Podcasts about Sri Lanka

Women's T20 World Cup 2026, Day 4, Sri Lanka v New Zealand, England v Ireland: What a finish, and what a refusal to lay down. People still underestimate Sri Lanka, but we've been tracking their improvement for years. This performance may be their finest, as the trophy holders have almost dropped it. Also, Ireland took on the big task of England. Firdose Moonda joins Geoff. Could you support the show? You can send us a Nerd Pledge or become a member at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/thefinalword⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and could win a case of Stomping Ground beer for your trouble. Browse their range at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠stompingground.beer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get your This is W̶o̶m̶e̶n̶'̶s̶ Cricket t-shirt here, and learn about Lacuna Sports bespoke cricket wear, created by women for women:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lacunasports.co.uk/en/shop/limited-edition/world-cup-t-shirt/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Stop snoring with 10% off a Zeus device: use code TFW2026 at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zeussleeps.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ With Morie Candles you can buy one item, get 30% off the next, with the offer code TFW5. At ⁠⁠⁠⁠morie.com.au⁠⁠⁠⁠ Join England's Test tour of South Africa in 2026 with Gullivers Sports Travel. Learn more or book at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠gulliverstravel.co.uk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Check out the Lord's Performance Centre for activities and courses: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lords.org/lords/performancecentre⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get your big NordVPN discount: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠nordvpn.com/tfw⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or 10% off ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Duncan Fearnley ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bats and kit with code TFW10 or 15% off Step One clothes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠uk.stepone.life/discount/TFW148⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or 10% off BIG Boots UK boots and socks at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bigboots.co.uk/?ref=thefinalword⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠finalwordcricket.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Title track by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Urthboy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today it is my immense pleasure and honor to welcome Amitav Ghosh to Speaking Out of Place to talk about his new novel, Ghost Eye.  The novel is about reincarnation, but also a lot more. In our conversation we talk about the need to address the terrible set of environmental and other crises we face, and the seeming foreclosure of the imagination by the obsession with technology and the future it offers to us. Instead, we look to how we can fashion beginnings out of endings, aided by a renewed sense of wonder, curiosity, and awe.  We turn to the body, to the haptic, and perhaps most important, to food as more than simply nourishment. In all this, story-telling, the revival of connections between living beings, and a deep sense of other times and places are central.AMITAV GHOSH grew up in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and has a Ph.D. in Social Anthropology from the University of Oxford. He is the author of four books of non-fiction, two collections of essays and nine novels. His books have won many prizes and he has received eight honorary degrees, six lifetime achievement awards and four honorary fellowships. His work has been translated into more than thirty languages and he has served on the Jury of the Locarno and Venice film festivals. In 2018 he became the first English-language writer to receive India's highest literary honor, the Jnanpith Award. In 2019, Foreign Policy magazine named him one of the most important global thinkers of the preceding decade. In 2024 he was awarded the Erasmus Prize and was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2025 he was awarded the Pak Kyongni Prize by South Korea's Toji Foundation, and in 2026 he was given a Fellowship by the Guggenheim Foundation. He is married to the writer Deborah Baker and lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Cameron Ponsonby, Ben Gardner, Lawrence Booth and Mark Butcher look ahead to the second Test at The Kia Oval, with England making at least four changes from their Lord's XI. Also on the show, Kane Williamson's retirement, the latest from the County Championship, and Alex Malcolm provides an update on the BBL merger saga. 0:00 Intro / 0:46 KIA UK / 1:13 Mark Butcher / 17:33 Brendon McCullum / 24:47 England's XI / 30:39 Ollie Robinson / 32:29 Kane Williamson / 43:23 MNDA chat with Chris Broad / 50:52 Women's T20 World Cup / 51:32 County Championship / 59:14 Win ODI tickets vs Sri Lanka / 59:35 Big Bash / 1:00:33 Alex Malcolm on the BBL / 1:14:36 Other cricket / 1:17:23 Outro KIA UK

Katya is joined by Ben Gardner & The Scoop's Anjali Doshi to round up what was an action packed opening weekend at the women's T20 World Cup that saw England impress against Sri Lanka, Australia dominate against South Africa & India sweep Pakistan aside. 0:15 Intro//0:57 Metro Bank: This Feels Different //1:17 England's impressive opening performance //5:17 Danni Wyatt-Hodge //9:30 Freya Kemp //11:52 West Indies vs New Zealand //19:55 Why did NZ leave out Susie Bates?//22:45 Dropped catches across the tournament //24:30 Scotland vs Ireland //27:15 Roasting Party //27:54 Australia vs South Africa //32:40 Lisa Sthalekar on Australia's strong start //51:37 India vs Pakistan //01:02:29 Final reflections //01:04:00 Metro Bank Outro England is about to experience women's cricket like never before: bigger, bolder and better than ever. This is what Metro Bank have been working for, championing women's and girls' cricket on the biggest stage to inspire the teams of the future. The new era's here, and Metro Bank are right at the heart of it. This team. This chance. This moment. This Feels Different. https://bit.ly/4o7i2Qu Lord's tickets: https://tickets.lords.org/

In April 2021, the Sri Lankan government banned imports of all chemical fertilizers. They were the first country to do this. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa explained in a speech: If we are to preserve the health of our planet and ensure human sustainability, governments all over the world must not hesitate to adopt bold policies The import ban turned out to be a bit too bold. Amidst plunging farm yields and soaring food inflation, the ban did not last the year. I covered Sri Lanka's economic crisis in a prior video three years ago, but did not mention the fertilizer ban. So let me do it this time. In today's video, the disastrous Sri Lankan fertilizer import ban.

White Ferns Assistant Coach Craig McMillan joins the show to chat about Kane Williamson announcing his retirement, White Ferns lose to West Indies in their first game of Women's T20 World Cup, Looking forward to facing Sri Lanka on Wednesday, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of the PowettPlay Podcast, hosts Jordan Shannon and West Indies international Kieran Powell break down the ongoing West Indies vs Sri Lanka cricket series, analysing the key talking points emerging from 2 T20's so far. The pair examine the continued struggles of West Indies batters against Sri Lanka's spin attack, discussing why Caribbean players have found it difficult to adapt and what tactical adjustments are needed to turn the series around. Can the West Indies find a solution against quality spin bowling, or will the same issues continue to haunt them? Jordan and Kieran also shine a spotlight on the impressive performances coming out of the West Indies Academy, with particular praise for young wicketkeeper-batter Rivaldo Clarke, whose century in foreign conditions has further strengthened his case for higher honours. The hosts discuss the next generation of Caribbean talent and what it means for the future of West Indies cricket. With emerging players pushing for opportunities, the conversation turns to selection pressure within the national setup. Are senior players now under greater scrutiny? Which established stars need strong performances to secure their places moving forward? The episode also addresses the frustration surrounding weather interruptions during the one-day series and the disappointment of Shai Hope's 150th international appearance being overshadowed by rain, denying the West Indies captain a special occasion. Subscribe to the PowettPlay Podcast for weekly cricket analysis, exclusive interviews, West Indies cricket discussion, international cricket news, player insights, and expert commentary from across the game. #WestIndiesCricket #SriLankaCricket #WIvSL #CricketPodcast #PowettPlayPodcast #KieranPowell #JordanShannon #ShaiHope #RivaldoClarke #WestIndiesAcademy #CricketAnalysis #CaribbeanCricket #ODICricket #CricketNews Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nikki and Melissa catch up the morning after and reflect on England's dream start to the Women's T20 World Cup after their dominant 87-run victory over Sri Lanka. The conversation centres on Danni Wyatt-Hodge and her ruthless century & just how ruthless England looked from the first ball. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last night, two debut authors received the Women's Prize for Fiction and Non-Fiction, each worth £30,000, respectively. Anita Rani speaks to the two winners, novelist Virginia Evans and Lyse Doucet, known to listeners as the BBC's Chief International Correspondent.Last week, Hannah Murray, who played Gilly in Game of Thrones, told Anita that during the final season of the show, the papers wrote she was pregnant - when she wasn't. Hannah said that maybe this was the only acceptable way for a woman in the public eye to gain weight. Following a strong listener response to that item we discuss if there is a right way to talk about women's weight. Anita is joined by Alex Light, a body confidence activist and author and Dr Dolly Van Tulleken, food policy researcher, policy consultant and visiting researcher at the MRC epidemiologist unit in Cambridge University. England is hosting the 2026 T20 Women's World Cup this summer, and England and Sri Lanka launch the competition with their match at Edgbaston today. This is the first time that 12 teams will competing for the World Cup trophy – an increase on previous years. Anita talks to Melissa Story, a cricket player for Gloucestershire and a commentator for BBC's Test Match Special, about how the tournament works, the players to watch - and the matches we can't miss.This week the Royal College of Psychiatrists launched its first ever Women's Mental Health Strategy. It was instigated by Dr Lade Smith, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists who chose women's mental health as a key focus when she took up her post three years ago. As Lade steps down from that role, she joins Anita to talk about why she thinks that the women's mental healthcare is in crisis and her vision for improvements.When bride-to-be Kayley Stead was left alone at the altar on her wedding day in 2022, she did what few would think to do - she let the wedding continue. Kayley's photos of enjoying her wedding alone, including the speeches, the first dance and cutting the cake, went viral. Other women congratulated her for celebrating herself and still enjoying the day. Four years on, she's found love again - she's engaged! - and she says she wants her wedding to be "a big party." She joins Anita. Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Rebecca Myatt

Women's T20 World Cup 2026, Day 1, England v Sri Lanka: There has been plenty of pressure on the England women's team coming into a home World Cup after their poor recent history, but they couldn't have done any more than they did in their opener against Sri Lanka. A record tournament score, one wicket down, and a ruthless bowling performance to close out a thumping win. Meanwhile, Chamari Atapattu has to live with her team's shortcomings. Could you support the show? You can send us a Nerd Pledge or become a member at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/thefinalword⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and could win a case of Stomping Ground beer for your trouble. Browse their range at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠stompingground.beer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get your This is W̶o̶m̶e̶n̶'̶s̶ Cricket t-shirt here, and learn about Lacuna Sports bespoke cricket wear, created by women for women:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lacunasports.co.uk/en/shop/limited-edition/world-cup-t-shirt/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Stop snoring with 10% off a Zeus device: use code TFW2026 at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zeussleeps.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ With Morie Candles you can buy one item, get 30% off the next, with the offer code TFW5. At ⁠⁠morie.com.au⁠⁠ Join England's Test tour of South Africa in 2026 with Gullivers Sports Travel. Learn more or book at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠gulliverstravel.co.uk⁠⁠⁠⁠  Check out the Lord's Performance Centre for activities and courses: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lords.org/lords/performancecentre⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get your big NordVPN discount: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠nordvpn.com/tfw⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or 10% off ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Duncan Fearnley ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bats and kit with code TFW10 or 15% off Step One clothes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠uk.stepone.life/discount/TFW148⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or 10% off BIG Boots UK boots and socks at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bigboots.co.uk/?ref=thefinalword⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠finalwordcricket.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Title track by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Urthboy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Butch & Lauren Winfield-Hill join Katya to preview the women's T20 World Cup which begins this week at Edgbaston as England play Sri Lanka. 0:15 Intro //1:00 Metro Bank //3:43 What success looks like in this World Cup //11:00Who would Lauren bring in from the 2017 team? //12:05 England//22:00 West Indies//23:02 Chance of an upset //27:06 Group 1 vs Group 2//29:43 South Africa //33:15 Australia //39:33 India//42:45 Players to watch //44:25 Predictions //46:25 Metro Bank England is about to experience women's cricket like never before: bigger, bolder and better than ever. This is what Metro Bank have been working for, championing women's and girls' cricket on the biggest stage to inspire the teams of the future. The new era's here, and Metro Bank are right at the heart of it. This team. This chance. This moment. This Feels Different. https://bit.ly/4o7i2Qu Lord's tickets: https://tickets.lords.org/

Listen to current week's news from and about the Church in Asia in a capsule of around 10 to 15 minutes. Catholic bishops in the Philippines appealed for donations after a powerful earthquake killed at least 41 people and left hundreds injured. In China, a Buddhist monk was detained after briefly commemorating the Tiananmen Square massacre anniversary, while in Hong Kong, a construction worker was jailed under national security laws for distributing leaflets calling for an election boycott. Tune in for the latest developments from Asia. Filed by UCA News reporters, compiled by Fabian Antony, presented by Joe Mathews, Cover photo by AFP, background score by Andre Louis, edited and produced by Binu Alex for Union of Catholic Asian News. For news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.comTo contribute please visit www.ucanews.com/donateOn Twitter Follow Or Connect through DM at : twitter.com/ucanewsTo view Video features please visit https://www.youtube.com/@ucanews

Marele Day is a novelist, but as a young woman looking for adventure, she hitchhiked on a catamaran sailing from Darwin to Sri Lanka.The skipper was a Frenchman, named Jean Day, who revealed on board that he had once done jail time for hijacking a plane.What she only found out later, was that Jean was a fugitive on the run from another high-profile crime.Further informationMarele Day's memoir is called RecklessThis episode of Conversations was first broadcast in 2023The producer was Sinead Lee and the EP was Carmel RooneyIt explores sailing, risk taking, adventure, young women, the ocean, criminals, hijacking planes, deception, being French, lies, Sri Lanka, writing a memoir, high profile crime, financial fraud.To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

