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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Castro era in Cuba to end as Raul confirms his retirement.

Raul Castro confirmed he was handing over the leadership of the Cuban Communist Party to a younger generation at its congress that kicked off on Friday, ending six decades of rule by himself and older brother Fidel. In a speech opening the four-day event, Castro, 89, said th…

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International Bat Appreciation Day - 17 April.

Each year on April 17th, International Bat Appreciation Day reminds us of the roles bats play in our daily lives.  April is also the best time of the year to observe bats, as they are now beginning to emerge from hibernation. The observance is an excellent time to learn abo…

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Turkey has banned the use of cryptocurrencies and Bitcoin.

Turkey’s central bank is banning the use of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin in payments for goods and services, according to a decision published in the country’s Official Gazette. News of the ban wiped over 4 per cent off the value of Bitcoin in morning trading, falling to…

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Wisden Award 2021 announced

To perpetuate the 50th anniversary of the first One-Day International, five ODI cricketers of the decade have been listed in Wisden Almanack’s 2021 edition. One cricketer has been selected from each decade between 1971 and 2021, with the Indian captain been granted the awar…

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Suresh Raina’s memoir ‘Believe’ to release in 2021.

A book titled ‘Believe – What Life and Cricket Taught Me’, the much-awaited Suresh Raina autobiography is set to hit the bookstands in May 2021. The book is Co-authored by Raina and sports author Bharat Sundaresan, the biography will be published by the prestigious publishi…

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NASA to launch SpaceX Crew 2 on April 22.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is set to launch four astronauts to the International Space Station on World Earth Day (April 22). NASA is to launch the mission along with SpaceX. It is the second crewed operational flight of Crew Dragon Spacecraft. The mis…

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Lifetime Achievement Award received by Roberto Benigni.

Director Roberto Benigni will be receiving the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 78th Venice International Film Festival, which runs from September 1 to 11. The organisers confirmed the news about the two-time Oscar-winning actor-director. The filmmaker had starred…

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NASA Awards $. 2.9 billion contract to SpaceX.

The United States space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has picked Elon Musk’s SpaceX for its Artemis programme, to develop the first commercial lander and take the next two US astronauts to the moon. The total value of this contract is $2.89 bil…

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Adobe co-founder and PDF developer Charles Geschke passes away.

Charles Geschke, the co-founder of the software company Adobe who helped develop the Portable Document Format (PDF), has died at the age of 81. Geschke set up Adobe in 1982 with fellow mate John Warnock, giving the world the ubiquitous PDF software, among many other audio-vi…

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World Hemophilia Day - 17 April.

World Hemophilia Day is always observed on April 17. Sometimes it is also called World Bleeding Disorders Awareness Day. The focus of the day is to identify and to reach out to new members of the bleeding disorders community. Hemophilia is a bleeding problem. People with hem…

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World Voice Day - 16 April.

World Voice Day is a global annual event dedicated to recognizing the boundless limits of the human voice. The mission is to share the excitement of the voice phenomenon with people, scientists, and other funding bodies. World Voice Day found its beginnings in 1999 as Brazil…

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