Virus Resurgence in Beijing
Preparing for the worst and striving for the best is what Beijing is doing to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus after a cluster of new cases was reported from a wholesale food market in the southern part of the capital on June 11. A total of 137 cases were reported from June 11 to 17, following 56 days when the capital did not report any case.
The city upgraded its emergency response from level III to II starting from June 16. Classes are moved online for primary and middle school students, and class resumption of college students is temporarily suspended.
The capital has also had all the residents in neighborhoods where cases were reported, quarantined and tested.
With the experience the country has obtained in the efforts to fight against the virus in Hubei Province and other parts of the country early this year, Beijing is expected to be able to do a good job in limiting the spread of the virus.
CHINA Greener Agriculture
China’s agricultural sector made headway in green development last year, most notably in resource conservation and environmental and ecological system protection.
Because of efforts to tackle farmland pollution, the fertilizer utilization rate stood at 37.8 percent last year for rice, wheat and corn, which are the country’s three major grain crops, up 6.2 percentage points from 2013, said a report by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences released on June 5, also the World Environment Day.
The utilization rate of pesticides climbed 4.8 percentage points from 2013 to 39.8 percent last year, according to the report.
ZAMBIA Establishing Accreditation Body
Zambia in June joined the rest of the world in commemorating the World Accreditation Day, with its government stating that it was in the process of establishing the country’s own accreditation body.
Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry Christopher Yaluma said the cabinet had already approved in principle the introduction of a bill to parliament aimed at establishing the Zambia Accreditation Service which will be responsible for carrying out the accreditation of conformity assessment bodies.
The principal aim of accreditation is to support the free world trade by eliminating technical barriers to trade, he added.
NAMIBIA New Housing Development Project
Namibia’s National Housing Enterprise (NHE) will embark on a new housing development project across the country aimed at constructing 335 houses in seven towns.
The houses, mostly for low and middle-income earners, will be constructed through NHE’S Public-private Partnership (PPP) construction model, famously known as Request for Funding Proposal (RFP), NHE spokesperson Eric Libongani said.
According to NHE, the current PPP projects will commence in July and are part of the enterprise’s on-going efforts to empower Namibians through the provision of affordable and quality housing while continuing to fulfill its mandate.
Meanwhile, the NHE said the value of the project launched on June 12 is estimated to be $7.3 million.
CHINA Strengthening Medic Protection
A new law that has been implemented since June 1 requires that organizations or individuals threatening the safety of medics and harming their dignity be severely punished.
The law also defines medical service institutions as public places. “According to the law, heavier penalties for picking quarrels and threatening public security can be applied to the offenders who fall under the related provisions of the criminal law, which can better protect the medics,” said Li Huijuan, a senior lawyer in the medical field.
While urging the society to care for and respect medical personnel, the law calls for preferential treatment to medics in local communities and remote areas in terms of remuneration, allowances, career development opportunities and awards, among others.
Foreign intervention aimed at destabilizing the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China was a disgrace, which should be discouraged. Where there is unity, where there is peace, there is certainly development. the average life expectancy of Chinese citizens in 2019
ZIMBABWEAN INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES MINISTER