US troops 'to leave Afghanistan by 11 September'.

US President Joe Biden is set to announce that American troops will leave Afghanistan by 11 September, officials have told US media. The US would miss a May deadline for a pull-out agreed with the Taliban by the Trump administration last year. The new deadline would coincide …

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Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra named as next Chief Election Commissioner of India.

The incumbent Election Commissioner (EC) Sushil Chandra has been named to become the next Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India. He was assumed charge with effect from April 13, 2021. He will replace incumbent CEC, Sunil Arora, who will retire on April 12, 2021. The Ele…

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Jallianwala Bagh Massacre: 102nd Anniversary.

Jallianwala Bagh Massacre marked its 102nd Anniversary on 13 April 2021. On 13 April 1919, people gathered at Jallianwala Bagh (Amritsar) to protest against the arrest of the two nationalist leaders, Satya Pal and Dr Saifuddin Kitchlew.  Suddenly, a British military officer,…

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Joseph Siravo, 'Sopranos' star, dies at age 64.

"Sopranos" star Joseph Siravo, who played Tony Soprano's father, has died following a long battle with cancer. He was 64. Siravo is best known for work in television as well as theater. On HBO's "Sopranos," he played Johnny Soprano — featuring pro…

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International Turban Day - 13 April.

The International Turban Day is celebrated every year on April 13 since 2004 to bring awareness of the strict requirement on Sikhs to put the turban as a mandatory part of their religion. The 2021 Turban Day marks the 552nd birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev and the festiv…

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World Sarcoidosis Awareness Day - 13 April.

Every year on April 13th, World Sarcoidosis Awareness Day draws attention to this inflammatory disease. The day also encourages those who have this condition to support one another and educate others about living with sarcoidosis. While sarcoidosis is a rare disease, it stil…

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International FND (Functional Neurological Disorder) Awareness Day - 13 April.

International FND (Functional Neurological Disorder) Awareness Day is observed every year on April 13. The goal of the week is to promote awareness, support affected individuals, and advance research for the prevention, treatment, and recovery of FND. Functional Neurological…

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Baroness Shirley Williams: Former Cabinet Minister dies aged 90.

Veteran politician and Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Shirley Williams has died at the age of 90, the party has announced. Originally a Labour MP, she was part of the "Gang of Four" who quit the party to found the Social Democratic Party. She was a leading member of…

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Suez canal blockage caused sulphur pollution spike.

The log jam in the Suez canal last month produced a spike in ship pollution that was visible from space. When the container vessel Ever Given got itself wedged in the famous waterway, it forced hundreds of other ships wanting passage to park up. This helped push the concentra…

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Sri Lanka signs USD 500 mn loan agreement with China.

The Government of Sri Lanka has signed a loan agreement of USD 500 million with the China Development Bank (CDB). The Ministry of Finance stated that the relevant funds will be disbursed within this week. Ambassador Dr. Palitha Kohona, on behalf of the government of Sri Lanka…

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60th anniversary since first man travel into space.

Russia on Monday 12th April 2021 celebrated the 60th anniversary of the legendary flight that made Yuri Gagarin the first man in space, a major source of national pride for millions of his countrymen. Gagarin’s mission on April 12, 1961, marked a historic achievement for the…

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Gazette issued establishing ‘Hambantota Managed Elephant Reserve’.

A Gazette Extraordinary has been issued establishing a ‘Hambantota Managed Elephant Reserve’ under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance. The gazette has been issued under Subsection (2) of Section 2 of the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance (Chapter 469). State Minister…

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International Day for Street Children - 12 April.

The International Day for Street Children is celebrated every year on April 12th. The day provides a platform for the millions of street children around the world - and their champions - to speak out so that their rights cannot be ignored. The International Day for Street Ch…

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International Day for Human Space Flight - 12 April.

Every year on April 12th, International Day for Human Space Flight celebrates the first human space flight anniversary. It’s also a day to reaffirm the importance of space science and technology. In 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first human-made satellite was launched …

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Singapore becomes first RCEP participating country to ratify agreement.

Singapore has ratified the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement and deposited its instrument of ratification with the Secretary-General of ASEAN. With this, it has become the first RCEP Participating Country (RPC) to complete the official ratificatio…

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"Nomadland" wins 04 BAFTA awards.

