Myanmar, UN condemn violence in Rakhine

Today's news: Russia and China cool at UN on Biden plan for Gaza ceasefire; 11 tonnes of rubbish removed from Everest in latest army clean-up operation; China's gaokao exam begins today, involving over 13 million students; Criticism of tax reform in Russia. 

MYANMAR

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres ‘strongly condemns the recent attacks by the Myanmar army that have reportedly killed dozens of civilians, including in Rakhine State’, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement. According to local sources, fighting along the border with Bangladesh has intensified in recent days: the Arakan Army, which controls the northern municipality of Maungdaw, is also trying to take over the southern territories.

GAZA - ISRAEL

Russia and China, which have veto power in the UN Security Council, expressed a number of doubts about the peace agreement outlined by US President Joe Biden for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The only Arab member of the Council, Algeria, also signalled that it was not ready to support the text. Hamas is still studying the proposal, the Qatari Foreign Ministry announced.

NEPAL

Nepal's army said it has removed 11 tonnes of rubbish, four corpses and a skeleton from Everest and two other Himalayas, Nuptse and Lhotse. It is estimated that there are more than 50 tonnes of rubbish and over 200 bodies on Everest alone due to the massive presence of climbers in recent years. The army conducts an annual clean-up campaign.

CHINA

According to the Chinese authorities, 13.42 million candidates will take the gaokao, the exam that determines university admission, today. This is a record number thanks to several years of economic growth that have allowed Chinese families to raise their living standards, but the job market today presents fewer opportunities for new graduates. The test subjects are Chinese, English, mathematics, science and humanities.

BANGLADESH

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina cut GDP growth estimates, saying she now expects the economy to grow by 6.7%, down from the previous target of 7.5%. But observers question the lowered forecast, citing high inflation and stagnating private sector investment growth. PM Hasina also released a budget of 7.97 trillion taka (.5 billion) for the next fiscal year, which starts in July.

RUSSIA

The governor of the Čeljabinsk region in the Urals, Aleksej Teksler, is one of the few to publicly criticise the tax reform in Russia, which in his opinion ‘takes the economy back to the times of the Second World War’, defending the local metal industries that ‘need stimulus to invest, not to be suffocated by taxes’.

TAJIKISTAN

The micro-credit organisation Finka Tajikistan won an award for its contribution to expanding economic opportunities for women, taking second place in the ranking ‘For Successful Projects in Supporting Women's Entrepreneurship’ in an international competition, having opened 26 of the company's branches in Tajikistan in two years.

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