Millions of Aussies might be dropping their private health insurance this year as premiums skyrocket, with a new price hike set to hit on April 1. According to new research, premiums are going up by 3.73%, the biggest increase in seven years, and many Australians are feeling the pinch. Comparison site Finder predicts a mass exodus of policyholders, with a survey of 1012 people showing that 16%—which works out to about 3.3 million Australians—are planning to ditch their insurance in 2025 in search of a better deal. Only 41% of respondents said they’ll stick with their current insurer, and nearly a quarter said they don’t have private health insurance at all. The upcoming hike means the average health policy for a single person will jump by $72 a year to around $1848. Finder's health insurance expert, Tim Bennett, said, “Australians are abandoning their health insurance in large numbers as they grapple with the mounting pressures of rising living costs.” Instead of cancelling outright, Bennett suggested looking into options like reducing coverage, modifying extras, or comparing plans to find something more affordable. Young Australians, particularly those aged 18 to 35 (Gen Z and Millennials), are most likely to drop their coverage. With the price rise just around the corner, Bennett recommends shopping around for other options to avoid getting stung by the higher premiums. “Dropping private health insurance may save money in the short term, but it risks significant out-of-pocket costs, longer waiting times, and limited access to essential services,” he warned. While the average increase is 3.73%, not all insurers are raising prices by the same amount. Some are hitting customers with much higher hikes, while others have kept increases lower—or aren’t raising prices at all. It’s a good idea to check how much your insurer is planning to bump up premiums so you can make an informed choice. Thinking about switching or adjusting your plan? Now’s the time to do it.

කර්මාන්ත පාර්ශවකරුවන්ගේ අඛණ්ඩ විරෝධතා නොතකා ඉන්ධන බෙදාහරින්නන්ට ගෙවන අතිරේක කොමිස් මුදල ඉවත් කිරීම සම්බන්ධයෙන් රජය සිය ස්ථාවරය යලි තහවුරු කර ඇත. රජයේ ප්‍රකාශක අමාත්‍ය නලින්ද ජයතිස්ස ප්‍රකාශ කළේ අධික ලෙස ගෙවීම් ඉවත් කිරීමේ අරමුණින් ගෙන ඇති තීරණය ආපසු හැරවීමක් සිදු නොවන බවයි. හිඟය සමනය කිරීම සඳහා ඊයේ දිනයේ ඉන්ධන සැපයුම දෙගුණ කළ බව ලංකා ඛනිජ තෙල් නීතිගත සංස්ථාව (CPC) තහවුරු කිරීමත් සමඟ රට පුරා ඉන්ධන බෙදා හැරීමේ තත්ත්වය සාමාන්‍ය තත්ත්වයට පත්ව තිබේ. ඛනිජ තෙල් නීතිගත සංස්ථාවේ සභාපති ජනක රාජකරුණා මහතා ඉන්ධන හිඟයක් ඇතිවීමේ අවදානමක් නොමැති බවට සහතික වූ අතර කලබලයෙන් මිලදී ගැනීමෙන් වළකින ලෙස ජනතාවගෙන් ඉල්ලා සිටියේය. කෙසේ වෙතත්, රජය සිය තීරණය යළි සලකා නොබලන්නේ නම් සිදුවිය හැකි මෙහෙයුම් වෙනස්කම් පිළිබඳව ඛනිජ තෙල් බෙදාහරින්නන්ගේ සංගමය අනතුරු අඟවා තිබේ. බෙදාහරින්නන් විසින් බැංකු සහ ක්‍රෙඩිට් කාඩ් ගෙවීම් භාර ගැනීම නැවැත්වීමට, කාර්ය මණ්ඩලය අඩු කිරීමට සහ වියදම් කපා හැරීම සඳහා ඉන්ධන පිරවුම්හල් කලින් වසා දැමීමට ඉඩ ඇති බව සංගමය ප්‍රකාශ කළේය. ගැටලුව සම්බන්ධයෙන් තවදුරටත් සාකච්ඡා කිරීම සඳහා ඛනිජ තෙල් නීතිගත සංස්ථාවේ සභාපතිවරයා සමඟ තීරණාත්මක සාකච්ඡාවක් අඟහරුවාදා පැවැත්වීමට නියමිතය. ඛනිජ තෙල් නීතිගත සංස්ථාව (CPC) විසින් ඉන්ධන මිල සූත්‍රය සංශෝධනය කිරීමෙන් පසු මෙම ආරවුල ඇති වූ අතර, බෙදාහරින්නන් සඳහා වන කොමිස් මුදල 3% සිට ආසන්න වශයෙන් 1.7% දක්වා අඩු කළේය. බෙදාහරින්නන් කියා සිටින්නේ මෙම පියවර ඔවුන්ගේ ලාභය 43%කට වඩා අඩු කර ඇති අතර එමඟින් මෙහෙයුම් තිරසාර නොවන බවයි. විරෝධතාවක් ලෙස, ඉන්ධන පිරවුම්හල් හිමියන් 500 කට ආසන්න පිරිසක් රජයේ ආයතනවලට ණය විකිණීම අත්හිටුවා ඇති අතර, නැවුම් ඉන්ධන ඇණවුම් ද නවතා දැමූ අතර, සති අන්තයේ ඉන්ධන පිරවුම්හල්වල දිගු පෝලිම් ඇති විය. මෙම ප්‍රකාශයන් නොතකා, ඛනිජ තෙල් නීතිගත සංස්ථාවේ (CPC) සභාපති රාජකරුණා උත්සුකයන් ප්‍රතික්ෂේප කරමින් කියා සිටියේ සංශෝධිත සූත්‍රය තවමත් බෙදාහරින්නන්ට සාධාරණ ලාභයක් ලබා ගැනීමට ඉඩ සලසන බවයි. පුද්ගලික බෙදාහරින්නන් සඳහා කොමිස් සහනාධාර ලබා දෙනවාට වඩා මහජනතාවට ඉන්ධන දැරිය හැකි මිලකට ලබාදීමට රජය කැපවී සිටින බවද ඔහු පැවසීය.