How do artists help communities survive violence, heal trauma, and imagine a future beyond conflict?In this episode of Art Is Change, Bill Cleveland speaks with activist, educator, filmmaker, writer, and peacebuilding scholar Cynthia Cohen about a lifetime spent exploring the relationship between creativity, storytelling, conflict, and democratic life.Drawing on experiences ranging from Jewish-Palestinian dialogue projects in Boston to peacebuilding initiatives in Peru, Sri Lanka, Serbia, Northern Ireland, and beyond, Cynthia reflects on the role artists play in helping communities navigate violence, hold competing truths, and create the conditions for healing and transformation.In this episode you'll discover:• Why listening may be the most important creative and civic skill of all — and how deep listening can help people move beyond fear, polarization, and inherited narratives.• How artists and cultural workers contribute to peacebuilding — by creating spaces where difficult stories can be shared, contradictions can be held, and communities can imagine alternatives to violence.• Why arts and culture matter in the struggle against authoritarianism — and how creativity, empathy, and conflict transformation can strengthen democratic life during times of upheaval.PEOPLEHow do artists help communities survive violence, heal trauma, and imagine a future beyond conflict?In this episode of Art Is Change, Bill Cleveland speaks with activist, educator, filmmaker, writer, and peacebuilding scholar Cynthia Cohen about a lifetime spent exploring the relationship between creativity, storytelling, conflict, and democratic life.Drawing on experiences ranging from Jewish-Palestinian dialogue projects in Boston to peacebuilding initiatives in Peru, Sri Lanka, Serbia, Northern Ireland, and beyond, Cynthia reflects on the role artists play in helping communities navigate violence, hold competing truths, and create the conditions for healing and transformation.In this episode you'll discover:Why listening may be the most important creative and civic skill of all — and how deep listening can help people move beyond fear, polarization, and inherited narratives.How artists and cultural workers contribute to peacebuilding — by creating spaces where difficult stories can be shared, contradictions can be held, and communities can imagine alternatives to violence.Why arts and culture matter in the struggle against authoritarianism — and how creativity, empathy, and conflict transformation can strengthen democratic life during times of upheaval.PEOPLECynthia Cohen — Peacebuilding scholar, educator, writer, and cultural worker whose research and field-building efforts have helped establish the international field of arts, culture, and conflict transformation.John O'Neal — Civil rights organizer, theater artist, and co-founder of the Free Southern Theater. O'Neal championed the role of arts and storytelling in advancing freedom, civic participation, and social justice.Dijana Milošević — Serbian theater director, peacebuilder, and founder of DAH Theatre, internationally recognized for using performance to confront war, nationalism, and social division.Roberta Levitow — Co-founder of Theatre Without Borders and a leading advocate for international theater collaboration, peacebuilding, and cultural exchange.John Paul Lederach — Influential peacebuilding theorist whose concepts of conflict transformation and “elicitive” practice have shaped reconciliation work worldwide.Jane Sapp — Musician, educator, and cultural worker whose community-based arts practice connects storytelling, history, civic engagement, and cultural memory.Ana Correa — Actor, activist, and longtime member of Grupo Cultural Yuyachkani whose work has focused on memory, human rights, and community healing in Peru.Ocean Vuong — Acclaimed poet and novelist whose work explores language, migration, identity, memory, and the dignity of lived experience.ORGANIZATIONSThe Charles F. Kettering Foundation — The Charles F. Kettering Foundation, headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, operating foundation with a mission to advance inclusive democracies worldwide by fostering citizen engagement, promoting government accountability, and countering authoritarianism.Democracy and the Arts — The Kettering Foundation's focus area for integrating the power of the arts into democratic life locally, nationally, and globally.Theatre Without Borders — International network of theater artists and cultural workers committed to global collaboration, peacebuilding, and social change through performance.Grupo Cultural Yuyachkani — Peru's renowned theater collective whose work combines indigenous traditions, political theater, ritual practice, and human rights advocacy.DAH Theatre — Belgrade-based theater company using artistic practice to confront violence, build dialogue, and foster civic engagement.Palestinian House of Friendship — Community-based organization in Nablus supporting young people through arts, education, cultural programs, recreation, and civic engagement.Free Southern Theater — Groundbreaking Civil Rights-era theater organization dedicated to bringing performance and cultural expression to underserved Black communities throughout the American South.ACTIVITIES & EVENTSActing Together on the World Stage — International research, documentation, and convening project exploring how artists and cultural workers contribute to peacebuilding, reconciliation, and conflict transformation.A Passion for Life: Palestinian and Jewish Women in Boston — Cynthia Cohen's oral history and cultural exchange project bringing Palestinian and Jewish women together through storytelling, folk traditions, family histories, and artistic practice.Peru Truth and Reconciliation Commission — National truth commission established after Peru's internal conflict. Grupo Cultural Yuyachkani collaborated alongside communities affected by violence and displacement.PUBLICATIONS & MEDIAActing Together: Performance and the Creative Transformation of Conflict (Volume 1) — Landmark collection documenting artists, cultural workers, and peacebuilders using performance to address conflict and social division around the world.Acting Together on the World Stage (Film) — Documentary film featuring artists working in regions affected by violence, oppression, and conflict, highlighting the role of performance in healing and transformation.

Nikki and Melissa turn their attention to Sri Lanka, who arrive at the tournament full of confidence after a 3–0 T20I series win. With a refreshed squad featuring several new faces since the previous World Cup the pair discuss Sri Lanka's key players, emerging talent, and what will be crucial if they're to carry their recent form into the marquee tournament and make a strong impression against higher-ranked oppositions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

To premiere Season 2 of the Humans of Purpose Podcast, Mel sits down with Josh Ross from Humanitix. Josh Ross walked away from a hedge fund partnership at 26, turned down a lucrative career, and co-founded one of Australia's most radical companies with his best friend. Humanitix is an online event ticketing platform with one extraordinary difference: 100% of profits from booking fees go directly to charity. Not some. All of it. To date, they've donated over $20 million to education programs, health initiatives, environmental causes and indigenous affairs around the world. In this conversation, Mel sits down with Josh to talk about what it actually takes to leave behind a version of success the whole world recognises — and build something the world genuinely needs. They explore the pact Josh made with his co-founder on a hiking trip in Sri Lanka that changed the direction of both their lives, what it means to challenge the conventional wisdom that business and social good can't coexist, and why the most powerful lever for change might just be the booking fee on your next event ticket. This one is for anyone who has ever felt the pull of a more purposeful life and wondered whether it was actually possible.

Issued On Behalf of Waste Energy Corp. WAST: OTCWaste Energy Corp. announced it will host an investor update call on June 25, 2026 from its Midland, Texas facility to present a revised commissioning schedule and second-half 2026 operating plan. The Company has accumulated a stockpile of waste tires on site and recently executed a Letter of Intent and purchased specialized tire processing equipment, with new revenue-generating tire preparation activities expected to begin as early as June 2026. Issued On Behalf of Metals Creek Resources Corp. MEK:TSXV | M1C1:FSE Metals Creek Resources reported visible gold in the first two drill holes at its Ogden Gold Project near Timmins, Ontario, a 50/50 joint venture with Discovery Silver where Metals Creek serves as operator. Hole TOG-26-75 encountered visible gold at 326 metres within a silicified felsite, while TOG-22-76 showed visible gold over 3.5 metres in a zone of quartz flooding at 304.5 metres. Assays are pending. Historic intercepts include 9.2 g/t gold over 4.47 metres along the prolific Porcupine-Destor Break. Issued On Behalf of Predictiv AI Inc. PAI:CSE | 7IT:FWB Predictiv AI's subsidiary Shift Technologies secured a multi-phase commercial contract with Prompt Xpress, one of Sri Lanka's largest courier networks, marking the first major deployment under Predictiv's joint venture with Arcasia Holdings. The Phase 1 middle-mile rollout, which began in May 2026, will digitize and optimize logistics across 300-plus trucks and 80-plus hubs, deploying Shiftmatics GPS and telematics devices. A last-mile solution targeting deployment before the end of Q3 is expected to add per-package, transaction-based recurring revenue.Issued On Behalf of HPQ Silicon Inc. HPQ:TSXV | HPQFF:OTCQB | O08:FRA HPQ Silicon announced that French partner Novacium SAS, in which HPQ holds a 36.8% equity interest plus exclusive North American licensing rights, will showcase a new Integrated Drone Propulsion System at Eurosatory 2026 alongside LN Innov' and Groupe Zekat. The system combines Novacium's silicon-enhanced lithium-ion batteries, LN Innov's electric propulsion motors, and Groupe Zekat's electronic speed controllers into a fully European, France-built drone powertrain aimed at defense and security markets seeking supply-chain sovereignty. Tiger Gold Corp. TIGR:TSXV | D150:FSE | TGRGF:OTCQB Tiger Gold Corp. reported assay results from its Quinchía Gold Project in Colombia, where hole TSDH-86 intersected 98 metres grading 0.9 g/t gold from 2 metres, including 26.7 metres at 1.6 g/t. TSDH-85 returned 205.5 metres at 0.5 g/t gold, and QDQDH-26 cut 254 metres at 0.4 g/t at Dos Quebradas. Tiger has completed more than 11,350 metres of a planned 20,000-metre program with three rigs, supporting a year-end resource update aimed at upgrading a significant portion of the resource to Indicated. Follow AGORACOM for more breaking small-cap news and insights. And don't forget to check out our podcast for deeper dives

I ended up in Sri Lanka on a complete whim; heartbroken, halfway to India, not expecting anything. What I found stopped me in my tracks. Water temples that made me go quiet in the best way. Strangers who became kindred souls within hours. The island healed me in ways I'm still grateful for, and I' am so excited to be going back. In this episode I share that story: the messy, beautiful, unexpected truth of what happens when you show up somewhere broken and the place meets you exactly where you are. Then I share what grew out of it: the Play Retreat. A 7 day, 6 night inner child retreat in Sri Lanka this November, designed for the woman who's ready to feel lighter, freer, and more herself. We're talking a stunning private luxury villa in the lush hills of southern Sri Lanka, a private chef, daily yoga, surf lessons, a safari, tea plantation walks, jewellery making, inner child healing workshops  and the kind of women's connection that you genuinely don't find everywhere. This is for you if you've been holding it all together for a little too long. If you can't remember the last time you did something just because it felt good. If there's a version of you: lighter, more playful, more alive that's been quietly waiting for permission to come back out. She didn't go anywhere. Sri Lanka will help you find her. 8–14 November 2026 · From $2,800 AUD · Only 1 Room Remains → phidang.com/play-retreat Resources from today's episode Work with Phi Learn more about 1:1 Coaching with Phi here. Apply for 1:1 Coaching with Phi here. Book a Human Design Reading with Phi here. Phi's book; The Great Unlearning: Awakening to Living an Aligned and Authentic Life. Message Phi on Instagram Email Phi Play Retreat Sri Lanka November 2026

Als Kind kam Anu Sivaganesan aus Sri Lanka in die Schweiz. Mit 14 Jahren gründete sie die «Fachstelle Zwangsheirat», die sie bis heute leitet. Ihr ehrenamtliches Engagement findet sie selbstverständlich: «Ich komme aus einer Kultur, in der es nicht nur Menschenrechte gibt, sondern auch Pflichten.» Anu Sivaganesan kann sich noch gut an ihre kalten Füsse erinnern, als sie im November 1999 in der Schweiz ankam: «Ich kaufte mir zuerst einmal hässliche, warme Winterschuhe», erzählt sie und lacht. Dabei fiel es ihr nicht leicht, Sri Lanka zu verlassen. Sie habe dort eine glückliche Kindheit gehabt, obwohl ihr Vater wegen des Bürgerkriegs fliehen musste, als sie zwei Jahre alt war. Erst zehn Jahre später wurde die Familie in der Schweiz wieder vereint. Anu Sivaganesan lernte schnell Deutsch und engagierte sich, zusammen mit ihrem Bruder, in Vereinen und Kommissionen für Menschenrechte. Seit 25 Jahren leitet die Juristin nun schon die «Fachstelle Zwangsheirat». Für ihre Dissertation zu dieser Thematik erhielt sie kürzlich eine Auszeichnung der Schweizerischen Vereinigung für Internationales Recht. In «Musik für einen Gast» erzählt Anu Sivaganesan von ihrer heiklen Arbeit und bringt ihre Playlist mit, die von malischer Musik über klassische Klavierkonzerte bis zu K-Pop reicht. Playlist: - Tatam Bambo Kouyaté: Bambo - Shigeru Umebayashi: Yumeji's Theme (Soundtrack zum Film «in the Mood for Love») - Sergei Rachmaninoff: 2. Klavierkonzert, op.18, mit Anna Fedorova und dem Sinfonieorchester St. Gallen - BTS: Life goes on - Priya Ragu: Kamali

The Gary Kirsten era has officially begun with a statement win! We're breaking down the tactical masterclass, that incredible Kamindu Mendis catch, and the fitness revolution transforming Sri Lanka cricket.In this deep-dive review, Mark and Nick analyse Sri Lanka's clinical performance against the West Indies in the 1st ODI. We discuss the shocking decision to open with Kamindu Mendis, Kusal Mendis's evolving captaincy style, and the "pace battery" led by a hungry Dushmantha Chameera. From pitch conditions at Sabina Park to the middle-order stability provided by Janith Liyanage, this is your comprehensive guide to the new look of Sri Lankan cricket. Was Kamindu Mendis opening the batting a stroke of genius or just a one-off experiment? Let us know your thoughts on the "New Era" tactics in the comments below!Join the Murali End Whatsapp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Val7H91JJhzfMEctCp1P

