Relations between Moscow’s eastern neighbours remain largely in limbo, as they seek to reduce their dependence without severing ties with Russia for good. Meanwhile, in Bishkek, Xi Jinping has, yet again, rejected Putin’s call to unblock the ‘Power of Siberia 2’ gas pipeline project.
Today's headlines: Chinese central bank cuts prime rate by 10 basis points; Japanese government still considering date for release of treated water from Fukushima atomic power plant into the sea; HRW accuses Saudi border guards of mass killings; At least 11 workers killed in Pakistan bomb blast; Tehran cuts off flow of Little Zab River in Iraq fueling water crisis in neighboring country; With EU embargo, Brazil becomes second largest buyer of Russian oil.
In Putin's mind, the flight of the Americans from the Afghan capital triggered the spring of the 'great revenge'. Russia now regularly invites Kabul's representatives to Moscow for consultations, despite the fact that the Taliban are still considered an unwelcome 'terrorist organisation'. And the other former Soviet countries are also in solidarity with the Kremlin in officially condemning the Afghan government, at the same time considering it a necessary partner.
Today's headlines: Moscow's Sakharov Centre also closed. Thaksin Shinawatra will return to Thailand on 22 August, Pheu Thai premier's confidence day. Star of David on one cheek during the arrest of a Palestinian detainee. Baseball bats made of recycled aluminium from Japan's ultra-fast Shinkansen train.
Today's headines: Chinese real estate giant Evergrande files for bankruptcy shield in US court; Eight new towns established in Muslim-majority areas of Mindanao; In Manipur, landslides also block aid to the displaced population; Record number of divorces in Saudi Arabia: 350,000 in one year.
Today's headlines: Pyongyang media says US soldier wants to seek asylum in North Korea against racial discrimination; Iran also arrests 90-year-old man in new crackdown on Ba'hai; Over 60,000 Vietnamese Catholics on pilgrimage to Our Lady of La Vang;Turkmenistan does not want to associate Russia with its gas pipeline to Beijing.
Fewer than 100,000 children were born in 2022, which has not happened since 1940. The Ministry of Health now wants to introduce controls on abortion drugs. Moscow has one of the most liberal abortion legislations in the world. The Orthodox Church is pushing to change it.
Today's headlines: Kakar is Pakistan's interim prime minister until elections; 30 missing in Jade mine landslide in Myanmar; New attack on an Iranian Shia shrine in Shiraz; Suspension of Radio Veritas broadcast lifted; Russia's birth rate drops to all-time low.
Under the Soviet regime, education too was the subject of state attention. Now, with the new textbooks, Stalin’s glorious victory on 9 May 1945 becomes Russia’s “new baptism”, subsuming Soviet ideological rhetoric and the latest incarnation of sobornost, the universal union of peoples led by Moscow.
Today's news: One of the Thai king's sons is back from the United States. Viet Nam’s president met with the country’s bishops. South Korean cities organise "blind dating" for singles to facilitate nuptials. The term "homosexual" can no longer be used in Iraqi media. In Russia, more and more inmates from women’s prisons are enlisting with the military.
As of 1 August, Russia will let Myanmar nationals enter its territory with easily accessible electronic visas, while Myanmar plans to open consulates in Novosibirsk and St Petersburg. As the war in Ukraine continues, many Russians are relocating to the Southeast Asian country. Given the greater Russian presence, the Russian Orthodox Church announced the construction of a new Church of the Transfiguration in Yangon.
News of the day: A Myanmar general responsible for a civilian massacre is promoted. India bans the use of Chinese parts in Indian drones. Chinese propaganda appears on a wall in London's Brick Lane. Iran plans to open a free trade zone on its border with Afghanistan. Turkmenistan is cutoff from the Internet. Russia has launched more treason investigations this year than in the previous 20 years.
Putin's operation has not shifted the territorial balance but has touched the heart of the (former) empire. Radio-controlled aircraft are becoming a decisive factor in the War of the Two Worlds. In Moscow and the rest of Russia, people have lost the defensive barrier that protected their mental landscape, while, for Putin, "everything is going according to plan." The apocalypse for Christian Orthodoxy is after Russia, nothing.
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