amelia Latu Afuhaamango Tuipulotu will become WHO's Chief Nursing Officer. Previously Minister for Health of the Kingdom of Tonga, and before that Tonga’s Chief Nursing Officer, Dr Tuipulotu will join WHO in the first quarter of 2023. As WHO’s Chief Nursing Officer, D…

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World Health Organization names Sir Jeremy Farrar as Chief Scientist.

WHO announced that Dr Jeremy Farrar will become its new Chief Scientist. Currently, Director of the Wellcome Trust, Dr Farrar will join WHO in the second quarter of 2023. As WHO’s Chief Scientist, Dr Farrar will oversee the Science Division, bringing together the best brains…

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Twitter suspends account dedicated to tracking Elon Musk’s private jet.

Twitter has suspended the account dedicated to tracking the location of billionaire Elon Musk’s private jet. The account, @ElonJet, was run by Florida college student Jack Sweeney and had amassed more than half a million followers. It tracked Musk’s plane’s location using pu…

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Elon Musk no longer world's richest man.

Elon Musk is no longer the world's richest man after a sharp drop in the value of his shares in electric car company Tesla this year. According to both Forbes and Bloomberg, Mr Musk has been overtaken at the top spot by Bernard Arnault, the chief executive of luxury good…

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New Zealand passes legislation banning cigarettes.

New Zealand will phase in a near-total tobacco ban from next year. Legislation passed by parliament on Tuesday (13) means that anyone born after 2008 will never be able to buy cigarettes or tobacco products. It will mean the number of people able to buy tobacco will shrink ea…

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Veteran singer Nihal Nelson passes away.

Nihal Nelson, a versatile vocalist, composer and lyricist, passed away in the early hours of yesterday following a brief illness at the age of 76. Nihal Nelson became a household name with the hit  “Lassanata Pipunu Vanamal” in the early 1970s and from then on no musical sh…

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International Day of Neutrality - 12 December.

Every year on December 12th, the International Day of Neutrality promotes the importance of peaceful, friendly, and mutually beneficial relations between countries. When a country is neutral, it means they are not taking a side in times of war or conflict. One of the best-kn…

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Construction to begin on world's biggest telescope.

One of the grand scientific projects of the 21st Century begins its construction phase on Monday (05). The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) will be the largest radio telescope in the world when completed in 2028. Split across South Africa and Australia, with a headquarters in the…

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International Universal Health Coverage Day - 12 December.

Every year December 12th marks International Universal Health Coverage Day as a way to urge countries to accelerate progress toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC). The day also seeks to promote the idea that access to affordable quality health care is a human right. Univers…

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The first G20 Finance and Central Bank Deputies (FCBD).

The first G20 Finance and Central Bank Deputies (FCBD) meeting is scheduled to be held during 13-15 December 2022 in Bengaluru. This meeting, which will mark the start of discussions on the Finance Track agenda under the Indian G20 Presidency, will be hosted jointly by the …

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