Sri Lanka protesters storm the President's house. PM resigns

[lfromnj]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/09/sri-lanka-protest-gotabaya-rajapaksa/

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, announced that he would resign Saturday after tens of thousands of protesters swarmed over Colombo and stormed the presidential office and residence in the midst of an unprecedented economic crisis.

[Tartarus Sauce]

Looks like its been set on fire. Sri Lanka is unraveling at the seams.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

And now Gota is resigning. RIP, HP.

[Storr]

https://twitter.com/IntelCrab/status/1545867157074055171?s=20&t=IaiW0fkZq-VE...

[Darthpi – Anti-Florida Activist]

Well. That's certainly something you don't see every day.

[PSOL]

You can never change the world without having fun while doing it.

[NOVA Green]

As the global food crisis continues to accelerate would not be surprised to see more governments fall globally.

The Economist in their 6/25/22 US edition posted a long story (Pages 59-61) including graphics.

The Economist has built a statistical model to assess the relationship between food- and fuel-price inflation and unrest. We used data from acled, a global research project, on “unrest events” (ie, mass protests, political violence and riots) since 1997. We found that rises in food and fuel prices were a strong portent of political instability, even when controlling for demography and changes in gdp.

We also found cause for alarm about the coming months. Expenditure on imports of food and fuel is set to increase, especially in poor countries (see chart 1). Poor countries’ debts have also risen (see chart 2). The average low-income country has a public-debt-to-gdp ratio of 69.9%, estimates the imf. This, too, is set to increase, and to overtake the (unweighted) average for rich countries this year. Since poor countries typically have to pay much higher interest rates, many of their debts look unsustainable. The imf says 41 countries, home to 7% of the world’s population, are in or at high risk of “debt distress”. Some, such as Laos, are on the brink of default. Our model suggests that many countries will see a doubling of the number of “unrest events” in the coming year (see map).


Places that were precarious before may be tipped over the edge. In Turkey, for example, the disruption of food and fuel imports from Ukraine and Russia adds to the damage already being caused by barmy monetary policy. Mr Erdogan believes that high interest rates cause inflation, rather than curbing it. So he has ordered rates cut even as prices have raged out of control.

https://www.economist.com/international/2022/06/23/costly-food-and-energy-are-fostering-global-unrest

[ملكة كرينجيتوك]

As the global food crisis continues to accelerate would not be surprised to see more governments fall globally.

The Economist in their 6/25/22 US edition posted a long story (Pages 59-61) including graphics.

The Economist has built a statistical model to assess the relationship between food- and fuel-price inflation and unrest. We used data from acled, a global research project, on “unrest events” (ie, mass protests, political violence and riots) since 1997. We found that rises in food and fuel prices were a strong portent of political instability, even when controlling for demography and changes in gdp.

We also found cause for alarm about the coming months. Expenditure on imports of food and fuel is set to increase, especially in poor countries (see chart 1). Poor countries’ debts have also risen (see chart 2). The average low-income country has a public-debt-to-gdp ratio of 69.9%, estimates the imf. This, too, is set to increase, and to overtake the (unweighted) average for rich countries this year. Since poor countries typically have to pay much higher interest rates, many of their debts look unsustainable. The imf says 41 countries, home to 7% of the world’s population, are in or at high risk of “debt distress”. Some, such as Laos, are on the brink of default. Our model suggests that many countries will see a doubling of the number of “unrest events” in the coming year (see map).


Places that were precarious before may be tipped over the edge. In Turkey, for example, the disruption of food and fuel imports from Ukraine and Russia adds to the damage already being caused by barmy monetary policy. Mr Erdogan believes that high interest rates cause inflation, rather than curbing it. So he has ordered rates cut even as prices have raged out of control.

https://www.economist.com/international/2022/06/23/costly-food-and-energy-are-fostering-global-unrest

In video format:

previous thread

[NOVA Green]

As the global food crisis continues to accelerate would not be surprised to see more governments fall globally.

The Economist in their 6/25/22 US edition posted a long story (Pages 59-61) including graphics.

