Closest known black hole to Earth discovered.

Astronomers have apparently found the closest known black hole to Earth, a weirdly tiny object dubbed "The Unicorn" that lurks just 1,500 light-years from us. The nickname has a double meaning. Not only does the black hole candidate reside in the constellation Mono…

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2020 - ICC Global Development award winners.

Argentina, Brazil, Uganda and Vanuatu crowned ICC Global Development award winners. The International Cricket Council today announced the global winners of the ICC Development Awards for 2020, which showcase the outstanding work undertaken by Members to grow cricket in emer…

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SpaceX just launched its third astronaut mission in less than a year.

A slightly sooty Falcon 9 rocket topped with a Crew Dragon capsule took to the skies above NASA's Kennedy Space Center here at 5:49 a.m. EDT (0949 GMT) today (April 23), lighting up the predawn sky as it lifted off from the historic Pad 39A.  The launch kicked off SpaceX…

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World Veterinary Day - 24 April.

The World Veterinary Day is observed on the Fourth Saturday of April every year.  In 2021, the day falls on April 24, 2021. The day was created by the World Veterinary Association (WVA) in 2000 to celebrate the contributions of veterinarians to the health of animals and soci…

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Death penalty in 2020 - acts and figures.

Amnesty International recorded 483 executions in 18 countries in 2020, a decrease of 26% from 657 recorded in 2019. This figure represents the lowest number of executions that Amnesty International has recorded in the past decade. Most known executions took place in China, I…

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International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace - 24 April

The International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace observed globally on 24 April.  The International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace was established on 12 December, 2018 through resolution A/RES/73/127 and was first observed on April 24, 2019. The…

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World Immunization Week 2021: 24 - 30 April.

World Immunization Week – celebrated every year in the last week of April – aims to promote the use of vaccines to protect people of all ages against disease. Immunization saves millions of lives every year and is widely recognized as one of the world’s most successful heal…

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Japan Declares State of Emergency for 3 Months.

Japan's central government has declared a third state of emergency due to the current global pandemic with new restrictions imposed in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo prefectures.  The declaration comes as Tokyo prepares to host the Summer Olympics, slated to begin in July…

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World Meningitis Day - 24 April.

World Meningitis Day is April 24, every year. The goal is to spread the word about meningitis, how to spot it and what causes it. It’s also a day to promote the importance of vaccines. Meningitis is an inflammation of the fluid and membranes that cover the brain and spinal c…

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World Day for Laboratory Animals - 24 April.

The World Day For Animals In Laboratories (WDAIL); also known as World Lab Animal Day or World Day for Laboratory Animals, is observed every year on 24 April. The day was instituted in 1979 by the National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS), as an “international day of commemo…

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Shravan Rathod, of Nadeem-Shravan duo dies at age 66.

Composer Shravan Rathod, of popular music director duo Nadeem-Shravan, passed away on 22 April due to the current pandemic related complications. Nadeem-Shravan were among the most popular music composers in the 90s, giving chartbuster soundtracks in films like Aashiqui (199…

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Human cells grown in monkey embryos spark ethical debate.

Monkey embryos containing human cells have been made in a laboratory, a study has confirmed. The research, by a US-Chinese team, has sparked fresh debate into the ethics of such experiments. The scientists injected human stem cells - cells that have the ability to develop int…

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405th death anniversary of William Shakespeare.

April 23 is the 405th death anniversary of the world’s pre-eminent dramatist, William Shakespeare.  William Shakespeare, who was born in 1564 at Stratford, England, was an English poet, playwright and actor, commonly regarded as the finest master of the English language and …

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UAE's Cricketer Qadeer Ahmed handed five-year ban for corruption.

Qadeer Ahmed, the UAE medium pacer, has been banned for five years by the ICC for committing six breaches of the governing body's anti-corruption code. Ahmed's ban will be backdated to October 16, 2019, when he was provisionally suspended by the ICC along with his c…

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Sri Lanka Ranks 69th in WEF Global Energy Transition Index 2021.

Sri Lanka is placed at the 69th position among 115 countries in the 2021 Energy Transition Index (ETI). The report is published by the World Economic Forum (WEF), prepared in collaboration with Accenture to track nations on the current performance of their energy systems ac…

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NASA's rover makes breathable oxygen on Mars.

