New record!.... 17 people are in Earth orbit at the same time right now.

The total number of people in Earth orbit is now at a record high, though only for a short time. With the launch of China's three-person Shenzhou 16 mission on Monday (May 29) at 9:31 p.m. EDT (0131 GMT or 9:31 a.m. Beijing Time on May 30), the population in orbit grew t…

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SpaceX Dragon capsule carrying private Ax-2 astronauts splashes down off Florida coast.

The four astronauts of the private Ax-2 mission returned to Earth in their SpaceX Dragon capsule late Tuesday night (May 30). That Dragon, named Freedom, undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) earlier in the day at 11:05 a.m. EDT (1505 GMT), ending a 10-day miss…

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107-million-year-old fossil pterosaur bones found at Dinosaur Cove in Australia.

A flying dragon with gigantic wings and fierce teeth is the stuff of myth, yet the prehistoric pterosaur is often compared to one. Now, scientists have confirmed that 107-million-year-old fossils found in Victoria are the oldest remains of pterosaurs that soared across the A…

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Sri Lanka's key inflation rate eases to 25.2% in May.

Sri Lanka's key inflation rate eased to 25.2% in May from 35.3% in April, the statistics department said on Wednesday, reducing some stress on the crisis-hit economy. Soaring inflation has battered the economy for more than a year after a severe foreign exchange crisis s…

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Gazette issued bringing several state institutions under Finance Ministry.

A gazette notification has been issued bringing several state-owned institutions including the Colombo Lotus Tower Management Company, Sri Lanka Cement Corporation, State Engineering Corporation, Sri Lanka Telecom and its subsidiaries and allied institutions under the purvi…

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IPL 2023 final: Chennai Super Kings Beats Gujarat Titians.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) clinched their fifth Indian Premier League (IPL) title, equaling a record with Mumbai Indians. They secured a five-wicket victory over the Gujarat Titans (GT) amidst a backdrop of fireworks and jubilant celebrations. CSK’s captain, Dhoni, received …

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North Korea says spy satellite ‘crashed into sea’.

North Korea’s attempt to launch its first military spy satellite has ended in failure after the rocket “crashed into the sea” and Seoul recovered some of the debris, state media said. The launch, on the first day of a 12-day window it had announced to put the satellite into …

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Japan will try to beam solar power from space by 2025.

Japan and JAXA, the country’s space administration, have spent decades trying to make it possible to beam solar energy from space. In 2015, the nation made a breakthrough when JAXA scientists successfully beamed 1.8 kilowatts of power, enough energy to power an electric ket…

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NASA's James Webb Telescope spots Saturn's moon blasting 'huge plumes' of life-containing water into space.

Scientists are astounded by a 'spray war' unfolding close to Saturn's icy moon Enceladus. The most powerful space telescope in use has once again captured the attention of millions with a ground-breaking discovery. Enceladus, Saturn's ice moon, has been seen …

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The universe began with a Bang, not a Bounce, new studies find.

How did the universe start? Did we begin with a big bang, or was there a bounce? Might the cosmos evolve in a cycle of expansion and collapse, over and over for all eternity? Now, in two papers, researchers have poked holes in different models of a so-called bouncing univer…

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World Vape Day - 30 May.

World Vape Day is an annual event that is celebrated on May 30th. The day is dedicated to raising awareness about the potential benefits of vaping as a harm reduction tool for smokers. Vaping is the act of inhaling an aerosol that is produced by heating a liquid that contai…

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Lula welcomes back banned Venezuelan leader Maduro.

Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro has visited Brazil for the first time since he was banned by former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro in 2019. Mr. Maduro was received by the new president, fellow leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, ahead of a summit of Latin America…

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Fuel subsidy removed in Nigeria.

The new president of Africa's largest democracy, Nigeria, has used his inaugural address to make a major policy announcement to ease pressure on government finances. Bola Tinubu said the decades-long subsidy on petroleum products was being scrapped. He won disputed electi…

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NASA orbiter spots grave of private Japanese lander.

A NASA lunar orbiter has spotted the final resting place of a private Japanese moon lander that failed in its touchdown attempt last month. The Hakuto-R lander, also carrying a small rover for the United Arab Emirates, made its landing attempt on April 25, aiming to set down…

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Bulgarian writer wins International Booker Prize.

Georgi Gospodinov’s Time Shelter, translated by Angela Rodel, has become the first book written in Bulgarian to win the International Booker prize. Chair of judges Leïla Slimani described Time Shelter as “a brilliant novel full of irony and melancholy”. The £50,000 prize, whi…

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International Day of UN Peacekeepers - 29 May.

