Newly discovered 'mini-Neptune' may have an ocean or an atmosphere.

A newly discovered distant mini-Neptune planet may possess its own atmosphere, ocean, or a combination of the two, even if they don't last for long. The extrasolar planet, or exoplanet, designated HD-2047496 b located around 77 light-years from Earth revealed its charac…

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A private Japanese lander has made it to the moon.

The Hakuto-R spacecraft entered lunar orbit late Monday night (March 20), notching a huge milestone for the Japanese company ispace, which has big plans in Earth-moon space. Hakuto-R launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Dec. 11, 2022, kicking off a test flight that ispa…

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A quarter of world population lacks safe drinking water: UN.

A report launched on the eve of the first major U.N. conference on water in over 45 years says 26% of the world’s population doesn’t have access to safe drinking water and 46% lacks access to basic sanitation. The U.N. World Water Development Report 2023, issued Tuesday, pai…

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World Happiness Report 2023.

Sri Lanka has moved up 15 places on the World Happiness Report, having ranked 112th in the annual survey of how satisfied citizens are worldwide. Sri Lanka is ranked 112th amongst the 137 countries surveyed in this year’s edition of the report, with a score of 4.4 out of 10. …

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World Water Day - 22 March.

World Water Day is observed on March 22 each year to emphasize the significance of water and to create awareness about the global water crisis. The primary purpose of celebrating this day is to promote the achievement of SDG 6, which aims to provide access to clean water an…

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Betting and Gaming Levy (Amendment) Bill approved.

The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the Betting and Gaming Levy (Amendment) Bill which was proposed by President Ranil Wickremesinghe in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policy. Accordingly, the Cabinet had approved the relevant …

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The Weeknd is the world’s most popular artist, Guinness World Records says.

The Weeknd, who recently became the first artist to reach 100 million monthly listeners on Spotify, is statistically the world’s most popular musician, Guinness World Records said Monday. No one else even comes close to the singer’s streaming success, according to Guinness W…

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Rafael Nadal out of top 10 for first time since 2005.

Rafael Nadal’s absence from Indian Wells saw the 22-times Grand Slam champion slip out of the top 10 for the first time since 2005 on Monday but the Spaniard will still be the “man to beat” at the French Open if he can get back to full fitness. Nadal was forced to skip the M…

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Kylian Mbappe named as the French New Captain.

Didier Deschamps informed the France squad on Monday evening that Kylian Mbappe will be the new captain, sources told ESPN. The Paris Saint-Germain forward, who has 66 caps and 36 goals for France, is taking over the captaincy from Hugo Lloris who retired from international …

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Sri Lanka’s NCPI-based inflation for February 2023 recorded at 53.6%

The National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) for the month of February 2023  was recorded at 53.6%, as measured by the Year-on-Year change, the Department of Census and Statistics (DCS) revealed in its latest report. This is a slight increase in comparison to the headline inflat…

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Sri Lanka hosts 3rd meeting of IORA Working Group on Maritime Safety and Security.

The Third Meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association’s (IORA) Working Group on Maritime Safety and Security (WGMSS) chaired by Sri Lanka was held in Colombo on Monday (March 20) with the participation of the 23 IORA member states. The Secretary General of IORA Secretariat S…

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Powerful earthquake felt in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India.

A powerful earthquake has been felt in parts of Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, sending panicked residents into the streets, according to witnesses. Pakistan’s Meteorological Department said Tuesday’s earthquake measured at magnitude 6.8, with the epicentre being in the Hin…

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Huge solar tornado as tall as 14 Earths hurls plasma cloud into space.

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured what might be 'the tallest tornado' in the solar system swirling across the north pole of the sun. The twisting filament of boiling plasma kept growing in the sun's atmosphere for three days last week, reaching the h…

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Scientists discover RNA component buried in the dust of an asteroid.

A sample extracted from an asteroid far from Earth has confirmed that RNA nucleobases can be found in space rocks. Analysis of dust ferried home from asteroid Ryugu has been found to contain uracil – one of the four nucleobases that make up RNA – in addition to niacin, a for…

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There's a 'Subterranean Galapagos' Deep Inside the Earth.

There is a vast biosphere deep underground that is nearly twice as big as Earth’s oceans and contains some 23 billion tons of organisms. This “subterranean Galapagos” was described on Monday by the Deep Carbon Observatory (DCO), a collaboration between 1,000 scientists study…

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New York Knicks legend Willis Reed dies.

Willis Reed, the legendary captain and star center for the New York Knicks who led the franchise to its only two championships and was the author of one of the signature moments in NBA history, has died. He was 80. Reed, a burly, physical presence in the post across his 10 y…

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Paleontologists Discover Fossil of an Enormous 340-Pound Penguin in New Zealand.

A recent paper in the Journal of Paleontology has announced the discovery of the biggest ancient penguin yet, a 340-pound behemoth that frolicked around New Zealand more than 50 million years ago. Newly named Kumimanu fordycei, the giant species was discovered alongside sev…

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World Down Syndrome Day - 21 March

Down syndrome occurs when an individual has an extra partial (or whole) copy of chromosome 21. It is not yet know why this syndrome occurs, but Down syndrome has always been a part of the human condition. It exists in all regions across the globe and commonly results in var…

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International Day of Forests - 21 March.

Each year on March 21st, the International Day of Forests celebrates and raises awareness of the importance of all types of forests. In November 1971, during the Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization, member states voted to establish World Forestry Day to be he…

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International Nowruz Day - 21 March.

Nowruz marks the first day of spring and is celebrated on the day of the astronomical vernal equinox, which usually occurs on 21 March. It is celebrated as the beginning of the new year by more than 300 million people all around the world and has been celebrated for over 3,…

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