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Art on stamps: Ukraine
Reported at www.theguardian.com
Ukraine has issued a postage stamp with a reproduction of a Banksy mural depicting a boy defeating a grown man in judo, to mark the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
It was painted by the anonymous British street artist, Banksy, on a demolished wall in the town of Borodianka, north-west of Kyiv, where many buildings were reduced to rubble by Russian aircraft at the start of the invasion.
The image draws inspiration from the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, known to be a black belt in judo, and depicts a young judoka representing Ukraine knocking down a grown man.
The phrase “FCK PTN” in Cyrillic has been added to the lower left part of the new stamp.
Residents of the capital flocked to buy the new stamps from Kyiv’s main post office.
“It’s a very cool gesture for the world to understand Ukraine, that we remain in the spotlight,” a resident said.
In November last year Banksy released video footage of his artwork in Ukraine.
The works feature people doing daily tasks against war-torn buildings in Hostomel, Horenka and Borodyanka.
The towns in which the artwork is featured were the worst hit at the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The footage also shows a man's hand creating the art - but in true Banksy style, his face is never shown.
The video can be viewed at https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-63686223
Art on stamps: UAE
Reported at www.thenationalnews.com
Louvre Abu Dhabi's contribution to the UAE's cultural heritage has been celebrated in a new commemorative stamp.
The stamp features the centrepiece of Louvre Abu Dhabi- its silver dome that creates a spectacular "rain of light" effect as the sun passes overhead.
is part of a series by Emirates Post that highlights well-known local monuments.
"Stamps documenting historical, cultural and civilisational monuments across the Emirates further solidify the UAE's prominence on the international tourism map," a spokesman said.
"We are pleased to work with Louvre Abu Dhabi to issue this new postage stamp, which reflects the museum's prominent position as a hub for worldwide cultural events, art and exhibitions.”
Opened in 2017 as part of a Dh1.92 billion agreement between the governments of Abu Dhabi and France, Louvre Abu Dhabi celebrated its fifth anniversary in November.
Art on stamps: Ireland
Reported at www.tcd.ie/library
An Post has issued two new stamps featuring illustrations from the Book of Kells.
The brightly coloured stamps show the profile of the lion, a reoccurring image in the manuscript, symbolising Christ and the resurrection.
Monks of St. Columba’s order of Iona, Scotland are thought to have produced the Book of Kells, which was brought to the Abbey of Kells in County Meath in 806 AD following Viking raids on Iona.
It was moved to Dublin after Cromwell invaded Ireland in 1649 and placed under the care of Bishop Henry Jones, an alumnus of Trinity College.
The bishop donated it to Trinity in 1661, where it has remained ever since. It has been on display in the Old Library at Trinity College Dublin since the mid-19th century and now attracts over 500,000 visitors a year.
An An Post spokesman said: “The stamps feature some of our most recognisable and iconic heritage images. As we approach St Patrick’s day, that global celebration of Irish culture, these stamps will carry these beautiful details from the Book of Kells to every corner of the globe.”
The definitive Charles
Reported at www.abc.net.au
New stamps featuring the image of King Charles III have been unveiled by the UK's Royal Mail, the latest item to get a makeover following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
From coins and banknotes to the official royal cipher used by the government, replacements featuring the new monarch have been slowly introduced since the Queen's death in September.
In keeping with a tradition dating back to the first Penny Black in 1840, the new "definitive" stamp uses an adapted version of a portrait of Charles which is also appearing on new coins.
"As with all stamps, the monarch approved them and so we hope that he's happy with this design," said Royal Mail's director of external affairs.
"The guidance we were given was not to try to be too clever or to try to veer off into some different direction, but very much to keep that traditional image that we're all very much used to."
The new stamp, which will go on general sale at the start of April, consists solely of the King's head and the stamp value on a plain-coloured background.
"There is precedent for the King not wearing a crown," Mr Gold said.
Charles is the seventh monarch to appear on a definitive stamp.
Existing stamps with Elizabeth's image will remain valid and in distribution until stocks are exhausted, the Royal Mail said.
Charles has a bird?
Reported at www.dailykos.com
With the accession of King Charles, the designs on the currency and postage stamps is being changed. Portrait images of Elizabeth are being replaced with new versions showing Charles.
