Today's headlines: Chinese and Nepalese start work on a Kathmandu-Tibet railway. North Koreans forced to burn garbage to heat homes. "Silent" strike today in Myanmar to protest the junta. Food prices skyrocket in Afghanistan. US combat troops leave Iraq. Pension risk in Kazakhstan.
CHINA
The Uyghur Court has ruled that China is responsible for genocide against the Turkic-speaking Islamic minorities of Xinjiang. Formed by human rights lawyers, academics and politicians, the body is purely symbolic. Forced birth control is considered the clearest evidence of Beijing's "genocidal intentions".
CHINA-NEPAL
Beijing will help the Nepalese government build a railway to connect Kathmandu to southern Tibet. Part of the Belt and Road Initiative, the billion project brings the small Himalayan state even closer to the Chinese giant, fast becoming a strategic nightmare for neighboring India.
NORTH KOREA
North Korean citizens are being forced to scour the countryside for garbage to use as heating fuel. The border closure due to the Covid-19 emergency has pushed up the price of coal and firewood - increasingly unavailable - forcing some of the population to use even corn roots to heat their homes.
MYANMAR
Anti coup demonstrators protested this morning across the country in a "silent" strike. Images of deserted streets are circulating on local media, while opponents of the military regime call for revolution.
AFGHANISTAN
The relentless hike in prices is leaving incresing numbers of Afghans unable to buy essential goods such as flour, oil and rice. The Taliban government fails to halt the collapse of the national currency against the dollar.
UNITED STATES-IRAQ
US troops ended their combat mission in Iraqi territory yesterday. About 2,000 U.S. soldiers will remain in Iraq with tasks of training, assisting and helping local armed forces to prevent a return of Isis.
KAZAKHSTAN
In 2022, the entire Kazakhstan pension system could go into crisis. The threshold of sufficiency to enjoy a pension in the country has risen by over 70% in the last two years; in order to be able to access a pension tomorrow, a citizen of 20 years should have an account of at least 3.1 million tenge (about 7 thousand euros).