Thailand bans coral-damaging sunscreens in marine parks.

Thailand has banned sunscreens containing chemicals that damage coral from all of its marine national parks. Concerns are growing that lotions tourists use for sun protection are harming slow-growing corals. The Thai Department of Conservation said four ingredients commonly f…

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Perfectly preserved cave lion cub found in Siberian permafrost.

Scientists have unveiled an extraordinary find — a lion cub found in the Arctic that may be the best preserved Ice Age animal ever found. The female cub, nicknamed Sparta, was found by a local resident named Boris Berezhnev in 2018 along Russia's Semyuelyakh River.  Spart…

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Apple plans to scan US iPhones for child sexual abuse images.

Apple will scan photo libraries stored on iPhones in the US for known images of child sexual abuse, the company says, drawing praise from child protection groups but crossing a line that privacy campaigners warn could have dangerous ramifications. The company will also exam…

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NASA's Curiosity rover has now been exploring Mars for nine years.

The car-sized robot launched in November 2011 and touched down inside Mars' 96-mile-wide (154 kilometers) Gale Crater on the night of Aug. 5, 2012. (The landing occurred on Aug. 6 Eastern time, but it was still Aug. 5 in California, where NASA's Jet Propulsion Labor…

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Fish with 'human' teeth caught in North Carolina, in the United States.

A fish with human-like teeth has been caught in the United States. A photo of the fish was shared on Facebook this week by Jennette's Pier, a fishing destination in Nag's Head, North Carolina. It was identified as a sheepshead fish, which has several rows of molars fo…

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Hiroshima Day - 06th August.

Annually 6th of August marks the anniversary of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima during World War II. The horrific incident took place on August 6, 1945, when the United States dropped an atomic bomb named “Little Boy”, on the town of Hiroshima in Japan. This bomb attack was…

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The highest road in the world at Umlingla Pass in Eastern Ladakh in India.

Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has constructed and black-topped the highest road in the world at Umlingla Pass in Eastern Ladakh. The highest motorable road in the world is situated at an altitude of 19,300 feet. To put things in context, this is higher than the base camps …

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Tigray rebels seize UNESCO site of Lalibela in Ethiopia's Amhara region.

Rebels from Ethiopia's war-hit Tigray region on Thursday seized Lalibela, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the neighbouring Amhara region famed for its 12th-century rock-hewn churches, residents told AFP. The development came as a senior Amhara official told AFP the rebel…

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UN Security Council says it does not support restoration of Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan.

The UN Security Council, currently being presided over by India, has declared that it does “not support the restoration of the Islamic Emirate" in Afghanistan as it expressed deep concern over the high levels of violence in the war-torn country following the Taliban st…

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Facebook Marketplace Comes to Sri Lanka.

Facebook has announced that Facebook Marketplace is now available in Sri Lanka, making it easier for people to discover, buy and sell items from others in their local communities. Jordi Fornies, Director of Emerging Markets, APAC at Facebook said: “We know that people are in…

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India wins bronze in men's hockey, beat Germany 5-4.

Indian men's hockey team defeated Germany to win their first-ever Olympic medal in 41 years. India wins the bronze medal in men's hockey after beating Germany 5-4 at Tokyo Olympics. Before this podium finish for bronze, India last climbed up the Olympic podium in 19…

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World's largest star sapphire cluster found in Sri Lanka.

The world's largest cluster of star sapphires has been unearthed inside a backyard in Sri Lanka. The 510-kilogram specimen was found by workmen digging a well in the gem-rich Ratnapura area. Weighing 2.5 million carats, the gem could be worth $100 million in the internat…

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Indian Olympics contingent to be Guests at Independence Day.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will invite the entire Indian Olympics contingent to the Red Fort as special guests for the Independence Day event on August 15 this year, sources have confirmed. He will also personally meet with the athletes and interact with all of them aroun…

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Fortune Global 500 List for 2021 has released.

The Fortune Global 500 is an annual ranking of the top 500 enterprises globally, as measured by business revenues.  Globally, Walmart has topped the list in terms of revenue for the eighth consecutive year and the 16th time since 1995.  China has dominated this years list for…

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Messi leaves Barcelona after 21 years.

Lionel Messi has left Barcelona after the La Liga club were unable to fulfil a new contract that had been agreed with the player. The Argentina star, who joined the club as a kid in 2000, left on Thursday 05 August 2021. Barcelona announced on its website that the contract ta…

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ASEAN appoints Brunei diplomat Erywan Yusof as envoy to Myanmar.

Foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have appointed Brunei's second minister for foreign affairs, Erywan Yusof, as special envoy to Myanmar, the group said. Erywan has been tasked with ending violence in Myanmar and opening dialogue b…

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Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry to establish regional consular offices in Badulla and Ampara before year end.

Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry plans to establish two more Regional Consular offices in Badulla and Ampara districts before the end of this year, adding to the regional offices already established in Kandy, Trincomalee and Kurunegala districts in the past ten months. The minis…

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Shehroze Kashif becomes the world’s youngest mountaineer to scale the K2 summit.

A young mountaineer who last week scaled the second-highest mountain on earth, says he felt a “sense of achievement” as he stood atop the K2 summit and hoisted the Pakistani flag. Shehroze Kashif, 19, who hails from the eastern city of Lahore in Pakistan, climbed K2 summit a…

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Revolutionary Reprogrammable “Chameleon” Satellite Launched.

A sophisticated telecommunications satellite that can be completely repurposed while in space has launched. Developed under an ESA Partnership Project with satellite operator Eutelsat and prime manufacturer Airbus, Eutelsat Quantum has pioneered a new generation of satellite…

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International Traffic Light Day - 05 August.

Every year on August 5th, International Traffic Light Day highlights the importance of the traffic light. It’s also a day that commemorates the installation of the first traffic signal system. The world’s first electric traffic signal was installed on August 5th, 1914 in Cle…

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Ebrahim Raisi inaugurated as President of Iran.

Ebrahim Raisi, a hardline cleric close to the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has won Iran's presidential election. He will be sworn in on Thursday 05 August 2021 as Iran’s eighth president. Ebrahim Raisi was born in 1960 in Mashhad, Iran's second biggest city…

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Nikol Pashinyan Re-appointed as PM of Armenia.

Nikol Pashinyan has been re-appointed as the prime minister of Armenia by President Armen Sarkissian on August 02, 2021. Pashinyan had been serving as acting Prime Minister until his official appointment on August 02. Pashinyan, the leader of the Civil Contract Party, won th…

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New Zealand apologises for 1970s ‘Dawn Raids’.

Jacinda Ardern, the prime minister of New Zealand, has formally apologised for police crackdowns in the 1970s that targeted the country’s Pacific communities. Ardern on Sunday told a tearful crowd gathered at the Auckland town hall that her government was offering a formal a…

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Mrs World 2021 pageant venue moves from Sri Lanka to Las Vegas.

The venue for the Mrs. World Pageant for the year 2021 has been moved from Sri Lanka to Las Vegas in the United States, the Pageant announced. Accordingly, Mrs. World Pageant 2021 will be held at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino in Las Vegas from January 9 - 16, 20…

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International Clouded Leopard Day - 04 August.

On August 4th, International Clouded Leopard Day raises awareness of the plight of the clouded leopard. Both in the wild and in captivity, the clouded leopard needs our help to maintain its current population levels and to grow. These beautiful and shy species inhabit centra…

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Alexander Zverev wins gold in men's singles tennis at Tokyo Olympics 2020.

Germany’s Alexander Zverev beats Russian Karen Khachanov 6-3 6-1 to win the men’s singles gold at the Tokyo Olympics. He became the first German man to win singles Olympic gold. The 24-year-old, who has yet to win a Grand Slam title, was in stunning form in the 79 minutes ex…

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USA beats Mexico in extra-time to clinch 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup in Football.

In football, the U.S. Men’s National Team defeated Mexico 1-0 in extra time, to be crowned champion of the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup on August 01, 2021. This is the seventh Gold Cup title for the USA. The CONCACAF Gold Cup is the biennial international men’s football championsh…

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Indo-Pacific Business Forum - October 28-29, 2021.

In October 2021, the Governments of the United States of America and the Republic of India will welcome senior government officials, industry executives and other participants to the fourth Indo-Pacific Business Forum. This premier public-private event will be hosted virtua…

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Space station situation with Russian module misfire more serious than stated.

Last week, a Russian module accidentally pushed the International Space Station out of place. Now, a NASA flight director has revealed that the event was more serious than NASA initially reported.  On Thursday (July 29) morning, Russia's long-awaited research module Nauk…

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U.S. imposes fresh sanctions on Cuba.

The United States has imposed fresh sanctions on the Cuban police force and two of its leaders in response to the police’s alleged human rights violations during rare protests on the Island. During a meeting with Cuban-American leaders, U.S. President Joe Biden promised more…

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Myanmar military leader declares himself prime minister.

Myanmar's military leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing declared himself prime minister of the country on Sunday 01 August 2021, saying he planned on being in charge for two years during an extended state of emergency before holding an election in 2023. Min Aung Hlaing'…

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Esteban Ocon wins Hungarian GP 2021.