The  International Day of UN Peacekeepers  is observed annually on  May 29th.  It is a day dedicated to honoring the contributions and sacrifices of United Nations (UN) peacekeepers in maintaining peace and security around the world. The day also serves as a tribute to those wh…

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Magnus Carlsen wins 2023 Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland.

Magnus Carlsen won the 2023 Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland after another incredible performance during the second day of the blitz portion, ending with a score of 24/36 and taking home the $40,000 1st place prize. Placing 2nd was local favorite and defending champion Jan-…

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Cannes Film Festival 2023.

The 2023 Cannes Film Festival has come to a close, with the 76th annual celebration of cinema awarding the coveted Palme d’Or to Justine Triet’s crime drama Anatomy of a Fall. French director Justine Triet became the third female director to win the Cannes Film Festival’s P…

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China plans to land astronauts on moon before 2030.

China plans to complete a mission to land a person on the moon by 2030, a government official announced on Monday, in the highest-level confirmation of China’s ambitions for a crewed lunar landing. Chinese scientists have previously nodded at a 2030 goal in a less formal cap…

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Heat index advisory issued warning of increased temperatures.

The Department of Meteorology has issued a heat index advisory effective for today (May 28), warning the public of increased temperatures. Accordingly, the heat index – the temperature felt on the human body – is expected to rise to the ‘caution’ level at some places in the …

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New supernova thrills astronomers and skywatchers around the world.

Astronomers and amateurs alike are excited about a new star explosion visible in small telescopes. The new supernova popped into visibility on May 19 in the Pinwheel Galaxy, (also designated as Messier 101, or M101). The galaxy  is visible in a small telescope under dark-sky…

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Story of the first successful ascent of ball's pyramid inthe pacific ocean.

Ball’s Pyramid lies about twelve miles southeast of Lord Howe Island in the Pacific Ocean. The formation is a remnant of a shield volcano and caldera that formed about 7 million years ago. Ball’s Pyramid is based on the Lord Howe Rise, part of the submerged continent of Zea…

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Quantum Chemistry happening inside your eyes protects against vision loss.

Every color, every flash, every sunray exacts a toll on the light-sensitive tissues at the back of our eyes, producing toxic materials that risk damaging the very cells that allow us to see. Thankfully, the pigment responsible for darkening our hair, skin, and eyes moonlight…

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The US now has 150 of the TOP500 supercomputers in the world.

The US has edged past China when it comes to being home to the world's fastest supercomputers. The number of machines in the U.S. is now 150, up from 126 last year, while the number of supercomputers from China fell from 162 to 134, Techspot reported. Supercomputers are …

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Space Evidence for ancient river on Mars in new rover images.

Mars used to be warmer and wetter, with a thicker atmosphere. It had lakes, streams and maybe even an ocean at one time, billions of years ago. Orbiting spacecraft show scores of ancient riverbeds, and some of the Mars rovers have found direct evidence for streams and groun…

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Sri Lankan Rupee ends firmer against USD.

The Sri Lankan Rupee further appreciated against the US Dollar today (May 26), according to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL). Accordingly, today’s buying rate is declared at Rs. 295.62, while the selling rate stands at Rs. 308.54.

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Cannabis cultivation project to commence soon.

A pilot project to cultivate cannabis within the Board of Investment (BOI) zone in Katunayake has been approved by an expert committee.  Accordingly, the pilot project to cultivate cannabis within the BOI is expected to start soon, State Minister of Investment Promotion Dilu…

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Iran says it has successfully test-launched ballistic missile.

Iran successfully tested a 2,000 km-range ballistic missile on Thursday, Iranian state media said, two days after the chief of Israel’s armed forces raised the prospect of “action” against Tehran over its nuclear programme. Iran, which has one of the biggest missile programm…

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Sri Lanka to get USD 200,000 prize money from ICC.

Sri Lanka is set to bag USD 200,000 from the International Cricket Council (ICC) for finishing fifth in the ICC World Test Championship 2021 – 2023 cycle. The ICC today (26 May) announced the prize pot for the World Test Championship 2021-23 cycle, with a total purse of USD …

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Yupun finishes second at International Meeting “Citta’ Di Savona”.

Sri Lankan sprinter Yupun Abeykoon has finished in second place in the Men’s 100m Finals at the 12th International Meeting “Citta’ Di Savona” held in Italy.  Abeykoon had placed 2nd with a timing of 10.01 seconds (+2.7), behind Britain’s Reece Prescod who clocked 9.94 second…

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