The image on the stamps is based on the design by Martin Jennings for the coinage for the Royal Mint. The portrait first appeared on £5 and 50p (£0.50) coins commemorating the life of Queen Elizabeth last year.
The inscription is unusual in Charles’s name not being shown in Latin (Carolinus) however the rest , apart from Rex are abbreviations for Dei Gratia Rex, Fidei Defensor — “by the grace of God, King, Defender of the Faith”.
Old notes showing Elizabeth II will continue to be issued until the existing stocks are used up. The most used of the polymer notes, £5 and £10 have an expected “use life” of 5 years so again there is likely to be a mixture until sufficient Charles III versions are in circulation or the design changes.
Numismatists have now spotted what they claim is a secret image in homage to the King’s promotion of environmental policies as Prince of Wales and his love of nature.
Did you spot the little bird that appears to be perched on Charles’s ear?
Spring is in the air: Canada
Reported at https://store.canadapost-postescanada.ca
The latest stamps in Canada’s Spring Flowers series feature the Ranunculus asiaticus, commonly known as the Persian buttercup.
Canada Post will issue a se-tenant pair of nondenominated permanent-rate (currently 92¢) Ranunculus stamps March 1 in a booklet of 10, coil of 50 and souvenir sheet of two.
While blooms of the wild varieties of ranunculus tend to be yellow, cultivated varieties boast single or double blooms of orange, red, violet and various shades of pink.
Many species grow naturally near streams, hence the name “Ranunculus,” which comes from the Latin words for “little frog.”
The Persian buttercup variety on the stamps prefers to grow in sunny hillsides similar to its native environment of southwestern Asia, southern Europe and northern Africa.
The plants are thought to have been brought to Europe at the time of the Crusades, when Christians and Muslims fought a series of religious wars in the Holy Land beginning in the late 11th century.
Spring is in the air: USA
Reported at https://goldrushcam.com
The U.S. Postal Service has issued a high-denomination stamp celebrating the mathematical symmetry of flowers.
The new $10 Floral Geometry stamp complements similar $2 and $5 stamps issued in 2022.
The Floral Geometry stamps began as an exploration of the patterns found in nature, specifically the symmetry of flowers.
The designs feature a series of overlapping geometric shapes — circles, ovals and triangles — that reflect the symmetry of floral patterns. As the stamp denominations rise from $2 to $5 to $10, the designs become more complex.
The watercolour backgrounds were painted by hand and scanned.
Stamp of intrigue in North Korea
Reported at www.sbs.com.au
North Korea has unveiled new postage stamps featuring leader Kim Jong-un's daughter, in what experts described as another sign of her rise as heir apparent of the nuclear-armed nation.
She has never been named by Pyongyang but Kim Jong-un's daughter has made several high-profile appearances since November when the country launched its most powerful ballistic missile. The new stamp series commemorates the 18 November missile launch — five of them featuring Mr Kim and his daughter.
The postal corporation described the unnamed girl as Mr Kim's "beloved daughter" in captions describing the stamps on its website.
South Korea's spy agency believes she is Kim's second child, called Ju Ae.
Some experts say the daughter's appearances indicate that she is being groomed as the next leader, and that the stamps further cement her place in the cult of personality surrounding the ruling Kim family.
Some say it is still too early to say for sure, given that Mr Kim is still in his 30s and the daughter's name has never been mentioned officially.
"It's still very possible that Ju Ae is just being used for (propaganda)... while Kim's eldest son is being groomed as a successor behind closed doors."
US confronts counterfeits
Reported at www.linns.com
In response to a surge in the use of counterfeit postage stamps, the United States Postal Service plans to make changes to its Domestic Mail Manual that will allow the agency to treat items in the mail bearing counterfeit stamps as abandoned.
“The intentional use, or sale, of counterfeit postage is a crime because it seeks to obtain services without payment,” the USPS said in a recent press release.
“As the most trusted government agency in the nation, we will continue to work together with other law enforcement and government agencies to protect the sanctity of the mail.”
The proposed new wording in the manual is “to provide that when all articles with counterfeit postage are found they will be considered abandoned and disposed of at the discretion of the Postal Service, rather than be returned to the sender as the affixing of counterfeit postage reflects a refusal to pay postage or an intentional effort to avoid paying postage.”
USPS plans to implement the change beginning April 1.
