A New Super-Earth detected orbiting a red dwarf star.

In recent years there has been an exhaustive study of red dwarf stars to find exoplanets in orbit around them.  These stars have effective surface temperatures between 2400 and 3700 K (over 2000 degrees cooler than the Sun), and masses between 0.08 and 0.45 solar masses.  In …

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U.S. will boost ‘Do Not Travel’ advisories to 80% of world.

The U.S. State Department said it will boost its “Do Not Travel” guidance to about 80% of countries worldwide, citing “unprecedented risk to travelers” from the current pandemic. The State Department already listed 34 out of about 200 countries as "Level 4: Do Not Trave…

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India added to coronavirus ‘red list’ for travel.

India has been added to a “red list” of countries from which most travel to the UK is banned, over fears of a new Covid variant, the health secretary has said. From 04:00 BST on Friday 23 April, most people who have traveled from India in the last 10 days will be refused ent…

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Bank of England to consider digital money plan.

The Bank of England and the Treasury have announced they are setting up a taskforce to explore the possibility of a central bank digital currency. The aim is to look at the risks and opportunities involved in creating a new kind of digital money. Issued by the Bank for use by…

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Syria to hold presidential election in May.

Syria is to hold a presidential election next month, the country's parliament says - a move likely to maintain President Bashar al-Assad's grip on power. Mr Assad is not expected to face serious opposition despite continuing conflict and a growing economic crisis. Aft…

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Brazil 'needs $10bn to reach zero emissions'.

Brazil's environment minister says the country needs $10bn (£7.2bn) a year in foreign aid in order to reach zero emissions by 2050. The move would mean that Brazil could achieve the symbolic figure 10 years earlier than currently planned. It comes ahead of US President Jo…

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Facebook creates Clubhouse clone Live Audio Rooms.

Facebook has announced it will roll out a series of audio features in the next few months. This includes Live Audio Rooms, its version of the popular app Clubhouse that allows people to listen and participate in live conversations. Audio-only networks have become increasingly…

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Cuba leadership: Díaz-Canel named Communist Party chief.

Cuba's Communist Party has announced Miguel Díaz-Canel will succeed Raúl Castro as the party's first secretary. Mr Díaz-Canel, who in 2018 succeeded Mr Castro as Cuba's president, had been widely tipped for the arguably more influential post of party leader. The t…

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UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson cancels India trip.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has cancelled his delayed trip to India scheduled to take place last week of April 2021, as coronavirus cases continue to surge in India. Instead, Prime Ministers Modi and Johnson will speak later this month at a virtual meeting to agree …

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Former U.S. Vice President Walter Mondale dies.

Walter Mondale, a leading liberal Democratic voice of the late 20th century who was U.S. vice president under Jimmy Carter and lost in a landslide to Ronald Reagan in the 1984 presidential election, died  at age 93. Mondale, the first major U.S. party presidential nominee to…

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List of banned sports stimulants to be tabled in Parliament.

The official text of the prohibited list, including banned stimulants, introduced by the World Anti-Doping Agency in 2021 for various sports is scheduled to be presented to Parliament for its approval on April 21, states Youth and Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa. The Ministe…

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France drafts 'ecocide' bill to punish acts of environmental damage.

The French National Assembly approved the creation of an "ecocide" offence as part of a battery of measures aimed at protecting the environment a nd tackling climate change. The ecocide measure was passed by 44 votes to 10 in France's lower house of parliament …

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Dilanka Isuru Kumara bags Silver and Bronze at Asian Weightlifting Championships.

Sri Lanka’s Dilanka Isuru Kumara has bagged two medals at the Asian Weightlifting Championships 2021 currently being held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. During the event, Kumara managed to snatch the Bronze medal for the Men’s 55kg Overall category. He also secured the Silver medal…

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Chinese Language Day - 20 April.

Through the development of language, the human race made advancements in culture and civilization. On April 20, explore the progress the written and spoken word has made through the observance of Chinese Language Day. Language plays a dynamic role in our culture, history and…

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High Tea, Afternoon Tea, Elevenses: English Tea Times for Dummies - English for Me.

On April 21st, the United Kingdom celebrates National Tea Day, their drink of choice for the past two centuries. National Tea Day is the time Britain takes to celebrate its longstanding relationship with the steeped drink. Their love for tea is so deep that collectively they…

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NASA successfully flies the first-ever helicopter on Mars.