"Nomadland" won four prizes including best picture on Sunday 11 April 2021 at the 74th edition of British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards. "Nomadland" filmmaker Chloe Zhao became only the second woman, and the first woman of color, to w…

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Ranking of World Universities 2020 published.

The 2020 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) is released by ShanghaiRanking Consultancy.  Since 2003, ARWU has been presenting the world top universities annually based on transparent methodology and objective third-party data. It has been recognized as the precurs…

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Former US Attorney General and legal activist Ramsey Clark dies at age 93.

Ramsey Clark, the former US attorney general and legal activist, has died at the age of 93. Clark served as attorney general in President Lyndon B. Johnson's administration in the late 1960s and is recognized for supervising the drafting of the 1968 Civil Rights Act. Pres…

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United Arab Emirates names its first female astronaut.

The United Arab Emirates named the next two astronauts in its space programme on 10th April, including the country’s first female astronaut. Noura al-Matroushi is the UAE’s first female astronaut. The announcement gave no biographical information about her or her male count…

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Niger's President Bazoum appoints former Minister Mahamadou as Prime Minister.

Niger’s newly elected President Mohamed Bazoum has appointed former minister Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou as prime minister to head his new cabinet. Mahamadou, 66, previously served as a minister in charge of the finance and mining . He was the chief of staff to former President Ma…

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U.S. Sanctions Pakistani National for Allegedly Operating Human Smuggling Organization.

The United States on April 07 imposed sanctions on a Pakistani national and a smuggling organization it said he runs to help people migrate illegally from Pakistan and Afghanistan into the United States. The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Abid Ali Khan and the transnati…

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World Parkinson's Disease Day - 11 April.

World Parkinson's Disease Day is celebrated on the 11th of April of every year to raise awareness of to support people affected with Parkinson's disease and to educate the community of its causes, symptoms and the medical/surgical treatment methods available. It is …

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SLAF swimmer sets new Asian record swimming across Palk Strait.

Leading Aircraftman Roshan Abeysundara of Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) says that set a new Asian record by swimming 59.3 kilometers across the Palk Strait in just 28 hours, 19 minutes, and 43 seconds. Early morning on Saturday (April 10), Abeysundara kicked off his record-brea…

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India finalizes air bubble pact with Sri Lanka.

India has established a bilateral air bubble arrangement with Sri Lanka for operation of special international passenger flights between the two countries, the Civil Aviation Ministry said on Saturday. With this, India now has such pacts with 28 countries, including Afghanis…

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Mars Helicopter Flight Delayed to no Earlier than April 14.

Based on data from the Ingenuity Mars helicopter that arrived late Friday night, NASA has chosen to reschedule the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter’s first experimental flight to no earlier than April 14. During a high-speed spin test of the rotors on Friday, the command sequence c…

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Jeff Bezos endorsed higher corporate tax rates. But it won't cost him much.

A year ago, Joe Biden, then the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, was picking a fight with Amazon over how little it paid Uncle Sam. Now Biden is president, and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is on a lonely island supporting the White House's plan -- to raise corpora…

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NASA releases stunning photo of beautiful blue dunes on Mars.

The U.S. space agency released a breathtakingly beautiful photo alongside a post titled, "Blue Dunes on the Red Planet." As noted in the post, the dunes surround Mars' northern polar cap and were created by gusts of wind. The image below shows an area (80.3 deg…

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St. Vincent Volcano erupts on Caribbean Island.

The Caribbean island of St Vincent has been blanketed in a layer of ash, bringing major disruption after a volcano erupted on Friday (09). White-coloured dust has covered buildings and roads around the island, including in its capital Kingstown. The La Soufrière volcano was s…

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China fines Alibaba Group $2.8 billion in monopoly probe.

China imposed a fine of 18.2 billion yuan ($2.8 billion) on Alibaba Group after an anti-monopoly probe, part of a regulatory crackdown that has raised concerns about the future of Jack Ma’s tech empire. The penalty is equivalent to 4% of Alibaba’s domestic sales in 2019, Chi…

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Biden proposes $24.7 billion NASA budget in 2022 to support moon exploration and more.

More than two months after taking office, President Joe Biden has offered a first look at his budget priorities, and the signs for NASA are generally promising. The administration today (April 9) unveiled a so-called "skinny budget" for fiscal year 2022, which begi…

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