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Germany ponders the class system
Reported at www.iamexpat.de
Deutsche Post is reportedly weighing up the possibility of introducing a two-class postal system - which is already common in other countries across Europe - whereby consumers would have the choice between two different “posting speeds”: first-class post would cost more and guarantee that the letter would be delivered the next working day, while second-class post would be the cheaper, and slower, option.
Currently, Deutsche Post is bound by law - in theory, at least - to deliver 80 percent of its letters the next working day. In order to implement the two-class system, this law would need to be changed.
A two-class system would, it is argued, help to better manage expectations about postal delivery windows, following a record rise in complaints about the company. Last year, a record 43.500 complaints were made about Deutsche Post to the Federal Network Agency.
France has second thoughts
Reported at www.connexionfrance.com
France is struggling to adapt to new online digital services with a drastic fall in usage of ‘digital’ red stamps when compared to physical stamps.
In 2022, 275 million letters were sent with physical priority red stamps (which represents approximately 750,000 per day nationally), however, so far in 2023, only 3,500 digital stamps are being used per day.
Between 5,000 – 10,000 digital red stamps need to be bought daily for the service to be sustainable, says La Poste.
Concerns over security and lack of digital access and know-how are said to be main reasons use of the ‘e-letter timbre rouge’ is so low.
Early signs indicate people prefer posting letters physically, instead of using new online system.
China sails on
Reported at www.shine.cn
Avid stamp collectors thronged the Shanghai Sailing Post Office to postmark newly released postage stamps on a special envelope bearing the image of an ancient Chinese boat.
To promote the spirit of sailing and shipping culture, the post office, which is located on the North Bund, has released a series of products, including new postage stamps.
A total of 12 will be published within the year.
Each of the postage stamps bears a QR code, a fine image of an ancient Chinese boat as well as postage information of the stamp.
People can read the stories of the boat on the stamp by scanning the code.
Belgium shows the love
Reported at www.parcelandpostaltechnologyinternational.com
Following the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, bpost, in Belgium, has partnered with Turkey’s national postal operator PTT to collect donations at post offices and transport them to Istanbul.
For a month, Belgians can drop off vital supplies at one of 657 post offices throughout the country. Vital supplies include canned food; powdered baby milk; cereals; nuts and dried fruits; toiletries; nappies and wet wipes; blankets and sleeping bags; and external batteries (power banks).
Donations will be forwarded to a bpost fulfillment centre, where they will be sorted and packed up for transport to PTT in Istanbul.
According to bpost, it drew on its experience from the ongoing Ukraine war and successful partnership with Ukrposhta in sending humanitarian convoys from Belgium. However, local security problems mean that no such deliveries can be made to Syria.
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Indian collector’s passion
Reported at www.thehindu.com
A rare collection of postage stamps treasured by Fr. Tom John from Wayanad, Kerela, India tells the sacrificial love of St. Valentine.
The priest has a collection of more than 55,000 stamps on 227 themes, of which 177 stamps are on Valentine’s Day.
Most of these are from the U.S., England, the Philippines, France, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Africa, Malaysia, Holland, Germany and Ireland and many of these depict the symbol of love or heart.
Though many people across the world celebrate the day, many among them may not know about the sacrificial love of St. Valentine, says Fr. John. “The celebration of Valentine’s Day gives us a chance to experience sacrificial and committed love in our married and non-married life, especially since we are hearing about broken marriages everyday,” he said.
Valentine’s Day is celebrated in memory of St. Valentine, a Catholic priest who was put to death by Roman Emperor Claudius on February 14, 269 AD for defying his order to build a large army.
The emperor had, by law, cancelled all marriages and engagements in Rome for a short period for the purpose, but St. Valentine secretly performed marriages. On being caught red-handed, he was put to death by the emperor.
The Valentine’s Day collection of stamps with the priest includes one issued in Italy in 1988 to those issued more recently. “I had this hobby of collecting beautiful matchbox covers during my boyhood and later it developed into a penchant for stamp collection,” Fr. John said.
Stamps are not just pieces of paper but a world of information, according to the 62-year-old priest.
The priest, a native of Pala in Kottayam, belongs to the Order of Friars Minor and now he works in Wayanad. An ardent lover of cricket, the priest has organised exhibitions of his stamp collection in various parts of the country.