Dr. Shirley's monograph, Religion, Gender, and Politics in Medieval Sri Lanka: The Reconstruction of Buddhist Kingship, ca. 1070-1215 (ARC Humanities Press, 2026), is now available open access, thanks to the generous support of the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation. This book offers a radical reconsideration of the Poḷon-naruva period, long understood to be a turning point in the history of Theravāda Buddhism. Histories of this period have been overwhelmingly based on a series of literary accounts written long after the fact. But by drawing on textual, inscriptional, numismatic, and material evidence from within the period itself, the book reveals how the intellectual and social histories of Buddhism, politics, and gender were inextricably intertwined in Poḷon-naruva. In particular, it argues that debates over what it meant to be a “good Buddhist king” were intrinsically debates about Buddhist masculinity and about the proper relationship of gender to power. Link to purchase/download the book here. Bruno M. Shirley is a lecturer in Buddhist Studies at Heidelberg University, Germany. He completed his MA in Religious Studies at Te Herenga Waka/Victoria University of Wellington, NZ, and then PhD in Asian Literature, Religion, and Culture at Cornell University in New York, USA. Dr. Shirley is a historian of religion, gender, and politics in early second-millennium Sri Lanka and beyond. As an academic, he is interested in what it meant to understand oneself as “Buddhist” in medieval South Asia. His research explores a wider range of evidence—from royal inscriptions, to monastic disciplinary codes, to elaborate poems—in order to expose the cracks and fissures between competing visions of Buddhism. Resources referred to in the interview:  Alastair Gornall, Rewriting Buddhism: Pali Literature and Monastic Reform in Sri Lanka, 1157–1270. University College London Press, 2020. Day, Tony. “Ties That (Un)Bind: Families and States in Premodern Southeast Asia.” The Journal of Asian Studies 55, no. 2 (1996): 384–409. Gunawardana, R. A. L. H. Robe and Plough: Monasticism and Economic Interest in Early Medieval Sri Lanka. University of Arizona Press, 1979. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Dr. Shirley's monograph, Religion, Gender, and Politics in Medieval Sri Lanka: The Reconstruction of Buddhist Kingship, ca. 1070-1215 (ARC Humanities Press, 2026), is now available open access, thanks to the generous support of the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation. This book offers a radical reconsideration of the Poḷon-naruva period, long understood to be a turning point in the history of Theravāda Buddhism. Histories of this period have been overwhelmingly based on a series of literary accounts written long after the fact. But by drawing on textual, inscriptional, numismatic, and material evidence from within the period itself, the book reveals how the intellectual and social histories of Buddhism, politics, and gender were inextricably intertwined in Poḷon-naruva. In particular, it argues that debates over what it meant to be a “good Buddhist king” were intrinsically debates about Buddhist masculinity and about the proper relationship of gender to power. Link to purchase/download the book here. Bruno M. Shirley is a lecturer in Buddhist Studies at Heidelberg University, Germany. He completed his MA in Religious Studies at Te Herenga Waka/Victoria University of Wellington, NZ, and then PhD in Asian Literature, Religion, and Culture at Cornell University in New York, USA. Dr. Shirley is a historian of religion, gender, and politics in early second-millennium Sri Lanka and beyond. As an academic, he is interested in what it meant to understand oneself as “Buddhist” in medieval South Asia. His research explores a wider range of evidence—from royal inscriptions, to monastic disciplinary codes, to elaborate poems—in order to expose the cracks and fissures between competing visions of Buddhism. Resources referred to in the interview:  Alastair Gornall, Rewriting Buddhism: Pali Literature and Monastic Reform in Sri Lanka, 1157–1270. University College London Press, 2020. Day, Tony. “Ties That (Un)Bind: Families and States in Premodern Southeast Asia.” The Journal of Asian Studies 55, no. 2 (1996): 384–409. Gunawardana, R. A. L. H. Robe and Plough: Monasticism and Economic Interest in Early Medieval Sri Lanka. University of Arizona Press, 1979. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

Dr. Shirley's monograph, Religion, Gender, and Politics in Medieval Sri Lanka: The Reconstruction of Buddhist Kingship, ca. 1070-1215 (ARC Humanities Press, 2026), is now available open access, thanks to the generous support of the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation. This book offers a radical reconsideration of the Poḷon-naruva period, long understood to be a turning point in the history of Theravāda Buddhism. Histories of this period have been overwhelmingly based on a series of literary accounts written long after the fact. But by drawing on textual, inscriptional, numismatic, and material evidence from within the period itself, the book reveals how the intellectual and social histories of Buddhism, politics, and gender were inextricably intertwined in Poḷon-naruva. In particular, it argues that debates over what it meant to be a “good Buddhist king” were intrinsically debates about Buddhist masculinity and about the proper relationship of gender to power. Link to purchase/download the book here. Bruno M. Shirley is a lecturer in Buddhist Studies at Heidelberg University, Germany. He completed his MA in Religious Studies at Te Herenga Waka/Victoria University of Wellington, NZ, and then PhD in Asian Literature, Religion, and Culture at Cornell University in New York, USA. Dr. Shirley is a historian of religion, gender, and politics in early second-millennium Sri Lanka and beyond. As an academic, he is interested in what it meant to understand oneself as “Buddhist” in medieval South Asia. His research explores a wider range of evidence—from royal inscriptions, to monastic disciplinary codes, to elaborate poems—in order to expose the cracks and fissures between competing visions of Buddhism. Resources referred to in the interview:  Alastair Gornall, Rewriting Buddhism: Pali Literature and Monastic Reform in Sri Lanka, 1157–1270. University College London Press, 2020. Day, Tony. “Ties That (Un)Bind: Families and States in Premodern Southeast Asia.” The Journal of Asian Studies 55, no. 2 (1996): 384–409. Gunawardana, R. A. L. H. Robe and Plough: Monasticism and Economic Interest in Early Medieval Sri Lanka. University of Arizona Press, 1979. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/gender-studies

A developing nation on the front line of climate change effects is being bashed with other major issues, including a fall off in tourism and the effects of the Iran warSharon Brettkelly goes to Sri Lanka for a holiday - and finds a nation struggling with the effects of multiple world events outside its controlFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Dr. Shirley's monograph, Religion, Gender, and Politics in Medieval Sri Lanka: The Reconstruction of Buddhist Kingship, ca. 1070-1215 (ARC Humanities Press, 2026), is now available open access, thanks to the generous support of the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation. This book offers a radical reconsideration of the Poḷon-naruva period, long understood to be a turning point in the history of Theravāda Buddhism. Histories of this period have been overwhelmingly based on a series of literary accounts written long after the fact. But by drawing on textual, inscriptional, numismatic, and material evidence from within the period itself, the book reveals how the intellectual and social histories of Buddhism, politics, and gender were inextricably intertwined in Poḷon-naruva. In particular, it argues that debates over what it meant to be a “good Buddhist king” were intrinsically debates about Buddhist masculinity and about the proper relationship of gender to power. Link to purchase/download the book here. Bruno M. Shirley is a lecturer in Buddhist Studies at Heidelberg University, Germany. He completed his MA in Religious Studies at Te Herenga Waka/Victoria University of Wellington, NZ, and then PhD in Asian Literature, Religion, and Culture at Cornell University in New York, USA. Dr. Shirley is a historian of religion, gender, and politics in early second-millennium Sri Lanka and beyond. As an academic, he is interested in what it meant to understand oneself as “Buddhist” in medieval South Asia. His research explores a wider range of evidence—from royal inscriptions, to monastic disciplinary codes, to elaborate poems—in order to expose the cracks and fissures between competing visions of Buddhism. Resources referred to in the interview:  Alastair Gornall, Rewriting Buddhism: Pali Literature and Monastic Reform in Sri Lanka, 1157–1270. University College London Press, 2020. Day, Tony. “Ties That (Un)Bind: Families and States in Premodern Southeast Asia.” The Journal of Asian Studies 55, no. 2 (1996): 384–409. Gunawardana, R. A. L. H. Robe and Plough: Monasticism and Economic Interest in Early Medieval Sri Lanka. University of Arizona Press, 1979. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/buddhist-studies

Dr. Shirley's monograph, Religion, Gender, and Politics in Medieval Sri Lanka: The Reconstruction of Buddhist Kingship, ca. 1070-1215 (ARC Humanities Press, 2026), is now available open access, thanks to the generous support of the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation. This book offers a radical reconsideration of the Poḷon-naruva period, long understood to be a turning point in the history of Theravāda Buddhism. Histories of this period have been overwhelmingly based on a series of literary accounts written long after the fact. But by drawing on textual, inscriptional, numismatic, and material evidence from within the period itself, the book reveals how the intellectual and social histories of Buddhism, politics, and gender were inextricably intertwined in Poḷon-naruva. In particular, it argues that debates over what it meant to be a “good Buddhist king” were intrinsically debates about Buddhist masculinity and about the proper relationship of gender to power. Link to purchase/download the book here. Bruno M. Shirley is a lecturer in Buddhist Studies at Heidelberg University, Germany. He completed his MA in Religious Studies at Te Herenga Waka/Victoria University of Wellington, NZ, and then PhD in Asian Literature, Religion, and Culture at Cornell University in New York, USA. Dr. Shirley is a historian of religion, gender, and politics in early second-millennium Sri Lanka and beyond. As an academic, he is interested in what it meant to understand oneself as “Buddhist” in medieval South Asia. His research explores a wider range of evidence—from royal inscriptions, to monastic disciplinary codes, to elaborate poems—in order to expose the cracks and fissures between competing visions of Buddhism. Resources referred to in the interview:  Alastair Gornall, Rewriting Buddhism: Pali Literature and Monastic Reform in Sri Lanka, 1157–1270. University College London Press, 2020. Day, Tony. “Ties That (Un)Bind: Families and States in Premodern Southeast Asia.” The Journal of Asian Studies 55, no. 2 (1996): 384–409. Gunawardana, R. A. L. H. Robe and Plough: Monasticism and Economic Interest in Early Medieval Sri Lanka. University of Arizona Press, 1979. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/south-asian-studies

Dr. Shirley's monograph, Religion, Gender, and Politics in Medieval Sri Lanka: The Reconstruction of Buddhist Kingship, ca. 1070-1215 (ARC Humanities Press, 2026), is now available open access, thanks to the generous support of the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation. This book offers a radical reconsideration of the Poḷon-naruva period, long understood to be a turning point in the history of Theravāda Buddhism. Histories of this period have been overwhelmingly based on a series of literary accounts written long after the fact. But by drawing on textual, inscriptional, numismatic, and material evidence from within the period itself, the book reveals how the intellectual and social histories of Buddhism, politics, and gender were inextricably intertwined in Poḷon-naruva. In particular, it argues that debates over what it meant to be a “good Buddhist king” were intrinsically debates about Buddhist masculinity and about the proper relationship of gender to power. Link to purchase/download the book here. Bruno M. Shirley is a lecturer in Buddhist Studies at Heidelberg University, Germany. He completed his MA in Religious Studies at Te Herenga Waka/Victoria University of Wellington, NZ, and then PhD in Asian Literature, Religion, and Culture at Cornell University in New York, USA. Dr. Shirley is a historian of religion, gender, and politics in early second-millennium Sri Lanka and beyond. As an academic, he is interested in what it meant to understand oneself as “Buddhist” in medieval South Asia. His research explores a wider range of evidence—from royal inscriptions, to monastic disciplinary codes, to elaborate poems—in order to expose the cracks and fissures between competing visions of Buddhism. Resources referred to in the interview:  Alastair Gornall, Rewriting Buddhism: Pali Literature and Monastic Reform in Sri Lanka, 1157–1270. University College London Press, 2020. Day, Tony. “Ties That (Un)Bind: Families and States in Premodern Southeast Asia.” The Journal of Asian Studies 55, no. 2 (1996): 384–409. Gunawardana, R. A. L. H. Robe and Plough: Monasticism and Economic Interest in Early Medieval Sri Lanka. University of Arizona Press, 1979. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/religion

Dr. Shirley's monograph, Religion, Gender, and Politics in Medieval Sri Lanka: The Reconstruction of Buddhist Kingship, ca. 1070-1215 (ARC Humanities Press, 2026), is now available open access, thanks to the generous support of the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation. This book offers a radical reconsideration of the Poḷon-naruva period, long understood to be a turning point in the history of Theravāda Buddhism. Histories of this period have been overwhelmingly based on a series of literary accounts written long after the fact. But by drawing on textual, inscriptional, numismatic, and material evidence from within the period itself, the book reveals how the intellectual and social histories of Buddhism, politics, and gender were inextricably intertwined in Poḷon-naruva. In particular, it argues that debates over what it meant to be a “good Buddhist king” were intrinsically debates about Buddhist masculinity and about the proper relationship of gender to power. Link to purchase/download the book here. Bruno M. Shirley is a lecturer in Buddhist Studies at Heidelberg University, Germany. He completed his MA in Religious Studies at Te Herenga Waka/Victoria University of Wellington, NZ, and then PhD in Asian Literature, Religion, and Culture at Cornell University in New York, USA. Dr. Shirley is a historian of religion, gender, and politics in early second-millennium Sri Lanka and beyond. As an academic, he is interested in what it meant to understand oneself as “Buddhist” in medieval South Asia. His research explores a wider range of evidence—from royal inscriptions, to monastic disciplinary codes, to elaborate poems—in order to expose the cracks and fissures between competing visions of Buddhism. Resources referred to in the interview:  Alastair Gornall, Rewriting Buddhism: Pali Literature and Monastic Reform in Sri Lanka, 1157–1270. University College London Press, 2020. Day, Tony. “Ties That (Un)Bind: Families and States in Premodern Southeast Asia.” The Journal of Asian Studies 55, no. 2 (1996): 384–409. Gunawardana, R. A. L. H. Robe and Plough: Monasticism and Economic Interest in Early Medieval Sri Lanka. University of Arizona Press, 1979. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AP correspondent Karen Chammas reports President Trump admits he called Netanyahu 'crazy' for his actions in Lebanon ; a fire in Sri Lanka kills at least 12 ; Russia opens economic forum despite deeper strikes from Ukraine ; North Korea unveils a new nuclear bomb fuel facility.

