Is there anyone in the world, who has the same voice as Audrey Luna?

Crackling slightly down a transatlantic phone line, Audrey Luna has a pleasant, normal speaking voice. But she's only able to use it for 10 minutes.

Come Friday evening, these same vocal cords will unleash a note so dizzyingly high, so astoundingly rare, that archivists say New York's Metropolitan Opera has never heard it in 140 years - at least, not since her last performance.

And like a world-class athlete on game day, she needs to conserve her strength.

Ms Luna is a coloratura soprano - the voice type capable of the highest notes - and specialises in thrilling, trilling vocal runs that pour out strongly even at their peaks.

Few people alive have the potential to reach the note now winning her headlines - the A above high C.

To put that in context, Christmas choristers singing the descant line of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing will usually hit a high A - some with difficulty. Ms Luna's note is a full octave - or eight notes - higher than that.

The opera showcasing this rarity is Thomas Adès's The Exterminating Angel, a savage, surrealist piece based on the 1962 Luis Buñuel film of the same name.

Ms Luna plays Leticia, an opera diva who joins a well-off couple for a glittering dinner party. Macabre twists unfold as the partygoers find they have entered a strange vortex - and are trapped in the house when the evening ends.

It's a supernatural note for a supernatural story - and the Oregon native is hitting it twice a night.

IOC arm blamed for fuel shortage in Sri Lanka

supplies disrupted over allegations of fuel contamination

Sri Lankan politicians have blamed Indian Oil Corporation subsidiary LIOC for a sudden fuel shortage that has gripped the country since Friday.

The problem arose after authorities rejected a recent 35,000 million tonnes shipment of petrol procured by LIOC from a French oil company, citing contamination. The Petroleum Ministry said in a statement that Lanka IOC had requested it to accept the cargo — that was initially turned away — after filtration but authorities had refused to, “in the interest of the Sri Lankan consumers”.

LIOC has denied the allegation and said it sought replacement of the shipment from the French company soon after officials rejected the supplier’s offer to filter the consignment.

The state-owned Ceylon Petroleum Corporation and LIOC handle Sri Lanka’s retail oil distribution. Following the shortage, some politicians and a section of the media voiced strong criticism against India for “being responsible” for the crisis.

U S $ 500000: promote religious freedom in India, Sri Lanka

And for Sri Lanka, it seeks to ensure that authorities at all levels of government in Sri Lanka effectively implement national laws and policies protecting religious freedom.

The US has announced a grant of nearly USD 500,000 for organisations which can come up with ideas and projects to promote religious freedom in India and Sri Lanka. The Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, in its notice, said it seeks to “reduce religiously-motivated violence and discrimination in India” through its USD 493,827 programme.

And for Sri Lanka, it seeks to ensure that authorities at all levels of government in Sri Lanka effectively implement national laws and policies protecting religious freedom. Recipient of both the India Programme and Sri Lanka – with similar objectives of religious freedom and protection – would be announced after screening of applications in this regard, it said.

Elephant Pictures Awarded

An image of two elephants fleeing a mob that set them on fire in eastern India highlights the ongoing human-elephant conflicts in the region.

The photograph, named “Hell is Here” was taken by Biplab Hazra and was named the winner of the Sanctuary Wildlife Photography Awards 2017.

The image shows a calf on fire as it and an adult elephant run for their lives -- as a crowd of "jeering" people throw "flaming tar balls" and firecrackers at the pair.

According to the Sanctuary Asia Foundation, these type of scenes are common in the Bankura district of West Bengal.

ICIJ releases The Paradise Papers

The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists today releases The Paradise Papers, a global investigation that reveals the offshore activities of some of the world’s most powerful people and companies.

ICIJ and 95 media partners explored 13.4 million leaked files from a combination of leaked files of offshore law firms and the company registries in some of the world’s most secretive countries.

The files were obtained by the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, and shared with ICIJ.

The Paradise Papers documents include nearly 7 million loan agreements, financial statements, emails, trust deeds and other paperwork over nearly 50 years from inside Appleby, a prestigious offshore law firm with offices in Bermuda and beyond.

The leaked documents include files from the smaller, family-owned trust company, Asiaciti, and from company registries in 19 secrecy jurisdictions.

The Paradise Papers reveal offshore interests and activities of more than 120 politicians and world leaders, including Queen Elizabeth II whose private estate indirectly invested in a rent-to-own loan company accused of predatory tactics. At least 13 allies, major donors and Cabinet members of U.S. President Donald J. Trump appear, including Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross’s interests in a shipping company that makes millions from an energy firm whose owners include Russian President Vladimir Putin’s son-in-law and a sanctioned Russian tycoon.

The leaked files from Appleby, the offshore law firm, include details of tax planning by nearly 100 multinational corporations, including Apple, Nike and Uber.

New Zealand Prime Minister The worlds youngest female leader.

Jacinda Ardern was officially sworn in as the Prime Minister of New Zealand this morning, promising to form an "active" government that would be "focused, empathetic and strong". 

