Earthquake in Papua New Guinea, missionaries engaged in relief work

Today's headlines:, the Taliban ban journalists from using anonymous sources; speech therapists are jailed in Hong Kong for publishing 'seditious' children's books; Support for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida continues to fall; Indonesia wants Russian oil; in Kazakhstan academics are required to campaign for the president.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Yesterday, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake shook Papua New Guinea, killing at least four people. The epicentre was 90 km from the town of Kainantu in the eastern highlands. The power grid, internet cables and a regional highway were damaged. The few resources made available by the government have made assessment and relief efforts difficult. Groups of missionaries are currently engaged in airlifting some of the injured through the jungle.

AFGHANISTAN

The Taliban authorities have sent a warning letter to local journalists: those who publish stories critical of the Islamic Emirate government using anonymous sources will suffer 'great punishment'. The missive was issued on 8 September by Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada. Over 200 newsrooms have closed in the past year in Afghanistan.

HONG KONG

Five speech therapists were sentenced to 19 months in prison on charges of publishing 'seditious' children's books aimed at 'brainwashing'. The books tell the story of a group of sheep trying to drive a bad wolf away from their village. For the Chinese authorities, this is a parallel between the Beijing government and the Hong Kong administration.

JAPAN

Approval for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida continues to fall: according to a poll, support for his government has dropped to 41% due to the Liberal Democratic Party's ties with the Unification Church and the decision to hold the state funeral of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the end of the month. At the end of August the approval rate was 47% and in July 57%.

INDONESIA

After China and India, Indonesia is also considering buying cheap oil from Russia, according to President Joko Widono in an interview with the Financial Times. Earlier this month, the Indonesian government had raised fuel prices by 30 per cent, 'the only option' available due to fiscal pressure, Widodo said. However, the purchase of Russian oil above the G7-imposed ceiling could expose Indonesia to US sanctions.

SRI LANKA

Sri Lanka won the Asia Cup cricket match by beating Pakistan by 23 runs. For the match, the government allowed the use of electricity but power cuts will start again from tomorrow, some citizens explained. Others fear that the government may take advantage of the sporting success to raise the prices of consumer goods during the celebrations. Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis in the post-independence period.

RUSSIA

Due to the engagement in the war, there is a severe shortage of police personnel in Moscow, and there are plans to relocate members of the special anti-riot corps to offices and police headquarters, and to assign graduate and specialised policemen to common services, in order to cope with the mass of demands and needs of the urban population.

KAZAKHSTAN

There is a scandal in Kazakhstan over the statement of a group of academics, who claim they are being pressurised to propagandise President Tokaev in view of the upcoming early elections. Circulars of the Ministry of Education are reportedly asking them to comment on presidential initiatives in a positive light.

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