Official begins discussions over safe passage for Brits and Afghans
British officials have opened talks with the Taliban about getting UK citizens and allies out of Afghanistan, it emerged last night. 'I would just say that since April when we have been planning and instituting this, over 17,000 British nationals, Afghan workers, vulnerable special cases are out. 'I know that the number of UK nationals, the particular responsibility of the Foreign Office, is now down at a very low level.' I can tell you that for UK nationals we've secured since April over 5,000, and we're in the low hundreds (remaining).' It is unclear how many of those British nationals who are still in the country have decided to stay of their own volition.
Source:The Nation
August 31, 2021 22:52 UTC
How Vaccine Side Effects Compare to COVID Symptoms
Photo: Thaiview (Shutterstock)The COVID-19 vaccines have become somewhat notorious for their side effects: fatigue, sore arm, maybe a fever. In a few rare cases, there are more serious complications, like inflammation of the heart. So is it riskier to get a vaccine or to take your chances with COVID itself? A new study in the New England Journal of Medicine set out to answer this question, comparing the moderate to serious symptoms people experience after the Pfizer vaccine with those that people experience with a COVID infection. But the way the Delta variant is currently raging, COVID is not a rare disease at all.
Source:The Nation
August 31, 2021 21:33 UTC
Sri Lanka player sold at India’s IPL-like kabaddi league
This marks the first occasion a Sri Lankan had been bought by a pro kabaddi league auction in the history of sports in the island. Kabaddi is almost synonymous with one of the oldest traditional sports in Sri Lanka named Chaggudu or Gudu. The PKL player auction was held from 29 to 31 August (yesterday) in Mumbai. Babar, who had studied at President’s College, Embilipitiya, plays kabaddi for the Sri Lanka national team and Navy. Like IPLThe PKL is a professional kabaddi league, launched in 2014 and is broadcast live on TV with considerable fan following.
Source:The Nation
August 31, 2021 21:00 UTC
SLC’s ‘iron lady’ Yamuna Pitigala no more
Nicknamed ‘iron lady’ of the national cricket board, her versatile abilities had been very much known among the local cricket administrators for a long time. She had been suffering from a chronic kidney disease and was 56 years at the time of her demise. Pitigala had been working in the Marketing Department of SLC and, in 2012, was suspended from work unceremoniously for allegedly exposing some corruption of the then officials of the SLC Marketing Department. Later, Pitigala worked again at SLC in different other departments. Her funeral was held yesterday (31 August) in Colombo.
Source:The Nation
August 31, 2021 20:37 UTC
Barely teenage Olympic medallist
Participating in the Olympic Games is the dream of all sports persons. In that scenario when a teenager, and barely a teenager at that, qualifies and takes part in the Olympics, it certainly is an anomaly. Sky Brown is only 13 years old and is already an Olympic bronze medallist. By winning this medal, she has become the youngest Olympic medal winner in the history of Great Britain. When Sky won her medal, she won it less than a month after celebrating her 13th birthday.
Source:The Nation
August 31, 2021 20:15 UTC
Not Just Sports: How Mandela united South Africa through sports
Nelson Mandela went onto the pitch wearing the team’s traditional green cap and jersey following South Africa’s unlikely 1995 Rugby World Cup win under Captain Francois PienaarSport has the power to change the world. Nelson Mandela saw the value in sport. He saw an opportunity to heal and unite an increasingly divided South Africa, wrote Sunil Sharma in February 2019. Mandela went onto the pitch wearing the team’s traditional green cap and jersey following South Africa’s unlikely 1995 Rugby World Cup win. Mandela saw the power of sport early on but in a number of different ways.
Source:The Nation
August 31, 2021 20:15 UTC
Landlords Still Can't Evict You in These States
That means millions of renters now face eviction, although some states have their own eviction bans still in place, and rental assistance is available—despite a delayed rollout in many states. What happened to the federal eviction moratorium? Pritzker hasthe existing eviction moratorium, through Sept. 18, 2021.Minnesota renters not eligible for emergency rental assistance are protected from eviction until Sept. 12. Fortunately, access to rental assistance is slowly improving. If you haven’t done so already, check out the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s new Emergency Rental Assistance Dashboard, which allows you to search for rental assistance in your area.
Source:The Nation
August 31, 2021 20:03 UTC
Antoine Griezmann completes sensational return to Atletico Madrid from Barcelona
By Pete Jenson and Ollie Lewis For MailonlinePublished: 11:32 EDT, 31 August 2021 | Updated: 15:43 EDT, 31 August 2021Antoine Griezmann has sealed a dramatic move back to Atletico Madrid' on loan from Barcelona with the obligation to buy. A deal between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid for Antoine Griezmann is closeThe Frenchman is open to a return to Atletico after a tumultuous time with the Nou Camp sideDe Jong will give Koeman another option up front with the cash-strapped club having lost Lionel Messi and now Griezmann, two of their marquee names. Griezmann had been linked with a swap deal involving Saul Niguez, who is set to join Chelsea, but hope of that was soon extinguished earlier in the transfer window. Despite the departure of superstar Lionel Messi this summer, Griezmann has still been linked with a Nou Camp exit. Earlier on deadline day, Mundo Deportivo reports that Griezmann could be returning to Atletico Madrid in a swap deal involving a different star, Portugal international Felix.
