By Henry Martin For MailonlinePublished: 13:53 EDT, 18 August 2021 | Updated: 13:56 EDT, 18 August 2021Afghan President Ashraf Ghani says he left Kabul to prevent bloodshed and denied reports he took large sums of money with him as he departed the presidential palace. Ghani has been bitterly criticised by former ministers for leaving the country suddenly as Taliban forces entered Kabul on Sunday. Speaking from exile in the United Arab Emirates today, Ghani said in a video streamed on Facebook: 'If I had stayed, I would be witnessing bloodshed in Kabul.' The address is his first public comment since it was confirmed he was in the UAE. He insisted was no truth to allegations that he escaped with 'suitcases of cash', saying it was all part of a 'personality assassination'.

AFC Wimbledon have started to analyse their use of substitutions with a specialised coachWimbledon boss Mark Robinson (above) is hoping the role subs coach role can benefit his sideLander had approached the League One outfit following research he had compiled on substitutions in the division as well as League Two last term. Since retiring as a player, Lander has been an opposition analyst and an assistant first-team coach at Weymouth, as well as a scout at Bournemouth's academy. It was at Weymouth where he would start to inform the bench of opposition subs from his position in the stadium. It was Wimbledon's openness to new ideas, having appointed a restarts coach last March in Andy Parslow, to approach the club over the idea. 'I reached out to Wimbledon and presented them the work I had done,' Lander added.

General Sir Nick Carter faced a backlash today over positive comments he made about the Taliban during TV interviews. Mr Biden and his officials have in turn said their hands were tied by a deal struck with the Taliban by Mr Trump. Former Treasury minister Huw Merriman, chairman of the Commons transport committee, called Mr Biden a 'total blithering idiot' for blaming Afghan forces. Mr Biden is seen as most to blame for the Taliban's victory, just ahead of Donald Trump. Almost half (49 per cent) say their view of Mr Biden (pictured on August 12) has worsened.

The plan, they write, is that third doses of mRNA vaccines (Moderna and Pfizer) will be recommended eight months after the second dose. The plan for booster shots isn’t confirmed yetThe statement only announces an intention, though. (They did recommend an extra dose for immunocompromised people, to be given four weeks after the second dose.) ... To date, the evidence remains limited and inconclusive on any widespread need for booster doses following a primary vaccination series. So despite the announcement about boosters, it’s not clear whether the boosters will actually be available on the promised date.

Pixie Geldof has given birth to her first child with husband George Barnett. New arrival: Pixie Geldof has given birth to her first child with husband George Barnett. The celebrity offspring is the third daughter of Bob and Paula Yates, who tragically died aged 41 in 2000 after a heroin overdose. The couple married in 1986, and had Pixie, Fifi, 38, and Peaches, but tragically, history repeated itself in April 2014 when their middle child died Peaches of an overdose aged 25. The story of tragedy repeated in April 2014 when Paula and Bob's daughter Peaches died of an overdose aged 25.

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COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka Police arrested another suspect connected to killing and dismembering a wild elephant inside the Yala National Park Block 03 on Wednesday (18). The suspect was arrested in Dambe, Kataragama by officers connected to the Tangalle Division Crime Prevention Bureau. 02 elephant tusks, each 03 feet in length, an elephant’s tail, and a weapon were seized from the possession of the suspect. Investigations have revealed that the wild elephant was shot dead and then dismembered. Over the years, Sri Lanka’s wild elephant population has seen a gradual decline due to the Human-Elephant conflict.

Some Tory-run local authorities have ripped out the cycle lanes, including West Sussex County, as well as Wandsworth and Kensington councils in London. Kensington and Chelsea council installed a mile-long cycle lane through the borough with a £320,000 taxpayer-funded grant. 'People here are not very happy with the over exaggeration of the cycle path. Its spokesman Jack Cousins said: 'The cycle lane actively encourages drivers to look out for cyclists and maintain a safe distance. A Dorset Council spokesman said: 'Almost 80km of new cycle lanes, pedestrian pavements, and bus service improvements are being constructed in south east Dorset.

