Assad at Arab League summit: first time since the Syrian war

Today's headlines: Tehran executes three more men linked to the pro-Mahsa Amini protests; Thai authorities released after 50 days a 15-year-old girl arrested for insulting the monarchy; The rise of the Afghan Taliban fuelled child labour; North Korean soldiers beat to death a young boy who had tried to steal petrol from a military truck; New tensions between Hanoi, Manila and Beijing in the South China Sea.

SYRIA
For the first time in 12 years, since the war-related suspension, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad participates in the Arab League summit that starts today in Jeddah, with Damascus returning to regional diplomacy. Several nations have supported the opposition but, sources explain, it is time to accept his victory and re-establish relations also to limit Tehran's influence.  

THAILAND
The Thai authorities released after 50 days in prison, spent in a reform school, a young girl of only 15 years old. Thanalop 'Yok' Phalanchai had been arrested on 28 March for the crime of 'lese majesty' having - according to the prosecution - insulted the monarchy. According to the Bangkok Post police had requested a further extension of her custody, but the judges rejected the application.

IRAN
Tehran executed three more men this morning, linked to last months' pro-democracy and freedom protests that flared up following the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini at the hands of the morality police. Majid Kazemi, Saleh Mirhashemi and Saeed Yaghoubi were hanged in Isfahan, central Iran, for involvement in the deaths of two Basij militia members. 

AFGHANISTAN
Since the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan, the number of child labourers, now at least one million, has risen again. To help support their families they polish boots, wash cars, beg or work in mines, their right to education denied. According to UN estimates 6 million people are on the brink of starvation, another 28 million need urgent assistance.

NORTH KOREA
North Korean soldiers beat a middle school student to death for trying to steal petrol from a military truck. The boy wanted to resell the fuel to pay a tax imposed by the authorities in Ryanggang province. Behind the affair is Pyongyang's common practice of using schoolchildren, even very young ones, for work or money, in case of incapacity. 

VIETNAM - PHILIPPINES - CHINA
More territorial tensions in the South China Sea, a strategic area where goods worth three trillion dollars a year transit. Vietnamese and Chinese ships have allegedly clashed over the trespassing of some Beijing research vessels in an exclusive area of Hanoi. Also in the crosshairs of the Vietnamese, who threaten 'appropriate responses', are ships of the Philippine coast guard. 

RUSSIA - UKRAINE
The Kremlin announced that it had invited delegations from African countries to evaluate a peace plan in the conflict in Ukraine. According to spokesman Dimitri Peskov, the meeting was agreed in a telephone conversation between Vladimir Putin and South African President Cyril Ramafosa, but the date has not yet been decided.

TAJIKISTAN
In Tajikistan, the police have announced that in order to buy ammonium nitrate, one of the most popular fertilisers for gardens and vegetable gardens, from now on it will be necessary to show a passport, as it is a material that can be used to make explosives. The ban on free purchase had existed for years, but was not enforced.

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