China to Send 3 Male Astronauts to Its Space Station in June 2021.

A three-man crew of astronauts will blast off in June for a three-month mission on China’s new space station, according to a space official who was the country's first astronaut in orbit. The comments by Yang Liwei, the manned space program’s deputy chief designer, to st…

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Chinese climber becomes 1st blind Asian to scale Mount Everest.

A Chinese climber who became the first blind Asian to scale Mount Everest says he aims to climb the highest peaks on all seven continents and then travel to the North and South Poles. Zhang Hong, 44, is also the third blind climber internationally to reach the world's hi…

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Grammy winning American Singer B. J. Thomas Passes away.

Following a battle with stage-four lung cancer, B.J. Thomas, whose musical career endured for over 50 years, died May 29 at his home in Arlington, Texas. He was 78. Thomas was a chart force beginning in the 1960s. He logged 26 hits, including two No. 1s among five top 10s, o…

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EDB Supports Farmers and Processors to obtain Sri Lanka Organic Certification.

The Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) is implementing an assistance scheme to enable farmers and processors in Sri Lanka to obtain organic certification as per the Sri Lanka Organic Standard – SLS 1324:2018. The certificates will be issued by the certification instit…

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World Bank and European Union Support Sri Lanka’s Agriculture Modernization and Job Creation.

The Ministry of Finance and the World Bank recently signed a new grant from the European Union to support the Agriculture Sector Modernization Project (ASMP). This grant is part of the EU’s EUR 25 million support to the US$ 125 million project and will be administered by th…

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The French to Explore Sri Lankan Markets in Maritime Economy, Renewable Energies and Mineral Resources.

Following the high-level webinar on Maritime Economy organised by the Mouvement Des Entreprises de France (MEDEF), and the International Maritime Task Force together with Sri Lanka Embassy in France in March 2021, a virtual meeting was organized on 21 May 2021 to consider t…

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“Ceylon Cinnamon Tea” launched in Oman coinciding with International Tea Day.

Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Sultanate of Oman Ameer Ajwad launched a new brand “Ceylon Cinnamon Tea” at AI Meera Hypermarket in Muscat, Oman on 21 May 2021 coinciding with the International Tea Day. He also distributed “Ceylon Tea” dyed Face Masks which were recently deb…

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Google Photos ending free storage on June 01.

Google Photos will end its unlimited free storage policy for photos and videos next week. After June 1, any new photos and videos you upload will count toward the free 15GB of storage that comes with every Google account. But don’t worry, any photo or video you’ve uploaded …

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‘Tarzan’ actor Joe Lara among 7 killed in plane crash.

Investigators on Sunday 30 May 2021 continued searching for the bodies of seven people believed killed in the crash a day earlier of a small jet into a Tennessee lake, including an actor who portrayed Tarzan in a 1990s television series. Rutherford County Fire Rescue Capt. J…

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Chelsea beats Manchester City to win Champions League 2020-21.

Chelsea clinched the Champions League title on Saturday 29 May 2021 after beating Manchester City 1-0 in the all-English final. A first-half goal from summer signing Kai Havertz, the most expensive player in Chelsea's history, was enough to earn Thomas Tuchel's side …

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Members appointed to Port City Economic Commission.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa today (May 31) appointed members to the Colombo Port City Economic Commission. President’s Counsel Gamini Marapana has been appointed as the Chairman of the Commission. Remaining members of the Commission are: S. R. Attygalle - Secretary to the Tre…

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US says it will not rejoin Open Skies treaty with Russia.

The United States told Russia on Thursday 27 May 2021 it will not rejoin the Open Skies arms control pact, which allows unarmed surveillance flights over member countries, a US official reportedly said. Citing unnamed US officials, The Associated Press reported that Deputy S…

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Vietnam detects a new UK-Indian coronavirus variant.

Vietnam has detected a Covid variant that appears to be a combination of the Indian and UK variants and can spread quickly by air, officials say. Vietnam's Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long described the latest mutation as "very dangerous". Viruses mutate all th…

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Exercise Steadfast Defender 2021 is underway.

NATO’s largest military exercise since 2018, Exercise Steadfast Defender 2021, has begun with a maritime operation off Portugal, a logistics exercise in southern Germany and a rapid reaction exercise in central Romania. Exercise Steadfast Defender 2021, which is designed to …

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EU approves Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for 12-15 year old.

