Chinese authorities face difficulty in overcoming challenges of declining baby population



International Desk, Barta24.com
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Chinese authorities are in a fix as they are finding it difficult to overcome the challenges of a declining baby population in the country as the growing number of millennium youth, especially women prefer owning pets instead of marrying and having kids due to unaffordable housing prices and high cost of child care, Inside Over reported.

The number of pet owners in China will reach 62.94 million in 2020, witnessing a rise from 62.8 million in 2019, Inside Over reported citing a 2021 White Paper released by China Pet Industry Association. Of the total number of Chinese pet owners, 88 per cent are women who are well educated and enjoying high income per annum, Inside Over reported citing a consulting firm PwC.

With regards to the number of pets, China's urban regions witnessed the presence of 100.8 million dogs and cats in 2020, witnessing a rise from 1.7 per cent in 2019 and a 10.2 per cent increase in 2018, Inside Over reported citing the White Paper. The White Paper estimated that the pet market will be worth 445.6 billion yuan (USD 70 billion) in 2023, Federico Giuliani said in the Inside Over report.

According to London-based international professional services network, Deloitte's report, the number of pet dogs and cats in China is fast approaching 200 million after their household penetration rose from 12 per cent in 2012 to 25 per cent in 2021. As per the news report, cats are winning more hearts than dogs, Inside Over reported.

According to the Deloitte report, the total number of cats stood at 96 million while there were 92 million canines as pets in China in 2021. Analysts have said that the trend of owning pets will receive support in China as more and more well-educated and high-salaried urban residents prefer to stay alone, abhorring marriages and having kids as the cost of living is high and working hours are very long in the country, according to Inside Over report.

The inclination is especially very high among people aged between 20-30 years. According to a survey of 2,905 unwed urban people aged between 18-26 conducted by the Communist Youth League in October 2021, 43.9 per cent of women had no intention of getting married or were unsure if it would happen.

Meanwhile, 24.6 per cent of males expressed their wish to remain single. Among all the surveyed people, there was one commonality that all of them treated their pets as sons and dogs. It has triggered a major concern among Chinese authorities as China has entered an era of negative population growth.

In order to fix the problem of declining population growth, Chinese authorities want youth to reverse the trend of remaining unwed and spending life with pets. According to China's National Bureau of Statistics, the population of the country reduced by 850,000 to 1.41 billion people in 2022.

Since the 1990s, China's fertility rate has declined to below the replacement level of 2.1. According to several studies, rising costs of raising children and lack of welfare provisions have been significant factors for China's low fertility rate, as per the Inside Over report.

Fearing its effect on the number of working-age people, which will shrink beyond estimation, the Chinese government in recent years has started to offer incentives like tax breaks, subsidies for childcare and longer parental leave while discouraging singlehood among the young population, as per the Inside Over report. In China, couples are now permitted to have three children.

However, Chinese government's measures are falling flat and the nation's keen desire for a baby boom is not getting translated into a reality. Instead, urban areas of China are witnessing a pet boom. According to the Guangzhou based data mining and analysis organisation, iiMedia Research, China's pet industry is set to rise by 68 per cent to 811 billion yuan (USD 116 billion) by 2025, in comparison to 494 billion yuan this year. (ANI)

   

Rahul Gandhi sick in heat



International Desk, Barta24.com,Dhaka
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Lok Sabha election campaign is going on in India amid intense heat wave. Political leaders are continuing to campaign despite the unbearable heat.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has fallen ill. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh disclosed the news of Rahul Gandhi's illness on Sunday (April 21).

Jairam Ramesh said that Rahul Gandhi has fallen ill. He cannot leave Delhi right now. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will address the Ranchi rally after attending the Satna meeting.

Rahul was scheduled to attend the opposition camp's mega shows in Satna in Madhya Pradesh and Ranchi in Jharkhand on Sunday.

Ahead of the mega show, Ranchi is decorated with posters of India Alliance leaders. The poster has pictures of Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and his wife Kalpana Soren.

Apart from Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav, RJD chief Lalu Prasad, Kejriwal's wife Sunita and Hemant Soran's wife Kalpana were scheduled to address the meeting. 

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Erdoğan's meeting with Ismail Haniyah



International Desk, Barta24.com Dhaka:
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a meeting with Ismail Haniyah, the leader of the Palestinian independence organization Hamas, who is visiting Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stressed the importance of Palestinian unity in the meeting.

On Saturday (April 20), the two leaders met in Istanbul for about two and a half hours, Turkish media reported.

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh was welcomed at Dolmabak Palace in Istanbul. Members of his delegation were also with him at that time. One of the most important leaders of Hamas was Khaled Mashal.

Turkish state media TRT reported that Erdogan and Haniyah discussed a ceasefire and relief in Gaza.

"It is very important that the Palestinians work together in this process," Erdogan said in a statement after the meeting, calling on Palestinians to unite in order to win against occupying Israel. The strongest action against Israel and the path to victory depend on unity and integrity.”

Erdoğan's meeting with Haniyah was not taken well by the occupying Israel. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz condemned the meeting in a post on the micro-blogging site X.

