Other news of the day: Indonesia acknowledges the difficulties of the conflict in Myanmar. Indian students returned to Ukraine to finish their degree. Azerbaijan reassures Germany about gas supplies. Meetings between Russia, Iran, Syria and Turkey for the normalization of relations between Ankara and Damascus.
AFGHANISTAN
According to Save the Children at least 3 million Afghan girls have been deprived of education in the last two years. However, since the return to power of the Taliban, Islamic schools have increased and in some cases have doubled the number of students enrolled. In order to continue studying, many female students now attend madrasaswhere they learn the precepts of Islam according to the rigid interpretation of the Taliban and to recite the Koran in Arabic.
HONG KONG
Two men have been arrested in Hong Kong for owning picture books that the local authorities classify as “seditious”. They are the first people arrested for simple possession of books, after the publishers were jailed last year. Authorities said the two men have been released on bail but are due to report to police next month.
INDONESIA – MYANMAR
Indonesia is in talks with various warring factions, but the conflict resolution that Myanmar has been plunged into since the 2021 coup will take time. This was stated by the President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, adding that, as the current president of ASEAN, he will do everything possible to improve the situation in Myanmar, although the crisis is “complicated”.
INDIA – UKRAINE
Indian students who were in Ukraine before the start of the war to get their medical degree have decided to rleave the country to complete their degree. India had evacuated 23,000 citizens, including 18,000 university students. Currently, about 1,100 Indians live in Ukraine in cities in the western region of the country, such as Lviv, Uzhgorod and Ternopil.
ISRAEL
Among the citizens who continue to protest against the policies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are a group of women who dress as the characters from “The Handmaid’s Tale”, the famous dystopian novel by Margaret Atwood about which a television series was also made. Wearing crimson robes and white caps, heads bowed and hands folded, the activists participate in all demonstrations against the reform of the judiciary that aims to limit the independence of the judiciary.
RUSSIA – MIDDLE EAST
Negotiations between Russia, Iran, Syria and Turkey are currently taking place in Moscow for the normalization of relations between Ankara and Damascus, a process that began at the end of 2022. The central issue is the Kurdish enclaves in the northeast and the future of Syrian political institutions, an issue that also affects the upcoming elections in Turkey.
AZERBAIJAN – EUROPE
The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliev, paid an official visit to Germany, where he assured that Baku will increase “the geography of gas exports to Europe” from 8 billion cubic meters in 2021 to 12 billion in 2023, “half of the total export of Azeri gas”.
