August 22, 2022 · 4:34 pm

China Jettisons 23 Loans to African States!!! Wunderbar!!!

Benjamin Norton, in Multipolarista, 21 August 2022, where the headline reads thus “China forgives 23 loans for 17 African countries, expands ‘win-win’ trade and infrastructure projects”

The Chinese government has announced that it is forgiving 23 interest-free loans for 17 African nations, while pledging to deepen its collaboration with the continent.

This is in addition to China’s cancellation of more than $3.4 billion in debt and restructuring of around $15 billion of debt in Africa between 2000 and 2019.

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August 22, 2022 · 2:11 am

Debt Trap around the Globe is Mostly to Commercial Creditors

Fair Dinkum

Interesting World Bank statistics here – see film

According to the World Bank, poor and middle income countries have to pay $940 billion dollars in principal and interest repayments in the next 7 years including $356 billion to Western commercial creditors and $273 billion to multilateral institutions which adds up to  67% of the total payments due.

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August 22, 2022 · 1:04 am

Irony. Defiance. Salman Rushdie’s Appreciation of the Everyday within the Heat of the Fatwa

Fintan O’Toole, in The Irish Times, 15 August 2022, where the title runs “The first time I met Salman Rushdie, the very idea of it was unimaginable”  ………..  reproduced here with highlights imposed by The Editor, Thuppahi   &*&

The first time I met Salman Rushdie, the very idea of meeting Salman Rushdie was unimaginable. It was after the Ayatollah Khomeini issued his fatwa against him. Rushdie had disappeared from the face of the earth.

By refusing to subsist in living death they prescribed for him, the author stood up for life itself as the ordinary human birthright.

 

 

I went to a party in County Wicklow. Seeing him standing in the kitchen with a glass of wine was like meeting Lazarus.

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August 21, 2022 · 9:07 pm

Analysing the Many Threads of Religiosity in Sri Lanka

Lynn Ockersz, in The Island, 19 August 2022, where the title reads “An incisive exploration of Sri Lanka’s religiosity” … with highlighting imposed by The Editor, Thuppahi

This timely publication could be described as a revelation of the fascinating nature of Sri Lanka’s religiosity. It is almost customary to refer to Sri Lanka as a ‘religious country,’ but it is not often that one comes across scholarly discussions on the subject locally. ‘Multi-Religiosity in Contemporary Sri Lanka..’, a collection of research papers put together in book form, fills this void most adequately.

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August 20, 2022 · 9:13 pm

Wickremasinghe: President & Strongman? Reprehensible Acts

Andrew Fidel Fernando, in The Indian Express,  18 August 2022, where the title reads thus “New Sri Lankan president is focused on protecting upper-class interests” … with highlighting here being impositions from The editor Thuppahi

As if acting out the first half-page of a “How to be a Despot” pocketbook, President Ranil Wickremesinghe has spent his first weeks in Sri Lanka’s highest office beating down and rounding up protesters, while the nation continues to gasp for its barest necessities.

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August 20, 2022 · 2:05 am

The Tales around a Painting: The Kandyan Ambassadors’ Audience in Dutch Colombo, 1772

Dr Srilal Fernando in Melbourne, reproducing the firs t part of an article that arpperas in THE CEYLANKAN, The journal of the ceylon Society of Australia, Vol25/3, August 2022. Its full title therein is as follows: “The Story of a Painting. Governor Falck’s Audience to the Kandyan Ambassadors in 1772drawn and painted from life by C F Reimer, Surgeon.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A group photograph is part of a visual record of a modern day conference. What did they do in 1772, long before the advent of photography? A skilled artist was commissioned to paint the scene as it happened. The occasion was the visit of 3 Kandyan ambassadors to attend a meeting with the then Dutch Governor , Iman Willem Falck in Colombo.

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August 20, 2022 · 12:59 am

Will Pucovski’s Cricketing Headblows and His Lifeworld Thereafter

Interview by Srinidhi Ramanujam… 18-Aug-2022 …. at ESPNcricinfo, where the title runs thus “Will Pucovski on his multiple concussions: ‘It’s been a reality check – there’s so much more to life’, ”  .... https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/will-pucovski-on-his-multiple-concussions-its-been-a-reality-check-theres-so-much-more-to-life-1329372
The Australia batter talks about how dealing with repeated trauma to the head has changed his outlook on life, his red-ball ambitions, and learning to not be defined by cricket alone

Pucovski suffered his ninth concussion just before his Test debut, when playing for Australia A against Indians in December 2020•—-  Getty Images

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August 19, 2022 · 4:42 pm

Coupling Leopards at Yala: Testosterone at Work

The Love Life of “Lucas,” …. A Leopard

“Lucas” (YM16) is one of the most famous male leopards roaming in the Yala National Park Sri Lanka, where he is famous for creating many popular story lines for wildlife enthusiasts over past few years. In this video we present to you the romance between “Bhagya” (YF58) & “Aster” (YF39) and also another interesting & unusual behaviour from “Lucas”

ALSO NOTE

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August 19, 2022 · 4:24 pm

Aussie Testosterone for Arabia! Australian Camels in High Demand

Noah Yim, in The Australian, 18 August 2022, where the title reads “Aussie mums for richest pickings of camel crop” …. while the highlighting is the hand of The Editor, Thuppahi

These mums could give birth to the Arabian Peninsula’s next top models. Wild Australian camels are highly sought after as surrogate mothers to the most prized beauty pageant and racing camels in the Middle East, courting millions of dollars from kings and sheiks in order to continue the progeny free of diseases.

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August 19, 2022 · 2:25 pm

Western Misrepresentations of China’s Actions in Sri Lanka Continue

Fair Dinkum, … an original set of thoughts … with highlighting imposed by The Editor, Thuppahi

It’s good to see Australia providing aid to SL though its peanuts compared to the aid provided by India and China. This article is a good example of an Anglo-Saxon reading of an Asian situation.

Some flawed claims by the Anglo-Saxons at The Age in this article are, 

– The claim China was “flexing its muscles” by “insisting on docking a giant scientific research ship despite concerns raised by India”.  There is no mention that India had earlier flexed its muscles by insisting Sri Lanka deny entry to the vessel. And no analysis as to whether India had genuine security concerns or were simply politically posturing. There was also no mention of India’s interference into Sri Lanka’s sovereignty.

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