Author Archives: thuppahi

NEW DELHI: The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season [has now begun. All 10 franchises have [finalised] their coaching setups and support staff ahead of the new campaign. The tournament  [began] on March 28, with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Teams have assembled a mix of experienced international names and former players in their backroom staff.

Continue reading →

An Eminent Theologian, Rev. Fr. Aloysius Peiris S. J., Passes Away, March 25, 2026

Fr. Aloysius Peiris S. J. who passed away recently was a student at St. Aloysius College, Galle from 1949 (at around the age of fifteen) to 1953. He resided first at the College Boarding House and thereafter at the St. Xavier’s Seminary, Kalegana. Some of the Jesuit priests with whom he came into contact were, the Rector, Rev. Fr. Vito Perniola, historian and Pali Scholar; Rev. Fr. S. G. Perera, historian; Rev. Fr. Aloysius de Mattia, his spiritual advisor; Rev. Fr. Cyril Ponnamperuma, world renowned scientist, who was then a Sub Prefect; Rev. Fr. L. Cramer, Botanist;  Rev. Fr. Paul Casperz, an Oxford Scholar; Rev. Fr. Thomas Kuriacose, then a Sub Prefect; Rev. Fr. Julius Pogany (then learning English along with us and later teaching Physics to us in the HSC Form); and a number of other well-known Belgian, Neapolitan and Ceylonese Jesuits.

Continue reading →

An Item sent to TPS by Darini Rajasingham Senanayake, ** …entitled Before you study the economics, study the economists!’ ….. e-Con e-News 22-28 March 2026

•  ‘The [USA] wanted to bring 2 warplanes armed with 8 antiship missiles from a base in Djibouti… We turned down the request to maintain Sri Lanka’s neutrality’, he added to applause… Dissanayake said he had received another request that same day, on Feb 26, from Iran to seek permission for 3 naval vessels to make a goodwill visit to Sri Lanka: ‘With 2 requests before us, the decision was clear,’ – see ee Sovereignty, SL says it denied US request to land 2 aircraft at Mattala airport
•  ‘It is unclear as to why the request made by one countrywas made public earlier & the other 2 weeks  later. So far there has been no comment from the US side on their request made to Sri Lanka.’– Sunday Times (see ee Sovereignty,… QR code & West Asian war…)
• 

Continue reading →

SEE https://www.youtube.com/shorts/pn_0PMNR9TM

ALSO SEE …. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Kirsten

Gary Kirsten

Kirsten in 2009
Personal information
Born	23 November 1967 (age 58) Cape Town, Cape Province, South Africa
Nickname	Gazza
Batting	Left-handed
Bowling	Right-arm off break
Role	Opening batsman
Relations	Paul Kirsten (brother) Peter Kirsten (half-brother)
International information
National side	South Africa
Test debut (cap 257)	26 December 1993 v Australia
Last Test	30 March 2004 v New Zealand
ODI debut (cap 28)	14 December 1993 v Australia
Last ODI	3 March 2003 v Sri Lanka
ODI shirt no.	1
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1987–2004	Western Province
Head coaching information
Years	Team
2008–2011	India
2011–2013	South Africa
2024	Pakistan (ODI and T20I)
2026–	Sri Lanka
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA Matches 101 185 221 294 Runs scored 7,289 6,798 16,670 9,586 Batting average 45.27 40.95 48.31 36.58 100s/50s 21/34 13/45 46/79 18/58 Top score 275 188* 275 188* Balls bowled 349 30 1,727 138 Wickets 2 – 20 3 Bowling average 71.00 – 41.80 37.33 5 wickets in innings 0 – 1 0 10 wickets in match 0 – 0 0 Best bowling 1/0 – 6/68 1/25 Catches/stumpings 83/– 61/1 171/– 97/1
Medal record
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 28 December 2009

Continue reading →

The Border Inquisitor

A very useful video recounting how George had a difficult time entering the UK. He was detained under an act featuring some of the finest Kafkaesque language used by democratic countries today—a stark reminder that fascism comes with a pat on the back.

https://youtu.be/c6bjRCysuv4?si=eSkokoPHIojLq_0V

Continue reading →

Alex Malcolm at ESPNcricinfo, 30 March 2026

Continue reading →

A NOTICE From Insaf Bakeer Markar, late March 2025

Continue reading →

ABC

In the gilded vacuum of a Miami ballroom last Friday, the world was treated to the latest episode of the “Trump Doctrine”—a volatile cocktail of schoolyard bullying, delusional revisionism, and a terrifyingly literal interpretation of “might makes right.“

As the US-Israeli war against Iran enters its most chaotic phase, President Donald Trump took to the stage at a Saudi-backed forum to settle scores. He didn’t just boast about his influence; he humiliated a key regional ally, claiming that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is now “kissing my ass” because he finally realized the U.S. isn’t a “dead country.” It was a performance defined by a disturbing disconnect: even as Saudi facilities burn from retaliatory Iranian strikes, Trump is more interested in whether the 90-year-old King Salman “likes him” than in the stability of the global energy market.

Continue reading →

Senake Weeraratne

 The Reply of David Becker (Head of Legal, ICC) to Senaka Weeraratna was dismissive, disrespectful and patently wrong in the interpretation of law.

The reply of the South African lawyer David Becker (Head of Legal, ICC) to Senaka Weeraratna in May 2010 on the question of the intellectual property rights over his brainchild ‘Player Referral’ which was rebranded by the ICC as the UDRS (Umpire Decision Review System), was dismissive, disrespectful and patently wrong in the interpretation of law. The legal doctrine of Constructive Notice was overlooked in Becker’s response. Constructive Notice acts as a legal presumption that a person has received notice, even if they actually have not, provided the information is public or easily accessible. Furthermore Becker’s reply was legalistic when the context demanded equity, fair play and simple Justice.

Continue reading →

Desert Traveller, whose original title runs thus:  “The Gospel of “Bomb Diplomacy”: Trump, Hegseth, and the Death of the Global Order”

In the gilded vacuum of a Miami ballroom last Friday, the world was treated to the latest episode of the “Trump Doctrine”—a volatile cocktail of schoolyard bullying, delusional revisionism, and a terrifyingly literal interpretation of “might makes right.”

As the US-Israeli war against Iran enters its most chaotic phase, President Donald Trump took to the stage at a Saudi-backed forum to settle scores. He didn’t just boast about his influence; he humiliated a key regional ally, claiming that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is now “kissing my ass” because he finally realized the U.S. isn’t a “dead country.” It was a performance defined by a disturbing disconnect: even as Saudi facilities burn from retaliatory Iranian strikes, Trump is more interested in whether the 90-year-old King Salman “likes him” than in the stability of the global energy market.

Continue reading →