NASA’s miniature robot helicopter Ingenuity performed a successful takeoff and landing on Mars early on Monday 19 April 2021, achieving the first powered, controlled flight by an aircraft over the surface of another planet, the U.S. space agency said. The twin-rotor whirligi…

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Dilhara Lokuhettige banned for 8 years for breaching ICC’s anti-corruption code.

Former Sri Lanka player Dilhara Lokuhettige has been banned from all cricket for eight years after an ICC Anti-Corruption Tribunal found him guilty of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code. The ban for Mr Lokuhettige is backdated to 3 April 2019, when he was provisionally s…

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Introduction of a Regulatory Framework to Facilitate Foreign Currency Borrowings by Licensed Finance Companies.

The Monetary Board of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) issued directions on foreign currency borrowings by Licensed Finance Companies (LFCs) on 9th April 2021 with a view to provide flexibility for LFCs to obtain low-cost funding from foreign sources to support their bu…

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Cardinal requests to observe 2-minute silence on April 21.

His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, Archbishop of Colombo, today requested the public to observe two minutes’ silence at 8.45 a.m. on April 21 as a mark of respect for the victims of the Easter Sunday bombings.  Sri Lanka on Wednesday 21 April 2021 marks two years since t…

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Actress Helen McCrory dies at age 52.

Actress Helen McCrory, known for her roles in Peaky Blinders and three Harry Potter films, has died of cancer at the age of 52, her husband, the actor Damian Lewis, announced. Read Full News

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Max Verstappen Wins Emilia Romagna F1 Grand Prix 2021.

Max Verstappen (Red Bull – Netherlands) won the Emilia Romagna F1 Grand Prix 2021, in Imola, Italy. This win is his first victory of the season. The race was the second round of the 2021 Formula One World Championship. The seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton (Merc…

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Mirabai Chanu creates a new Clean and Jerk world record.

Indian weightlifting ace Mirabai Chanu set a new clean and jerk world record en route to a bronze medal finish at the Asian Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The 26-year-old Indian competing in the women’s 49kg category lifted a total of 205kgs (snatch 86k…

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Prince Philip’s car is now a Sri Lankan royal artifact.

The Duke of Edinburgh was a car aficionado who bought the 1935 Standard Nine for 12 pounds when he was based in Colombo. An almost 90-year-old car that once belonged to Britain’s late Prince Philip is now the centrepiece of a seaside museum in Sri Lanka. The Duke of Edinburgh…

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World Liver Day - 19 April.

World liver day is observed on April 19 every year, to spread awareness about the liver-related disease. The liver is the second largest and the most complex organ in the body, except the brain.  It is a key player in your body’s digestive system. Everything you eat or drink…

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Central Bank reduces percentage of mandatory conversion requirement of Export Proceeds into Sri Lankan Rupee.

The Monetary Board, having considered the requests made by exporters of goods, has amended the Rule No. 2 of 2021 as published in the Gazette Extraordinary No. 2218/38 dated 09.03.2021 to reflect the following. (a) To reduce the percentage of mandatory conversion requirement…

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Gazette issued banning 11 extremist organisations.

An extraordinary gazette notification has been issued banning 11 extremist organisations in Sri Lanka, including the Islamic State (ISIS) and Al Qaeda. The 11 groups banned are: 1. United Thawheed (Thowheedh) Jamma’ath (UTJ) 2. Ceylon Thawheed (Thowheedh) Jamma’ath (CTJ) 3. Sri…

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Railway introduces hotline to obtain information.

Sri Lanka Railways has introduced a new hotline 1971 for train passengers to lodge complaints or inquiries in case of an emergency and to obtain any other information related to trains, Railways Department said. Issuing a statement, the Railway Department said that this hotl…

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Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have Launched Construction of Central Asia International Centre for Trade and Economic Cooperation.

Kazakh Prime Minister Askar Mamin and Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov launched the construction of the Central Asia International Center for Trade and Economic Cooperation located at the Kazakh-Uzbek border, according to the Kazakh Prime Minister’s press service. The cen…

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Veteran Tamil actor and comedian Vivek passes away.

Renowned Tamil actor and comedian Vivek has passed away. He was launched by legendary filmmaker K Balachander in the late 1980s. He went on to become one of the most sought after comedy actors of Tamil cinema in the 1990s and retained a stronghold in the industry. The actor …

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The International Day for Monuments and Sites (World Heritage Day) - 18 April.

The International Day for Monuments and Sites (World Heritage Day) is held on April 18 each year around the world. The aim is to promote awareness about the diversity of cultural heritage, the vulnerability of sites and monuments, and the efforts required for their protecti…

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