Rajapaksa interview

Jussie Smollett has been compared to Amber Heard on social media, after the two sat down for post-trial interviews in which each professed their innocence, after respective juries delivered verdicts against them. Empire star Smollett, 40, was released from Chicago's Cook County Jail in March, pending appeal , less than a week after a judge had sentenced him to 150 days behind bars. The actor was in December found guilty of lying to police about being the victim of a racist and homophobic attack on the streets of Chicago in 2019. Making an appearance on SiriusXM's Sway in the Morning on Tuesday, Smollett—who is currently promoting his feature directorial debut B-Boy Blues —insisted to host Sway Calloway that he did not stage his own attack. "If I had done this, I'd be a piece of s***... That's not really questionable," Smollett said, adding that doing so "would mean that I stuck my fist in the pain of Black Americans in this country for over 400 years. "We're not … [Read more...] about Jussie Smollett compared to Amber Heard as post-trial interviews air

Sometimes, when you go for a job, it's really difficult to figure out how it went. Did you come across well? Did you give off the right vibes? Did you make them laugh but not too much? All the questions are swimming around in your brain and you have no answers. One person took to Mumsnet recently though, to ask about the most cringeworthy interview experiences people had when they were the ones asking the questions. She wrote: "A friend was just telling me about the interviews they were holding recently. One candidate was apparently awful. Kept interrupting, threw a pile of certificates down on the desk when asked about his qualification, and when he had the rejection he sent numerous emails insisting he should have been employed." Interviews can be tough, but we all know roughly how to behave in them ( Image: Getty Images) Yikes. She then went on to ask whether others have conducted any equally awful interviews. A particularly stand-out response was from … [Read more...] about Woman shares awkward job interview where dad started ‘blubbing’ during questions

India on Thursday assured Sri Lanka of its “fullest support” to help the island tide over its unprecedented economic crisis while “considering further financial assistance”, the Sri Lankan President’s office said. A delegation from New Delhi led by Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra, and including Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs Ajay Seth, Chief Economic Advisor V. Anantha Nageswaran and Joint Secretary to the Indian Ocean Region Division at the Ministry of External Affairs Kartik Pande, visited Colombo on Thursday. During the visit, spanning barely half a day, the Indian officials met President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, and held discussions on New Delhi’s ongoing assistance, of over $ 3.5 billion since January 2022, to the island nation. Indian assistance so far has been extended by way of currency swaps, loan deferments and credit lines for essential imports. IMF talks Colombo has sought a further $ 500 million from New Delhi, to import … [Read more...] about ‘India will extend fullest support to Sri Lanka’, says Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra during meeting with President Rajapaksa

During her tell-all Dateline NBC interview with Savannah Guthrie, Amber Heard stood firmly by her testimony, presented a binder of allegations against ex-husband Johnny Depp and shared that she still loves the Pirates Of The Caribbean actor. The Friday (June 17) interview, however, was far from a ratings bonanza for NBC despite Heard's post-trial reflections and revelations. The one-on-one conversation between Guthrie and the embattled Aquaman actor delivered a 0.3 rating in the key demographic of viewers ages 18-49 and 2.3 million viewers, per Nielsen. Heard's appearance struggled to elevate Dateline past its normal ratings and brought in the show's second-smallest audience since November, according to TVLine . Leading up to the special, NBC teased numerous buzzy snippets of the Q&A. But come Friday, the episode couldn't quite live up to the hype, even falling behind a repeat episode of ABC's 20/20 , which garnered 2.6 million viewers. Ratings-wise, the … [Read more...] about Amber Heard’s ‘Dateline’ interview about Johnny Depp trial sinks in TV ratings

Transgender Hollywood star Elliot Page — formerly known as Ellen Page — laments society’s obsession with the gender “binary,” saying it is a cause of some of the negative reactions to the celebrity’s transition from being a woman to a man. The star of Juno and Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy appeared Tuesday on NBC’s Late Night With Seth Meyers . “I feel like it’s one of those things where it’s so unfortunate, because it’s like, we’re all on the same team here, you know? Whether you’re trans, gender-nonconforming, cis,” Page said. “We all have these expectations, and these, sort of, limits and constraints because of, yes, people’s obsession with the binary, and how we’re all supposed to live our lives.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by @elliotpage Page continued: “It would be so special for us to all be able to connect and talk about how similar we are in all of our journeys. ” Watch … [Read more...] about Elliot Page Laments Society’s Obsession with Gender ‘Binary’ After ‘Time’ Cover, Oprah Interview During Trans Annoucement Press Tour

