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England v Sri Lanka: first T20 cricket international updates – live

Over-by-over match updates, play from 6.30pm BST Pietersen’s return is pure content | And mail James Sri Lanka XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Lahiru Udara, Charith Asalanka (c), Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Eshan Malinga It’s a spin heavy attack for the visitors who are trying to tip the scales back to winning ways since losing ten of their 15 T20I matches so far this year. Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•James Wallace15 Sept

Emirates signs 11 new partnerships on day two of ATM

Emirates has signed eleven partnership agreements on the second day of Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, deepening its collaboration with seven destinations and opening access to and supporting new customer segments across its global network, as well as expanding codeshare agreements for deeper cooperation with partner airlines. His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, visited Emirates' stand during the second day of ATM, touring the airline’s product showcases on display. He was briefed by senior Emirates leadership on the airline's latest cabin innovations and passenger experience enhancements. Emirates and the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) have renewed their partnership, building on a collaboration first established in 2022. Under the terms of the agreement, Emirates will continue to draw on its network of almost 140 destinations to promote Sri Lanka to global audiences and support the growth of visitor arrivals. The country welcomed more than 2.3 million international tourists last year, a 15.1 percent increase on the two million recorded the previous year. Emirates and SLTPB work together on a range of initiatives including marketing campaigns, tailored excursions, trade incentives and familiarisation trips designed to showcase the island nation across key feeder markets, along with developing special packages. Emirates and Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to boost visitor arrivals and stimulate traffic to the emirate from select markets within the airline’s network. RAKTDA and Emirates will work closely to explore implementing promotional activities including joint marketing and advertising, trade and media familiarisation programmes, with RAKTDA supporting visits through curated ground experiences that showcase the destination, in addition to multi-market campaign activities in Ras Al Khaimah’s target markets. Both parties will explore developing bespoke products and packages for Emirates customers, to be promoted directly through 'Dubai Experience' on the airline's website, alongside incentives for tour operators and the wider travel trade – enabling tourists to explore the full range of activities and experiences the UAE has to offer. Emirates and Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) have signed a new MoU to strengthen tourism promotion and further encourage travel between Japan, Dubai, and the wider Middle East. Emirates continues to invest in Japan through direct services to Narita, Haneda, and Kansai, with operations expected to reach 28 weekly flights in October 2026. The airline has also increased capacity through A380 deployments, introduced Chauffeur-Drive services at Narita and Kansai airports and opened a Travel Store in Osaka. The renewed partnership aims to raise awareness of Japan, meet growing travel demand, and deepen connections between the regions. Building on years of highly successful collaborations, Emirates and the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) have renewed their partnership to jointly support the growth of inbound tourism to the archipelago nation from across the airline's global network. The strategic partnership underscores Emirates' commitment to promoting tourism to the idyllic destination, which has been part of its West Asia and Indian Ocean network since 1987. Air arrivals to the Maldives rose almost ten percent last year, reaching 2.25 million, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Environment's Tourism Statistics 2025 report. Emirates has supported this growth drawing on its network of almost 140 destinations to attract visitors from key markets including the US, UK and Russia. Emirates has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoU) with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to strengthen support for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and their families. The partnership will explore collaboration between the two parties in the areas of welfare and social protection, repatriation assistance, reintegration and livelihood, CSR, and community engagement, including support for OWWA outreach activities across the Middle East. The collaboration underscores Emirates’ recognition of the significant contribution Filipino workers make to Dubai and the UAE. The partnership comes at a time when the welfare of Filipino workers abroad has moved further into focus. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority's 2024 Survey on Overseas Filipinos, the UAE is now the second-largest destination for Filipino workers globally, home to an estimated 271,000 OFWs[1]. Cash remittances from the UAE reflect this scale, reaching US$750.3 million in the first half of 2026, up 4.3% from US$719.6 million in the same period last year, per Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas data[2]. Emirates and Sharjah Police have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to formalise a partnership that includes exclusive travel-related benefits for Sharjah Police employees and support for their events. Sharjah Police will promote Emirates across its communication channels and events, strengthening collaboration, employee engagement, and brand visibility for both organisations. The MoU was signed by Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer and Major General Dr. Ali Ahmed Bu Al Zoud, Director General of the General Department of Resources and Support Services. Emirates and DERTOUR Group are expanding their long-standing partnership across Europe. The agreement will strengthen group-level cooperation, broaden the availability of Emirates products across DERTOUR’s sales channels, accelerate New Distribution Capability adoption, and provide customers with enhanced content and booking options. The partnership will also focus on premium leisure travel by developing exclusive experiences, supporting travel advisors, coordinating marketing and communications, and pursuing growth opportunities in Central, Eastern, and Northern Europe. Emirates has signed strategic partnerships with Bologna Welcome and Parma Welcome to promote Italy's Emilia-Romagna region to international travellers. Through coordinated marketing campaigns, trade engagement, media outreach and familiarisation trips, the collaboration with two respective parties aims to raise awareness of the region's rich cultural heritage, world-renowned gastronomy, lifestyle experiences and business offerings. Emirates signed an MoU with Cisalpina Tours, one of Italy's leading travel management companies, expanding a long-standing relationship into a dedicated framework for marine crew movements, one of the industry’s most specialised travel segments. Part of MSC Group, a global cruise and shipping operator and a longstanding Emirates partner, Cisalpina brings more than 50 years of experience and direct access to maritime expertise, managing cruise crew traffic and marine logistics alongside its corporate travel and MICE business. Building on years of collaboration, the agreement positions Emirates as a preferred airline partner for marine crew travel and the mobility business and sets out a framework for the two companies to pursue joint commercial opportunities across the Emirates network. Both parties will explore ways to combine their respective strengths in crew travel solutions and share market insights on crew travel flows, port developments and broader industry shifts to guide joint planning. Growing airline partnerships Kuwait Airways and Emirates have signed a Memorandum of Understanding expand their existing interline partnership into a reciprocal codeshare. Under the new arrangement, Kuwait Airways customers will gain access to a wider range of destinations through Emirates' network via Dubai, with the ability to book multi-sector journeys on a single ticket and enjoy through-checked baggage to their final destination. Emirates customers will benefit reciprocally from Kuwait Airways' services and network.

