Health crisis in Pakistan after floods

Today's headlines: Funds 'frozen' in USA to benefit aid agencies in Afghanistan; India has reduced the influx of tourists to Sri Lanka; in Japan most single people would like to get married; Lebanese savers grow desperate; in Georgia chess becomes compulsory at school.

PAKISTAN

A health crisis is threatening to break out in Pakistan after the recent floods: while rescue operations continue, the country's health authorities have reported an increase in cases of dengue, malaria and gastric infections, as most of the displaced people are near stagnant water. Click here to help AsiaNews' fundraiser for the flooded populations.

AFGHANISTAN

In order to prevent Afghanistan's frozen funds from falling into the hands of the Taliban, the US said it would set up a .5 billion external fund based in Geneva. It will be managed by experts whose task will be to ensure that the money goes to humanitarian agencies and the Afghan people. In the meantime, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan expressed concern "about the violation of human rights in Panjshir", where the Taliban have killed resistance front fighters.

JAPAN

According to a survey conducted last year, 81% of men and 84% of single women aged 18-34 would like to get married one day. Compared to the last survey in 2015, the average number of children desired by women has dropped from 2.02 to 1.79. The ageing population and lack of immigration make ensuring social security in Japan a particularly difficult task.

INDIA - SRI LANKA

In August, Indian travel to Sri Lanka dropped by 20% compared to the previous month. The Indian government had asked its citizens not to travel to the island after a Chinese ship was allowed to dock at the port of Hambantota. In the first eight months of 2022, Indian tourists were the main source of income for Sri Lanka, which has been hit by a severe economic crisis.

LEBANON

Yesterday a Lebanese woman forced the staff of the Blom Bank in Beirut to hand over thousands of dollars from her account to pay, according to her, medical bills for her cancer-stricken sister. Shortly afterwards, a gunman entered a BankMed branch in the city of Aley and also tried to recover his savings. The man then turned himself in to the authorities. The Lebanese lira has lost over 90% of its value in recent years.

RUSSIA - UKRAINE

In the territories freed from Russian occupation after the Ukrainian counter-attack, several Russian teachers, who had been sent to indoctrinate Ukrainian pupils according to Moscow propaganda programmes, were arrested and now face up to 12 years imprisonment, without even being allowed to be included in prisoner exchanges, as they are not combatants.

GEORGIA

As of this year, chess becomes a compulsory subject in all schools in Georgia, starting from the first grade; more than 4,000 teachers were specially trained during the summer. Education Minister Mikhail Chkhenkeli explained that it serves to develop 'logical and critical thinking, and the habit of solving complex questions'.

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