Dario Salvi

After a two-day meeting in Geneva, the Syrian Negotiation Commission expressed hope to see talks resume with the Assad regime. However, with Syria’s return to the Arab League, prospects for action have faded. Reconstruction has been left to individual initiatives amid widespread poverty and a teetering economy. Many factors are at play involving Saudi Arabia, Iran, the Ukraine war, and Turkey’s Erdoğan.

Today's headlines: Iran sets record with 142 executions in May, at least 307 since start of year; Japan launches "special bonds" to finance child care plans; Annual inflation in Pakistan hits 38 percent, highest figure among South Asian countries; Jakarta offers "golden visa" to attract talent from around the world; Bangladesh looks to Qatar for liquefied natural gas supply; A new church for the Russian Orthodox community in Manama.

While the mission of Rayyanah Barnawi, the first Saudi woman in space, has ended, Saudi repression continues on earth. Fatima al-Shawarbi was sentenced to 30 years for tweets defending political prisoners. Manahel al-Otaibi is in jail awaiting trial for demanding an end to male guardianship.

Today's headlines: Seoul to overhaul warning systems after panic following yesterday's North Korean launch; Activists appeal against trials in Islamabad military courts of supporters of former premier Khan; Chinese authorities forcibly evict Tibetans for the construction of a dam; Companies in the Emirates now subject to profit tax; Kuala Lumpur ready to set up a 'war room' against the effects of El Nino.

Today's headlines: OSCE says Erdogan had 'unfair advantage' in presidential run-off; UN special rapporteur terms Rohingya in Bangladesh are 'the new Palestinians'; Beijing deploys hundreds of police to quell the protest of the Hui Muslims in Yunnan; Nepalese experts say climate change is behind the continuing deaths in the Himalayas; Birth rate plummets in Russia down to 31% with second child.

The phenomenon of flaring - the burning of gas in reservoirs - is becoming a health emergency. The first reports of cases from refugee camps in Kurdistan, but the increase in incidences of cancer affects the entire population. Fr. Samir: 'Every day we hear of new cases', an 'awareness and prevention campaign' is needed but funds are lacking.

Today's headlines: joint Philippine, Japanese and US coast guard exercise in the South China Sea to counter Beijing;First North Korean military reconnaissance satellite completed; Burmese junta arrests a rapper and sentences a video-maker to 10 years; China launches the first civilian astronaut into space; Riyadh in stand-off with Moscow over oil prices; Asad Gulzoda Bukhoroi, Tajiki poet and intellectual, has died.

Oman recently brokered a prisoners’ swap between Iran and Belgium, renewing its role as an intermediary between the region and the West. During the two-day visit, the two countries inked four memoranda of understanding. Sultan Haitham met with President Raisi and Supreme Leader Khamenei. The latter stressed that the two countries share the vital Strait of Hormuz.

The five, among them relatives, had gathered in a farmhouse to read the Bible and pray. An informant alerted the police, who arrested them and sent them to labour camps as happened in similar events in the past. Pyongyang professes to be an atheist nation but uses the term 'Judas' to identify informers and traitors.

Today's headlines: in 2023, solar investment will exceed oil spending for the first time, driven by China; PM Modi inaugurates new parliament, opposition boycotts: South Korean court issues arrest warrant for passenger who opened door in flight; Over 9,000 Russian teenagers will attend patriotic-military camps in summer, modern variant of Soviet 'Pioneers'.

Chhim Sithar was convicted of "inciting social chaos" at NagaWorld, Phnom Penh’s large gambling complex. She led a strike to defend workers' rights and get the company to reinstate hundreds of fired employees. Eight other union officials were given a suspended prison sentence ranging from 12 to 18 months. Meanwhile, the government has intensified its crackdown on dissent ahead of the July election.

As of February 2021, the relationship between the generals in Myanmar and the ayatollahs on military cooperation has been strengthened. For Tehran, "new market spaces" have opened up. The three trips of a Qeshm Fars Air Boeing 747 between January and April 2022 and the arrival of a delegation linked to the Pasdaran.