China installs an ambassador in Taliban-held Afghanistan

Today's headlines: Devastating fire destroys hundreds of stalls in Dhaka market; Kerala closes schools, offices and stops public transport to counter the spread of the Nipah virus; Hong Kong police indict 38-year-old for importing children's books praising 2019 protests; Netanyahu clashes over Palestinian prisoners: Ben Gvir 'freezes' support for government; Indonesia's first high-speed train operating in October, linking Jakarta to Bandung.

CHINA - AFGHANISTAN
China is the first nation in the world to have installed a new ambassador to Afghanistan since the Taliban came to power in August 2021. The credential presentation ceremony took place yesterday in Kabul. The Taliban have not been recognized by any foreign government; Beijing has not indicated whether the nomination signals broader steps toward formal recognition.

BANGLADESH
A devastating fire in the early hours of today destroyed several hundred shops in a market in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. The fire occurred before the opening and caused no casualties, but serious damage. It took soldiers and firefighters over six hours to put out the flames, which spread quickly due to the presence of items such as cooking oil and plastics.

INDIA
Kerala (southern India) has closed schools, offices and public transport to contain the spread of the rare and deadly Nipah virus, which has caused two victims. One child and one adult are hospitalized and more than 130 have been tested (and isolated) for the virus, which spreads through direct contact with bats, pigs or infected people. It is the fourth outbreak in the state since 2018.

HONG KONG
Hong Kong police have charged 38-year-old Kurt Leung with purchasing and importing children's books into the UK that they believe are "seditious" and incite "violence" and "hatred" towards "the government". The banned volumes concern illustrated publications for children from the "Sheep Village" series which according to the authorities "glorify" the demonstrators linked to the 2019 protest movement.

ISRAEL - PALESTINE
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has suspended support for the governing coalition, following a dispute with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The far-right exponent wants to further limit the visiting rights of Palestinian prisoners jailed for security-related crimes. The boycott of Otzma Yehudit adds to the tensions within the executive and the country over justice reform, but should have a limited impact until the Knesset resumes work for the winter session.

BAHRAIN - UNITED STATES
Bahrain and the United States yesterday signed a security and economic agreement to expand collaboration in defense and intelligence. A consolidated partnership due to the presence of thousands of US soldiers on the territory and which comes in a period of turmoil in the Gulf: Washington is negotiating a defense pact with Riyadh and pushing for normalization between the Saudis and Israel.

INDONESIA
The first high-speed train will come into operation at the beginning of October, connecting Jakarta with Bandung, 150 km away, with the aim of reducing traffic, pollution and losses. The economic damage caused by traffic jams, underlined President Joko Widodo, "exceeded" 8.9 billion dollars per year. From eight per month, the frequency will increase to 68 trips in January.

RUSSIA
The Russian movement for the defense of voters' rights Golos has released its assessments of the local elections of 10 September, noting that "the situation has worsened even further compared to the elections of the previous rounds". Among the causes there would be "centralized propaganda managed by the bodies of power" and the systematic censorship of every alternative.

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