The supply chain crisis caused by entire countries shutting down for months over a virus that had a 99.5 percent survival rate is now being exacerbated by the war in Ukraine and new lockdowns in some producer countries, and is now causing some countries so much economic stress they are defaulting on their debts.
Sri Lanka, which is currently undergoing massive unrest due to a tanking economy, has announced that in order to preserve what dollar reserves it has in order to buy food and energy for its people, it will suspend its debt payments, likely triggering outright defaults that could produce a domino effect.
“Sri Lanka warned of an unprecedented default and halted payments on foreign debt, an extraordinary step taken to preserve its dwindling dollar stockpile for essential food and fuel imports,” Bloomberg Quint reported this week as the situation in the Asian nation deteriorated.
All payments to bondholders, bilateral creditors and institutional lenders that are currently outstanding have been suspended until the Finance Ministry can arrange a debt restructuring plan, according to a Tuesday statement.
Nandalal Weerasinghe, who is the newly appointed governor of Sri Lanka’s central bank, told a press briefing that the government is attempting to negotiate with creditors but is also warning there could be a default. Measures being taken now are “a last resort in order to prevent a further deterioration of the Republic’s financial position,” the finance ministry said.
“It is now apparent that any further delay risks inflicting permanent damage on Sri Lanka’s economy and causing potentially irreversible prejudice to the holders of the country’s external public debts,” the ministry added.
The announcement comes among calls for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brother, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, to resign, though so far both have refused to do so. Gotabaya has called instead for “unity and better understanding” earlier this week as he greeted citizens for the Sinhala and Tamil New Year festival amid rising angst over skyrocketing inflation that is currently running at 20 percent year-over-year and daily electricity cuts that often last as long as three hours.
Gotabaya’s party has also lost its parliamentary majority and bailout talks with the International Monetary Fund are likely to be delayed even further, Bloomberg Quint noted.
The Finance Ministry said that government talks with the IMF will be expedited, while officials there said they wanted to avoid a hard default. Rajapaksa’s government is also attempting to get financial assistance from India and China, the latter of which is one of Sri Lanka’s biggest creditors at present.
“China has been doing its utmost to provide assistance to the socio-economic development of Sri Lanka, and will continue to do so going forward,” a said Foreign Ministry representative at a Tuesday briefing.
How Will You Cook If the Grid Goes Down This Winter? These Gosun Solar Ovens are marketed as great for camping, but we see them as potential life-savers during an extended gas/electric grid outage.
According to the report, Sri Lanka’s dollar bonds, which are due in July, fell 3 cents to a new record low of 45.73 on the dollar. In addition, the rupee also fell while the country’s stock market was shuttered this week ahead of the public holidays while trading has been truncated anyway due to daily power outages.
“The market was expecting this default to come,” Carl Wong, head of fixed income at Avenue Asset Management, which no longer holds Sri Lankan bonds, told Bloomberg Quint. “Now we have to see how the new government handles the onshore chaos while talking to IMF.”
The country has roughly $12.5 billion in outstanding euro bonds and the next payments are due April 18, according to data seen by Bloomberg. Then, the government is expected to pay out $36 million in interest on a bond that matures in 2023, as well as $42.2 million on a 2028 loan. There are a wave of other payments due for Sri Lanka this year as well, including $1.03 billion in principle and interest on a maturing note that is due July 25.
The global debt of nations is worsening thanks to the ongoing crisis in the supply chain amid worsening inflation. The collapse is just a matter of time if the trajectory remains the same.
Sources include:
Most “Conservative” News Outlets Are on the Big Tech Teat
Not long ago, conservative media was not beholden to anyone. Today, most sites are stuck on the Big Tech gravy train.
I’ll keep this short. The rise of Pandemic Panic Theater, massive voter fraud, and other “taboo” topics have neutered a majority of conservative news sites. You’ll notice they are very careful about what topics they tackle. Sure, they’ll attack Critical Race Theory, Antifa, and the Biden-Harris regime, but you won’t see them going after George Soros, Bill Gates, the World Economic Forum, or the Deep State, among others.