Commotion cérébrale à San Francisco, champignon dans l'oreille en Colombie, difficulté respiratoire à San Diego, train pris dans le mauvais sens au Sri Lanka... Gabrielle a un stock d'anecdotes, et son fils Raphaël a sa réputation. Mais à chaque fois, la prise en charge a été rapide et efficace. Son message : ne jamais partir sans assurance voyage. Au Canada, les cartes de crédit voyage incluent souvent cette couverture. En France, c'est rarement suffisant — mieux vaut vérifier et compléter. Parce que c'est toujours quand on n'en a pas qu'on en a besoin.Pour écouter l'épisode en entierPalawan Camping, la plus belle plage du monde — Le voyage en famille de Gabrielle aux Philippines-----------Si l'épisode vous a plu, laissez-moi une note 5 ⭐️ ou un commentaire sur Apple Podcasts ou Spotify

India's relations with Europe are often viewed through the lens of Brussels, Paris, Berlin, or London. But in recent years, India has also been deepening its ties with another important set of partners: the Nordic countries. Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi traveled to Oslo for the third India-Nordic Summit, bringing together India and the five Nordic countries—Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Denmark.  The agenda for the six countries was wide-ranging, covering trade, investment, green technology, maritime cooperation, the Arctic, and the Indo-Pacific.  The visit also marked the first official trip by an Indian prime minister to Norway in more than four decades. As a result of the summit, Norway and India have elevated their bilateral relationship with new agreements on climate, technology, science, and the blue economy. To discuss what all of this means for India, Norway, and the changing global order, Milan is joined this week by May-Elin Stener, who serves as Ambassador of Norway to India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and the Maldives. Prior to taking up this position, Ambassador Stener was the Deputy Director General of the Regional department in the foreign ministry. She has served as Norway's Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York as well as Deputy Head of the Norwegian Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa. She has been a member of the Norwegian Foreign Service since 1995. Milan and Ambassador Stener discuss the outcomes of the India-Nordic summit, the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA), and the green technology partnership Norway envisions with India. Plus, the two discussed linkages between the Arctic and the Indo-Pacific and the controversy over a Norwegian journalist's questioning of Indian officials in Oslo.  Episode notes: Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, “India-Norway Joint Statement,” May 18, 2026. Government of Sweden, “Joint Statement: 3rd India-Nordic Summit, Oslo, 19 May 2026,” May 19, 2026. Priyanka Shankar, “India-Nordic summit: Why is Modi wooing Northern Europe?” Al Jazeera, May 19, 2026. “The India-Nordic Summit: What It Is and What Has Now Been Set in Motion,” India's World, May 20, 2026. Suhasini Haidar, “Commitment to democracy makes India, Nordic nations natural partners: Modi,” Hindu, May 20, 2026.

People in Iran are back online after a government-imposed digital blackout that lasted nearly three months. We hear from Iranians that reconnecting has been bittersweet.And a deadly strike during the first days of the Iran war hit far away in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Sri Lanka, jolting a quiet seaside town and showing just how far the conflict's reach extends.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

One of the largest teams in sport is coming to our shores for the biggest tour in New Zealand cricket history. India will headline a mammoth home summer announced in Papatoetoe today, with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh women also set to tour. Sports reporter Jonty Dine spoke to Lisa Owen.

Join Kate Stanton Melendez for an interview with local artist Isak Dove.    Isak Dove is a self-taught artist b. 1983 Saline, MI, currently based out of Savannah, GA. Most recently her work has been exhibited locally at Gallery 2424 and ARTS Southeast, and internationally at the Zurich Hochshule der Kunst (2025) and Material Gallery (2024) in Zurich, Switzerland.    An avid traveler, Dove often combines her love of journeying the world and her passion for making art, bringing her paints and brushes with her as she travels the globe. In 2024 she spent six weeks alone in the Peruvian countryside, painting fruits and the mountains. In 2018 she was a resident artist at the fantastical Helga's Folly in Kandy, Sri Lanka, and painted in the jungle alongside mischievous monkeys for a month. In 2012 she converted an old broken-down milk truck into a little studio - in an olive grove where the goats roamed, in a desert in the Middle East. That's where she alchemized the first "Goat Girl" into being (a character that appears in many of Dove's paintings).    These days Dove can most often be found locally, live painting in the beautiful Forsyth Park in downtown Savannah. She also dabbles in curating group shows, such as "The Surreal Soiree: A Group Show of Fantastical, Strange, and Uncanny Artworks", opening this week in the Cobra Room of Lone Wolf Lounge. The show features 25 local artists, & opens this Friday, June 5th from 5PM-10PM, as part of First Fridays in Starland.      See more of Isak Dove's work here:  https://www.instagram.com/isak_dove http://www.isakdove.com/paintings.html

Après une série consacrée aux races anciennes et une deuxième aux animaux de la basse-cour, l'excellent naturaliste et éleveur-documentariste Rémi Dupouy (co-auteur avec Yann Arthus-Bertrand de Vivant en 2022, entre-autres) est de retour pour 6 nouveaux épisodes dédiés à l'un de ses animaux fétiches : l'Ours brun. Originaire de Gascogne, Rémi connaît particulièrement bien cet "autre de l'Homme", aujourd'hui présent en France exclusivement dans les Pyrénées. Cette série est l'occasion pour lui de nous faire (re)découvrir cet animal qui fascine autant qu'il inquiète, et ce depuis des millénaires...Dans ce premier épisode, impensable de ne pas présenter toute la famille des Ursidés, le nom scientifique, vous l'aurez compris, des 8 espèces de nounours actuelles. Les Ours sont répartis sur tous les continents à l'exception de l'Océanie et de l'Antarctique, et ont colonisé toutes sortes de milieux, de la banquise arctique aux déserts moyen-orientaux en passant par la jungle indienne. Ils ont également une immense diversité de taille et de forme :L'Ours brun (Ursus arctos) est présent en Eurasie et en Amérique du Nord. avec une douzaine de sous-espèces (dont le Grizzly). Parmi les poids-lourds,  l'Ours Kodiak (jusqu'à 1 tonne !).L'Ours noir (Ursus americanus) a presque disparu de la plupart des États-Unis et du Mexique. Il se maintient au Canada et en Alaska, où sa population est même en hausse. Il vit principalement dans les forêts tempérées et boréales,L'Ours polaire (Ursus maritimus) ou Ours blanc, vit en Arctique, qui porte son nom (arktos = ours en grec). Sa fourrure est translucide et creuse, pleine d'air, ce qui constitue un excellent isolant. C'est l'un des plus gros ours (record : 800 kg) . Il mange surtout des phoques.Le Panda géant (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) vit dans les forêts tempérées des montagnes de Chine, et se nourrit surtout de bambou. L'Ours malais ou Ours des cocotiers (Helarctos malayanus), vit en Asie du Sud-Est. Ce sont les poids-plumes de la famille : moins de 50 kg. Leur fourrure est noire et rase, adaptée au climat chaud.L'Ours lippu, Ours à miel, ou Ours paresseux (Melursus ursinus) vit en Inde, au Sri Lanka et au Népal. Sa longue fourrure est noire et pelucheuse. Ses oreilles sont en forme de plumeau. Il a une tache blanche en forme de « V » sur la poitrine. Il est insectivore et frugivore.L'Ours à lunettes (Tremarctos ornatus) est endémique des Andes tropicales. Principale caractéristique : les taches blanches autour de ses yeux, d'où son nom.L'Ours noir d'Asie ou Ours à collier ou Ours du Tibet (Ursus thibetanus) vit de l'Iran au Japon. Ils ont une petite tache blanche en croissant sur la poitrine et donnent l'impression d'avoir une crinière.___SOURCES :Vignette : Les 8 espèces actuelles d'Ursidés. Montage à partir de deux images libres de droits (Shutterstock)Extraits :01'50 : "heartbeat" (Pixabay)06'41 : Générique de la série Rahan, Nina Wolmark, 1986 (©Canal +)09'51 : OOMPH !- "Eisbär" ("ours polaire" en français), 2004 (℗ Supersonic). Reprise de Grauzone (1981).13'58 : Kung-fu Panda, Mark Osborne & John Stevenson, 2008 (©DreamWorks Animation)17'07 & 18'32 : Le Livre de la Jungle, Wolfgang Reitherman, 1967 (©Walt Disney Pictures)Hébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

The elites running our energy system are counting on you not understanding it - here is why: In this explosive conversation, energy expert Kathryn Porter joins Andrew Gold to expose the dark reality behind Net Zero policies and the looming collapse of the Western energy grid. From the "sinister" normalization of energy blackouts to the luxury beliefs of the Davos elite, Porter breaks down why the path we are on has consequences that are genuinely scary. Support my guest: Follow Kathryn Porter's work: https://watt-logic.com  Follow her on X: https://x.com/KathrynPorter26  Watch her on Peter McCormack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h77C3iYX_bM  SPONSORS: Support our sponsor: go to https://boncharge.com  and use code HERETICS to save 15%. Go to https://boncharge.com  and use code HERETICS to save 15%. Go to https://surfshark.com/heretics for 4 extra months of Surfshark  Get an exclusive 15% discount on Saily data plans! Use code andrewgold at checkout. Download Saily app or go to https://saily.com/andrewgold   Check Plaud UK: https://bit.ly/40Gzdh1  | US: https://bit.ly/475MQKe Notepro: https://bit.ly/479tWSR Organise your life: https://akiflow.pro/Heretics  Earn up to 4 per cent on gold, paid in gold: https://www.monetary-metals.com/heretics/  Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at https://mintmobile.com/heretics  We dive deep into the "cultish ideology" of climate change, the scientific illiteracy being exploited by politicians like Ed Miliband, and the shocking truth about how thousands are already dying due to fuel poverty. Is Net Zero the new religion? And why is the Scottish grid on the verge of a total shutdown? If you've ever felt that something "doesn't pass the smell test" regarding global energy policy, this video is a must-watch. Key Topics Covered: - The "Spanish Inquisition" of Net Zero and the suppression of free speech. - Why renewables aren't as "cheap" as you've been told. - The catastrophic risk of regular blackouts across Europe and the UK. - How "woke" energy policies led to the economic collapse of Sri Lanka. - The case for nuclear energy as the only viable, reliable alternative. #NetZero #EnergyCrisis #AndrewGold #ClimateChange #Globalism #Blackouts #UKPolitics #NuclearEnergy #FreeSpeech #Economics Join the 30k heretics on my mailing list: https://andrewgoldheretics.com  Check out my new documentary channel: https://youtube.com/@andrewgoldinvestigates  Andrew on X: https://twitter.com/andrewgold_ok   Insta: https://www.instagram.com/andrewgold_ok Heretics YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@andrewgoldheretics Chapters:  0:00 - The Scary Truth They Don't Want You to Know 2:30 - The Hidden Death Toll of Energy Policy 3:15 - Is Net Zero a New "Cultish" Religion? 5:40 - The Failed Predictions the Media Ignores 8:05 - Why Climate Policy is Harming the Poor 10:45 - The "Spanish Inquisition" of Modern Science 13:00 - The Looming Blackout Disaster in Europe 16:10 - Why the Grid is More Fragile Than Ever 25:30 - The "Luxury Belief" Destroying Nations 27:15 - The Sri Lanka Warning: Total Economic Collapse 28:00 - The Secret Link Between Oil and Your Medicine 32:45 - The Elites' Plan to Control Your Speech 46:10 - Is Ed Miliband "Deep in the Ideology"? 56:15 - Why Scotland's Grid is Set to Stop Working 1:04:20 - The Case for Nuclear: The Solution We're Ignoring 1:08:15 - A Dystopian Future or a Path to Growth? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this insightful lecture, Dr. Mufti Abdur-Rahman Mangera highlights the vital responsibility of the Muslim community in supporting new Muslims after embracing Islam. Drawing upon verses from the Qur'an and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, the lecture emphasises compassion, brotherhood, education, and continuous guidance for converts as they navigate their new spiritual journey. The lecture also sheds light on the inspiring efforts of Nida Sri Lanka, an organisation dedicated to assisting and nurturing new Muslims through Islamic education, community support, counselling, and welfare initiatives across Sri Lanka. Through practical examples and powerful reminders, attendees are encouraged to play an active role in welcoming and supporting those entering Islam, ensuring they remain connected, confident, and spiritually grounded in their faith.