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred  is stirring up some wild conditions along the south-east Queensland coast, with waves over seven meters high  recorded today. Ocean buoys at the University of Sydney’s One Tree Island Research Station  picked up the massive swells as Alfred edges closer to the coastline. The crazy surf and strong winds are already causing havoc. Boats around Bribie Island  have been dragged to the rocky shores, and there's concern that ferry terminals—like the crucial one at Stradbroke —might shut down. This could cut off supplies to the islands off Brisbane's coast. Alfred strengthened to a category two storm  this morning and is currently sitting about 465 km north-east of Brisbane . According to Steven Bernasconi  from the Bureau of Meteorology , the cyclone is expected to swing back towards the coast by mid-week and might make landfall on Thursday or Friday . If it hits a populated area of South East Queensland, it would be the first cyclone to do so in 50 years ! The warning zone stretches from Gympie  to the Gold Coast , and while its exact path is still a bit uncertain, it's currently lined up with Brisbane . As Alfred moves closer, its direction will become clearer. Authorities are urging residents in south-east Queensland  and north-east New South Wales  to take today to prep for gale-force winds, heavy rain, flooding, and hazardous surf . There are sandbagging stations  set up, and the advice is to secure your homes—clean gutters, tie down loose items, and stock up on food, water, and batteries. New South Wales residents should download the Hazards Near Me app  to stay updated. Right now, Alfred's packing 95 km/h winds  at its center, with gusts reaching up to 130 km/h . Marine wind warnings  are active from K'gari  down to north-east New South Wales , and the surf is already taking a toll on beaches, causing erosion. Flood-Weary Northern NSW on High Alert Heavy rain is expected from late Wednesday into the weekend, with 100 to 300 mm  forecasted for Northern NSW  on Thursday and Friday. River catchments from the Tweed and Rous rivers  to the Camden Haven  near Port Macquarie  are under flood watch , with moderate to major flooding  possible. The already wet ground and high tides aren’t helping the situation. Beaches and Coastal Areas Feeling the Impact Many beaches from Agnes Water  in Gladstone  to Currumbin  on the Gold Coast  were closed over the weekend. The biggest wave recorded hit 16.9 meters  off the Fraser Coast , with several others above 10 meters . On K'Gari , residents are facing gale-force winds , and campers have been told to head back to the mainland to avoid getting caught out by Alfred. One resident, Kev Hockey , said, “We haven’t really experienced these sort of conditions, certainly not in our adult life.” There are real concerns for homes around Pumicestone Passage , especially in Golden Beach , where the ocean is pushing through a fragile sandbar  on Bribie Island . Meanwhile, the Navy  is trying to reach a Lithuanian rower  who got caught up in the storm while attempting a solo trip from San Diego to Brisbane  since August . Queensland Premier David Crisafulli  is asking everyone to stay prepared. He said, “I know this is not a frequent occurrence and there may be Queenslanders who can be forgiven for thinking this is something that doesn’t occur... but history shows that it does.” His message is clear: “Just be prepared, listen to the warnings, and do what you can to get ready.”

