Myanmar, DR Congo, Saudi Arabia.

Today's three stories you should know.

Jul 25, 2022

Myanmar

Myanmar’s military government today executed four pro-democracy activists in what is the country’s first use of the death penalty for 50 years. Opposition groups, human rights organizations and foreign governments lined up to condemn the move. Amnesty International called it an “atrocious escalation in state repression,” the UN’s special rapporteur on Myanmar said he was “outraged and devastated by … these depraved acts,” and even China, a close Myanmar ally, delivered a rebuke. The country has been rocked by protests, crackdowns and a low-level insurgency since the military seized power last year and threw then de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi in prison.

DR Congo

Hundreds of protesters attacked a UN peacekeeping base in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) today, apparently angry at what they see as an ineffective force in the face of escalating violence in the country. The crowd looted offices at the compound in the eastern city of Goma, set fire to one of its gates and blocked roads in the city with rocks. Eastern DRC has seen spiralling violence over the last few weeks between government forces and the M23 rebel group. The UN peacekeeping mission, known as MONUSCO, said the incident was “unacceptable” and “counterproductive.”

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is planning to build - wait for it - two 75 mile-long mirrored skyscrapers that will house five million people and cost an eye-watering $1 trillion. Plans for the megastructure were obtained by the Wall Street Journal, which reported that the complex is a pet project of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and will be called the Mirror Line. The two parallel skyscrapers will be 1,600 feet tall, have a high-speed train running underneath, a sports stadium, a marina for yachts and “vertical farming” to provide food for residents. The plans said it will be ready by 2030. Will that actually happen? Will it be zero-carbon, as promised? We shall see.