Russia

Today's headlines: Nepal must move base camp on Mount Everest due to melting glaciers; covid-19 and war fuel illegal migration of Burmese to Thailand; Beijing launches campaign to "nationalise" public schools; Taliban says women without headscarves "to look like animals"; in Armenia, protests against PM over policy of dialogue with Azerbaijan.

The Russian parliament adopts strict rules on freedom of expression: they want to strike at 'foreign agents'. It would be a return to the times of Stalin and Brezhnev. In Gorbačëv's Soviet Union there was more freedom than in today's Russia.

Today's headlines: climate change behind the spike in Dengue cases in Singapore; in North Korea, Covid is joined by an 'unspecified' intestinal epidemic; Israel to reopen Taba crossing with Egypt on 3 July; 20 times more Afghan child workers in Iran under Taliban; Western sanctions lead to lack of super-technological lifts for skyscrapers in Russia.

Today's headlines: the card identifying fans at the World Cup does not include Taiwan, only China; Colombo approves the four-day working week in the public sector to combat economic crisis; Saudi appeals court upholds death sentence on defendant who was a minor at the time of the crime; Phnom Penh sentences Cambodian Christian lawyer with US passport to six years for treason; Naval'nyj transferred to unknown location.

Orthodox consider the Russian Tsar the 'Westernist' Antichrist. The Russian president on the outcome of the war against Ukraine: in 10 years time we will have a better standard of living. The people wait with resigned submission.

Today's headlines: Asian companies' profits drop for the first time in two years; Hong Kong seeks students to be quarantined to celebrate Covid-free July 1; Northern Thai poultry farm replaces antibiotics and medicine with cannabis; Pakistan prepares for former President Musharraf's return; dozens of activists and pacifists arrested on Russia Day.

The European Parliament reports "violations of press freedom and dangers to the safety of journalists" in the Caucasian country. The Georgian Dream government has not adopted sanctions against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Opposition calls for change of direction to obtain candidate country status.

Today's headlines: Pyongyang launches artillery strikes; Seoul approves strengthening of defence capabilities with the US and Japan; fresh Covid outbreak in Beijing; one of the earliest Islamic burial sites, dating to mid 7th century, discovered in Syria; Duma bans use of 'anglicisms' in public.

Max Scheler argued that the best demonstration of the Russian culture of resentment are the 'humiliated and offended' heroes of Gogol, Dostoevsky and Tolstoy. Today, the Russians think they have done their part after the end of the Cold War, while 'the others' have taken advantage of it. This anger has exploded in Ukraine, showing the whole world how little has been understood about a people not only proud of their traditions, but able to expose the hypocrisies and weaknesses of others.

Today's headlines: Asian commodity producers' fears rise in Asia over protectionist policies in response to Ukraine war; Catholic village in Myanmar hit by military for second time in a month, houses set on fire; an Indian cardinal expresses 'great concern' over expropriations of 150,000 families; Syria blocks flights from Damascus airport following Israeli attack.

The war on Ukraine and Western sanctions open up a new scenario for Russia. Moscow aims to create an economic space in 'Greater Eurasia'. The role of China, India Turkey and Iran. Objective: to build a new economic world free from the enslavement of the West.

Since 1991, the Russian president has been searching for 'red mercury'. It is an element that does not exist in nature, part of a super-secret Soviet project to build weapons of mass dstruction. In the winter of 1991-1992, Putin was a key player in the foreign sell-offs of Russian energy resources.