Dario Salvi

Today's headlines: Afghan Taliban against music and dancing at weddings; Burmese junta shuts down oil wells in Magway, over 300,000 workers at risk, Beijing studies a new "water network" against drought, Holland and Canada want to try Damascus in the International Court for torture; Bhutan sets its sights on Bitcoin and cryptocurrency to build a 600-megawatt power plant; Tehran ready to build an assault drone factory in Russia.

After the chengguan of the cities and the nongguan of the countryside, the Chinese leadership is proposing wenguan, the so-called "cultural enforcers." Equipped with blue uniforms, they are called upon to crack down on "non-aligned" behavior. Xi Jinping's leadership cult is strengthened: his quotes used in gaokao, the university entrance tests.

A historical record completed thanks to UN efforts and set to be stored in the offices of the Supreme Judicial Council. Digitized documents proving Islamic State atrocities crucial in future trials. Kidnapped in 2014 by jihadists, six very young Yazidi women returned to their families in recent days.

Today's headlines: South Korea is racing to harvest salt and seafood ahead of the release of contaminated water from Fukushima; Isis claims the mosque bombing in northern Afghanistan; An indigenous community in Indonesia against a hyper-connected world calls for an internet blackout; 11% of Indians suffer from diabetes, a population at risk of cardiovascular disease and organ complications; Russian officials and politicians prefer the frontline to trials for corruption and fraud.

The Taliban want foreign NGOs out of education, already crippled by restrictions on Afghan women and girls. For UN spokesman, this will harm the population. Last weekend, almost 80 schoolgirls were poisoned in the north of the country.

A court in Shanxi found the lawyer guilty of "subversion of state power” after a "secret trial" and extensive use of torture and abuse during interrogation, which included the "tiger chair" as well as food and sleep deprivation. For CHRD, such a “cruel reprisal” targets people who fight against injustice.

This is the finding of an Amnesty International report that looks at the period between 2018 and 2022. Middle East deputy director: "Drastic and urgent reform is needed, starting with prison decongestion." Facilities are at 323 percent of their capacity and 80 percent are on remand awaiting trial.

Refugees stage rallies near the border. More than a million are crammed in camps in south-eastern Bangladesh, which has the largest refugee settlement in the world. Protesters demand citizenship rights and assisted repatriation programmes. In 2022, 348 Rohingya died trying to reach Malaysia and Indonesia by boat.

On the opening day, 18 May, three different exhibitions were on display, attracting locals and people from neighbouring cities and towns, as well as students and arts lovers. After years of brutal war and perhaps one million stolen artefacts, the reopening is an attempt to bring the museum back to its former glory.

Taiwan’s presidential race is still too close to call with just over six months to go. The DPP’s Lai Ching te is leading in the polls, but Taipei’s former mayor, Ko Wen-je, is closing in on the KMT candidate for second place. The island’s future is at stake, amid fears of war with China and “subservience” to the United States. Young voters and their unexpressed demands might tip the balance.

The authorities are seeking an injunction to ban the song that has come to symbolise the 2019 protest movement. "Glory to Hong Kong" is more popular than the Chinese anthem and is often mistakenly played at sporting events. The ban includes adaptations and covers.

Iraq has drawn up a plan dubbed 'Development Road' that wants to connect the south with the Turkish border in the north. An almost 17 billion euro project that involves other partners from Iran to Qatar. In response to the 'Silk Road', the United States - with Saudi Arabia, the Emirates and India - are studying a capillary network from Asia to Europe