Politicians in Australia have been responding today to US President Donald Trump's apparent confusion over the AUKUS agreement. Trump, during a visit from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the White House, was asked by a reporter about discussions surrounding AUKUS—an agreement where Australia will acquire nuclear-powered submarines. His response? "What does that mean?" After the journalist explained the defense deal between the three nations, Trump quickly pivoted, saying, "we've had a very good relationship with Australia." The AUKUS alliance, which is a $368 billion deal for Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines by the 2030s, has been under the microscope since Trump took office last month. But Australian politicians, both from the government and opposition, weren’t too concerned about Trump’s slip-up. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton weighed in, suggesting that Trump probably got confused by acronyms. "Not everyone, you know, gets the acronyms, but there’s no doubt in my mind that the president strongly supports the alliance between our three countries and AUKUS," Dutton said. "He’s stated his support before, and the submarine deal we negotiated when I was defense minister is key to Australia’s national security for the next century." Senior government frontbencher Murray Watt also shrugged off Trump’s moment of forgetfulness. "Obviously, President Trump has a lot on his plate. But he quickly made the point about the strength of the relationship between Australia and the US," Watt explained. "We’ve already heard from the US Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense about Trump’s support for AUKUS, so that’s what really matters." Meanwhile, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, when asked about the incident, played it cool. "I think we’re going to limit the questions to Americans who he can understand," Bessent joked. Earlier this month, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also weighed in, reassuring everyone that Trump knows about AUKUS. He made those comments as Australia made a $500 million payment to the US as part of the deal. Some American politicians, like Congressman Joe Courtney, weren’t as forgiving. Courtney, a Democrat from Connecticut where US Navy submarines are built, pointed out the importance of AUKUS for American jobs. "POTUS, talk to your Secretary of Defense who just received a $500M check from Australia as part of the AUKUS agreement. It’s a great deal for America," Courtney said on X (formerly Twitter). The AUKUS pact, signed under President Joe Biden, was aimed at countering China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region. Under the deal, Australia will purchase three Virginia-class submarines from the US and work with Britain to build five new AUKUS-class submarines. But there have been concerns about whether the US can meet its own needs for nuclear-powered submarines while fulfilling its commitment to Australia. 4o mini

අද (28) ඌව පළාතේ සහ මඩකලපුව, අම්පාර, මාතලේ, නුවරඑළිය සහ පොළොන්නරුව දිස්ත්‍රික්කවල ඇතැම් ස්ථානවලට මිලිමීටර් 100 ඉක්මවූ තද වැසි අපේක්ෂා කළ හැකි බව කාලගුණ විද්‍යා දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව පවසයි. මේ අතර, උතුරු, උතුරු-මැද, නැගෙනහිර, දකුණු සහ ඌව පළාත්වලත් මාතලේ සහ නුවරඑළිය දිස්ත්‍රික්කවලත් විටින් විට වැසි හෝ ගිගුරුම් සහිත වැසි ඇති වේ. අපරභාගයේදී හෝ රාත්‍රී කාලයේදී සෙසු ප්‍රදේශවල තැනින් තැන වැසි හෝ ගිගුරුම් සහිත වැසි ඇති විය හැකි බවද එහි වැඩිදුරටත් සඳහන් වේ. බස්නාහිර සහ සබරගමුව පළාත්වලත් ගාල්ල සහ මාතර දිස්ත්‍රික්කවලත් ඇතැම් ස්ථානවලට මිලිමීටර් 75ට වැඩි තරමක තද වැසි අපේක්ෂා කළ හැකි බව කාලගුණ විද්‍යා දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව වැඩිදුරටත් සඳහන් කළේ. උතුරු, උතුරු-මැද, නැගෙනහිර සහ වයඹ පළාත්වලත් මාතලේ, නුවරඑළිය සහ හම්බන්තොට දිස්ත්‍රික්කවලත් විටින් විට පැයට කිලෝමීටර් 30-40 දක්වා තරමක් තද සුළං බලාපොරොත්තු විය හැකි බව කාලගුණ විද්‍යා දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව සඳහන් කළේය. එබැවින් ගිගුරුම් සහිත වැසි ඇති වන විට එම ප්‍රදේශවල තාවකාලික තද සුළං සහ අකුණු මඟින් සිදුවන අනතුරු අවම කර ගැනීමට අවශ්‍ය පියවර ගන්නා ලෙස සාමාන්‍ය ජනතාවගෙන් කාරුණිකව ඉල්ලා සිටියි.

