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“Do not use my image on billboards, cut-outs and posters” – President
President Ranil Wickremesinghe has issued a directive, that his image should not be used on billboards, cut-outs and posters. He also called upon fellow political leaders to avoid using their photos in their campaign material.
President Wickremesinghe emphasized the importance of addressing the people’s needs over the politics of slogans, noting that such practices have adversely affected the country’s economy. He reiterated his long-standing opposition to the use of slogans and cut-out-based politics and encouraged everyone to embark on a new political journey together.
These remarks were made during his participation in the 149th-anniversary celebration of Chenkaladi Central College in Batticaloa this morning (08). He instructed the relevant parties to remove a large cut-out displayed near the Chenkalady Central College.
(PMD)
Former US President Joe Biden, 82, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer that has spread to his bones, a statement from his office said on Sunday.
Biden, who left office in January, was diagnosed on Friday after he saw a doctor last week for urinary symptoms.
The cancer is a more aggressive form of the disease, characterised by a Gleason score of 9 out of 10. This means his illness is classified as “high-grade” and the cancer cells could spread quickly, according to Cancer Research UK.
Biden and his family are said to be reviewing treatment options. His office added that the cancer was hormone-sensitive, meaning it could likely be managed.
In Sunday’s statement, Biden’s office said: “Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms.
“On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterised by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone.
“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management.”
After news broke of his diagnosis, the former president received support from both sides of the aisle.
President Donald Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that he and First Lady Melania Trump “are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis.”
“We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family,” he said, referring to former First Lady Jill Biden. “We wish Joe a fast and successful recovery.”
Former Vice-President Kamala Harris, who served under Biden, wrote on X that she and her husband Doug Emhoff are keeping the Biden family in their prayers.
“Joe is a fighter – and I know he will face this challenge with the same strength, resilience, and optimism that have always defined his life and leadership,” Harris said.
In a post on X, Barack Obama – who served as president from 2009 to 2017 with Joe Biden as his deputy – said that he and his wife Michelle were “thinking of the entire Biden family”.
“Nobody has done more to find breakthrough treatments for cancer in all its forms than Joe, and I am certain he will fight this challenge with his trademark resolve and grace. We pray for a fast and full recovery,” Obama said. In 2016, the former president launched a “Cancer Moonshot” programme and announced that Biden would lead it.
The news comes nearly a year after the former president was forced to drop out of the 2024 US presidential election over concerns about his health and age. He is the oldest person to have held the office in US history.
Biden, then the Democratic nominee vying for re-election, faced mounting criticism of his poor performance in a June televised debate against Republican nominee and current president Donald Trump. He was replaced as the Democratic candidate by his vice-president, Kamala Harris.
Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer affecting men, behind skin cancer, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that 13 out of every 100 men will develop prostate cancer at some point in their lives.
Age is the most common risk factor, the CDC says.
Dr William Dahut, the Chief Scientific Officer at the American Cancer Society and a trained prostate cancer physician, told the BBC that the cancer is more aggressive in nature, based on the publicly-available information on Biden’s diagnosis.
“In general, if cancer has spread to the bones, we don’t think it is considered a curable cancer,” Dr Dahut said.
He noted, however, that most patients tend to respond well to initial treatment, “and people can live many years with the diagnosis”.
Dr Dahut said that someone with the former president’s diagnosis will likely be offered hormonal therapies to mitigate symptoms and to slow the growth of cancerous cells.
Biden had largely retreated from the public eye since leaving the White House and he has made few public appearances.
The former president delivered a keynote speech in April at a Chicago conference held by the Advocates, Counselors, and Representatives for the Disabled, a US-based advocacy group for people with disabilities.
In May, he sat down for an interview with the BBC – his first since leaving the White House – where he admitted that the decision to step down from the 2024 race was “difficult”.
Biden has faced questions about the status of his health in recent months.
In an appearance on The View programme that also took place in May, Biden denied claims that he had been experiencing cognitive decline in his final year at the White House. “There is nothing to sustain that,” he said.
For many years, the president had advocated for cancer research.
In 2022, he and Mrs Biden relaunched the Cancer Moonshot initiative with the goal of mobilising research efforts to prevent more than four million cancer deaths by the year 2047.