The Economist has built a statistical model to assess the relationship between food- and fuel-price inflation and unrest. We used data from acled, a global research project, on “unrest events” (ie, mass protests, political violence and riots) since 1997. We found that rises in food and fuel prices were a strong portent of political instability, even when controlling for demography and changes in gdp.

We also found cause for alarm about the coming months. Expenditure on imports of food and fuel is set to increase, especially in poor countries (see chart 1). Poor countries’ debts have also risen (see chart 2). The average low-income country has a public-debt-to-gdp ratio of 69.9%, estimates the imf. This, too, is set to increase, and to overtake the (unweighted) average for rich countries this year. Since poor countries typically have to pay much higher interest rates, many of their debts look unsustainable. The imf says 41 countries, home to 7% of the world’s population, are in or at high risk of “debt distress”. Some, such as Laos, are on the brink of default. Our model suggests that many countries will see a doubling of the number of “unrest events” in the coming year (see map).


Places that were precarious before may be tipped over the edge. In Turkey, for example, the disruption of food and fuel imports from Ukraine and Russia adds to the damage already being caused by barmy monetary policy. Mr Erdogan believes that high interest rates cause inflation, rather than curbing it. So he has ordered rates cut even as prices have raged out of control.

https://www.economist.com/international/2022/06/23/costly-food-and-energy-are-fostering-global-unrest

In video format:

previous thread

Thanks Kamala's side hoe for posting!

Actually listened to the entire "podcast", but yes despite the failure of the political class and family dynasties Sri Lanka, it appears clear that this phenomenon will like transcend that nation, just as the "Arab Spring" was triggered by a street vendor in Tunisia who set himself on fire way back in the early 2010s...

Still, those of us in the "Rich World", the best thing we can do to assist with the current global food crisis is simply this:

Quit Eating Meat

Reduce Meat Consumption

This will help shift preciously short global grain supplies to those suffering the most, especially those in regions where climate change is starting to hit hardest when it comes to food production.

Not currently a Vegan or Vegetarian nor is my spouse (Dietary requirements after 10+ yrs), but still I totally get the concept and reality is that regardless of the whole "meat is murder" punk veggie argument of the '80s, that still reducing meat consumption generally helps feed starving people globally.

Meanwhile Punk Rock segue (First heard this band on a boombox in Eugene, Or back sometime around '93-'95...

[CumbrianLefty]

As the global food crisis continues to accelerate would not be surprised to see more governments fall globally

And maybe not just in the developing world.

[Senator Incitatus]

I condemn this horrifying attack on our sacred democracy. May they all be brought to justice.

[PSOL]

I condemn this horrifying attack on our sacred democracy. May they all be brought to justice.

Down with the corporate dictatorship!

[Lexii, harbinger of chaos and sexual anarchy]

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa unsuccessfully attempted to flee the country, on what I gather was a commercial flight, to Dubai, as immigration staff refused to let the president come to the VIP area of the airport to stamp his passport and he would not go through the ordinary queues for fear of being mobbed by the public. Apparently he's now planning  to flee the country in a navy boat

Rajapaksa's youngest brother Basil, who resigned in April as finance minister, missed his own Emirates flight to Dubai early Tuesday after a similar standoff with airport staff.

[CumbrianLefty]

Heh, would be hilarious - and quite just - if they ultimately didn't get to flee at all.

[Lexii, harbinger of chaos and sexual anarchy]

 Gotabaya Rajapaksa has finally fled the country on a military jet towards the Maldives. He arrived in the capital, Male,with his wife and one or two security officials [sources differ on this], around 03:00 local time (22:00 GMT)

[2952-0-0]

He took a Saudia flight from Male to Singapore, where he entered as a private visitor. Singaporean authorities claim he hasn't applied for asylum, though he apparently e-mailed his resignation to the speaker of the Sri Lankan parliament. No doubt, he is clearing out his bank accounts before taking another flight to his new home in Saudi Arabia.

I don't understand what the Saudis have to gain in being a retirement home for overthrown dictators.