China doesn’t even need to think  about apologizing for how it handled notifications about its live-fire naval drills off the Australian coast, according to its ambassador, Xiao Qian. Speaking to the ABC, Xiao downplayed concerns about the exercises, saying they posed "no threat" to Australia and were just standard practice for navies worldwide. He insisted China had followed normal international protocols when notifying other countries—despite the fact that Australian authorities only found out about the drills after  they’d already started, thanks to a passing Virgin Airlines pilot. “There should be no over-reading into this,” Xiao said, emphasizing that China and Australia are “comprehensive strategic partners.” A statement from the Chinese embassy reinforced that point, saying: "The term ‘partner’ indicates that the two countries are friends, not foes or rivals... There is no need for Australia to feel concerned about the actions of the Chinese fleet." But Australian defense officials told Senate estimates this week that the first warning they got came from a civilian pilot flying near the Chinese ships. The pilot heard a broadcast from the vessels themselves, warning they were conducting live-fire drills. That message was passed back to Australian authorities before a New Zealand navy ship—shadowing the Chinese flotilla—sent a similar notice. Once officials got word, commercial flights in the area had to be rerouted mid-flight. On Friday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed that the Chinese vessels had moved further south, near the border of Australia’s exclusive economic zone. He reassured the public that the fleet was being closely monitored, with the Australian frigate HMAS Stuart  and New Zealand’s HMNZS Te Kaha  keeping an eye on them. Albanese said that while China was acting within international law, his government made it clear that more notice should have been given. “We’ve made it very clear that we expect more notice to have been given and we have protested,” he said. But Xiao dismissed that concern, arguing China gave appropriate notice based on the size and scope of the drills. “Different countries have different practices,” he said. “My view is that the Chinese naval certification advice was appropriate.” He also pointed out that international law doesn’t specify exactly when or how advance warnings should be given for naval exercises. “I don’t see there’s any reason why the Chinese side should feel sorry about that, or even think about apologizing,” he added. Confusion in the Skies Newly uncovered communications between air traffic controllers and pilots reveal there was significant confusion when the drills began. On Friday morning, Australian air traffic control sent hazard alerts to nearby aircraft, including a Singapore Airlines flight and an Air New Zealand flight. Around midday, Air New Zealand pilots radioed ground control, saying, “Hi, lots of chatter on 121.5 including Chinese navy.” Later, an airline dispatcher sent another message: "Unannounced live firing in Tasman to the north of you by Chinese military... Below is all we know." Normally, military drills and airspace hazards are communicated to pilots through official Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) at least 24 hours in advance. But when two American Airlines flights approached Sydney and Brisbane early Saturday morning, an airline dispatcher confirmed: “We don’t have a NOTAM in effect for the Chinese exercise.” What Happens Next? Both Australia and China have acknowledged that the drills were conducted in international waters and within the boundaries of international law. The Chinese flotilla—made up of the Hengyang  frigate, the Zunyi  cruiser, and the Weishanhu  replenishment vessel—sailed from Australia’s north down the east coast, reportedly getting as close as 150 nautical miles from Sydney before heading into the Tasman Sea for live-fire drills. Defense officials have even suggested a nuclear submarine may have been accompanying the surface ships, though that hasn’t been confirmed. Australia’s Defense Minister Richard Marles urged calm, pointing out that China isn’t the only country conducting military operations near foreign waters. “It’s really important that we take a deep breath here,” he said, adding that Australian naval ships operate near China’s waters more frequently than Chinese ships operate near Australia. Meanwhile, Xiao rejected any connection between these naval exercises and a recent air incident over the South China Sea. Earlier this month, an Australian P-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft encountered a Chinese J-16 fighter jet, which released flares dangerously close to it. Australia called the maneuver “unsafe and unprofessional,” but China has blamed Australia for the incident, claiming the Australian plane was violating Chinese airspace. Despite all the diplomatic tension, China is standing firm: It sees no reason to apologize for the naval drills—and it doesn’t plan to anytime soon.