At 37, Ardern is the youngest New Zealand PM in 150 years, and the country's third woman leader.

She also happens to be one of the few politicians globally to talk openly about mental health, and her personal struggle with anxiety, and is a strong supporter of women's rights and LGBTQ issues. 

She had been tipped for the top for some time, but has spoken about how her crippling anxiety made her worry she wouldn't be suitable to hold the highest office in the country. Her reticence vanished when, eight weeks before the election, her party (New Zealand Labour) was forced into leadership chaos when leader Andrew Little stood down, and Ardern (who had served as his deputy) was unanimously elected to the leadership by her colleagues. 

“There will be good days and there will be bad days," she said in her address this morning. "So, ladies and gentleman, without further ado, let’s go and do this.”

Sri Lankan student: reaches new height as an entrepreneur and tech blogger

During the 27 years of excellence, informatics institute of Technology has produced leading innovator, entrepreneurs and corporate leaders. The institute is renowned for producing all round graduates that empower organizations and drive success

Banu Athurally ,22 years old final year undergraduate at IIT who is following the university of Westminster, UK, BSC(Hones) computer science degree programme with specialization in Mobile and Web Computing, He is a blogger ,You Tuber and an entrepreneur who has achieved much recognition in the local and international technology sphere.

Banu, better known as “Andro Dollar” is the Founder and CEO of the Andro dollar Network (www.network.and rodollar.com) which has a well-established tech website (www.androdollar.com) which focuses on the latest Tech News. Reviews and tutorials . Banu has featured many videos on latest trends on mobile technology on his YouTube channel (www.youtube.com\anddrodollar).He also is the founder of his very own Creative Agency startup -(www.services.androdollar.com).Following are excerpts of the interview with Banu;

What is the degree programme you are following at IIT?

I am currently in my Final Year following the computer science degree specializing in the Mobile and Web pathway.

What made you take the leap into entrepreneurship at such an early stage in your life?

I always had innovative ideas and thought differently. My ambition was to take Sri Lanka to the international stage , which is still my main vision for my tech website and You Tube channel .So I want my audience to be from all over the world , not just Sri Lanka .I always make sure I do something productive every day that gets me a tiny bit closer to my dream.

Since my hearts is filled with passion for the tech Industry , I wanted to build something for myself , something that will make me know to the world .This is what made me take the leap into entrepreneurship at the age of 18. I just want to keep doing this for the rest of my life because I love what I do.

trumps's, important points of the trip to Asia.

As Donald Trump embarks on his first presidential trip to Asia, will we see a clearer strategy emerge on U.S. foreign policy in Asia? Security issues related to North Korea, along with U.S. trade interests, will top the discussion agenda.
In the first 10 months of the Trump presidency, contradictory statements from the president and his advisers have created uncertainty among Asian leaders. The formal U.S. withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement, once the emerging cornerstone of U.S. economic strategy in Asia, has left policymakers and business leaders across the Pacific concerned about the future of trade. And key Asia positions at the State Department and the Defense Department remain unfilled, adding to the mixed messages coming out of Washington.

With an 11-day itinerary including bilateral and multilateral meetings in Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines, this will be Trump’s longest foreign trip to date. Here are four reasons this trip is so important:

These Birds Have a Sexy but Bizarre Dance Routine(video)

These hooded grebes were found "dancing" in Patagonia. The hooded grebe is one of the rarest birds in South America. This clip is part of the documentary Tango in the Wild ... which is promoting the conservation of this critically endangered bird.

Stunned Hidden chamber of the Great Pyramid of Giza

Though they were constructed nearly 5,000 years ago, the Great Pyramids of Egypt are still packed with secrets. Using a technique that leverages the power of cosmic rays, scientists have confirmed the presence of a large empty space within Khufu’s pyramid—a void that’s signaling the presence of a possible hidden chamber.

It’s tempting to think that all the great archaeological discoveries from ancient Egypt have already been made, but new research published today in Nature shows there’s still plenty for us to uncover.

An investigation into the internal structure of Khufu’s pyramid—the largest pyramid in Giza—has revealed the presence of a large and inaccessible “void” within the structure. The researchers who led the study, Mehdi Tayoubi from the HIP Institute in France and Kunihiro Morishima from Nagoya University in Japan, won’t go so far as to say the cavity is a hidden chamber, but they’re reasonably convinced the internal feature is a deliberate architectural feature of the pyramid. As to what’s inside is anyone’s guess, but the presence of artifacts and funeral items are not out of the question, according to Egyptologists.

Off-season, Travel in Portugal

Summer may be Portugal’s peak tourist season, but more travelers from the United States are heading to the country this fall and winter than they have in recent years. The travel search engine Kayak has seen searches to Lisbon for this fall increase 46 percent compared with last fall, and according to American Express Travel’s internal booking data, trips to Portugal for travel between this September and December are up 81 percent, compared with the same period last year.

“The fall and winter are an excellent time to explore Portugal because temperatures are mild, and there’s fantastic value to be found on airfare, hotels and tours,” said Tom Stein, the vice president of American Express Travel.