VOV1 - Hôm qua (30/5), Ấn Độ đã tổ chức lễ bế mạc cuộc tập trận đa phương PRAGATI 2026 tại căn cứ quân sự Umroi, bang Meghalaya ở Đông Bắc nước này. Đây là lần đầu tiên cuộc tập trận được tổ chức, đánh dấu bước tiến mới trong hợp tác quốc phòng giữa các quốc gia khu vực Ấn Độ Dương và Đông Nam Á.PRAGATI là viết tắt của “Quan hệ đối tác giữa các quân đội khu vực vì sự phát triển và chuyển đổi ở khu vực Ấn Độ Dương”. Cuộc tập trận diễn ra từ ngày 18 đến 30/5, quy tụ hơn 400 quân nhân đến từ 13 quốc gia gồm Ấn Độ, Bhutan, Campuchia, Indonesia, Lào, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Seychelles, Sri Lanka và Việt Nam.Trong thời gian huấn luyện, các lực lượng tham gia đã thực hành nhiều nội dung như phục kích và phản phục kích, phát hiện và xử lý thiết bị nổ tự chế, bắn súng trong rừng, đổ bộ đường không, sơ tán thương vong và các kỹ năng tác chiến đặc biệt khác. Điểm nhấn của cuộc tập trận là cuộc diễn tập thực binh kéo dài 72 giờ với sự tham gia của các đội hình hỗn hợp đa quốc gia, nhằm nâng cao khả năng phối hợp tác chiến và xử lý các thách thức an ninh chung.Theo Bộ Quốc phòng Ấn Độ, PRAGATI 2026 không chỉ góp phần tăng cường khả năng phối hợp giữa các lực lượng vũ trang mà còn củng cố lòng tin, sự hiểu biết lẫn nhau và thúc đẩy hợp tác quốc phòng trong khu vực. Cuộc tập trận cũng tạo cơ hội để các quân nhân giao lưu văn hóa, trao đổi kinh nghiệm chuyên môn và tăng cường quan hệ hữu nghị.Bên lề sự kiện, Quân đội Ấn Độ phối hợp với Liên đoàn Phòng Thương mại và Công nghiệp Ấn Độ (FICCI) tổ chức triển lãm quốc phòng, giới thiệu nhiều loại vũ khí, trang thiết bị và công nghệ quân sự do Ấn Độ tự nghiên cứu, phát triển và sản xuất theo sáng kiến “Ấn Độ tự cường”.Đoàn 40 quân nhân của Quân đội nhân dân Việt Nam đã hoàn thành xuất sắc các nội dung huấn luyện và diễn tập, bao gồm đổ bộ đường không, tuần tra, bảo vệ biên giới, phục kích, phản phục kích, vượt chướng ngại vật và bắn đạn thật. Ban tổ chức và các nước tham gia đánh giá cao tính kỷ luật, tinh thần chuyên nghiệp, năng lực chiến thuật và khả năng phối hợp quốc tế của đoàn Việt Nam.Theo giới chức Ấn Độ, thành công của PRAGATI 2026 đã đặt nền tảng cho các hoạt động hợp tác quân sự đa phương trong tương lai, góp phần tăng cường hòa bình, ổn định và an ninh tại khu vực Ấn Độ Dương - Thái Bình Dương. Việc Việt Nam tham gia cuộc tập trận cũng tạo cơ hội quý báu để trao đổi kinh nghiệm, nâng cao năng lực phối hợp trong các hoạt động gìn giữ hòa bình và ứng phó với các thách thức an ninh chung của khu vực.Lê Dũng/ VOV Ấn Độ Hình ảnh buổi bế mạc PRAGATI 2026 (1) (Ảnh Bộ Quốc phòng Ấn Độ)Hình ảnh buổi bế mạc PRAGATI 2026 (2) (Ảnh Bộ Quốc phòng Ấn Độ)Hình ảnh buổi bế mạc PRAGATI 2026 (3) (Ảnh Bộ Quốc phòng Ấn Độ)

Elder Leslie D. Louis was born to missionary parents from India on the island of Ceylon (today known as Sri Lanka) where he spent most of his boyhood days. He holds a B.A. degree in religion from Southern Missionary College (1973), along with an M.A. in education from Andrews University (1982). He has served in five conferences in North America including Florida, Ohio, Kentucky-Tennessee, Gulf States, and Carolina.The past fifty years of his service for the Seventh-day Adventist church include that of being a classroom teacher, elementary school and academy principal, superintendent of education, pastor, vice president of a conference and currently as the president of the Carolina Conference.Elder Louis was elected to serve as the 37th president of the Carolina Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in 2011, was re-elected in 2016 for a second term and again in 2022 for his third term ending in August 2027.Leslie is married to Carole who is truly the love of his life. They met while they were both students at Southern Missionary College and will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in December 2023. They have two adult children: Christopher and Catherine and three treasured granddaughters: Isla, Rosalind, and Eloise.Leslie enjoys traveling, photography, camping, biking, and reading as his leisure activities. He has had the opportunity to travel and visit countries in six of the world's seven continents. Preaching and sharing Christ through the truths of God's Word by evangelism, prayer and witnessing are the greatest passions of his heart.

Sri Lanka was careening from crisis to crisis, then came the Mideast war. People say they've got no buffer left.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