On October 7, the war between the Palestinian armed group Hamas and Israel began. More than 34,000 Palestinians have lost their lives in this war so far. Turkish President Erdogan has been condemning Israel's brutality since the beginning of the war. He said he and his country would side with Hamas in the war against Israel.

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Blind astrologer Baba Bhanga's words are going to be true!



International Desk, Barta24.com, Dhaka
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When Iran and Israel face the Gaza issue, everyone is worried! Everyone's question - what is going to happen? Which way is the world? Is the world on the same path as the blind astrologer Baba Bhanga had expressed his apprehension about? World War III! Or a terrible 2024!

It has been 27 years since the woman who was skilled in astronomy left the illusion of the world. But for more than 3000 years from now, she has predicted what will happen in the world in any year. The world has already realized that all her words are not completely false. The most recent is the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic was also mentioned in the prophecy of Baba Bhanga.

And her statement about 2024 was that it will be a year shrouded in terrible blackness. Those fears include terrorist attacks across Europe, a global economic crisis and the use of biological weapons. She even calculated that there would be an assassination attempt on Russian President Vladimir Putin.

This Bulgarian astrologer died in 1996. She was called the Nostradamus of the Balkans. In those days of astrology, Baba gave a list of what would happen on Earth by leap years until the year 5079. In the years since her death, some events have matched her calculations, and many have begun to believe them to be true. Her calculations showed 2024 as a black year. In this situation, many people are looking forward to see whether any predictions of Baba Bhanga will come to fruition. It is being published so far as a result of those words.

I have already talked about the Covid-19 pandemic. But another burning memory in this list is the 9/11 terrorist attack in the United States. Baba Bhanga predicted this possible attack in 1989. Said birds made of steel will come and crush America's pride. That came true. Four planes came and broke the pride of the skyscraper and took away 3000 fresh lives. Baba Bhanga meant the airplane by the steel bird.

In 1966, Baba Bhanga was a prediction of the covid-19 pandemic. She warned that Corona will spread among all of us. The Daily Star quoted a 73-year-old woman named Neshka Stefanova Robeva. She said before her death, Baba Bhanga told her the words. Then she did not even understand the meaning of this word?

It is said that Baba Bhanga also told the year of her death correctly. She said she would die on August 11, 1996 at the age of 85. Her words are also claimed to be true. She died of breast cancer that year.

The world has not forgotten about the tsunami of 2004 even today. The tsunami that washed away Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and other countries. Before the day of the tsunami, did anyone know that something like this was going to happen! No, but Baba Bhanga said that a huge wave will come and wash away the localities, towns and ports beyond the sea coast. Everything will sink under the water. It happened so. She said, everything will melt like ice cream.

The Kursk submarine disaster of 2000 was also mentioned in the prophecy of Baba Bhanga. She said Kursk would be submerged in water. And the world will cry. 118 people died in the Kursk accident. Divers were able to reach Kursk after eight days and it was known to be submerged in 350 feet of water.

The assassination of the former Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, was also on the list of predictions of this Bulgarian astrologer. This murder happened in 1984. Which in 1969, the Baba Bhanga predicted. She said, her clothes will destroy her. Amidst the smoke and flames I see orange-yellow clothing. On October 31, 1994, the day Indira Gandhi was assassinated, she was wearing a saffron colored saree.

This female astrologer also knew the news of the rise of two US presidents, Barack Obama and Donald Trump. She said, a black man is going to be the 44th president of the United States. But her other words were not true. Baba Bhanga said that would be the last black president of the United States because Barack Obama was re-elected for the 45th term as president. She predicted the 45th, when the United States would be in crisis. But that coincided with Donald Trump. Many prefer to compare the issue with the events on Capitol Hill in 2020.

During her 50 years of practicing astrology, Baba Bhanga had other predictions that came true. Among them was the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine in 1986, the assassination of Princess Diana in 1997.

But there were some predictions that didn't quite match up. Like 2023 natural birth will end, earth will change its rotation path; solar storm will happen none of these things happened. She also said that Europe would cease to exist by 2017, which did not materialize. However, those who believe in astronomy try to match the words with Britain's exit from the European Union in 2023.

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Israeli attack in Gaza: death toll exceeds 34,000



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Another 42 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes in the past 24 hours in the Palestinian-besieged Gaza. With this, the number of people killed in the Israeli barbaric attack in Palestine reached 34 thousand. Another 63 people were injured in the last 24 hours.

This information was revealed in a live update of Al-Jazeera news media on Saturday (April 20).

According to the report, Iran attacked Israel in response to the attack on the Iranian consulate. In response, Israel launched an attack on Isfahan, a city discussed for Iran's nuclear project. This incident has created a very volcanic situation in the Middle East and around the world.

In such circumstances, the death toll in Gaza reached 34,000.

According to Al-Jazeera citing the Ministry of Health of Gaza, at least 34 thousand 12 people have been killed in the Israeli attack in Gaza since October 7 last year. Meanwhile, 76 thousand 833 people were injured. The death toll in Israel has reached 1,139 since the October 7 attack by Hamas. There are also dozens of Israeli citizens imprisoned in Gaza. 

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