MBMobile Business•Emirates24715 Sept

Tina McKenzie obituary

My mother, Tina McKenzie, who has died aged 99, was an artist whose role as a diplomat’s wife led to her living all over the world during profound political and social change. She arrived in India with her husband, Roderick, so that he could take up his posting in 1948, a year after partition. Next came South Africa, during the time of Harold Macmillan’s visit in 1960 and his “Wind of Change” speech signalling a shift in British policy towards apartheid. In Sri Lanka (Ceylon) in the mid-1960s, Tina witnessed violence between the Tamils and Sinhalese, but also the wonder of the annual Perahera procession. Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•Finella McKenzie13 Sept

World: Islamic Relief Ramadan Programme 2026

Countries: World, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kenya, Lebanon, Malawi, occupied Palestinian territory, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Sudan Source: Islamic Relief Please refer to the attached file. This report is a testament to what collective will and action can achieve even in the most challenging of times. The world today is shaped by converging crises. Conflict, climate shocks and economic hardship continue to erode the livelihoods of millions, pushing vulnerable communities further into the margins. It is against this backdrop that Islamic Relief’s Ramadan Food Assistance Programme carries its greatest meaning. This report documents our efforts to deliver essential food support across 35 countries, reaching nearly 955,000 individuals during the blessed month of Ramadan. Our purpose extended beyond alleviating immediate hunger. We were equally committed to offering our supporters a meaningful and dignified avenue through which to fulfil their religious obligation of giving, connecting the act of charity to real, visible impact in communities that needed it most. Our Ramadan food assistance distributions were carried out efficiently and on time, including in some of the world’s most demanding humanitarian environments such as Lebanon, Gaza and Sudan. None of the work presented in this report was accomplished without difficulty. Financial constraints were real and the scale of need on the ground grew more than ever. Yet, our country teams, local partners and volunteers responded effectively to the challenge with professionalism and dedication. This report does not claim to capture every effort or every act of service that took place. What it does reflect is the spirit of an organisation united in its commitment to uphold the dignity and wellbeing of those we serve. To every Islamic Relief family member, donor, partner, staff and volunteer who gave of their time, resources and energy, I offer my sincere and heartfelt gratitude. May Allah (SWT) accept this humble effort, bless all who contributed, and reward them in ways that no report could ever adequately measure.

ReliefWebReliefWeb•Islamic Relief11 Sept

UN Finds Little Progress on Justice in Sri Lanka

Click to expand Image United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk holds a press conference in Colombo, Sri Lanka, June 26, 2025. © 2025 Krishan Kariyawasam/NurPhoto via AP Photo Seventeen years after the end of Sri Lanka’s civil war, the latest report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, updates the current human rights situation in the country. The government of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake took office in September 2024, promising justice for past rights violations. Yet, as the high commissioner’s September 3 report concludes, beyond progress in a few important cases, “there has been no recognition or accountability for crimes under international law, gross human rights violations, and serious violations of international humanitarian law committed by all parties” during the war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which ended in 2009. Human Rights Watch raised similar concerns in its September 1 report, which documented limited progress in some emblematic cases, but no movement in cases dealing with enforced disappearances, the killing of aid workers, or the targeting of journalists. The government has failed to follow through on its promise to establish an independent public prosecutor’s office, or undertake legal or structural reforms needed for accountability. The Dissanayake government has also not accepted the Sri Lanka Accountability Project, established by the UN Human Rights Council to collect evidence of serious rights abuses. The Sri Lankan government still uses the repressive Prevention of Terrorism Act to harass and arrest human rights defenders, journalists, and families of victims. They face surveillance and questioning by state intelligence agencies, particularly in northern and eastern Sri Lanka. The high commissioner’s report calls on the government to impose a moratorium on using the law pending its repeal, and to release people long detained under it. The Sri Lankan government needs to urgently institute long-pending legal and structural reforms, repeal repressive laws, undertake comprehensive security sector reform, and take steps toward genuine reconciliation, or it risks further entrenching impunity and the trust deficit among victims. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights should continue to monitor the Sri Lankan government’s progress on accountability for international crimes. UN member states at the Human Rights Council and other countries should press the Dissanayake government to follow through on its commitments to ensure truth and justice. Two decades on, the families of victims are still waiting.

Human Rights WatchHuman Rights Watch•Human Rights Watch7 Sept