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka’s prime minister says the island nation’s debt-laden economy has “collapsed” as it runs out of money to pay for food and fuel. Short of cash to pay for imports of such necessities and already defaulting on its debt, it is seeking help from neighboring India and China and from the International Monetary Fund. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who took office in May, was emphasizing the monumental task he faces in turning around an economy he said is heading for “rock bottom.” Sri Lankans are skipping meals as they endure shortages, lining up for hours to try to buy scarce fuel. It's a harsh reality for a country whose economy had been growing quickly, with a growing and comfortable middle class, until the latest crisis deepened. ___ HOW SERIOUS IS THIS CRISIS? Tropical Sri Lanka normally is not lacking for food but people … [Read more...] about EXPLAINER: Why Sri Lanka’s economy collapsed and what’s next

Prince Harry poses a "bigger problem" for the British monarchy than Prince Andrew, whose damage to the royal family has been "ring-fenced" according to author and former editor of Vanity Fair , Tina Brown. Speaking to Bloomberg 's In The City podcast, Brown discussed the condition of the monarchy in the year Britain celebrates Queen Elizabeth II 's Platinum Jubilee , her 70th year on the throne. During the podcast, Brown said that "the monarchy seems more reassuring than ever, but that monarchy is at a frail point because everybody knows this is the last jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II and the question of how they will feel British after the queen dies is a big one." The author of The Palace Papers also described Prince Andrew , who made headlines in June over his canceled planned public appearance at the Garter Day ceremony , as having "not enhanced the gravitas of the crown" following his involvement in a sexual assult lawsuit in 2021 . The lawsuit was … [Read more...] about Prince Harry poses “bigger problem” for “frail” monarchy than Prince Andrew

Buckingham Palace "knew who they were dealing with" when it came to handling the public appearances of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for Queen Elizabeth II 's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June, according to a prominent royal commentator. Richard Fitzwilliams, a regular commentator on royal affairs, told British political figure Nigel Farage on the GB News network that Harry and Meghan have done "a lot of damage in the United States" to the monarchy but that the institution "has lasted over a thousand years." When told by Farage that there is "worse to come" with the expected publication of Harry's memoir later this year, Fitzwilliams responded by saying, "there is undoubtedly potentially worse to come but what impressed me during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations which you mentioned to begin with, the palace knew who they were dealing with." He went on to give examples of the palace's apparent handling of the Sussexes as they made their first joint public return … [Read more...] about Harry, Meghan jubilee visit: “The palace knew who they were dealing with”

Obi-Wan Kenobi came to an end on June 22. Sadly, for fans of the show interested in a second season, they won't be getting one. Starring Ewan McGregor in the title role opposite Hayden Christensen's Darth Vader (formerly Anakin Skywalker), the series followed Obi-Wan as he went on a mission to save Princess Leia (Vivien Lyra Blair) from the clutches of the Empire . Why There Won't Be a Season 2 of Obi-Wan Kenobi Obi-Wan Kenobi was created to be a miniseries from the get-go, with show writer Joby Harold confirming to Newsweek that was the case. "I can say that as a story I wanted it to be six chapters, that's everything that [showrunner Deborah] Chow wanted, and the team wanted, is to try to tell a complete [story]," Harold said. "It's a limited [series], right? So, by definition, it should feel like a three-act structure in its architecture, that it has a beginning, and a middle, and an end." Harold added that he hoped the show's "contained story" concluded … [Read more...] about Why there won’t be a Season 2 of “Obi-Wan Kenobi”

Johnny Depp's attorney, Camille Vasquez , became emotional in a taped interview as she recounted seeing her client smile again following the verdict in his defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard . Vasquez was the surprise breakout star during the six-week court battle, which centered upon Depp's $50 million lawsuit against Heard over a 2018 op-ed for The Washington Post , in which she said she was a domestic abuse survivor. Following a high-profile trial, the jury on June 1 awarded Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, after finding Heard's claim to be false and defamatory. Heard, who had countersued for $100 million, was awarded $2 million after it was found that Depp's former attorney, Adam Waldman , had made defamatory comments about her. Depp was not present when the verdict was handed down, as he had embarked on a European tour with Jeff Beck days beforehand—but Vasquez has revealed that they still ensured they were … [Read more...] about Camille Vasquez fights tears in video recounting Depp’s post-verdict smile