Taiwan welcomes first European delegation

News of the day: death toll in Kabul attack rises to 23, Covid-19 cases in Russia set new record. A multimillion-dollar donation to Oxford prompts a debate in Vietnam.

AFGHANISTAN

The death toll has risen to 23 after the attack on the military hospital of Sardar Daud Khan in Kabul claimed by the Islamic State of Khorasan. The victims include a Taliban chief responsible for security in the capital. In the meantime, the Taliban have banned the use of foreign currencies while cash is in short supply.

TAIWAN

After recent tensions between Taipei and Beijing, today Taiwan welcomed the first delegation of the European Parliament. The main theme will be foreign interference and attempts at disinformation in democratic processes. President Tsai Ing-wen has sounded the alarm about repeated Chinese attempts to gain more influence on the island.

HONG KONG - CHINA

Hong Kong's airport could be split in two to separate tourists from mainland China from everyone else. The measure would be taken to reduce cross-border infections. China today reported 93 new cases of Covid-19, a quarter of them in Heilongjiang province, on the border with Russia. That's the highest count since Aug. 9, and now at least 16 areas are reporting new cases of the coronavirus.

RUSSIA

For the third consecutive day, more than 40,000 new cases of Covid-19 have been recorded. Daily deaths have reached record numbers since the start of the pandemic. Moscow and Saint Petersburg in lockdown. Several clergymen have died and many in intensive care.

SYRIA - ISRAEL

This morning Israel launched an airstrike hitting an outlying area of the city of Damascus. No casualties were reported. A few days ago Syria had accused Israel of carrying out attacks in the south of the country. Israel says it wants to hit the weapons destined to hezbollah militias close to Iran.

INDIA

The Indian government has sent teams of experts to at least nine Indian states to combat dengue outbreaks. So far, more than 1,530 cases of dengue have been reported in the capital. Only 1,200 were recorded in October, the highest number in four years. In Punjab, there were 16,126 cases registered as of Oct. 31, the highest figure since 2017.

VIETNAM

Oxford University's historic Linacre College will change its name to become Thao College after a 1 million (182 million euros) donation from Vietnam's richest woman, Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, an airline founder. The choice is stirring controversy among Vietnamese who wonder how much that sum could have funded education in their own country.

MYANMAR

The military junta has confirmed its decision to prevent the special envoy of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) from visiting Aung San Suu Kyi despite mounting international pressure.