PromotingLocalGovernmentCooperation
ChinaandAfricancountriespushedforwardlocal-levelcooperationattheThirdForumonChina-AfricaLocalGovernmentCooperationheldinBeijingonMay8.ChineseVicePresidentWangQishansaidChinaisreadytocontributetoAfrica鈥檚developmentwithitsowndevelopment.
Hesaidthatlocalgovernments鈥檈xchangesandcooperationonpovertyalleviationandsustainabledevelopmentwillhelppromotethecomprehensivestrategiccooperationpartnershipsbetweenChinaandAfricannations.
WangsaidthatChinawillunswervinglyimplementthestrategyofopeninguptotheoutsideworldformutualbenefits.
HenotedthatChinaisstilladevelopingcountryandfacestheprincipalcontradictionbetweenunbalancedandinadequatedevelopmentandthepeople鈥檚ever-growingneedsforabetterlife.ItisanarduoustaskandabigchallengeforChinatowinthebattleofpovertyalleviationandachieveanall-roundwell-offsociety.
NigerienPrimeMinisterBrigiRafinisaidthatNigerappreciatesChina鈥檚supportandhopestolearnfromChina鈥檚experiencesondevelopment.
TheforumwascohostedbytheChinesePeople鈥檚AssociationforFriendshipwithForeignCountriesandtheUnitedCitiesandLocalGovernmentsofAfrica.TanJian
ChineseAmbassadortoEthiopia
AfricaReducingGreenhouseGases
TheUnitedNationEnvironmentProgram(UNEP)AfricaOfficehasapplaudedAfrica鈥檚54countriesfortheireffortstophaseoutCFCsandHalonsamongothers,whichweresomeofthemostwidelyusedozone-depletingsubstances.
FrankTuryatunga,DeputyRegionalDirector,AfricaOffice,UNEP,saidthetotalemissionsthatwillultimatelybeavoidedasaresultofphasing-downCFCswilldependonthechoicescountriesmakeaboutkeyissues.
Africa鈥檚effortstophaseoutCFCsandHalonsfollowedthe16thSessionoftheAfricanMinisterialConferenceontheEnvironmentheldinLibreville,GaboninJunelastyear,whichwelcomedtheKigaliAmendmenttotheMontrealProtocolonSubstancesthatDepletetheOzoneLayer.
TanzaniaMalaria鈥檚Decline
TheprevalenceofthemalariadiseaseinTanzaniahasgonedownbyalmosthalfinthepastthreeyears,aseniorofficialsaid.AccordingtothelatestresearchfiguresonthediseasereleasedbytheNationalBureauofStatistics,theprevalenceratedroppedfrom14.4percentin2015to7.3percentin2017.
The2017TanzaniaMalariaIndicatorSurveyreportincorporatesassessmentsofthelevelofownershipanduseofmosquitonetsinthecountryandcoverageofintermittentpreventivemalariatreatmentsforpregnantwomen.
Italsoidentifiesvarioustreatmentpracticesincludingtheuseofspecificanti-malarialmedicationsforchildrenaged6to59monthsandmeasurestheprevalenceofthediseasealongwithanemiaamongchildrenofthisagegroup.
SomaliaFosterPeace
TheSomaliGovernmentandtheAfricanUnionMissioninSomaliplantoestablishcommunityradiostationsinthreeregionalstatesinJuneaspartofeffortstofosterpeaceinthecountry,officialssaid.
TheUNSupportOfficeinSomalia,whichissupportingtheproject,saidthatthecommunityradiostationswillbeestablishedinHirShabelle,JubbalandandSouthWest.
Itishopedthatthecommunitystationswillhelpinformandalterattitudesbyprovidingordinarypeoplewithavoice,therebyempoweringthemthroughtargetedmessagingonissuessuchaspeace-building,counteringviolentextremism,constitutionalreview,the2020electionsandfederalism.