Cabinet Spokesperson (Minister) Dullas Alahapperuma told the weekly cabinet briefing on Wednesday (18) that the government does not maintain a position that it will never lock down the country. ‘The decision must be reached by the Health Ministry,’ said the Cabinet Spokesperson. There are 08 million people unemployed in Sri Lanka and the government is very sensitive towards this matter, he added. Joint Cabinet Spokesperson Minister (Dr) Ramesh Pathirana said the government had already spent Rs. 80 Billion on providing food and essentials to the unemployed groups, despite having economic issues.

For a certain segment of Star Wars fans—a segment of which I am not a part, though I have been cramming my head full of information about the franchise since roughly 1985—nothing is more important than arguing over what’s part of the canon. Some fans who had been following the galaxy far, far away across comics and books and video games for several decades were not happy;others embraced the new stories told by the more recent films and novels;some just liked to argue. In short, Star Wars fans are rarely happy, which is why I think more of them should take my approach to the canon: If I like it, it’s part of the canon. This helpful system means I don’t need to care that The Rise of Skywalker sucks (though it does), because it isn’t part of the canon. And judged by this rubric, Star Wars: Visions, an officially non-canonical series of anime shorts inspired by the sci-fi saga that premieres on Disney Plus on Sept. 22, is definitely canon.

August 18, 2021 08:27 pmSri Lanka has registered 170 more COVID-19 related fatalities confirmed by the Director-General of Health Services on Tuesday (August 17). This marks the tenth consecutive day that the daily count of COVID-19 deaths surpassed 100. The new development has pushed the official death toll from the virus outbreak in Sri Lanka to 6,604. According to the data released by the Department of Government Information, the latest victims include 84 males and 86 females. None among the victims are aged below 30 years while 40 of them are aged between 30-59 years and 130 others are aged 60 and above.

Almost a month after their initial announcement, OnePlus Buds Pro are available for purchase across Europe and the UK for €149/£139. The first pair of noise-canceling earbuds from OnePlus are up for grabs in Glossy White and Matte Black colors from the official OnePlus store. OnePlus Buds ProBuds Pro bring adaptive noise cancellation with three onboard microphones on each bud that cancel up to 40dB outside noise. Pairing happens over Bluetooth 5.2 and OnePlus is touting a 94ms latency level. Buyers in the US and Canada will have to wait until September 1 to purchase the Buds Pro.

The British Museum in London is the current home of this statue, one of Sri Lanka’s most special and sacred antiques. A Goddess Of Mercy And CompassionThe statue of Tara at the British Museum in London. Statues of Tara, like the Sri Lankan one at the British Museum, would have been used by worshippers as a focus for meditation on the qualities of mercy and compassion. A Statue To Embody Beauty And GraceThe statue of Tara that is currently in the British Museum was cast in bronze and plated in gold. In the recent past, there have been myriad conversations, both online and offline, about the “stolen” or “looted” treasures being displayed in the British Museum.

Next, add tomatoes, ginger, garlic, turmeric, chilli powder, pepper, green chilli, salt, meatballs and mix well. Finally, add thick coconut milk into the pan, cover the pan with a lid and let the curry cook well. Aunty D. is a full-time mom working a little magic in the kitchen whenever she’s got time on her hands. She brings to you easy and fast recipes with a twist of Sri Lankan spices and cooking techniques. Get Cooking!

As many as 2,428 persons have tested positive for coronavirus so far today (August 18), the Ministry of Health confirmed. All new cases are associated with the New Year COVID-19 cluster. The new development brings the total number of COVID-19 cases confirmed in the country thus far to 368,111. At present, more than 45,000 virus-infected patients are being treated at hospitals and treatment centres across the island. The tally of total recoveries reached 316,528 today as 2,188 more patients were discharged after returning to health.