APEX Express is a weekly magazine-style radio show featuring the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders from all corners of our community. The show is produced by a collective of media makers, deejays, and activists. On this episode, host Miata Tan is joined by guests from the South Asian Coalition, an emergent national network committed to collective liberation and solidarity. Together they explore what it means to build South Asian political power in this moment—and how cross-movement solidarity can shape a more just, multiracial future. Learn more about the South Asian Coalition Website | Instagram | Policy Priorities   The South Asian Coalition was convened in October 2024 by: Manavi, Alliance of South Asians Taking Action, Muslims for Just Futures, and Raksha.   Transcript ​[00:00:00]  Miata Tan : Hello and welcome. You are tuning in to APEX Express, a weekly radio show uplifting the voices and stories of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. I'm your host, Miata Tan. Tonight, we're focusing on South Asian communities and the organizers working to build political power. South Asians are one of the fastest-growing racial groups in the United States, Over six million people [00:01:00] and roughly a quarter of the Asian American population. South Asian is used as a broad umbrella term for people with roots in countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and sometimes Afghanistan. Though exact definitions can vary across communities and organizations. And as we'll talk about tonight, within the South Asian diaspora who call the United States home, you have a mix of nationalities, religion, immigration status, and more. Tonight, I'm joined by four people working to address the issues impacting South Asian communities in the US and beyond. At a time when questions of belonging, safety, and political power continue to shape immigrant communities across the country, South Asian organizers are building new forms of solidarity while also grappling with the diversity and complexity within their own communities. The first voice you'll hear is Sabiha Basrai Sabiha is the daughter of Muslim Gujarati immigrants and has been [00:02:00] organizing with the Bay Area-based Alliance of South Asians Taking Action, or ASATA, since 2009. Here's Sabiha helping us to understand how South Asian political organizing has evolved in the United States, especially in the post 9/11 era Sabiha Basrai: Thanks for the opportunity to do some reflection this year marks the 25th anniversary of 9/11, which was a real a political flashpoint that absolutely changed my life because I was a 19-year-old college student trying to figure out a lot of things about how the world works and my place in it, and my own identity and the multiple identities I hold. Uh, and also where my responsibilities lied in solidarity, not just with other Muslims who were being targeted, but our broad immigrant diasporas and allies, uh, who have experienced discrimination in different forms from the state. So thinking about the ways in which- organizing happened in the, months and years after 9/11 to support immigrant [00:03:00] rights that was really a time in which new projects formed, um, or existing projects kind of found a new focus. ASATA as an organizing project, as a group of volunteers, has both done things like shown up to support folks being called up for the NCR's Special Registration Program and also participate in direct action protests in solidarity against the war, and has continued to be part of coalitional work regionally in the Bay Area. And, you know, more recently, uh, when we think about the ways in which our communities under, are under increased pressure with the Trump administration's immigrant policies, there have been also opportunities to build more relationships and make sure that as we advocate for our community's rights, we're doing so in formation with others, not just focusing on one particular bad piece of legislation, but connecting that to a larger story, to really build towards liberation for all of us. I'll [00:04:00] just add, too that those relationships that were kind of seeded and invested in in that moment of crisis and anxiety and fear have endured in many ways to now. The fact that that very ecosystem is actually growing in this moment is a testament to the relationships that were built in those days. Miata Tan : That was Sabiha Basrai grounding us in the history of South Asian political organizing in the US. As she mentioned, for many South Asians, 9/11 marked a particularly mobilizing moment, one that helped our communities organized and built solidarity. To help us better understand how that moment influenced the evolution of progressive South Asian activism, we now turn to Deepa Iyer, South Asian American writer, strategist, and lawyer. Deepa leads projects on solidarity and social movements at Building Movement Project and brings more than 25 years of experience in Asian American organizing and advocacy Deepa Iyer: I think that I would say that there [00:05:00] were, looking back, a couple of trends and themes that we can pull out from that time. one is that there was definitely a shift in the general consciousness of South Asian communities about our place in American society, our understanding of racism, Islamophobia, and also the role of the state. And so we had a situation where both hate violence and state violence were actually being endured by South Asian, Muslim, Arab communities. And so I think that there was a shift in the ways in which our communities began to think about ourselves in the United States. A second piece is the growth of a field, an ecosystem of South Asian organizations in the wake of the attacks and the global war on terror. So we began to see a lot of groups that were actually formed or becoming more staffed up in the weeks and months after 9/11. For example, the Sikh [00:06:00] Coalition was actually birthed the evening of the attacks, and an organization that I was close to, SALT, was also emerging and forming in the months after 9/11 as well. So we began to see that a, a field was growing. And the third, sort of theme I would point out that Sabihah alluded to is this sense of solidarity, that instead of sort of being siloed as, you know, South Asians working within just our communities and just talking about certain specific issues, there was real sense that we needed to collaborate and build bridges with Arab, Muslim, Sikh, and, Black communities in the United States to understand the trajectory of racism and xenophobia, and how they were all kind of coming together in the weeks after 9/11. Those three themes and trends are what, when I look back, I see coming up over and over again in our messaging and in our advocacy. Miata Tan : [00:07:00] That was Deepa Iyer, as you heard from Deepa, collaboration across movements was essential in helping South Asian communities to understand and respond to the waves of xenophobia in the wake of 9/11. Now we turn to Rajiv Narayan and Farah Mahesri, who lead national policy work at the Alliance of South Asians Taking Action, or ASATA together they launched and now co-lead ASATA's new political base building group, ASATA Power. Rajiv begins by reflecting on what South Asian communities are facing today and what has and hasn't changed since 9/11. Rajiv Narayan: I think unfortunately many of the challenges present in the early 2000s remain today. They take new form. Some have evolved and transformed, but they were ex- existed in, in much the same form following 9/11. One of the, the instances in which I, I learned about that is at the recent South Asian Coalition convening where we did this exercise in mapping a number of [00:08:00] historical and present day events, as well as a future vision of things that are important to our organizations and to our movements. And something that we reflected on together in the convening is that a number of these attacks on our communities have waxed and waned, uh, at different periods in time, dating back to the, the 1960s and truly at, even at the beginning of, you know, the 19th century and the late 18th century. And so, to answer your question specifically, in the early 2000s, like Deepa and Sabihah mentioned, we've dealt with, uh, an incredible expression of Islamophobia of, uh, anti-Brown and anti-Black racism and hate speech. There was a, in, in general a skepticism and unwelcoming of South Asian communities. And unfortunately with the current federal administration and political discourse in our country, uh, a number of those same themes are relevant today and take on similar forms, whether they're in [00:09:00] response to what the federal administration is doing in countries like Iran or previous administrations have done in Afghanistan or Pakistan. I think all of those events underscore all the more so that it's important for our organizations to, organize together, much as we did in the early 2000s, to address these harms, to remember what they look like at previous stages of history, and to fight to prevent them again from happening in the future. Miata Tan : Farah, perhaps you could speak a bit to the organizing. What did that look like, a few years ago, and what does that look like today? How has that changed? Farah Mahersi: Rajiv and I started ASATA Power a couple of years ago specifically to be able to look forward to practice radical imagination, and fight for not just protection of our communities, which we will always do. That is built into our DNAs. It's what we know. It's how we move. And also to fight for things that we want, to build the world that we want to live in so that we're not constantly caught in these cycles. And as we're doing [00:10:00] that, we are learning a lot about how organizing is happening today, the BLM movement, Black Lives Matter, and incredible street power, but also that movement's ability to change our national discourse and change what is baseline, what we should be demanding, and how we are visioning a future that is built on policies governance and hard material changes in our lives is profound. beyond that, also the Palestine solidarity movement over the last couple of years has rewritten every book about organizing. And so I think that it is an interesting moment of both a little bit of sadness, to be honest, that we are still fighting some of these same fights and we are still in some of these same dynamics that we have been for 25 years, and the profound opportunity that we have to build power and to look forward, and I think that is, more true in the Bay Area than it is almost everywhere else. Uh, because of what our workforce looks like, because of the sheer [00:11:00] amount of wealth that is accumulated in this little corner of our world, and also when you look around at the political power and people who hold political power or are running for political power and elected office around the Bay Area, you could really start to see not just how South Asians are increasingly politicized and increasingly looking to build electoral and political power, but also s- very specifically progressive political power. And so when you look to Congress now, The progressive caucus is full of South Asian progressives who are leading the charge, who are doing some of this critical work, that's part of our organizing strategy, is to be part of those conversations and to continue to push and to continue to, again, advocate for policies and changes at that big level to make the future we want possible. Miata Tan : I love that. Coming together to dream and really fight. Rajiv, you are leading this work at the Alliance of South Asians Taking Action. Can you speak more to why the Bay Area [00:12:00] is a, like, a distinct microcosm in this progressive South Asian movement? Rajiv Narayan: Of course. So Farah and I, we both work together at ASATA Power, and ASATA is sort of political power building project within the auspices of, uh, ASATA which has been operating in the Bay Area for more than 25 years now. I think what makes the Bay Area a microcosm of the South Asian diaspora is a tremendous amount of diversity and, uh, a set of interrelated intersectional challenges. So you have, uh, folks of South Asian descent with all different immigration histories. So I'm, for example, a person, um, who has birthright citizenship in the United States as I was born here. But there are folks who immigrated here, like my parents and had to attain their citizenship uh, through the, the US legal system, and folks beyond that who are refugees or asylees or are undocumented due to a variety of political and social and economic pressures. And so we all coexist in this same space across an economic gradient. So there are folks [00:13:00] who are very well compensated in the tech sectors and healthcare sectors sometimes, uh, characterized, uh, as part of a, a model minority myth, um, as representatives of the South Asian diaspora, um, within the San Francisco Bay Area and the United States broadly. And then there are whole variety of South Asians who are working in less well-compensated, often quite exploited industries. For example, in, care industries as people who are providing childcare or senior care services, people who are working in the restaurant industry folks who are lesser compensated within healthcare as well as in tech industries and other ways. Of course, those economic positions interact with the political and legal system. So for example, even if a person might be, um, well-compensated in a tech job in the Bay Area, um, which they attained by way of an H-1B visa that person might be subject to exploitative labor conditions based on the, uh, the legal configuration of how H-1B [00:14:00] visas are treated. For example, that you depend on your employer for your immigration status in this country, which changes the worker-employer relationship in a way that makes it very difficult to identify workplace abuses. beyond that, we also have a diverse range of South Asians across the age gradient. So we have folks who are quite young, who are in Gen Z, and are entering politics in a completely different way than somebody like myself or Deepa entered politics at, in earlier in, in our lives and experience it today, which provides an opportunity for us to learn from earlier generations and to also share lessons from our political experience. So like with many things, the Bay Area has it all, the good and the bad, and ASATA and ASATA Power work within that, that space to identify opportunities for solidarity. Miata Tan : That was Rajiv Narayan and Farah Mehestri. Through their work with the Alliance of South Asians Taking Action, or ASATA, Rajiv and Farah are helping to build South Asian political power here in the Bay Area and [00:15:00] nationwide. The ASATA team and all four of our guests tonight are connected through the South Asian Coalition, a network of local and national organizations focused on advancing policy issues affecting South Asian communities and building shared spaces for strategy and collaboration. To better understand this evolving movement of progressive South Asian action, let's return to Deepa Iyer, who shares how and why this coalition came together Deepa Iyer: Yeah. I really appreciate Rajiv bringing up, um, how- what is happening in the Bay Area is part of a larger movement. And what I would say about this ecosystem, this field that I talked about earlier, and I've been able to understand this through the course of the work I've done, but also a book I've written about post 9/11 America, is that so much happens on the coasts, and we often forget that there are organizations and are communities that are really [00:16:00] growing in other parts of the country, right? You know, I grew up in Kentucky, um, and there are places like Kentucky and Indiana where you are seeing, um, more South Asians settle and build their lives there. So one of the things that I think has been important in thinking about as we come up on this 25th anniversary of 9/11 is how our coalition of South Asian groups, how that field has grown with these additional organizations, in geographic areas that are different, as well as the ways in which folks are organizing. So now we've got, for example, groups that are working with Bhutanese refugees or Nepali-speaking community members, or groups that are organizing around the exploitation of community members based on caste. These are, um, really important movement interventions and organizations that are growing. one of the key aspects of network infrastructure is the ability to connect with each other, [00:17:00] not to flatten our experiences and say we're all the same, but to actually find some threads of commonality in our shared struggle and our experiences, and to also know that together as collectives, as Farah mentioned earlier, we can actually build the futures that we wanna see. One of the really, I think, inspiring pieces of coalition building that I've been fortunate to work with and support along with, um, everyone here is the South Asian Coalition, which is this emergent network of now 35 organizations around the country, and this coalition really seeks to build relationships and strengthen relationships, engage in peer learning and skills building, make it clear that there are certain policy issues that we need to uplift and to advocate around, and to create opportunities and pathways for solidarity with larger movements. This coalition and the infrastructure that it's been [00:18:00] creating is a way for us to look at our ecosystem of South Asian organizing in this moment, and to really see what happens when we galvanize our power collectively. Miata Tan : and Deepa, can you share a bit about the various co-conveners that make up the South Asian Coalition?  Deepa Iyer: So the South Asian Coalition, um, as we've mentioned, is this emergent network of groups that address various issues but are aligned around shared values. And the groups that really came together to co-convene it include Asad the Power, as well as Muslims for Just Futures, Raksha, which is an organization in the South, and Manavi, which is based in New Jersey. And these four organizations really had the vision to set up the structure for the coalition. the organization where I work at, Building Movement Project, supports the coalition through infrastructure, so providing facilitation, providing resources, policy analysis, and creating the container to support [00:19:00] movements in that way, which is so critical for coalitions. Miata Tan : That was Deepa Iyer a South Asian American writer, strategist, and lawyer. after the break, we'll hear more from organizers and advocates working to address issues shaping South Asian communities today. Stay with us  [00:20:00] [00:21:00] that was “Phenom” by Thao and the Get Down Stay Down. You are tuned into [00:22:00] APEX Express on 94.1 KPFA, a weekly radio show uplifting the voices and stories of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. I'm your host, Miada Tan. Tonight, I'm joined by four people who are working to address the issues impacting South Asian communities in the US and beyond. Back in March, organizers, advocates, and community leaders from across the country gathered in Washington, DC, for a national convening focused on the challenges and possibilities facing South Asian communities today. Here's Sabiha Basrai with the Alliance of South Asians Taking Action, or ASATA. She speaks about how this coalition of progressive South Asian groups formed and why this moment called for it. Sabiha Basrai: So this new emergent South Asian Coalition had its first convening in Washington, DC in March, and this was, the culmination of, a little over a year of monthly Zoom calls which started because [00:23:00] we knew we were on the verge of a Trump re-election. Uh, we knew that there was this ecosystem of South Asian activism and organizing across the country. Some of us knew each other from previous collaborations, but some of us didn't. New organizations were forming, and there was this recognition that we need each other in order to face what's coming, and we are stronger together. And we know that being South Asian is not a monolith, uh, that we deal with within our own communities based on labor exploitation, caste discrimination, anti-Muslim violence. And when we talk to each other, when we connect, we give ourselves the best chance at being able to move through those pieces of pain and build towards a future where we can all feel a sense of belonging, feel represented, and an agency in shaping that future together. So what started with a few conversations with a few folks, grew steadily [00:24:00] and, um, and through some intentional work to, to kind of invite each other in, which is of course an ongoing process, we were able to unite under this umbrella called the South Asian Coalition. Uh, we committed to some shared political points of unity and kind of community agreements to really set some expectations with one another on how we could move well in formation. And, made sure we had pathways to share information with each other so that someone like me working in Oakland could understand what, uh, someone working in Texas or in Georgia was facing, what local policy positions they were needing to, to navigate. And, uh, we could give each other advice, give each other moral support, and also sharpen our political understandings. So, uh, these kind of, uh, regular check-ins was one way of just understanding what we were all facing and feeling connected. But, actually being together in person was remarkable. I cannot overstate how much of a difference it makes to be able to share [00:25:00] space and see each other as whole people and not just representatives of a particular organization or a particular issue area, and, have those in-between moments where we actually build, build some friendships. One of the things that was also really important for me to understand when we met together was just how important that intergenerational work is. we had folks in the room who were, in their 50s and 60s who had been doing this work for decades. And we had folks in the room who were in their 20s for whom 9/11 was, something that happened in history. The conversations that were happening across generations informed the way that we think about ourselves as a coalition and helped me also to let go of some of the constraints that, kept my imagination small about what we were capable of. I was really grateful that so many people attended and chose to prioritize that work. It's hard, you know, to take a pause from The daily work to leave, fly to [00:26:00] DC take those risks as well because for many of us, uh, going through TSA is no small thing. There's a lot of harassment and racism that still permeate, you know, these institutions. So not to minimize just the effort that ta- it takes to convene and really make the most of our time together. One of the things that we did while we were in DC together was hold a congressional briefing to really, uh, amplify and share the issues that were coming up for our communities that folks were already working very hard on. Miata Tan : That was Sabiha Basrai with the Alliance of South Asians Taking Action, or ASATA. Now let's return to Rajiv Narayan, another member of the ASATA team and co-lead of their political action group, ASATA Power. Rajiv will take you inside the congressional briefing that Sabiha mentioned and how South Asian organizers from across the country shared the issues shaping their communities and what support is needed now Rajiv Narayan: We in ASATA Power worked in [00:27:00] collaboration with a number of the organizations in the South Asian coalition, to put together a congressional briefing on the issue of South Asians and immigration in the heart of Washington, DC, in the halls of Congress in Capitol Hill. And we were fortunate to do so in collaboration with Representatives Pramila Jayapal and Grace Meng. we had a number of, speakers representing, different perspectives and political struggles within the South Asian, uh, space in the United States, especially as it relates to immigration. So, for example, we had representatives from the Dalit Solidarity Forum talking about the plight of oppressed workers, caste-oppressed workers, in New Jersey working in a Hindu temple.  ​ Dr Roja Sunganthy-Singh – Dalit: I stand here as a Dalit, formerly known as an untouchable in India's caste system, speaking for over two hundred skilled Dalit artisans who were brought to the US from India to build the largest Hindu temple in New Jersey. In their words, ” We are the Indian stone workers of America, workers [00:28:00] rescued by the FBI in twenty twenty-one from forced labor conditions constructing the BAPS temple in New Jersey. we were brought to the US on R one visas and compelled to perform construction labor for over eighty-seven hours a week and paid just a dollar twenty an hour. Rajiv Narayan: We heard from, um, the executive director of the Sikh Coalition talking about Sikh truck drivers and religious workers and their experience under the federal regime's, uh, rule-making efforts. Harman Singh – Sikh Coalition: Uh, Punjabi Sikhs began entering the US trucking industry in large numbers during the nineteen eighties, and Sikh truck drivers and business owners have played a critical role in addressing driver shortages over the past several years. Unfortunately, Sikhs in this critical industry have become the subject of harmful rhetoric and policy from this current administration. These drivers are being excluded solely because of their specific immigration status and regardless of their driving histories, skills, knowledge, or English proficiency.  