BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- China's digital economy logged rapid expansion in recent years, with its scale increasing from 11 trillion yuan (1.65 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2012 to over 45 trillion yuan in 2021, official data showed. The proportion of the digital economy in China's GDP rose from 21.6 percent to 39.8 percent in the period, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. China has sped up digital infrastructure construction. By the end of May, the country had built the world's largest and technologically advanced network facilities, covering prefecture-level cities with fiber-optic networks and having 1.7 million 5G base stations. The country has also accelerated the integration of big data, cloud computing and artificial intelligence with such sectors as energy, medical care, transportation, education and agriculture. In 2021, the value-added output of major electronic information manufacturers rose 15.7 percent year on year, hitting a record … [Read more...] about China’s digital economy more than quadruples in past decade
1 injured in firing on polio eradication team in NW Pakistan
ISLAMABAD, July 3 (Xinhua) -- A health worker of a polio eradication team was critically injured in a firing by unknown gunmen in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, local media reported on Sunday. The incident happened in the tribal district of North Waziristan where the gunmen sprayed bullets at the team working on a polio eradication drive to administer polio vaccines in the area, said the report. The attackers fled the scene after policemen escorting the polio workers fired back. The injured person was shifted to hospital, said the report. It was the second attack on polio workers during the last few days. On Tuesday, three people, including two policemen and a polio worker, were killed in a similar incident in the area. The anti-polio drive was temporarily suspended in the area following Tuesday's attack, but started again after health workers expressed willingness to continue the door-to-door campaign to inoculate local children aged under five. … [Read more...] about 1 injured in firing on polio eradication team in NW Pakistan
State plans to borrow ₹29,000 crore in Q2
The Tamil Nadu government plans to borrow ₹29,000 crore in the second quarter (July-September) of 2022-23, according to details released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). In the second quarter of the previous year, the State had borrowed ₹15,000 crore. According to the RBI data, Tamil Nadu borrowed ₹8,000 crore in the first quarter of 2022-23. It had planned to borrow ₹23,500 crore in the April-June period. The States borrow from the market through the auction of bonds known as the State Development Loans (SDLs). According to ratings firm ICRA Ltd., 18 States and Union Territories had raised ₹1,10,200 crore in the first quarter of FY2023, nearly 42% lower than the indicated amount of ₹1,90,200 crore. It was also 23.7% lower than the year-ago level of ₹1,44,600 crore. It pointed out that the lower borrowing reflected the States’ comfortable cash flow position, driven by a highly back-ended release of the tax devolution in FY2022, as well as the changes in the borrowing … [Read more...] about State plans to borrow ₹29,000 crore in Q2
Egypt: Shark Kills 2 Tourists, a 68-yr-old Austrian and a Romanian, in the Red Sea
Two women, one Austrian and the other Romanian, were killed in a shark attack this week off the coast of Egypt, Egypt’s environment ministry and the tourists’ respective foreign ministries said Sunday. “Two women were attacked by a shark while swimming” in the Sahl Hasheesh area south of Hurghada on the Red Sea, the Egyptian ministry said Sunday on Facebook, reporting that both died. Austrian news agency APA said one of the women was a 68-year-old from the country’s Tyrol region who was holidaying in Egypt. Austria’s foreign ministry confirmed to AFP Sunday “the death of an Austrian citizen in Egypt”, without providing further details. Citing information received from Egyptian authorities, Romania’s foreign ministry confirmed to AFP on Sunday “the death of a Romanian citizen” which “appeared” to have been caused by a “shark attack” off Hurghada. Red Sea governor Amr Hanafi had on Friday ordered the closure of all beaches in the area for three days after “an Austrian … [Read more...] about Egypt: Shark Kills 2 Tourists, a 68-yr-old Austrian and a Romanian, in the Red Sea
Eknath Shinde Govt Scores Big With Speaker Election, Faces Floor Test on Monday | 10 Points
Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde has his next test set for Monday with the trust vote after he successfully led a rebellion to topple the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government. His first test was on Sunday, but Shinde won big as the BJP’s Rahul Narvekar was elected the speaker during the special two-day session of legislative assembly. Four days old, the brand new Shiv Sena-BJP government will now face the floor test on the second day of the special assembly session. Earlier in the day, however, after the Eknath Shinde-led Sena faction sealed the Vidhan Sabha, Narvekar and former CM Uddhav Thackeray-backed candidate Rajan Salvi went head to head. Narvekar, a first-time MLA, is the youngest ever assembly speaker in the country. Here’s all the action from the power-packed first day of the special two-day assembly session in Maharashtra: At the age of 45, first-time BJP MLA Rahul Narvekar became the youngest ever assembly speaker in the country when he polled 164 votes to … [Read more...] about Eknath Shinde Govt Scores Big With Speaker Election, Faces Floor Test on Monday | 10 Points