The reason is simple. They are beholden to Big Tech, and Big Tech doesn’t allow certain topics to be discussed or they’ll cut you off. Far too many conservative news outlets rely on Google, Facebook, and Twitter for the bulk of their traffic. They depend on big checks from Google ads to keep the sites running. I don’t necessarily hold it against them. We all do what we need to do to survive. I just wish more would do like we have, which is to cut out Big Tech altogether.
We don’t get Google checks. We don’t have Facebook or Twitter buttons on our stories. We don’t have a YouTube Channel (banned), an Instagram profile (never made one), or a TikTok (no thanks, CCP). We’re not perfect, but we’re doing everything we can to not owe anything to anyone… other than our readers. We owe YOU the truth. We owe YOU the facts that others won’t reveal about topics that others won’t tackle. And we owe America, this great land that allows us to take hold of these opportunities.
Like I said, I don’t hold other conservative sites under too much scrutiny over their choices. It’s easy for people to point fingers when we’re not the ones paying their bills or supporting their families. I just wish there were more who would make the bold move. Today, only a handful of other major conservative news outlets have broken free from the Big Tech teat. Of course, we need help.
The best way you can help us grow and continue to bring proper news and opinions to the people is by donating. We appreciate everything, whether a dollar or $10,000. Anything brings us closer to a point of stability when we can hire writers, editors, and support staff to make the America First message louder. Our Giving Fuel page makes it easy to donate one-time or monthly. Alternatively, you can donate through PayPal or Bitcoin as well. Bitcoin: 3A1ELVhGgrwrypwTJhPwnaTVGmuqyQrMB8
Our network is currently comprised of six sites:
- NOQ Report
- Conservative Playlist
- Freedom First Network
- Based Underground
- Uncanceled News
- Our Gold Guy
We are also building partnerships with great conservative sites like The Liberty Daily and The Epoch Times to advance the message as loudly as possible, and we’re always looking for others with which to partner.
Some of our content is spread across multiple sites. Other pieces of content are unique. We write most of what we post but we also draw from those willing to allow us to share their quality articles, videos, and podcasts. We collect the best content from fellow conservative sites that give us permission to republish them. We’re not ego-driven; I’d much rather post a properly attributed story written by experts like Dr. Joseph Mercola or Natural News than rewrite it like so many outlets like to do. We’re not here to take credit. We’re here to spread the truth.
While donations are the best way to help, you can also support us by buying through our sponsors:
- MyPillow: Use promo code “NOQ” to get up to 66% off AND you’ll be helping a patriotic, America First company.
- ZStack: Improve your immune system with the Z-Stack protocol or rejuvenate your body from vaccines or shedding with Z-DTox by Dr. Vladimir Zelenko.
- OurGoldGuy: Tell them JD sent you in your request to buy gold and it will help us… AND (wait for it) you’ll be helping a patriotic, America First company.
- MyPatriotSupply: Stock up on long-term food, survival gear, and other things that you’ll need just in case things don’t recover and we keep heading towards apocalypse.
We know we could make a lot more money if we sold out like so many “conservative” publications out there. You won’t find Google ads on our site for a reason. Yes, they’re lucrative, but I don’t like getting paid by minions of Satan (I don’t like Google very much if you couldn’t tell).
Time is short. As the world spirals towards The Great Reset, the need for truthful journalism has never been greater. But in these times, we need as many conservative media voices as possible. Please help keep NOQ Report and the other sites in the network going. Our promise is this: We will never sell out America. If that means we’re going to struggle for a while or even indefinitely, so be it. Integrity first. Truth first. America first.
Thank you and God Bless,
JD Rucker
Bitcoin: 32SeW2Ajn86g4dATWtWreABhEkiqxsKUGn
Covid variant BA.5 is spreading. It appears milder but much more contagious and evades natural immunity. Best to boost your immune system with new Z-Dtox and Z-Stack nutraceuticals from our dear friend, the late Dr. Vladimir Zelenko.