ජනාධිපති අනුර කුමාර දිසානායක මැතිතුමා සහ ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ජපාන තානාපති H. E. Akio ISOMATA මහතා ජනාධිපති කාර්යාලයේදී හමුවිය. මෙම හමුවේදී ජපානයේ සංචාරයක නිරත වන ලෙස තානාපතිවරයා ජනාධිපති දිසානායකට නිල වශයෙන් ආරාධනා කළ අතර නව රජයේ ප්‍රතිපත්ති රාමුව පිළිබඳව සිය ප්‍රසාදය පළ කළේය. ජපාන රජය විසින් පසුගියදා දියත් කරන ලද ආරක්ෂක සහයෝගීතා සහය වැඩසටහනට ශ්‍රී ලංකාව ඇතුළත් කර ගැනීමට උත්සාහ දරා ඇති බව ජපාන තානාපතිවරයා ප්‍රකාශ කළේය. තිස් වසරක ගැටුමෙන් පීඩාවට පත් උතුරු ප්‍රජාවන් අතර ජාතික සංහිඳියාව ඇති කිරීම අරමුණු කරගත් ජපාන-ස්විට්සර්ලන්ත-දකුණු අප්‍රිකා ඒකාබද්ධ වැඩසටහනේ අඛණ්ඩ සහ අනාගත මුලපිරීම් පිළිබඳව පුළුල් සාකච්ඡා පැවැත්විණි. මීට අමතරව, ඔවුන් ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ජපන් ආයෝජනවල වත්මන් තත්ත්වය සමාලෝචනය කළහ. තවද, ඩිජිටල් ආර්ථික සහ ගුවන් තොටුපළ ආයෝජනවල වත්මන් තත්ත්වය සහ ප්‍රගතිය පිළිබඳව සාකච්ඡා කෙරිණි. ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ඩිජිටල් පරිවර්තන වැඩසටහනට සහය දැක්වීම සඳහා ජපානයේ කැපවීම ද තානාපතිවරයා යළි තහවුරු කළ අතර, ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ වරාය සහ ගුවන් සේවා ආශ්‍රිත ව්‍යාපෘති සඳහා ආයෝජනය කිරීමට ජපාන රජයේ අභිප්‍රාය මෙන්ම ඩිජිටල්කරණ මුලපිරීම් ද අවධාරණය කළේය. මෙම සාකච්ඡාවට ජනාධිපතිගේ ආර්ථික හා මූල්‍ය කටයුතු පිළිබඳ උපදේශක ආචාර්ය දුමින්ද හුලංගමුව, ජනාධිපති ජ්‍යෙෂ්ඨ අතිරේක ලේකම් රොෂාන් ගමගේ, පළමු ලේකම් සහ ආර්ථික හා සංවර්ධන සහයෝගිතා අංශයේ ප්‍රධානී OHASHI Kenji සහ පළමු ලේකම් සහ දේශපාලන අංශයේ ප්‍රධානී MURATA Shinichi යන මහත්ම මහත්මීහු සහභාගි වූහ.

