Other news of the day: South Asia has the highest number of married girls, 45% of the total. In Japan, one of the oldest populations in the world, a soccer championship for people over 80 has been organized. Jakarta confirms the death of three soldiers, victims of an ambush by separatists in Papua. After four months in jail, two women who participated in the protests against confinement by Covid-19 were released in Beijing. Admission to museums and archaeological sites in Lebanon will be free until April 25.
The number of victims during a charity event in Sana’a (Yemen), controlled by the pro-Iranian Houthi rebels, rose today to 85 dead and more than 300 wounded. The tragedy, whose victims continue to increase, occurred when some local merchants were distributing money, and is related to the dramatic situation of destitution of the population, devastated by the war.
BANGLADESH – SOUTH ASIA
South Asia has the largest number of married girls of the world. The rising cost of living and school closures due to Covid-19 have pushed families to pressure their daughters to get married. Unicef estimates speak of 290 million married girls in the region, equivalent to 45% of the total. For many parents in Bangladesh, as in India and Nepal, marriage is “the best option.”
JAPAN
For aging Japanese soccer players, the 80s are the new 50s. In a society facing gradual aging, Tokyo soccer fans will be able to show off their skills in a new division (Soccer For Life League) for over eighty years. One of the players is former Japan national team member Mutsuhiko Nomura, whose career spans 18 World Cups.
INDONESIA
The Indonesian army confirmed the death of three soldiers in an ambush by Papuan separatist groups last weekend. The military was involved in the search for a New Zealand pilot taken hostage by militants. The Jakarta Army denied that TPNPB separatists had previously killed 15 soldiers.
CHINA
Two women who participated in the impressive demonstrations in November against the confinement and restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 They regained their freedom in the last hours, after almost four months in detention. Most of the hundreds of people arrested were released a few weeks later. Cao Zhixin, 26, and Cao Zhixin, 27, remained in jail much longer.
LEBANON
On the occasion of World Cultural Heritage Day, which is celebrated on April 18, the Lebanese Minister of Culture, Mohammad Mortada, announced that from the 19th to the 25th of this month the entrance to the National Museum of Beirut will be free. In the same period, admission to the archaeological sites of Baalbeck and Anjar in Bekaa, Tyr (in southern Lebanon) and Jbeil (Mont-Liban) will not have to be paid.
RUSSIA – INDIA
The trade balance between India and Russia, according to data released by the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade, exceeded $35 billion in 2022. The figure is 2.5 times higher than the previous year, mainly due to Russian supply of energy material and mineral fertilizers, and Indian exports of “other products” to Russia.
KAZAKHSTAN – AFGHANISTAN
The spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ajbek Smadjarov, reported that the Kazakhstan authorities approved the opening of an embassy of the Taliban government of Afghanistan. The presence of representatives of Koranic students in the capital of the republic “does not mean recognition of their regime”, because this is a “prerogative” that corresponds to the UN.
