Economic crisis: Sri Lanka needs billion for food and fuel

Today's headlines: Cambodia rejects report claims a Chinese naval base is being built on its territory; Series of arrests in Vietnam's Communist Party leadership; Washington warns North Koreans ready for new nuclear test; Turkish lira falls again; Demand for coffins in Russia grows.

SRI LANKA

In order to cope with the current severe economic crisis, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe declared that the country needs USD 5 billion in aid over the next six months to pay for essential goods such as food, fuel, gas and fertiliser.

CAMBODIA-CHINA

Phnom Penh strongly denies that Beijing is building its own base at the Ream naval complex. The Cambodian authorities reject a recent Washington Post article stating otherwise. Hun Sen's government says the expansion of the Ream facility - with Chinese money - will only serve the repair and maintenance of Cambodian ships.

VIETNAM

Vietnamese Communist Party leadership hit by arrests for bribes and corruption. The measure hit Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long and Hanoi Mayor Chu Ngoc Anh. The two are accused of receiving bribes in a USD 172 million scandal involving the purchase of diagnostic tests for Covid-19.

NORTH KOREA

Pyongyang could carry out a nuclear test at any time. This was stated by Sung Kim, US special envoy for North Korea. According to Washington, preparations by the North Koreans are underway at the Punggye-ri atomic range.

TURKEY

The collapse of the Turkish lira continues. With today's loss (0.9%), the drop since the beginning of the year has reached 22%. For the negative trend, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan remains under indictment, as he continues to promise interest rate cuts, a move destined to further increase inflation.

RUSSIA

A flourishing trade in Russia is that of coffins. In addition to those procured by funeral agencies, mass orders are placed for those who died in Ukraine unrecognised or unclaimed by relatives. A factory in Khabarovsk, in the Russian Far East, has just concluded a contract for 700 coffins, compared to the average of 100-120 per month, and the same in many areas of Siberia and the Caucasus.

TAJIKISTAN

The website Fergana published testimonies collected by journalist Daniil Kislov on the government crackdown in Tajikistan against the Pamir protests on 22 May. The author called it 'the Buča of Gorno-Badakšan' for the killing of dozens of innocent people protesting the assassination of independence leader Mamadbokir Mamadbokirov.

• asia
• today