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Lankans would be sipping wine, not tea, if not for the British
If not for the Treaty of Amiens in which Britain, France, Spain and Holland carved up the colonies in 1802, Sri Lankans could be sipping wine instead of tea, driving on the right instead of the left side of the road and speaking Japanese, not English. British invaders arrived in this Indian ocean island in 1796 while the French revolution was in full swing.
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Tribute to Brecht by Marathi writers
While election mania is gripping most Mumbaites, there are some who have actually found the time and inspiration to celebrate German playwright Bertolt Brecht's (1898-1956) birth anniversary this weekend. Like-minded Marathi intellectuals, mostly writers and street theatre activists, formed the Bertolt Brecht Janmashatabdi Samaroh Samiti recently.
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China deflates balloonists' hopes
Three Swiss adventurers, hoping to traverse the globe in a hot air balloon, found their hopes dashed by the Chinese government. The Chinese government cited technical difficulties and security risks to other aircraft as the reasons for their refusal to let the balloon fly over China. The Swiss trio had begun their aerial journey in a Swiss village last week and had crossed many countries, including France, Italy, Pakistan, India, etc. before the Chinese denial forced them to abandon their attempt.
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Relatively human
Apes and monkeys are more closely related to humans than any other animal. They are also called primates. Primates are mammals that have adapted to living in trees and in some cases, on the ground as well. Apes, lemurs and gorillas are all primates. But the most common primates are human beings. The biggest primate of all is the gorilla which weighs 3,000 times as much as the grey mouse lemur of Madagascar which is the smallest primate.
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