Esteban Ocon, Alpine-Renault/ France, has won the Hungarian Grand Prix 2021, held on August 01, 2021, at the Hungaroring in Mogyoród, Hungary. This is the maiden F1 race win for Esteban Ocon. Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin-Mercedes/Germany) came second. Lewis Hamilton (Merc…

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World Breastfeeding Week 2021: 01 – 07 August.

The World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) is marked every year in the first week of August, between 1 to 7 August, to raise awareness on the importance of breastfeeding for mothers and infants.  The theme of the World Breastfeeding Week 2021 is “Protect Breastfeeding: A Shared Resp…

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World Lung Cancer Day - 01 August.

World Lung Cancer Day occurs each year on August 1. The day takes the opportunity to bring awareness about lung cancer causes and prevention. According to the American Lung Association, lung cancer is the leading cause of death among cancer patients.  Luckily, when diagnosed…

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Jamaican sprinter Elaine Thompson-Herah breaks Flo-Jo's Olympic record.

Jamaican sprinter Elaine Thompson-Herah broke Florence Griffith Joyner's 33-year-old Olympic record in the women's 100 meters. Thompson-Herah set the new record of 10.61 seconds on Saturday as she took home gold in Tokyo. Griffith Joyner, also known as Flo-Jo, had he…

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Italy's Marcell Jacobs wins men's 100m gold at Tokyo Olympics.

Marcell Jacobs claimed a stunning upset victory in the Olympic 100 metres final on Sunday (Aug. 01), becoming the first Italian to take the most coveted title in athletics and doing it with a huge European record of 9.80 seconds. American Fred Kerley took silver in a persona…

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CCPI based Inflation increased to 5.7 per cent in July 2021.

Headline inflation, as measured by the year-onyear (Y-o-Y) change in the Colombo Consumer Price Index (CCPI, 2013=100)1 , increased to 5.7 per cent in July 2021 from 5.2 per cent in June 2021. This was driven by monthly increases of prices of items in the Non-food category.…

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Isuru Udana announces retirement from international cricket.

Isuru Udana, the Sri Lanka paceman, announced his retirement from international cricket on Saturday, 31 July. The 33-year-old has played 56 matches for Sri Lanka, picking 45 wickets, and was part of the home series against India, in which Sri Lanka secured the T20I series 2-…

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Sri Lanka’s ban on all types of non-degradable lunch sheets from today (August 01) onwards.

Sri Lanka’s ban on all types of non-degradable lunch sheets will be implemented from today (August 01) onwards. The Government of Sri Lanka imposed a ban on the manufacturing, distribution, sale, or use of non-degradable lunch sheets. Previously, a grace period of a month was…

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Global Education Summit in London raises US$4 billion.

The Global Education Summit, co-hosted by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta in London, has raised a record US$4 billion from donors for the Global Partnership for Education (GPE). This fundraising total puts GPE firmly on the path to achievi…

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India takes over UN Security Council presidency for August.

India on Sunday 01 August 202 assumed the presidency of the UN Security Council (UNSC) for the month of August, taking over from France. According to officials, India will organize three high-level meetings focusing on priority areas such as maritime security, peacekeeping, …

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First Muslim Religious Freedom Ambassador USA.

US President Joe Biden has nominated Indian-American attorney Rashad Hussain as the Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, the first Muslim to be nominated to the key position, according to the White House. Hussain, 41, is currently Director for Partnership…

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World Ranger Day - 31 July.

World Ranger Day is observed every year on 31 July to commemorate the Rangers killed or injured while on duty and to celebrate the work that Rangers do to protect the world’s natural and cultural heritage. World Ranger Day offers a chance to support their vital work, which …

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Colosseum and Palazzo Barberini hosted Rome G20 summit.

The first G20 Culture Ministers’ Meeting was held in Rome on 29 and 30 July, in a major two-day event held under the Italian G20 presidency. The meeting began on Thursday (29) evening in the arena of the Colosseum, attended by the culture ministers of 20 of the world's l…

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Central Province governor approves feasibility study for proposed Kandy cable car project.

Central Province (CP) Governor Lalith U Gamage today granted permission to conduct a feasibility study for the proposed cable car project as a suitable solution to reduce traffic congestion and pollution in Kandy city. The decision was taken following a discussion held at th…

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Ecuadorian Court Revokes Citizenship for the founder of Wikileaks.

Ecuador has revoked the citizenship of Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks who is currently in a British prison. Ecuador’s justice system formally notified the Australian of the nullity of his naturalization in a letter that came in response to a claim filed by the Sout…

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