North Asia

Today's headlines: at least 13 Uyghurs have died, and thousands intoxicated, from disinfectants sprayed by Chinese authorities to combat Covid; Cambodia's first native bishop has been installed in Kampong Cham; the death toll in the attack in Afghanistan rises to 43; Colombo has cut taxes on women's hygiene products; In Russia sanatoriums and old people's homes reorganise, moving from pandemic to war veterans.

The aim is to reach Kazakhstan to avoid ending up on the Ukrainian front. They come from all over Russia, especially Moscow and St. Petersburg. Many flee from the Crimea annexed in 2014. The "queue business" at border crossings.

Amid sporadic protest and resistance , resignation seems to predominate in Russia today. Russians are afraid of losing Putin because they do not know what may await them next. Kirill's opacity and Orthodox theologian Georgij Kočetkov's prophecy: "Let each of us learn to live in Christ, so that we are not ashamed of our faith and our lives... We must seek the way of service to God and neighbor, even if there is an enemy before you."

Thousands of Russians flee the call to arms and take shelter in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Tensions with the local populations, mindful of the discriminatory treatment suffered by their own migrants in Russia. Many, however, show compassion for those who arrive.

This is the analysis of economist Vladislav Inozemtsev. Those in power view citizens as farm animals. Thousands of families will be left without any income. Retail trade dies in large swathes of the country whihc is heading for -10% GDP growth. About 3-4 million people will disappear from the labour market.

Putin's order to recruit 300,000 new soldiers for deployment in the conflict is being carried out in a chaotic manner at the local level. Invalids and fathers of families with several children are also called up. The disappearance of men from villages, especially in Siberia, leads to the paralysis of communal life.

The "religion of fire" has devastated and destroyed hundreds of churches, while Kirill has announced a new plan to restore buildings destroyed by bombs, he prayed for.

It is a side effect of Ukraine war. Disputes over the conflict have led to several murders, with highest incidences in southern Russia. Expert: The risk is that it will degenerate into widespread forms of "pogroms" against non-aligned people.

Today's headlines: Phnom Penh raises minimum wage to €203 per month, this is not enough for trade unions; students at a business school in Wuhan protest against power cuts and lockdowns for Covid; over 55% of online content of an 'Islamophobic' nature comes from India; Seoul aims to return to pre-pandemic normality by next spring; after Putin's military mobilisation, the hunt is on for tickets to flee the country.

The peninsula wrested from Ukraine seeks stronger ties with Orthodox countries such as Serbia and Bulgaria. The aim: to attract more tourists and visitors despite Western sanctions. The Russians are looking at alternatives to escape the isolation created by by the US and Europe.

China calls for dialogue and consultation to resolve the crisis. Beijing will not recognise Moscow’s annexation of occupied Ukrainian regions, just as it will not support the Kremlin’s possible nuclear adventurism. The Russian president has failed to heed Xi Jinping's warning on the sidelines of the SCO summit.

New warning from Francis during the general audience in the face of the news coming from Russia and Ukraine. "Card. Krajewski yesterday told me on the phone the monstrosity of the tortured corpses that were found. Let us unite with the martyred Ukrainian people'. He retraced the stages and meetings of his trip to Kazakhstan. Prayer and appeal for Alzheimer's sufferers and their families to be supported.