Columbo's economic crisis shutters stock exchange, long lines for fuel

Today's headlines: in Hong Kong, a pastor arrested for sedition; a Cambodian Catholic institute awarded environmental  prize;  Burmese junta arrests a hundred people in response to protests; Ukrainian prisoners and "deserter" soldiers locked up in Russian camps; Armenian minister in Moscow to conclude an agreement on the purchase of fuel in rubles.

SRI LANKA

Sri Lanka has closed the Colombo stock exchange for five days, beginning April 18. This decision is linked to the severe economic crisis that has hit the country and has prompted the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) to ration the supply of fuel with a maximum quantity that can be taken from distributors. In addition, families are experiencing power cuts of almost 12 hours. 

HONG KONG

Authorities in Hong Kong have arrested a Protestant pastor for sedition. The 59-year-old Reverend Garry Pang Moon-yuen and a 67-year-old housewife named Chiu Mei-Ying, along with three other men and a woman, were detained by police on April 6. They allegedly participated in and instigated the riot during the hearing against Chow Hang-Tung, leader of the Tiananmen vigils. 

CAMBODIA

The Cambodian Ministry of the Environment and the NGO USAid have awarded the St. Paul Catholic Institute in Takéo a prize for the Cambodia Green Future Project. Founded 12 years ago by the Vicar Apostolic of Phnom Penh, the institute has promoted an innovative project to protect nature and the ecosystem. The school linked to the institute has relaunched green efforts by naming 2022 the "green year." 

MYANMAR

In response to "growing" protest activities against the military coup, the Burmese junta responded with a crackdown that led to the arrest of a hundred people in Yangon, Mandalay and Myawaddy in the first 10 days of April. Among those arrested was Thiri Wai, the mother of a three-year-old boy named Thant Phone Wai Yan who was taken by security forces from his nursery school. 

IRAN

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has completed the installation of surveillance cameras in a new centrifuge laboratory at Iran's Natanz nuclear facility. The enriched centrifuges come from a now-closed facility at Karaj. Meanwhile, nuclear talks in Vienna are nearing their conclusion, with an agreement reached.

RUSSIA

In the Russian "transfer lagers" organized in Taganrog, in the Rostov region, in which several thousand people are gathered, not only Ukrainian prisoners are locked up, but also Russian soldiers fleeing from Ukraine. As during and after World War II, these "deserters" are systematically suspected of treason, and sent to long detentions.

ARMENIA

Armenia's Minister of the Economy, Vagan Kerobyan, visited Moscow to conclude agreements on the purchase of Russian oil in rubles. This is the first country to apply this sanctions-related measure. The minister explained to journalists that Yerevan "seeks to remain loyal to Russia, in turn avoiding ending up under Western sanctions."

KAZAKHSTAN

Military exercises involving the population are taking place in the Almaty region of Kazakhstan, with evacuation and citizen armed conflict rehearsals in preparation for possible invasion from outside. This is reported by Nur.kz citing testimonies of ordinary citizens, who say that "it feels like being on the set of a Hollywood movie".

• AsiaToday