Afghan Taleban religious police

Reports from Afghanistan say the Taleban's powerful religious police have been upgraded to ministerial status.

State-controlled radio in the capital Kabul said the police had been promoted to enable them to step up their efforts to enforce rigid rules on conduct and appearance.

More than five hundred men have been publicly punished by the religious police in Kabul over the past two days in what correspondents say is the start of a new campaign by the Taleban to ensure compliance with their strict interpretation of Islamic law.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service