Syria
At least 350,209 have been killed during the last 10 years of war in Syria, according to the UN’s first official tally since 2014. "Behind each recorded death was a human being, born free and equal, in dignity and rights," UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said. The government of Bashar al-Assad has regained control of most of Syria with the help of Russian and Iranian forces but the war continues in some areas.
More from UN News here.
North Korea
Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, today said the North was willing to resume talks with South Korea if the South ceased what she called “hostile policies.” Her remarks came after South Korean president Moon Jae-in called for a peace deal to formally end the Korean War. The war, which led to the partition of the Koreas, ended in 1953 with an armistice and not a peace treaty.
More from UPI here.
Afghanistan
Mullah Nooruddin Turabi, head of Afghanistan’s prison system, has said that harsh punishments for crime, including executions and amputations, will be returning. "No-one will tell us what our laws should be,” he said. Turabi was notorious for meting out extreme penalties when head of the country’s religious police during the 1990s.
More from BBC here.