An instrument on Nasa's Perseverance rover on Mars has made oxygen from the planet's carbon dioxide atmosphere. It's the second successful technology demonstration on the mission, which flew a mini-helicopter on Monday 19 April 2021. The oxygen generation was perf…

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One of world's biggest arms traffickers recaptured.

One of the world's biggest arms traffickers has been recaptured in Brazil, police say, five months after he escaped from prison using a fake early release document. João Filipe Barbieri was convicted for being part of a gang that smuggled hundreds of rifles from the US h…

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Israel and Greece sign record defence deal.

Israel and Greece have signed their biggest ever defence procurement deal, which Israel said would strengthen political and economic ties between the countries as the two countries’ air forces launched a joint exercise. The agreement includes a $1.65bn contract for the estab…

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World Book Night - 23 April.

Every year on April 23rd, World Book Night brings people from all backgrounds together to celebrate books and reading. It’s also a time to encourage adults to take the time and read at night. An English publisher named Jamie Byng came up with the idea of a World Book Night. …

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Spanish Language Day - 23 April.

Every year on April 23rd, Spanish Language Day celebrates the second most spoken language in the world. It’s also a day to honor the most revered writer in the Spanish language, Miguel De Cervantes Saavedra. The Spanish language originated in Spain. Currently, there are more…

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World Book and Copyright Day - 23 April.

April 23 every year is celebrated as World Book and Copyright Day. Sometimes, it’s called World Book Day, or International Day of the Book. The focus of the day is to promote reading, publishing and copyrighting. World Book and Copyright Day celebrates all things book-relate…

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Muthurajawela to become National Park.

Environment Ministry Secretary Dr. Anil Jasinghe said that a Cabinet paper has already been drafted to convert the Muthurajawela Sanctuary to a National Park. The Secretary was speaking at the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) chaired by Prof. Tissa Vitharana in Parliament…

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English Language Day - 23 April.

On April 23rd, English Language Day explores the development, history, and culture of the English tongue. A Germanic language that began to develop during the 5th and 6th centuries when Anglo-Saxons settled in Britain, English is also influenced by French, Latin, and many ot…

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National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) based Inflation increased in March 2021.

Headline inflation as measured by the year-on-year (Y-o-Y) change in the National Consumer Price Index (NCPI, 2013=100) increased to 5.1 per cent in March 2021 from 4.2 per cent in February 2021. This was due to the statistical effect of the low base prevailed in March 2020…

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NASA’s Ingenuity Helicopter Takes Flight on Mars.

NASA successfully flew its tiny helicopter Ingenuity on Mars, the first powered flight on another planet and a feat a top engineer called “our Wright brothers’ moment.” Data and images from the autonomous flight were transmitted 173 million miles (278 million kilometres) ba…

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World Press Freedom Index 2021.

Sri Lanka has been placed at 127th position among 180 countries in the latest World Press Freedom Index 2021. Sri Lanka was at 127th position in 2020 as well. Norway has retained its top spot for the fifth year running, followed by Finland and Sweden at second and third pla…

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Queen Elizabeth II marks 95th birthday in private just days after husband's funeral.

Days after the funeral of her husband of 73 years, Queen Elizabeth II turned 95 Wednesday, marking a milestone birthday without Prince Philip by her side. While there may have been plans for a private, low-key event to mark the occasion in a normal year, the Duke of Edinburg…

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Plymouth Sound volunteers plant seeds to restore seagrass meadows.

Volunteers have worked to restore undersea meadows in England's largest seagrass planting effort. Around 16,000 bags of seeds and 2,200 seedlings have been planted in Devon's Plymouth Sound National Marine Park since 7 April. The £2.5m project aims to grow eight hecta…

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Republic of Chad's President Idriss Déby has died.

Chad's President, Idriss Déby, has died from wounds sustained in combat, the country's military has said. He was a one of Africa's longest-serving leaders. Déby, 68, spent more than three decades in power and was one of Africa's longest-serving leaders. Idriss…

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European Union targets to cut CO2 emissions by 55% by 2030.

The EU has adopted ambitious new targets to curb climate change, with a pledge to make them legally binding. Under a new law agreed between member states and the EU Parliament, the bloc will cut carbon emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared with 1990 levels. The EU parli…

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