A new study from three Australian universities has found that influencers on TikTok and Instagram are spreading a lot of misleading information about popular medical tests. Researchers from the University of Sydney, University of Wollongong, and Bond University analyzed nearly 1,000 social media posts from accounts with a combined 194 million followers. Their findings? A staggering 87% of posts highlighted the benefits of these tests—like full-body MRIs, multicancer screenings, and hormone level checks—but barely 15% mentioned any potential downsides. Worse, only 6% backed up their claims with actual scientific evidence, and even fewer warned about the risks of overdiagnosis or overtreatment. Dr. Brooke Nickel from the University of Sydney explained the issue: “These tests are being promoted as a way to take control of your health, but the reality is, for most people, they’re unnecessary. In some cases, the science behind them is pretty shaky.” One major example is the antimullerian hormone (AMH) test, often marketed as an "egg timer test" to measure fertility. While influencers push it as a must-have for women, experts say it’s not actually a reliable indicator. The concern? A low result might send women into unnecessary and expensive fertility treatments without real cause. The study also found that over half of the posts encouraged followers to get these tests, and nearly 70% of the influencers had a financial interest in promoting them. That’s a huge red flag. Dr. Ray Moynihan from Bond University didn’t hold back, calling social media an “open sewer of medical misinformation.” He warned that this trend fuels overdiagnosis and puts unnecessary strain on healthcare systems. The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) President, Dr. Michael Wright, urged people to be skeptical about health advice they see on social media. “Please apply a critical lens,” he said. “Better yet, talk to your GP—someone who actually knows your medical history—rather than relying on influencers.” In response, TikTok and Instagram claim they’re working to tackle misinformation. TikTok says it doesn’t allow harmful health misinformation and encourages users to report misleading content. Meta, which owns Instagram, says it removes false content, reduces the reach of flagged posts, and adds warning labels. Still, with so much unreliable advice floating around, experts are reminding everyone to be cautious. When it comes to your health, it’s always better to rely on real medical professionals instead of social media trends.

කොළඹ දිස්ත්‍රික්කය සඳහා වන ඉඩම් තක්සේරු දර්ශකය (LVI) 2024 දෙවන භාගයේදී 236.8ක් වාර්තා කර ඇති අතර, එය වසරින් වසර සියයට 7.7ක වැඩිවීමකි. ඉඩම් තක්සේරු දර්ශකයහි (LVI) සියලුම උප දර්ශක, එනම්, නේවාසික, වාණිජ සහ කාර්මික (LVIs), පිළිවෙලින් සියයට 9.9, 9.4 සහ 3.9 හි වාර්ෂික වර්ධනයන් වාර්තා කරමින්, මෙම වැඩිවීමට දායක විය. අර්ධ වාර්ෂික පදනමින්, ඉඩම් තක්සේරු දර්ශකය (LVI) සහ එහි උප දර්ශකය 2024 පළමු භාගයේ වාර්තා වූ අගයන්ට සාපේක්ෂව 2024 දෙවන භාගය තුළ මන්දගාමී වේගයකින් වැඩි විය.

Good news for Queensland— Tropical Cyclone Alfred is now unlikely to make landfall , though it’s still churning over the Coral Sea and will stick around into next week. The storm briefly intensified to a category 4 overnight , but has since dropped back to a category 3 , according to the Bureau of Meteorology’s senior meteorologist, Jonathan How. "At this stage, landfall is looking less likely,"  How said. Alfred is currently moving toward the Queensland coast  but is expected to turn back on Sunday , shifting southward  instead. By tomorrow, it’s forecast to weaken further to a category 2 storm . Dangerous Conditions Along the Coast Even though Alfred might not hit the coast directly, it’s still whipping up dangerous conditions  from Townsville to K’gari , with the effects spreading to the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast  by the weekend. ⚠️ What to expect: Huge waves  up to 2.5 metres Swell readings  of 3 metres Gale-force winds  across the Great Barrier Reef Cyclone centre winds of 155 km/h , with gusts up to 220 km/h How is warning that swimming, boating, and rock fishing  are not safe  under these conditions. Alfred is currently sitting 750km east-north-east of July , and while it’s expected to hold at category 2 strength into next week , there are still several possible paths it could take beyond the weekend . For now, stay alert, avoid risky coastal activities, and keep an eye on updates  as the cyclone continues its journey.

