For Queen Paul, the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) has left an indelible memory in her mind as she recalls how the Chinese-built library at Tanzania’s state-run University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) has helped her to advance her studies in a friendly academic environment provided by the library.

The 20-year-old, who is a second-year student pursuing a Bachelor of Science Degree in Geomatics Engineering at UDSM, told Xinhua in a recent interview that the Chinese government-aided library built under FOCAC is a beacon of education at the country’s leading higher learning institution.

‘The library is very well organized in information and communications technology where a student can access literature one needs from across the world in the blink of an eye,’ said Queen.

The landmark library is constructed in a space of 20,000 square meters and houses over 800,000 books on various disciplines.

Kelefa Mwantimwa, director of the library, told Xinhua that the facility, an outcome of the FOCAC, has changed the way students are learning at the university.

XINHUA

2 (Qamishli, Syria, Dec 27, 2022 (AFP) – Syrian Kurdish-led forces boosted security Tuesday a day after foiling a deadly Islamic State group assault on a prison fearing that the extremists will strike again, a spokesman said.

Authorities on Monday declared a state of emergency in Raqa, the jihadists’ former de facto capital in northern Syria, after gunmen launched an attack on a security complex near a prison holding fellow militants.

Six members of the Kurdish-led security forces and one jihadist were killed.

Farhad Shami, spokesman for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said they had ‘declared a state of alert’ and security forces sweeping the area.

‘We have information about potential IS attacks during end-of-year holidays’, he said, listing the northern Syrian cities of Raqa, Hasakeh and Qamishli.

AFP

3 (MANILA, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) — The death toll from heavy rain and floods triggered by shear line in the Philippines has climbed to 13, said the government’s disaster agency on Tuesday.

At least 23 others are still missing, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) in its latest report.

The NDRRMC has tallied three deaths in the Bicol region on the main Luzon island, two in the central Philippines, and eight in the southern Philippines. The agency did not say the cause of death.

For the missing people, the agency said eight were in the Bicol region, 12 in the central Philippines, and three in the southern Philippines. Six others were reported injured.

The agency added the flooding displaced almost 170,000 people in six regions across the archipelagic country. Over 45,000 evacuated people are now housed in at least 87 government shelters while the rest stayed with relatives.

XINHUA

4 (Prague (dpa-AFX) – Economic and consumer confidence in the Czech Republic decreased slightly at the end of the year, following an improvement in November, survey results from the Czech Statistical Office showed on Tuesday.

The economic sentiment index dropped to 89.5 in December from 90.1 in November. Among components, the business confidence index weakened to 92.5 in December from 93 in the previous month.

Meanwhile, the industrial sentiment index improved to 91 in December from 90.4 in the preceding month. The measure of confidence in construction came in at 107.7, down notably from 115.6 in the prior month, and the morale for trade worsened to 92.7 from 99.0.

Data also showed that the consumer confidence index fell to 74.7 in December from 76 a month ago. As compared to last month, households are less concerned about the overall economic situation.

Yet they are unhappy with the current state of their finances.

DPA

5 (Kabul, Dec 27, 2022 (AFP) – An 18-year-old Afghan student endured Taliban taunts and insults at the weekend as she staged a solo protest against the ban on women attending university.

‘For the first time in my life, I felt so proud, strong and powerful because I was standing against them and demanding a right that God has given us,’ Marwa told AFP, asking not to be further identified.

Women-led protests have become increasingly rare in Afghanistan since the Taliban’s return — particularly after the detention of core activists at the start of the year.

Participants risk arrest, violence and social stigma.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency