'Intrusive' Countess told housekeeper she must not get pregnant, tribunal told. Chinese Troops Exercise In Russia, But Where's Rest Of The SCO?

Telegraph - 'Intrusive' Countess told housekeeper she must not get pregnant, tribunal told - She said in her witness statement: "I thought that request was not particularly appropriate as I did not see it as an employer's right to determine when I can or cannot get pregnant.

Eurasianet - Chinese Troops Exercise In Russia, But Where's Rest Of The SCO? - Chinese troops are currently in the Ural Mountains, carrying out joint military exercises with their Russian counterparts. The exercises include 600 Chinese troops and 900 Russians, practicing the usual "anti-terror" scenario, and are following joint naval exercises by the two countries earlier this summer.

Radio Free Europe - Astana Works Toward Fugitive Banker's Extradition From France - Ablyazov, a vocal critic of President Nursultan Nazarbaev, was arrested last week in southern France and has been ordered to be detained for up to 40 days.

NBC News - Huge mysterious pentagram in remote Kazakhstan explained - The star in the Soviet-era lakeside park is marked by roadways that are now lined with trees, Usmanova explained, which make the star shape even more distinct in aerial photos. Additional images of the site, now abandoned and overgrown with weeds, can be seen at englishrussia.com.