Briefs | Typhoon Soudelor kills 17

Typhoon Soudelor has left seventeen people dead with five still missing, the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said yesterday. More than three million people and 110,000 hectares of crops in east China’s Zhejiang, Fujian and Jiangxi provinces were affected by the typhoon, with direct economic losses totaling 8.73 billion yuan (USD1.43 billion). After pounding Taiwan and leaving six people dead, Soudelor landed Saturday night in Fujian Province and moved to neighboring Zhejiang and Jiangxi provinces. The typhoon is expected to move northeast at about 20 kilometers per hour from Anhui Province and may bring heavy rain to Jiangsu, Anhui, north Zhejiang, east Hubei provinces and Shanghai.

FM pledges continued support for Ebola-hit Africa nations

China’s foreign minister has pledged continued support to the three West African countries hardest hit by the Ebola outbreak that has killed more than 11,200 people. Minister Wang Yi was in Guinea yesterday for the last leg of his tour of the three countries: Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. In Liberia, Yi also highlighted China’s support in building roads, homes and government offices. He said China would continue to support the West African countries without attaching any political conditions. In Sierra Leone Yi met with the president to discuss sending more medical personnel and helping to support the country’s health infrastructure. China was the first to fly in a consignment of badly needed medical gear, including personal protection equipment, for Liberia and Sierra Leone when Ebola spread last year.