Source:The Nation
August 31, 2021 20:03 UTC
UNP approaches 75th anniversary, ready to unveil National Plan
As the United National Party (UNP) approaches its 75th anniversary, Chairman Vajira Abeywardena has announced that a National Plan for the Building of Sri Lanka will be detailed during the anniversary celebration. The UNP is the parent political party that created various political parties in Sri Lanka. September 6 marks the 75th anniversary of the United National Party. UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe will make his address through Zoom and Facebook technology from 5 pm to 6 pm on September 5. Further, after September 6, 75 meetings across Sri Lanka using Zoom technology will take place.
Source:The Nation
August 31, 2021 20:03 UTC
Over 6.7 m watch Messi’s debuts for PSG
Lewandowski scored two more after the hour-mark to register his first hat-trick of the season. Dortmund took a 2-0 lead before the hour, after Giovanni Reyna and Jude Bellingham scored a goal each. Hoffenheim remained in the hunt after Christoph Baumgartner scored their first, with 20 minutes remaining on the clock. * Ligue 1: Messi makes first appearance in PSG’s win over ReimsIt was not Kylian Mbappe’s brace that took the headlines in Paris Saint-Germain’s (PSG) 2-0 win over Reims on Sunday. In total, over 6.7 million people tuned in to watch PSG’s win at some point during the 90 minutes.
Source:The Nation
August 31, 2021 19:52 UTC
On This Day – 1 September: India win Test cricket series in Sri Lanka after 22 years
1939 – The last day of first-class cricket in England before the declaration of war against Germany two days later. It was the most publicised world title match ever played and Fischer was the first American to win the title1976 – England women’s cricket Captain Clare Connor was born. 23.3 b approximately in today’s value)Ishant Sharma (on left) and Dhammika Prasad had a heated confrontation on the fourth day before India staged a come-from-behind win against Sri Lanka at the SSC in 2015 to record a Test series win in Sri Lanka after 22 years2015 – A come-from-behind win against Sri Lanka at the SSC gave India their first Test series victory in the country since 1993. Sri Lanka were set a target of 386. Angelo Mathews scored a fighting century and Kusal Perera scored an aggressive fifty, but Ravichandran Ashwin and Ishant Sharma combined to give India victory by 117 runs, and with it their first overseas series win since 2011
Source:The Nation
August 31, 2021 19:18 UTC
Prodigal son returns to Old Trafford for one final dance
118 – Ronaldo scored 118 goals for Manchester United in his first spell, in 292 games. 7 – His 84 goals make him the 7th highest scorer for Manchester United in Premier League (PL) history. 31 – Ronaldo is the only Man United player to score 30+ goals in a season in Premier League history. 42 – In the 2007-08 season, Ronaldo scored 42 goals in all competitions. Real Madrid438 – Ronaldo scored 450 goals in 438 matches for Real Madrid – that’s a quite incredible goals-per- game average of 1.03!
Source:The Nation
August 31, 2021 19:07 UTC
Multi-sectoral collaboration vital for Universal Health Coverage in SL
Delivering the keynote address thereafter, Ministry of Health Deputy Director-General (Planning) Dr. S. Sridharan pointed out that donor support for the health sector is declining. However, they still face several health sector challenges such as high mortality rates, weak health systems, and large pockets of poverty in the countries. Some of the financial capacity gaps included inefficiencies in financial allocation, and financial management issues to name but two. Furthermore, one of the major reasons for the financial capacity gaps is a result of the underutilisation of capital budgets for the health sector. World Health Organisation Public Health Administrator Dr. Olivia Nieveras, spoke about how donors should be more agile in their activities.
Source:The Nation
August 31, 2021 18:56 UTC
Janashakthi Life records 145% growth in Q2 2021
Janashakthi Insurance PLC (Janashakthi Life) recorded a growth of 145% in first year regular premium business during the second quarter, with the upward trajectory of gaining two market positions up in first year premium compared to 2020. Janashakthi Life also recorded a growth of 50% in gross written premium with year-to-date growth of 45%, reaching a premium income of Rs. Janashakthi Life realigned its sole focus on life insurance in 2018, in a strategic move calculated to achieve long-term growth. Remaining true to its roots as a life insurer, the company has since then sought long-term growth while also meeting short and medium-term growth plans. At the same time, gross written premium also grew significantly with 50% growth during the second quarter of 2021.
Source:The Nation
August 31, 2021 18:45 UTC
Chamber of Garment Exporters emphasise vertical integration
Vertical integration in Sri Lanka’s apparel industry is one of the quickest ways to do that, said Sri Lanka Chamber of Garment Exporters (SLCGE) Secretary General Hemantha Perera. An apparel industry veteran himself, Perera noted that certain fabrics used for apparel production are currently being imported from regions that disqualify the manufactured product for tariff reductions under the EU’s GSP+ concessions. Synthetic fabric often has to be imported to Sri Lanka, making them ineligible for GSP+ concessions to the EU. At the same time, Dr. Silva indicated that those who assumed that Sri Lanka could do without GSP+ concessions at this stage were mistaken. The other speakers at the event included EU Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives Denis Chaibi and Sri Lankan Ambassador to the EU Grace Asirwatham.
Source:The Nation
August 31, 2021 18:33 UTC