April Fools' Day - 01 April.

April Fools' Day is celebrated in many countries on April 1 every year. Sometimes referred to as All Fools' Day, April 1 is not a national holiday, but is widely recognized and celebrated as a day when people play practical jokes and hoaxes on each other. In Italy, F…

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International Transgender Day of Visibility - 31 March.

International Transgender Day of Visibility is dedicated to celebrating transgender people and raising awareness of discrimination faced by transgender people worldwide, as well as a celebration of their contributions to society. Consider communication to raise awareness of …

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China approves Hong Kong electoral system reform bill.

The top decision-making body in the Chinese parliament unanimously adopted a controversial plan to reform Hong Kong's electoral system by a vote of 167-0.  The sweeping bill is the biggest overhaul of Hong Kong's political system to occur since the territory returned…

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Maggie O'Farrell's novel Hamnet wins National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction.

Maggie O'Farrell's Hamnet, published as Hamnet & Judith in Canada, has won the National Book Critics Circle prize for fiction. The Irish-British author's novel is an imagined take on the death of Shakespeare's son from the bubonic plague. Hamnet, an unfort…

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Newly-appointed Vietnam ambassador presents credentials to President

The newly-appointed Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Ho Thi Thanh Truc to Sri Lanka presented her credentials to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Presidential Palace this morning (30). President Rajapaksa and the new Vietnamese Ambassador thereafter exchan…

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AG calls for 5-member administrative committee for SLC.

The Attorney General has advised to appoint an Administrative Committee for Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) until the SLC election is held. The SLC board election is scheduled to be held on May 20, 2021. Accordingly, the SLC has been advised to appoint a five-member administrative co…

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Ushan Thiwanka sets new record in High Jump.

Athlete Ushan Thiwanka Perera has set a new record in Sri Lanka High Jump. His record was made at the 2021 Texas Relays Championship held in the United States. At the competition, Ushan Thiwanka impressed with a leap of 2.28 meters, setting a new record.

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A National Action Plan For Healthcare Waste Management In Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka generates 7,000 Metric Tonnes (MT) of waste daily, of which only half of the total is collected and 60% (4,200 MT) comes from the Western Province, posing severe pollution risks; to the environment, communities and those who handle waste. This issue of waste misman…

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Polythene and plastic ban in effect from today 31 March 2021.

The ban on the use of specific polythene & plastic items, mentioned in a gazette issued by the Ministry of Environment on the 21st of January this year, will be in effect from today (March 31). Accordingly, the use of following items has been banned in this manner: • Poly…

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The cost of the Suez Canal blockage.

The giant container ship “Ever Given” that blocked traffic in the Suez Canal for the last week resumed its journey, after being successfully refloated. The efforts to float the delinquent Panamanian container ship Ever Given are successful. We take a look at the key numbers …

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Google Maps to start directing drivers to 'eco-friendly' routes.

Google’s Maps app will start directing drivers along routes estimated to generate the lowest carbon emissions based on traffic, slopes and other factors, the company announced on Tuesday (30). Google, an Alphabet Inc unit, said the feature would launch later this year in the…

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New Zealand passes miscarriages bereavement leave law.

Couples in New Zealand who have a miscarriage or stillbirth will be eligible for paid bereavement leave under a new law approved by parliament. MP Ginny Andersen, who put forward the bill, said it would allow mothers and their partners to "come to terms with their loss&…

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India, US begin two-day naval drill in Indian Ocean.

The navies of India and the US on Sunday (28) started a two-day exercise in the eastern Indian Ocean region, reflecting the growing congruence in their defence and military partnership. The exercise comes a week after US defence secretary Lloyd Austin visited India as part o…

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U.S. suspends all trade engagement with Myanmar until elected government returns.

The United States is immediately suspending all engagement with Myanmar under a 2013 trade and investment agreement until the return of a democratically elected government, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said. 27 March 2021 Saturday was the bloodiest day of protests…

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Suez Canal reopens after giant stranded ship is freed.

The giant container ship “Ever Given” that blocked traffic in the Suez Canal for the last week resumed its journey, after being successfully refloated. The efforts to float the delinquent Panamanian container ship Ever Given are successful. The 1,400-foot-long cargo ship jam…

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66th Filmfare Awards 2021: Check Complete List of Winners.

