MONITOR: MISCELLANEOUS

Stories from around the world

Haveeru Daily

The Maldives

FOOTBALL IN Maldives will no longer remain a men's game as FAM ponders launching of women's football. The world's football authority Fifa is bent on developing women's football, and has urged all its members to do so at its bidding. Maldives has seldom seen women in football. In fact, there have notably been only two matches played so far among women, and those were only at school level. Sports ministry's deputy director Hamid Abdul Ghafoor is of the view that women's football has a great potential should it be officially introduced here. Due to our culture, young women may initially hesitate to enter football. But if they start playing right from the start during their schooling days, it is believed they will settle for the sport.

Barbados

Nation

SOME CHILDREN have turned to selling drugs, rather than sea bathing and playing cricket, during their vacation. It is understood that persons known to police as sellers of illegal drugs are using schoolchildren to peddle for them, especially during the summer. The youngsters said they took up the trade out of frustration. "We sent out letters for work and no one wrote us back. Supermarkets think hard to hire fellas from out here," said one youth.