Sri Lanka, energy crisis: stock market open for only two hours a day

Today's headlines: closed-door trial of a Chinese-born Australian journalist accused of "trafficking" state secrets; Syrian "Wagner" brigade mercenaries arrive in Ukraine to bolster Russian army after losses; Washington "warns" Delhi about buying Russian oil; Indonesian radical Islamic group blocked HKBP Protestant community functions; Iraqi parliament (still) lacks quorum for president election. 

SRI LANKA

Sri Lanka's stock exchange has reduced its opening and trading hours to two - down from the traditional four and a half - due to prolonged power cuts in a nation increasingly prey to a severe energy crisis. Supply disruptions of at least 13 hours are expected in much of the country today due to fuel shortages. There is a lack of foreign currency to pay for imports. 

CHINA

A Chinese court today began the closed-door trial of Australian journalist Cheng Lei in a high-profile diplomatic case. The reporter, of Chinese origin, is accused of trafficking state secrets abroad. The family proclaims her innocence. The arrest dates back to August 2020, when she worked for the CGTN television network. 

INDIA

Washington has warned New Delhi that a "significant" growth in Russian oil imports could expose India to a "serious risk" as US sanctions against Moscow are strengthened. The American administration seems in fact intent on "limiting" the purchases of other nations, keeping them at "normal" levels in a phase of serious crisis in supplies. 

SYRIA - UKRAINE

The Russian "Wagner" company of mercenaries has arrived in the eastern territories of Ukraine, transferring over a thousand fighters from Africa and Syria. These include some of the group's leaders, who will compensate for the heavy losses suffered by Moscow's army and the setbacks recorded in the invasion.

RUSSIA - M. EAST

Many Russian oligarchs, and ordinary citizens with spare capital, are investing in real estate and properties in Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The aim is to secure a financial refuge after the events of the last month, according to Elena Milišenkova, a broker of the Tranio company that operates between Moscow and Berlin, who spoke to Reuters. 

ASIA

Western countries could extend sanctions to other Eurasian Economic Union nations in addition to Russia and Belarus, namely Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Also at risk of retaliation are companies from China, as pointed out by the director of the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences Aleksandr Ageev.

INDONESIA

A radical Islamic group in Bandung, West Java, has prevented the faithful of the HKBP Church (Huria Kristen Batak Protestant), a Protestant community already the object of controversy in the past, from meeting and praying. The incident dates back to March 23rd: in a video that has gone viral on social networks, fanatics can be seen surrounding the place of worship, calling for an end to "illegal cults" in the area. 

IRAQ

For the second time in less than a week the Iraqi Parliament, which met yesterday, failed to elect a new President of the Republic. The vote was cancelled for lack of quorum, caused by the boycott of part of the assembly. The deputies present were only 200, out of a total of 329; the minimum number for the regular conduct of operations is set at 220. 

• AsiaToday