ChinaQuakePrediction
Chinahasstartedconstructionofamonitoringnetworkinseismicallyactiveregionsinanefforttoexploreearthquakeprediction,researcherssaidonMay7.AccordingtotheInstituteofCare-life,adisaster-reductionlabbasedinChengdu,capitalofSichuanProvince,2,000monitoringstationswillbebuiltintwoyearsinSichuanandYunnan,twoquake-proneprovincesinsouthwestChina.
Sensorsinstalledatmonitoringstationswillcollectdataonundergroundstressandenergy8to20kmbelowthesurfaceoftheearth,providingresearcherswithpotentialinsightsintoearthquakeforecasting,saidWangTun,DirectoroftheInstituteofCare-life.
Theobjectiveoftheprojectistosuccessfullypredictearthquakeswhoseepicentersarelessthan20kmdeep,researcherssaid.
Numbers
$3.42bln
donationsraisedbyChinaCharityFederationin2017
$20,409
averageannualsalaryinChina鈥檚ITsectorin2017
0.7%
decreaseofunemploymentrateinEgyptinQ1
60%
estimatedportionofAfrica鈥檚populationunder25yearsoldby2050
52.6%
year-on-yeardecreaseofmalariadeathsinGhanain2017
Morocco
CarExports
ISTOCKMoroccoexpectsautoindustryexportstoreachanannual$20billionby2025,aMoroccanministersaidrecently.Thecarindustryisalreadythefirstindustrialexportingsectorwithmorethan$7billionturnoverin2017,saidMoulayHafidElAlamy,MoroccanMinisterofIndustry,Investment,TradeandDigitalEconomy.Hestressedthatthegovernmentisontracktoachieveitsgoalofreachingaturnoverof$10billioninautoindustryexportby2020.Thesectorcreatedsome83,845jobs,whichrepresents93percentofthegoalsetfor2020.Moroccoaimstolifttheoverallindustrialcomponentofgrossdomesticproductto20percentby2020.
MediaWatch
HighlyExpectedChinaEconomicWeeklyMay14
ThenewsthatChinesehitechgiantXiaomirecentlysubmitteditsinitialpublicoffering(IPO)applicationtoHongKongExchangesandClearingMarketwithitsdualclassshareholdingstructurehascausedastiramongbothcurrentXiaomiemployeesandthegeneralpublic.Theformerarethrilledbythepossibilityofbecomingmillionairesovernight,whereasthegeneralpublictakeprideinsuchanepicundertaking.
ThecompanycouldbecomethelargestIPOontheHongKongexchangemarketandthesecondlargestIPOgloballyafterChineseInternetgiantAlibaba.ThemagazinelooksatXiaomi鈥檚eight-yearhistoryofexpansionandnotesthatthehi-techcompanyisoneofafewChinesecompanieswhoblazedanewbusinessmodelbesidesanindividualbusinessmiracle.
TurningForestintoProfitOrientalOutlookMay10
Theforestareaintheworldreducedfrom4.128billionhectaresin1990to3.999billionhectaresin2015,accordingtotheUNFoodandAgricultureOrganization.Incontrast,China鈥檚forestcoverageratehasincreasedby10percentsince1999whenChinastartedtheprogramofreturningfarmlandtoforest.TheincreasingforestcoveragerateshowstheChineseGovernmentgivingtopprioritytoenvironmentalprotection.Thankstotheefforts,China鈥檚vastcentralandwesternregionshavenotonlygrowngreener,butalsofoundnewwaystoboosttheireconomies.Treeshavebecomevaluableresourcesdubbed鈥済reengold鈥漟orimpoverishedpopulationsintheseregions.TheValueofOpeningupSouthReviewsApril25
TheimportanceofopeninguphasbeenvaluedasearlyastheIndustrialRevolution.Chinahasdevelopedgreatlythroughreformandopeningup.Thecountryisabletomakethemostofexternaldynamics,andtogetherwithitsowneconomicendowmentssuchashumanresources,wisdomandahugedomesticmarket,managestosustaingrowththathaslastedforfourdecades.Despitesomechallenges,thevalueofopeningupisstillcherishedbythemajorityofthepeople.