Biden himself lost his eldest son, Beau, to brain cancer in 2015.
[BBC]
Gujarat Titans (GT) became pnly the second team in all T20 cricket to chase down a target of 200 or more without losing a wicket. That’s how clinical B Sai Sudarshan and Shubman Gill were against Delhi Capitals (DC) on Sunday night as they took GT into the playoffs. Sai Sudharsan finished on 108 not out off 61 balls and Gill on 93 not out off 53 as they overhauled DC’s 199 for 3 with an over to spare. That meant KL Rahul’s 112 not out off 65 balls ended in a losing cause.
The result also took Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Punjab Kings (PBKS )into the playoffs. DC, Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants are the three teams in contention for the remaining one spot.
Sai Sudharsan came out all guns blazing. He got off the mark with a four off Axar Patel before hitting three more fours and a six off T Natarajan in the second over. By the end of the third over, he had scored 35 off 13 balls. Even though Mustafizur Rahman and Dushmantha Chameera gave away only 16 in the second half of the powerplay, GT were 59 for no loss after six overs.
While Sai Sudharsan brought up his fifty off 30 balls, Gill had a slow start. He was on 21 off 19 after eight overs. But in the next three, he hit three sixes – one each against Axar, Kuldeep Yadav and Vipraj Nigam. He reached his fifty off 33 balls, with a four off Dushmantha Chameera. It was his first four of the innings. As if he had committed a mistake, he hit the following delivery for a six over square leg.
GT reached 154 for no loss after 15 overs. As a last throw of the dice, Axar brought Mustafizur for the 16th. Sudharsan hit his first two balls for fours to stamp GT’s domination. Two overs later, he hit Kuldeep for a straight six to bring up his second IPL hundred, off 56 balls. Fittingly, it was Sudharsan with yet another six that sealed GT’s win.
Earlier, DC’s struggled to get going after being sent in. Mohammed Siraj and Arshad Khan stuck to good length with the new ball and gave little room to free arms. There were 15 dot balls in the first four overs. Faf du Plessis, who tried to break the shackles and charged at Arshad, was caught at mid-on for 5 off ten balls. After five overs, DC were 28 for 1.
Rahul played plenty of exquisite shots during his hundred. In the first over of the match, he had punched Siraj through covers off the back foot. Then he injected momentum into the innings by hitting Kagiso Rabada for two sixes and a four in the last over of the powerplay. This was Rabada’s first match after a one-month ban for using recreational drugs. He bowled just two overs, was wicketless and went for 34.
Coming into this game, Rahul had a strike rate of 96.96 (64 runs off 66 balls) against Rashid Khan in T20 cricket. Here, he took him for 19 off 14. It was with a four off him that Rahul brought up his fifty, off 35 balls. Alongside Abishek Porel, who made 30 off 19, Rahul added 90 for the second wicket in just 8.4 overs.
Luck also favoured Rahul. In the 14th over, he got three fours off R Sai Kishore’s first three balls, all through luck. The first one was drilled back and went through Sai Kishore’s hands. Rabada misfielded the next before an outside edge sped past short third.
Axar has been superb against spin this season. Still, Gill gave the 16th over to Sai Kishore. Axar ensured he faced all six balls and took 15 from them. Prasidh Krishna returned in the next over and dismissed Axar with his second ball.
Rahul brought up his hundred off 60 balls. In the 19th over, he hit Prasidh’s hard-length delivery for a straight six with a straight bat. Two balls later, he pulled him to square leg for four to get to the three-figure mark. Tristan Stubbs played a hand of 21 not out off ten, as DC scored 48 from the last four overs. But it was not enough.
Brief scores:
Gujarat Titans 205 for 0 in 19 overs (Sai Sudharsan 108*, Shubhman Gill 93*) beat Delhi Capitals 199 for 3 in 20 overs (KL Rahul 112*, Abishek Porel 30, Axar Patel 25, Tristan Stubbs 21; Arshad Khan 1-07, Pradish Krishna 1-40, Sai Kishore 1-47) by ten wickets
[Cricinfo]
Joe Biden diagnosed with ‘aggressive’ prostate cancer
IPL2025: Sai Sudharsan and Gill help clinical GT book playoffs berth
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