News

Olympic star vomits live on TV after being forced to swim in polluted River Seine

Published

8 months ago

August 1, 2024

editor

Canadian triathlete Tyler Mislawchuk violently vomited after crossing the finish line at the Paris Olympics.
Mislawchuk, who came home in ninth place, was seen vomiting just moments after finishing the gruelling race which included a 1.5-km swim, 40km bike ride, and 10km run. The unpleasant scene was captured by TV cameras, which also showed numerous other athletes lying on the mat, struggling to catch their breath.

Alex Yee clinched a thrilling victory in the men’s triathlon, earning Team GB’s fifth gold medal of the Olympics. He worked hard to close a 15-second gap on Hayden Wilde of New Zealand, improving on the silver medal he won in Tokyo three years ago.

In the women’s race, Beth Potter secured the bronze medal for Team GB while Cassandre Beaugrand claimed victory from a leading group of four, winning the spoils for host nation France.

The lead-up to the triathlon events was overshadowed by the poor water quality of the River Seine due to heavy rainfall in Paris over the weekend. The men’s race was initially scheduled for Tuesday but was postponed until the river was deemed safe for swimming

Up until June, E.coli levels in the river were 10 times higher than the level deemed acceptable by sports federations. Tests were carried out on Wednesday morning and the bacteria level was deemed safe enough to go ahead.

Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo recently took a dip in the river to highlight the clean-up efforts. She said: “It’s sweet and wonderful and the result of a lot of work.

“I remember at the very beginning in 2015 when we began our campaign for the Games, the international triathlon federation said: ‘Why not a triathlon in the Seine? Will athletes be able to swim in the Seine?’. Today we can say they can.”

Swimming in the River Seine has been largely banned for over 100 years due to the high levels of pollution and the risk of disease from accidentally swallowing the water. French officials have invested heavily in making it safer in preparation for the Olympics, with about £1.2billion being spent.

(mirror.co.uk)

News

700,000 postal voting applications for LG Polls

Published

9 minutes ago

April 3, 2025

editor

The Election Commission has received nearly 700,000 applications for postal voting at the upcoming Local Government (LG) Elections.

The application process for those eligible to vote by mail commenced on March 03 and concluded on March 17.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission announced that the process of compiling information on public officials assigned for election duties is nearing completion.

Commissioner General of Elections Saman Sri Ratnayake urged any public officials who have yet to submit their details to do so immediately. Such officials must forward their information, along with the recommendations of their institution’s head, to the District Election Office in their respective districts.

News

Probe into misuse of Presidential Fund

Published

26 minutes ago

April 3, 2025

editor

The Financial and Commercial Crime Investigation Division (FCCID) of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has initiated an investigation into 22 former Ministers and Members of Parliament (MPs) concerning funds they allegedly received from the Presidential Fund between 2008 and 2024.

Police said that 22 files related to the disbursement of these funds were being examined by the CID.

Preliminary investigations revealed that over Rs. Rs. 100 million have been received by the twenty two former Ministers and MPs in various amounts, and investigations are being carried out as to whether any irregularity has occurred in receiving the money.

As part of the investigation, CID officers have sought approval from the Fort Magistrate’s Court on April 2, 2025, to access details of the checks issued from the Presidential Fund account.

Earlier, Minister Nalinda Jayatissa revealed in Parliament that 36 former Ministers and MPs had received Rs. 112.5 million from the Presidential Fund between 2005 and 2024.

Among those named, former Minister Keheliya Rambukwella received Rs. 11 million, former Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne received Rs. 10 million, late Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne received Rs. 30 million, and former MP Ranjith De Zoysa received Rs. 18 million.

Other individuals who reportedly received financial assistance include Vasudewa Nanayakkara, Widura Wickremanayake, Wimala Dissanayake, Sumeda Jayasena, S.B. Nawinna, John Amaratunga, Sarath Amungama, P. Harrison, Piyasena Gamage, Manoj Sirisena, P. Dayaratane, and S.C. Muthukumarana.

(dailymirror.lk)

(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by dailymirror.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

BIZ

‘Beedi’ tax upped

Published

33 minutes ago

April 3, 2025

editor

The Ministry of Finance has increased the Tobacco Tax on all ‘Beedi’ products,with effective from yesterday (April 02).

Accordingly, the relevant tax will be increased from Rs. 02 to Rs. 03, resulting in the price hike of a rupee.