Asthesecondlargesteconomyintheworld,Chinaisembarkingonanewphaseofreformandopeningupandseestheprocessnotsimplyasamatterofexpediency,butamajorstrategyinitsrevitalization.
BetterManagementofScrappedCars
LegalDailyMay4
ThenumberofscrappedcarsinChinaisexpectedtohit9.07millionin2018.Lessthan30percentaresenttoformalcompaniesfordisassembly,withmostendingupontheblackmarketandbackontheroadsafterrenovation,increasingtheincidenceoftrafficaccidents.
Legalcarrecyclingbusinessesaremiredineconomicdifficulty,unabletobenefitfromoldautoparts,whilegovernmentsubsidiesremaininsufficientorabsentaltogether.Itis,therefore,necessarytoraisetheremunerationforcarownerswhotaketheircarstoformalcarrecyclingagencies,whilethesecompaniesshouldalsobebettersubsidized.Inaddition,tokeepChina鈥檚roadssafe,carrecyclingcompaniesinvolvedinillegalbusinessmustbeseverelypunished.
Kenya
RevitalizingInnovations
Kenyasaidthatithassetaside$30millioninthenextfinancialyeartosupportcutting-edgeresearchandinnovations.
CabinetSecretaryforEducationAminaMohamedsaidthenewfundingwillstimulateresearchandinnovationsinagriculture,health,manufacturing,housingandenvironmentalconservation.
Mohamedsaidthegovernmentwillsoonearmark2percentofitsGDPtosupportresearchandinnovationsinlinewithatargetsetoutbyotherAfricanUnionmemberstates.
ShenotedthatKenyahasdomesticatedglobalbestpracticestobecomearegionalhubinscientificdiscoveriesandinnovationswhoserippleeffectsarebeingfeltacrossstrategicsectorsoftheeconomy.
ChinaProtectingHeroes
China鈥檚SupremePeople鈥檚Court(SPC)hasstressedstrictenforcementofanewlawtoprotectthereputationandhonorofheroesandmartyrs.
Thelawwasadoptedbythecountry鈥檚toplegislatureinAprilandwentintoeffectonMay1.TheSPCorderedcourtsnationwidetopunishthosewhoviolatetherightsofname,portrait,reputationandhonorofheroesandmartyrsinaccordancewiththelaw.
Peoplewhoprofaneordenythedeedsandspiritoftheheroesandmartyrsandthosewhoglorifywarsoractsofinvasionanddisturbthesocialordercanfacecriminalpunishments,theSPCsaid.
2018NextGenerationLeaderA32-year-oldNigerianauthor,FaridaAdo,hasmadetheTIMEmagazine2018NextGenerationLeaderslist.AresidentofKano,acityinnorthNigeria,theauthorwhohasbeendescribedas鈥淜ano鈥檚JaneAusten鈥漣saromancenovelistotherwiseknownaslittattafansoyayya(booksoflove).鈥淓verypositiveexample[thereader]getsonhowtosolvehisorherproblemsisaplustosociety,鈥漵hesays.AdocomesfromtheIslamicconservativepartofNigeriawherewomen鈥檚rightsarerestricted.鈥淚trytoreflecttherealityofsocietyinmystories,鈥漵headds.Shehaswrittensixbooksontopicsrangingfromforbiddenromancetopolygamy.
DingJunhuiMakesSnookerHallofFame
China鈥檚formerworld-bestsnookerplayerDingJunhuiwasinductedintotheworldsnookerHallofFameattheannualWorldSnookerAwardsceremonyattheDorchesterHotelincentralLondononMay10.Ding,nowranksNo.6intheworld,becamethe29thmantoreceivethehonorwhichwasintroducedin2011.
The31-year-old,whohaswon13rankingeventsandhasahugeinfluenceonthegrowthofsnookerinChinaoverthepast15years,becamethesecondAsiantobeinductedintotheHallofFameafterThailand鈥檚SindhuPulsirivong,thelong-servingPresidentoftheBilliardSportsAssociationofThailand.