Australians are in for a cosmic treat as the night sky puts on a breathtaking show—a "planet parade" ! For the next few weeks, you’ll be able to spot seven planets  from our solar system aligning in the sky, creating a rare and spectacular sight. According to Dr. Rebecca Allen from Swinburne’s Space Technology and Industry Institute, four planets— Mars, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn —have already been visible to the naked eye since January. But that’s not all. “With a good telescope, you could also spot Neptune and Uranus , making this an incredible time for stargazing,” And it’s not just Aussies who get to enjoy this cosmic lineup— most of the world  will be able to witness the six-planet parade until early March. “This type of alignment happens every year, but having six or seven planets visible at the same time  is much rarer,” Dr. Allen explained. Why? Because each planet moves at a different speed around the Sun. But right now, they’ve all ended up in just the right positions to appear in the sky together . “This is a great opportunity to see them all at once,” she said. “Normally, you’d have to wait hours for one to rise while another sets, but this time, they’re all above the horizon together.” And unlike past alignments, this one has stretched across three months , thanks to the planets sitting in ideal positions . “This year, we’re getting an extended summer parade of planets, visible throughout the season,” Dr. Allen said. How Can I See the Planet Parade? If you want the best view of this celestial show, here’s what to do: Find a dark spot  – Avoid city lights and head somewhere open, like a hill or a park. Look up just after sunset  – That’s when the planets will be most visible. Start from the west  – Spot Venus and Saturn  first; they’ll appear as a bright pair. Look for Jupiter  – It’ll be above the Orion constellation, in Taurus. Find Mars  – It’ll be further east, in Gemini. Keep an eye out in March  – Mercury will join in, making the lineup even more complete! And if you need help identifying the planets, try using stargazing apps like StarWalk  or Stellarium . What Exactly Is a Planet Parade? A planet parade  (or planetary alignment) happens when four or more planets  appear to line up in the night sky. NASA calls it a “parade of planets,” but that doesn’t mean they’re actually perfectly lined up  in space. Instead, they just look that way from Earth  because they’re all on the same side of the Sun. “The planets aren’t physically closer to each other,” Dr. Allen explained, “but from our point of view, they appear that way because their locations are projected onto our night sky.” All planets travel along the same general path as the Sun, called the ecliptic —which is why they seem to line up from our perspective. So, if you’ve ever wanted to see multiple planets in one night, now’s your chance! Grab a telescope (or just your eyes), head outside, and enjoy the planet parade  before it disappears.

ජාතික ආරක්ෂාව තහවුරු කිරීම සඳහා සිදුකරනු ලබන සමුද්‍රීය මෙහෙයුම් පිළිබඳව ජනාධිපති අනුර කුමාර දිසානායක මහතා ශ්‍රී ලංකා නාවික හමුදාවේ ජ්‍යෙෂ්ඨ නිලධාරීන් සමඟ සාකච්ඡා කළේය. ජනාධිපති අනුර කුමාර දිසානායක මහතාගේ ප්‍රධානත්වයෙන් ජනාධිපති ලේකම් කාර්යාලයේදී මෙම සාකච්ඡාව පැවති අතර එහිදී ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ වත්මන් ආරක්ෂක තත්ත්වය පිළිබඳව සාකච්ඡා කළ බව ජනාධිපති මාධ්‍ය අංශය (PMD) ප්‍රකාශ කළේය. නාවික හමුදාවේ ජ්‍යෙෂ්ඨ නිලධාරීන් සමඟ පැවති සාකච්ඡාවේදී මුහුදු මාර්ග ඔස්සේ අවි ආයුධ සහ මත්ද්‍රව්‍ය ජාවාරම් මැඩලීමට ගන්නා උත්සාහයන් සහ ගැඹුරු මුහුදේ නිරීක්ෂණ මෙහෙයුම් ඇතුළු රටේ ආරක්ෂක තත්ත්වය සම්බන්ධයෙන් ඉදිරි ආරක්ෂක ක්‍රියාමාර්ග පිළිබඳව අවධානය යොමු කෙරිණි. ආරක්‍ෂක නියෝජ්‍ය අමාත්‍ය අරුණ ජයසේකර, ආරක්‍ෂක අමාත්‍යාංශයේ ලේකම් එයාර් වයිස් මාර්ෂල් සම්පත් තුයකොන්ත, නාවික හමුදාපති වයිස් අද්මිරාල් කාංචන බානගොඩ යන මහත්වරුන් ඇතුළු නාවික හමුදාවේ ජ්‍යෙෂ්ඨ නිලධාරීන් රැසක් මෙම හමුවට සහභාගි වූහ.