Rajiv Narayan: We heard from, the executive director of Asian Refugees United, who [00:29:00] spoke about the experience of Bhutanese refugees who have been rendered stateless by the current administration's, deportation efforts Robin Gurung – ARU: Because of the ethnic cleansing campaign of Bhutan government, more than hundred thousand Bhutanese citizens were forced to flee the country. For twenty years, I lived in a refugee camp in Nepal. In 2008, the government of this country came to rescue us. We were promised safety and security. But last year, that promise was broken. As of March 2025, over seventy of our community members are deported to Bhutan, the same country that persecuted us and made us refugees. These community members are kidnapped from their homes and jobs. They have been taken from their routine ICE check-ins. We know due process was not followed. Rajiv Narayan: We also heard from the executive director of Raksha, a domestic violence organization based in the Southern United States that has played an instrumental role in supporting South Asians who have been the victims [00:30:00] and who are now survivors of domestic and intimate partner violence, about the needs for supporting these kinds of organizations, with federal dollars and through the grant-making systems conditions. Aparna Bhattacharyya – Raksha: For thirty years, we have supported community members in navigating interpersonal violence, but also waves of racism and policy backlash.  South Asian and Indo-Caribbean survivors need safe places to turn, safe places that speak their language, understand their unique immigration and cultural needs. Raksha recently had $700,000 in OVC grants terminated by DOGE. additionally, we are still waiting for OVW sexual assault cultural funds for five months, where we have gotten no determination of whether we're getting that funding or not. Five months. Rajiv Narayan: We also heard from, the director of the South Asian American Justice Collaborative, which is currently, before the US Supreme Court in the birthright citizenship case, and [00:31:00] filed this foundational amicus brief detailing the story of South Asians in the United States going back to the 1600s. Klapana Peddibhotla – SAAJCO: Our brief pushes back against this notion that we are forever foreign.  South Asians actually arrived on these shores in the sixteen hundreds, and by the seventeen hundreds, South Asians were already asserting their rights here. In an Afghan immigrant actually fought in the Civil War in the Union Army. by the late nineteenth century, the largest farming group in Central California was formed by Punjabis. Today, South Asians are one of the largest immigrant populations in the US, but many families are caught in immigration backlogs that last for decades and make them vulnerable to the President's executive order restricting birthright citizenship. Rajiv Narayan: Across all of these speakers, you know, the, the, the message became very clear that we have so many different struggles, but they're all [00:32:00] united by a sense of solidarity for each other's political experiences under the same system of exploitation and oppression, and that there, there's so much that Congress can do in this moment to support the South Asian diaspora in the United States and, and even abroad in some cases. for ASATA Power's part, we, had the opportunity to put together over the course of the last year a policy brief on undocumented South Asians, and it was during the congressional briefing that we shared some pretty startling statistics that we, collected and collated from a number of public sources. And so what we were able to identify for the room is that there are about eight hundred thousand to nine hundred thousand undocumented South Asians in the United States, and because there are only six point five million South Asians in the US, both those who are undocumented and those who have birthright citizenship or are otherwise naturalized, refugees, asylees, and, and everyone in between. Of those six point five million South Asians One in eight of [00:33:00] them is undocumented, which is shocking and not something that somebody would understand at the outset given these problematic narratives like the model minority myth and whatever you see these days on X or Twitter about South Asian immigrants. So it's important for us not only to, to set the narrative straight and to identify both the diversity and opportunity for solidarity across our struggles, but to do so in the halls of power and to speak that truth to power directly. Miata Tan : That's Rajiv with ASATA Power reflecting on a recent congressional briefing in Washington, DC he helped to organize alongside other progressive South Asian leaders, organizers, and activists. Here's a snippet of Rajiv's opening remarks at the briefing Rajiv Narayan: I want to draw your attention to the slide behind me, they'll show a couple of images of South Asian community members who've been impacted recently by the horrific policies and practices of the federal administration. These members include Sheraz Fatehali Sachwani, a forty-eight-year-old citizen of Pakistan who died in ICE [00:34:00] detention last December. They include seventy-three-year-old Harjit Kaur, who was arrested during a routine ICE check-in, separated from her family, and deported to India without notice. I should say, I grew up seeing Harjit Kaur behind the counter at Sari Palace in Berkeley. She would help my mom try on saris. Her home was here. Her community was here. You know, these are just some of the names and stories of community members who have been affected by immigration policy as of late, and we hope that you will keep them in mind as you hear from our speakers today. There are many more we were not able to picture or name, but their stories are just as important. We'll be making many asks over the course of today's briefing. Some of those include the following: Congress should not increase funding for ICE or Border Patrol, including providing funds for detention facilities, especially in this funding moment. We have to remember that ICE is not a long-standing American institution. It was created in two thousand and two, recently, as part of the Homeland Security Act following nine [00:35:00] eleven. Miata Tan : That was Rajiv Narayan with ASATA Power speaking at a recent congressional briefing in Washington, DC. The briefing was part of a larger national convening organized by the South Asian Coalition, bringing together progressive South Asian groups from across the country. Now let's return to Deepa Iyer, who leads projects on solidarity and social movements at Building Movement Project here's Deepa reflecting on her takeaways from the congressional briefing Deepa Iyer: I think that there were so many pieces in that briefing that maybe people didn't know about that organizations are struggling with, and part of it is that, um, our communities, and Sabihah said this earlier, are not a monolith, right? And there are so many different ways in which we are experiencing what is happening right now in the United States, the fractures and the fissures that we're seeing. Rajiv spoke so well about the community needs and issues. One thing I'll lift up is actually the impact on nonprofit [00:36:00] organizations. Several of the groups that were, uh, speaking at the briefing noted how the attacks on nonprofits that are specifically working on issues like immigration in terms of losing federal funding and grants, being forced to certify that they are not addressing issues work that deal with undocumented immigrants, as well as the ways in which, um, nonprofit organizations are being, in some ways, seen as doing risky and un-American work. there is the, the exploitation of domestic terrorism as a frame that is being used right now to target certain nonprofit organizations. This is something that I think is not necessarily known to many people in terms of the ways in which national security, immigration issues are also affecting the nonprofit sector as a whole. And where I work at the Building Movement Project, we really look at the nonprofit sector and the health of the nonprofit sector, and we're [00:37:00] seeing that these types of external threats, the spotlight on organizations that are on the front lines, including South Asian groups, um, Muslim groups, Palestinian groups, that are working with, um, immigrant communities, queer and trans community members that are providing- Vital language access, service provision, community safety are really under threat right now, and this includes many of the organizations that were present at the, coalition's convening. So that's something that I also wanna lift up, that in addition to our communities who are facing the impact of the current moment in really acute ways, our nonprofit sector and our organizations are also dealing with a range of constraints and threats and difficulties. So that is one thing that came up over and over again. Miata Tan : That was Deepa Iyer with the Building Movement Project, highlighting the pressures facing the nonprofit sector right now, [00:38:00] especially as it relates to South Asian organizers, advocates, and communities. Let's return to Farah Mahesri with ASATA Pawa.  Farah Mahersi: One of the other things that I am very proud of for this congressional briefing that we did was that it was us telling our own stories and us presenting our own policy recommendations. There was no need to have, like, an expert come in and talk on behalf of our communities or try to represent our communities. We were the experts in the room, and we were really recognized and seen as that. As Rajiv mentioned, you know, there, the room was packed with Hill staffers and congressional staffers who were taking diligent notes as we spoke our truths Miata Tan : That was Farah Mahesri with ASATA Pawa reflecting on the recent congressional briefing she helped to organize, one that brought greater visibility to the experiences of South Asian immigrants. You'll hear more on how South Asian activists, organizers, and community groups [00:39:00] are mobilizing after this. Stay with us ​ Miata Tan : [00:40:00] [00:41:00] [00:42:00] That was Lion on the Hunt by Thao and the Get Down Stay Down. You are tuned into APEX Express on 94.1 KPFA, a weekly radio show uplifting the voices and stories of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. I'm your host, Miata Tan. Tonight, we're talking about South Asian organizing in the United States and how community leaders are responding to immigration challenges, political representation, and the shifting landscape of civil rights back in March, organizers and advocates from across the country gathered in Washington, DC for a national convening focused on the challenges and possibilities facing South Asian communities today. Here's Rajiv Narayan with the Alliance of [00:43:00] South Asians Taking Action, or ASATA, reflecting on the importance of honoring both the diversity of the South Asian diaspora and the shared struggle that connects these communities Rajiv Narayan: Something I appreciate about, your work, Miata, at APEX Express, is to highlight both that diversity of the South Asian diaspora and the many struggles and experiences that unite our political experiences and our commitment to social justice. It, it used to be, and in, in some places it still is the case, that folks will use an over-broad group to represent all of the South Asian diaspora. For example, talking about all Brown people as Indian or Desi or to, to collapse all the differences in our community. And part of the power of the congressional briefing is that we are able to show that what it means to be South Asian is at once an incredibly diverse expression and at the same time a collective expression of solidarity. We can do two of these things at the same time. We can recognize our differences and fight for each other. One of my [00:44:00] favorite takeaways that I, I heard from Deepa at the briefing is that there are some staffers that came up to her and said, “I've never heard my story, my experience, my political struggles represented in a panel in this building in front of other congressional staffers.” And that's something that we can do, and we should do more of. There are so many ways in which we can tell the stories and highlight the campaigns of folks from different parts of the South Asian diaspora who are all fighting for a better life for all of us. Miata Tan : That was Rajiv Narayan with ASATA, in the recent congressional briefing that Rajiv helped to organize through the South Asian Coalition, organizers also pointed toward the future of South Asian organizing in the United States and the role of a new generation shaping it. back to Deepa Iyer with Building Movement Project. Here, Deepa Iyer: Some of the young folks that are entering or working at nonprofits now, supporting South Asian nonprofits don't have a living memory of 9/11 and the global war on terror, [00:45:00] and they have been politicized in different ways, right, over the last eight years, for example, the pandemic global wars, et cetera. And so there are a couple of ways in which I've been thinking about how we can support South Asian young people. so for example, how can we share historical analysis and political analysis so that young people understand that they are part of a trajectory of South Asian activism that actually started well before 9/11, before the 1960s, right, and that continues to today, so they don't feel fragmented. So that's something I've been sitting with a lot. Another is around pathways into public service and community service and into the nonprofit sector. So how could we support young people in terms of building their skills, in having pathways open to them into our nonprofit organizations? And then finally, how do we support them, um, so that they, can do this work for the long run? You know, we all struggle with burnout, we all [00:46:00] struggle with sustainability. what are some lessons learned that we can pass on? What are some best practices? that's something that's been sitting with me quite a bit since the gathering that we had, and I hope that the coalition will really think about, supporting young people's leadership and finding different avenues and pathways to do that. Miata Tan : That was Deepa Iyer reflecting on how movements can better support the next generation of South Asian organizers. Within the South Asian coalition, that work also means building long-term infrastructure for better collaboration. Now back to Sabiha Basrai with ASATA. Sabiha Basrai: I'm also really appreciating that the South Asian Coalition is this model for creating a container for many, many organizations to unite as a group while maintaining regional focus and individual issue priorities. I also wanna name that the place where I first learned how to do national coalition work was as a member of the National South Asian Coalition that ASATA had been part of. [00:47:00] It was facilitated by a group called SALT which played such a critical role in the post 9/11 era and continued to then work on DACA, creating resources for undocumented South Asians, along with other issues facing our diverse diasporas. And SALT closed a few years ago. It was a decision that I don't understand and was- has really left me with a lot of sadness and confusion. but I al- I know that sometimes institutions do end, but that the work does not end and the relationships do not end. And the South Asian Coalition is this emergent space that, um, is not led by any one organization. it is a space that is being invested in collectively, and we're really moving at the speed of trust so that we can be really laying that strong foundation that supports the work ahead. I'm really sitting with the ways in which sometimes this labor of Building the container, creating the container, [00:48:00] investing in the network. It's sometimes invisible labor, but it is the most critical because without it we can have moments of mass mobilization, but then that wasn't actually building any power over the long term. And I'm really looking forward to all of the very good work ahead, because I trust the relationships and the containers that we're building. Miata Tan : That was Sabiha reflecting on the collaborative infrastructure that the South Asian Coalition is helping to build. Now let's return to Deepa Iyer. I asked Deepa what campaigns are on the horizon for the coalition, especially as this year marks 25 years since 9/11. Deepa Iyer: As Sabiha mentioned, the coalition is a space for invested leadership, and so there are lots of different campaigns that groups within the coalition are eyeing and taking on. One of them Rajiv mentioned already is the fight around birthright citizenship. And so there are groups like SACHCO and others that showed up with a South Asian [00:49:00] delegation at the Supreme Court on April 1st when that case was being heard, and it was really great to see so many South Asians out there in a delegation along with other communities, to raise their voices on this really vital, pivotal issue. And so that is a campaign that some of the groups within the coalition are going to continue to be lifting up as we get the results of that case and moving forward. Another one that you mentioned, is around the 25th anniversary of 9/11, and there are groups that are considering, along with others in other movement spaces what does narrative strategy look like as we go into this time period? How do we think about the fact that we're marking the 25th anniversary in the same year that we're marking the 250th anniversary of the United States, right? how do we use 9/11 and its anniversary as a lens through which we understand empire, through which we understand the ways in which domestic [00:50:00] policies are being recirculated against other communities? And also this piece around awareness and education. this is an opportunity to share some of the personal experiences that many of us have around that moment in time, but also the ways in which our communities have built up themselves as well as the solidarity with other communities. So I think there are lots of ways in which organizations are thinking about that anniversary and how they can, utilize that moment, to draw greater attention to our community's experiences. Miata Tan : Rajiv, Farah, would you like to add anything about upcoming campaigns and how you're thinking about the South Asian political power movement moving forwards?  Rajiv Narayan: Yeah, I'm happy to talk about one sort of continuing campaign, which is that, like I mentioned, we put together this policy brief on undocumented South Asians, and we had this great opportunity to circulate and talk about it on Capitol Hill in DC. But it's also important for us to bring that story home. And so part of [00:51:00] what we'll be doing, um, for the remainder of, of this year is identifying opportunities to do town halls both, with community members and potentially with elected officials to help educate, do political education about the nature of undocumented peoples in the South Asian community. A large part of what we did in that policy brief is to collate all these numbers to tell you, how many folks might be undocumented, what is the proportion of undocumented people in the South Asian community. But an important, equally important contribution of that report is the nature of undocumented experiences. Why do people become undocumented? What are the factors that put them in that position, and what does it mean for a person to become undocumented? How can we support them, not just in different policy prescriptions, but also the ways that we talk about undocumented people and the South Asian community as a whole? So that'll, that'll be, um, a focus that we have, uh, and a contribution that we hope to make both in the, the Bay Area and beyond.  Farah Mahersi: I'll add to that, that it is election year. It is [00:52:00] a… I feel like we say every election is a critical election, and I do believe that that is very true this year. And so ASATA Power, as a political organization, will be making endorsements and talking through not just that it is important to vote, but it is really important and critical for us in this moment to vote for progressive candidates who are part of our, what is often called like a build coalition, who are here to help us build this world that we are dreaming of, who are aligned on policy positions. The other thing that we are working on locally and nationally is around the war budget. So as a group that has been so directly impacted by the global war on terror 4.5 million Muslims around the world who have been killed by US war-making in that global war on terror, and just watching kind of what the United States foreign policy in particular over the last couple of years has been, we have a particular point of view and a particular interest on tracking and watching things like the [00:53:00] largest, request for a defense budget in US history. How are those dollars being spent, And how those dollars that are being spent abroad to do war-making are also having a boomerang effect and coming back to impact our communities at home. So the same technologies that were developed and used in war-making through the global war on terror that impacted, uh, so many of our communities around the world for 25 years, a lot of that is the same technology that ICE is now using to go after undocumented South Asians in the United States, right? And so that's another way in which we really see our struggles are interconnected, and that we are wanting to dismantle als- a lot of these systems of harm, and also, again, at that intersection between both hate violence and state oppression that's happening. Miata Tan : That was Farah Mahestri with ASATA and ASATA Power. As she shared, ASATA Power is focused on the midterm elections and how war spending and post 9/11 policies continue to affect South Asian communities today. [00:54:00] To close out, we return to another ASATA organizer, Sabiha Basrai. Sabiha Basrai: So I wanted to bring the conversation back locally to the Bay Area again, and just thinking about, the Alliance of South Asians Taking Action, which is, part of a network of AAPI and Asian organizing in the Bay Area as a space where South Asians progressive South Asians can actually build community, sharpen our political analysis, embrace our responsibilities here in the Bay Area in this political moment. And just also, lifting up that ASATA currently is working on things like the Oakland Arms Embargo or local community defense against ICE , environmental justice projects, and also looking for more ways to fight supremacist ideologies of Hindutva but in collaboration with anti-Zionist Jewish community activists. these are opportunities that we have here in the Bay Area. And also thinking about ways that we participate in mobilizations. Like, we show up for Reclaim MLK Day, [00:55:00] International Working Women's Day, May Day, the Trans March every year because we understand our responsibility to show up and to show up consistently. And so when I think about the South Asian Coalition and this moment of, okay, we've been trying to- we've built- been building towards this convening and this congressional briefing, and now we're on the other side of this moment, and we are kind of reflecting and coming back together around how we maintain this energy. Also wanted to highlight,  Some of the amazing work that many of our coalition members are, are already doing. One is Savaira, so Savaira United Against Supremacy is actually a coalition of work as well, they focused, their energy on addressing Hindu nationalism and and Hindutva ideology and the, and the many ways in which, the supremacist ideology is kind of insidiously part of institutions, policy even cultural work, uh, within our diaspora. they're so committed to both, like, [00:56:00] resisting the tides of hatred but also combating all forms of supremacist politics and the intersections between them. so their, their work has been a big part of my political education, and I'm really glad that they're part of this coalition. Every member of the coalition is bringing analysis and experience that cross-pollinates to the rest of us. So I'm looking forward to just more of that   also considering what ASATA's role is and how ASATA working in the Bay Area alongside so many other amazing organizing projects here can be strengthening those relationships nationally. Miata Tan : That was Sabiha Basrai with the Alliance of South Asians Taking Action, or ASATA.  This is APEX Express on 94.1 KPFA, a weekly radio show uplifting the voices and stories of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. APEX Express airs every Thursday evening at 7:00 PM. And with that, we're at the end of our time here [00:57:00] tonight. We really appreciate you for tuning in to listen, and a huge thank you to our wonderful guests. For a transcript of tonight's episode, please visit our website. That's kpfa.org/program/apex-express  We've also added links on the episode page for tonight's show so you can learn more about the South Asian Coalition, ASATA, and all of the organizations we've talked about tonight, along with their upcoming campaigns as well. APEX Express is produced by Ayame Keane-Lee, Anuj Vaidya, Isabel Li, Jalena Keane-Lee, Miko Lee, Miata Tan, Preeti Mangala Shekar and Swati Rayasam. Tonight's show was produced by me, Miata Tan. Get some rest y'all. The post APEX Express – 5.28.26 – Building South Asian Power appeared first on KPFA.