The EU's medicines agency (EMA) has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for 12-15 year olds, the first jab allowed for this age group in the bloc. Individual member states must now decide if they will offer the vaccine to children.  The US and Canada approved the Pfizer …

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World No Tobacco Day - 31 May.

World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) is observed around the world every year on May 31. It is intended to encourage 24 hours of abstinence from all forms of tobacco consumption around the globe. The day is further expected to draw attention to the widespread prevalence of tobacco us…

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World Parrot Day - 31 May.

Every year on May 31st, World Parrot Day highlights the threat to wild and captive parrots throughout the world. It’s also a day to learn more about this intelligent and magnificent bird. When you picture a parrot, you probably think of a colorful bird that talks or mimics s…

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International Flight Attendant Day - 31 May.

Monday, May 31 is International Flight Attendant Appreciation Day. Just like its name, the International Flight Attendant Day's meaning is as simple as celebrating the spirit and efforts of Flight Attendants. International Flight Attendant Day is celebrated in different …

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Mali court appoints Assimi Goita as interim president.

Mali’s constitutional court has named the colonel who led a military coup this week as the country’s new interim leader. The ruling, issued late on Friday, said Assimi Goita would “lead the transition process to its conclusion” and carry the title of “president of the transi…

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Djokovic Wins 83rd Career Title In Belgrade.

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic captured the 83rd title of his career on Saturday with victory on home soil at the Belgrade Open. The Serbian superstar lost his serve three times in the first set before changing his game to defeat Slovakian qualifier and first-time ATP Tour final…

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Penpa Tsering Sworn-In As President Of Tibetan Government-In-Exile.

Penpa Tsering was sworn-in as president of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), the Dharamshala-based Tibetan government-in-exile on Thursday 27 May 2021.  Penpa Tsering said he will reach out to the Chinese government to find a "mutually beneficial" and non-v…

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Britain's new aircraft carrier joins NATO.

HMS Queen Elizabeth took part in NATO exercises in the Mediterranean this week. HMS Queen Elizabeth will exercise with naval vessels from the United States, Singapore, Japan, and South Korea, along the route. Britain, like China, now has two aircraft carriers, both countries …

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OneWeb launches 36 new LEO satellites.

Bharti Airtel owned satellite communications company OneWeb, confirmed the launch of 36 new Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. The launch is part of OneWeb’s ‘five to 50’ programme, which is meant to bring satellite-based broadband Internet to countries like the UK, Alaska, …

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Galápagos tortoise found alive is from species thought extinct.

Genetic tests have confirmed that a giant tortoise found on the Galápagos Islands is from a species which scientists thought had died out more than a century ago. The single female was discovered during a 2019 expedition to Fernandina Island. To prove the link, scientists too…

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American actor Gavin MacLeod died at age 90.

Gavin MacLeod of 'Love Boat' and 'Mary Tyler Moore' fame dead at 90. Gavin MacLeod, a sitcom veteran who played seaman "Happy" Haines on "McHale's Navy," Murray on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and the very different, vaguely p…

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World Multiple Sclerosis Day - 30 May.

World Multiple Sclerosis Day on May 30th creates an opportunity to boost awareness and connect those with MS to resources and improve support systems. As one of the most common diseases of the central nervous system, Multiple Sclerosis impacts more than 2.3 million people ar…

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UN calls for swift zero carbon recovery action at climate summit.

The United Nations made a call for coordinated action to secure global net-zero emissions and fulfill its goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels by 2050.  The Climate Breakthroughs Summit — a collaboration between the World E…

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Menstrual Hygiene Day - 28 May.

May 28 is observed as Menstrual Hygiene Day across the world. Though it is as normal as any other biological function of a human body, where the lining of the uterus breaks down and leaves the body through the vagina, it is still brushed under the carpet and not discussed o…

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International Everest Day - 29th May.

International Everest Day is being observed on 29th May. Nepalese Tenzing Norgay and New Zealand’s Edmund Hillary had climbed Mt. Everest on this day in 1953, as the first humans to achieve the feat. Nepal decided to observe the day as International Everest Day in 2008 when…

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World Digestive Health Day - 29 May.

Every year, World Digestive Health Day (WDHD) is observed on 29 May. It is organised by the World Gastroenterology Organisation (WGO) in collaboration with the WGO Foundation (WGOF). Each year the day focuses upon a particular digestive disease and/or disorder in order to i…

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