The awards for the 66th annual Filmfare awards were announced. The event was hosted by actors Rajkummar Rao and Riteish Deshmukh. Despite the difficulties the film industry faced during 2020 as a result of the current pandemic, Filmfare decided it was important to commemora…

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Frosty Sand Dunes of Mars.

A field of sand dunes occupies this frosty 5-kilometer diameter crater in the high-latitudes of the northern plains of Mars. Some dunes have separated from the main field and appear to be climbing up the crater slope along a gully-like form. The surface of the main dune fiel…

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Sam Curran equals ODI world record.

England all-rounder Sam Curran on Sunday (28) equalled the world record for smashing the highest score by a number eight batsman in ODI cricket history.  The 22-year-old scored an unbeaten 95 off 83 deliveries, including 9 fours and 3 sixes.  England's Chris Woakes had al…

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Venezuela president offers ‘oil for vaccines’.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Sunday proposed paying for vaccines against the novel coronavirus with oil, though he provided few details about how such a scheme would work. The crisis-stricken OPEC nation’s crude exports have plummeted to their lowest levels in deca…

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Facebook and Google plan new undersea cables to connect southeast Asia and America.

Facebook is planning two undersea cables to connect Singapore, Indonesia and North America in a bid to boost internet connection capacity between the regions. The cables, named Echo and Bifrost, will be the first to directly connect North America to some of the main parts of…

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Global Wind Report 2021: 2020 was Best Year for Wind Industry.

The year 2020 was the best year in history for the global wind industry as this sector installed 93GW of new capacity in 2020, according to a new report titled ‘Global Wind Report 2021, released by the Global Wind Energy Council. This is the 16th annual flagship report, rel…

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Executive Orders for gun control will sign by the US President Joe Biden.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Friday (26) confirmed that President Biden intends to sign executive orders on gun control. Psaki replied “Yes” to a journalist’s question about whether reporters should “be expecting executive orders from the president on gun measure…

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2022 AFC Women's Asia Cup in India.

The dates for the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup, set to be held in India, has been confirmed by the continental governing body.  The women's football event will start on January 20, 2022, and will finish on February 6, 2022.  The tournament has also been expanded to feat…

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Pakistan successfully test-fires Shaheen 1-A ballistic missile.

Pakistan conducted a successful flight test of the Shaheen 1-A surface-to-surface ballistic missile, a statement issued by the military's media wing said. The test flight was aimed at re-validating various design and technical parameters of the weapon system including ad…

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India-Bangladesh co-producing a film "Bangabandhu".

Filmmaker Shyam Benegal’s Bangabandhu, a biopic on Bangladesh’s founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, began shooting in Mumbai. The film is jointly produced by India and Bangladesh and is part of the centenary celebration of Rahman, the first President of Bangladesh. Bangabandhu was…

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Honda agrees to sell British car plant to logistics giant Panattoni.

Honda has agreed to sell its only British car plant at Swindon in southern England to logistics giant Panattoni. The Japanese automaker, which builds about a tenth of the 1.5 million car output in Britain, made the decision two years after it announced its intention in 2019 …

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President Biden Invites 40 World Leaders to Leaders Summit on Climate.

President Biden invited 40 world leaders to the Leaders Summit on Climate he will host on April 22 and 23.  The virtual Leaders Summit will be live streamed for public viewing. President Biden took action his first day in office to return the United States to the Paris Agree…

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Carmen Maria Machado wins Rathbones Folio prize for queer abuse memoir.

The American author Carmen Maria Machado has won the £30,000 Rathbones Folio prize for her memoir "In the Dream House", which examines the domestic abuse she was subjected to by her ex-girlfriend. It is at once an inventive and radical work, a true testimony to her…

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First Ban on Workplace Smoking - 29 March.

On 29 March 2004, the Republic of Ireland (ROI) became the first EU country to introduce a nationwide ban on workplace smoking. While the focus of this measure was to protect worker health by reducing exposure to second-hand smoke, other effects such as a greater reduction …

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‘Girl Gang’ Announced Official Song of ICC Women’s World Cup 2022.

"Girl Gang", a track by New Zealand singer Gin Wigmore, has been announced as the official song of the 2022 ICC Women's World Cup. The tournament is set to be hosted in New Zealand from 04 March to 03 April, 2022. The International Cricket Council (ICC) made th…

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