Julia is joined by 85-year-old folk legend and lifelong activist Joan Baez, who is still dancing, still showing up, and still refusing to be quiet. They talk about singing before a quarter million people at the March on Washington in 1963, what made Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. laugh, and what real courage feels like from the inside. Joan opens up about her decades-long struggle with anxiety, forgiveness, and dissociative identity disorder. Oh, and she sings. Three times. Afterwards, Julia calls her 92-year-old mom Judy — who, it turns out, was playing folk music on a portable Victrola in Sri Lanka when Julia was young. Follow Wiser Than Me on Instagram and TikTok @wiserthanme and on Facebook at facebook.com/wiserthanmepodcast. Find us on Substack at wiserthanme.substack.com. Keep up with Joan Baez @joancbaezofficial on Instagram. Pre-order the latest book from Julia's mom Judy Bowles here: https://finishinglinepress.com/product/they-spoke-of-the-river-by-judith-bowles/   Find out more about other shows on our network at @lemonadamedia on all social platforms. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today by hitting 'Subscribe' on Apple Podcasts or lemonadapremium.com for any other app. For exclusive discount codes and more information about our sponsors, visit https://lemonadamedia.com/sponsors/.  For additional resources, information, and a transcript of the episode, visit lemonadamedia.com.

Passion and drive helped Rishi Naleendra achieve initial culinary success, but it was only when he learnt to trust his team and change himself that his restaurant climbed to the next level –Michelin recognition. In this episode of the INSEAD Knowledge Podcast, Professors Michael Jarrett and Andy Yap chat with Sri Lankan restaurateur Naleendra.Growing up in war-torn Sri Lanka, he went from a childhood dream to be a pilot to becoming the chef and owner behind noted Singapore restaurants Kotuwa and Cloudstreet.Naleendra recounts his bold decision to close down a successful bistro that had already achieved one Michelin star and how his singular vision won buy-in from an experienced team and demanding investors. Yet his passion and high standards had a negative side: high turnover and burnout of staff and a team culture built on fear rather than ownership.It was only when Covid-19 struck that he was forced to stop and reflect. An intervention by a trusted colleague made him confront an uncomfortable reality and come to realise that he needed to change both as a leader and a person. It was only by trusting those around him and creating the conditions for others to perform that he could ever hope to achieve two Michelin stars. A new-found leadership maturity helped him tackle the transition from running a small “mom and pop” business to leading a professional organisation. He now acts as the bridge between investors, creative talent and operational teams, and has to find ways to manage expectations and emotions on all sides.For Naleendra, the mark of a good leader ultimately comes down to one unglamorous word: practice. Not talent, title nor experience – but practice. The soft skills needed to speak honestly to investors, inspire loyalty in your team and hold your nerves under pressure are all habits that are built over time.His advice for the next generation: Don't wait for the position before you start behaving like a leader. Train for the role before anyone hands it to you, stay curious and never become too important to learn from the person next to you. Read the INSEAD Knowledge article.Explore more INSEAD Knowledge Podcasts.

Donna Hicks spent three decades at the world's hardest conflict tables and found one hidden injury beneath them all: a violation of human dignity. From the Middle East to Northern Ireland, she watched negotiations stall not over policy, but over something no one in the room had named. This episode is the word that changed everything, and the model she built around it.Dr Donna Hicks, author of Leading with Dignity and Associate at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University, spent her career as a third party in unofficial diplomacy across the Middle East, Sri Lanka, Colombia and Northern Ireland. She co-facilitated the BBC series Facing the Truth alongside Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and her earlier book, Dignity, reshaped how the world understands conflict, connection and leadership. This one runs close to home for me. As a young boy from a Pied-Noir family — French people of European origin who had left Algeria after its independence — newly arrived in Nice, I was once told by a schoolmate to “get out of here.” I came home devastated. My father's answer, that I should be proud of where I came from and that I had something real to give, was dignity restored long before either of us had a word for it.In our conversation, we explore: → Why respect is earned but dignity is not, and how leaders who confuse the two quietly damage their teams → The ten elements of dignity, and the single one that 80% of employees say is violated most at work → What happened when the BBC sat victims and perpetrators face to face, and why healing did not require forgiveness → Why Donna now teaches dignity to eight-year-olds, and her advice to young leaders entering a harder world → Mandela consciousness: the three connections that rebuild dignity in any team, family or boardroom"I don't believe we need to find common ground. I believe we need to find higher ground." - Dr Donna Hicks, Harvard UniversityIf you have ever watched a meeting derail over something that was never really about the agenda, this conversation hands you the missing word, and a practical model for what to do next.

IDS was recently honoured to welcome the Hon. Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Dr Harini Amarasuriya to mark the 60th anniversary of IDS. She shared her journey from her career as an academic and an activist before entering politics and being elected as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka in 2024.In this special episode of the IDS Between the Lines podcast we present the Prime Ministers speech and her discussion with IDS Director Anuradha Joshi. We will also hear from two respondents, IDS Alum, Dr. Sepali Kottegoda and current master's student Renushi Ubeyratna who will comment on what the Prime Minister said. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The practice of healthcare is inherently powerful, and our patients are vulnerable to our power. Though power can be abused, the righteous use of power, for the benefit of the vulnerable, is profoundly Christlike. We will explore the lessons of power which help us understand our roles, including the fundamental nature of professionalism and key kingdom strategies of healthcare missions.

durée : 00:09:45 - Le 13/14 - Un enseignant français expatrié à Abu Dhabi, pour prendre l'air et la "nounou" de son enfant venue du Sri Lanka, poussée par la misère… Exil des riches, exil des pauvres - réalisation : Eva Bettan - invités : Jérôme Ferrari Écrivain français Vous aimez ce podcast ? Pour écouter tous les épisodes sans limite, rendez-vous sur Radio France

Leading with Character Across Cultures: Global Leadership Systems with Bjorn VikardIn a recent episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur Podcast, host Josh Elledge sat down with Bjorn Vikard, a premier business transformation consultant, family enterprise coach, and author of Leading with Characters Across Cultures: The Complete Guide To Authentic Global Leadership, to explore the delicate mechanics of international management. Operating out of bjornvikard.com, Bjorn leverages decades of boots-on-the-ground experience optimizing family-owned manufacturing operations throughout Asia to dismantle the transactional, top-down approaches that stall cross-border expansion. This conversation serves as an essential manual for mid-market founders and executive teams navigating complex global supply chains, multi-generational succession planning, and the subtle cultural dynamics required to secure true operational alignment.The Anatomy of Authentic Influence: Integrating Cultural Intelligence and Succession SystemsTrue organizational scale in international environments demands a rapid shift away from monolithic, Western-centric management frameworks that rely purely on rigid operational hierarchy. Bjorn Vikard notes that executive blind spots are magnified abroad when leaders prioritize technical checklists while failing to appreciate regional variations in workplace communication, such as the consensus-driven methodologies valued in Indonesia versus the delicate conflict-avoidance systems native to Sri Lanka. When expanding operations globally, founders frequently fall into the trap of listening merely to respond rather than processing subtle non-verbal cues, which inadvertently stifles innovation and isolates frontline talent. By prioritizing deep neuro-cultural awareness and adopting active-listening protocols, an organization can systematically dismantle internal friction, transforming cultural diversity from a friction point into a profound operational asset.Unlocking long-term enterprise value within a family-owned enterprise also requires a highly disciplined approach to generational transitions and legacy planning. Founders routinely compromise their own exit strategies because they postpone succession governance, allowing emotional attachment to create massive power vacuums that threaten employee retention and investor confidence. Bjorn emphasizes that effective succession is not a sudden boardroom announcement but a multi-year development system that balances founder mentorship with structured skill-acquisition pipelines for next-generation executives. Utilizing custom leadership blueprints and rigorous 360-degree feedback loops allows incoming leadership to build authentic credibility across the corporate ecosystem long before the official transition occurs, ensuring absolute business continuity throughout the handoff.To help founders safely navigate these cross-border complexities, Bjorn structures his transformation consulting around intensive behavioral modules that emphasize deep character development over superficial corporate buzzwords. This system explicitly helps high-performance executives evaluate their decisions against concrete organizational values, replacing administrative friction with an autonomous culture of radical ownership. When independent team members feel safe to take calculated operational risks and innovate within their local markets, the business naturally minimizes its reliance on heavy-handed micromanagement from headquarters. Ultimately, true global optimization is achieved when an organization establishes a unified corporate identity that seamlessly respects regional operational nuances, allowing the executive team to scale impact predictably across any geopolitical boundary.About Bjorn VikardBjorn Vikard is an Amazon Best-Selling Author, elite international business transformation consultant, and dedicated executive coach specializing in multi-generational family enterprises. With a diverse background guiding heavy manufacturing and corporate structures through complex global expansions, Bjorn helps business owners establish high-trust cultures across distinct geographic regions. He is the author of Leading with Characters Across Cultures, a definitive text focused on helping modern executives align personal integrity with international cross-cultural intelligence.About bjornvikard.combjornvikard.com serves as the primary advisory hub for Bjorn Vikard's global consulting practice, providing executive coaching, organizational alignment audits, and structured leadership development programs. The consultancy specializes in helping mid-sized family firms engineer seamless succession roadmaps, resolve cross-border operational bottlenecks, and implement high-accountability management frameworks. Through rigorous, multi-month mentoring structures, bjornvikard.com equips international corporate entities with the systems necessary to sustain high performance across multicultural landscapes.Links Mentioned in This EpisodeBjorn Vikard Official Website: bjornvikard.comBjorn Vikard on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bjornvikardKey Episode HighlightsThe Neuro-Cultural Alignment: Navigating subtle communication variances between international regions to eradicate operational friction on the frontline.The Multi-Year Succession Roadmap: Designing proactive corporate governance structures to ensure seamless leadership transitions in family-owned enterprises.Character-Driven Management Systems: Moving past basic technical KPIs to anchor organizational growth in high-accountability values.The Active-Listening Superpower: Implementing intentional meeting pauses and open-ended frameworks to capture insights from multicultural teams.Stifling the Founder's Trap: Shifting from centralized micromanagement to a regional model of autonomous employee ownership.ConclusionThe conversation with Bjorn Vikard underscores that cross-border operational mastery is fundamentally an architecture built on self-awareness and localized empathy. By deploying data-driven transition strategies and building cross-cultural communication protocols, global organizations can maintain stable operational performance while systematically scaling their corporate legacy.More from The Thoughtful Entrepreneur

Donald Trump has left China after talks with Xi Jinping that the US president says have settled "a lot of different problems". President Xi called it a "landmark" visit, but gave no details of any new agreements. On Iran, President Trump said the Chinese president would pressure Tehran to re-open the Strait of Hormuz. Mr Trump also said he didn't think there was a risk of conflict between China and the US over Taiwan. Also: American media reports say the US is preparing to indict the former Cuban president, 94-year-old Raul Castro. There's been a large prisoner swap between Ukraine and Russia as the two sides ramp up their aerial attacks. The BBC has traced dozens of social media accounts - which post AI-generated anti-immigration content about the UK - to countries such as Sri Lanka and Vietnam. And the singer-songwriter with Parkinson's disease using AI to help him make music again. The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk