China accelerates people-centered new urbanization with incremental policies: official

China will prioritize four key initiatives to accelerate the people-centered new urbanization by practicing incremental policies and fortifying support and enforcement, said Zheng Bei, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission, at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office in Beijing on Tuesday.

The new measures are meant to systematically implement a package of incremental policies to promote economic growth, structural optimization and sustained momentum of development, he said.

To address the challenges faced by migrant workers in settling in large cities, Zheng said that cities with over three million urban residents will further relax the restrictions for urban household registration, expand public household registration systems at the community level, and enhance policies allowing migrant workers to register through rental housing.

Long-term special government bonds will be allocated to support essential projects in cities with high population increase, including the building of high schools and the renovation of hospitals there, addressing key concerns of migrant workers in areas such as education and healthcare, she said.

Special-purpose bonds for local governments and medium- and long-term loans from policy banks will be used to accelerate the construction of infrastructure and industrial facilities in county-level cities. Furthermore, efforts will be intensified to promote industrial integration between central, western, and eastern regions, facilitating the implementation of major projects, Zheng said.

Local government bonds will be used to expand the construction of suburban and intercity railways, as well as urban expressways, creating interconnected commuting, industrial, and living zones. This will promote integrated urban development and improve living standards for residents, according to the official.

Zheng also highlighted efforts to boost urban safety and resilience.

"We will focus on eliminating risks in urban construction and operations, particularly through infrastructure projects like underground pipeline networks. Investments for next year have been advanced, with a special emphasis on the urban lifeline safety project. Additionally, flood control and drainage systems will be improved to address vulnerabilities in urban infrastructure," she said.

China accelerates people-centered new urbanization with incremental policies: official

China accelerates people-centered new urbanization with incremental policies: official

Pakistani warplanes struck several locations across Afghanistan on Thursday night and Friday, killing at least six people, including a woman and a child, and wounding more than a dozen others, local officials said.

The strikes hit a fuel depot near the country's Kandahar Airport, areas in the capital Kabul, and the eastern Nangarhar Province.

A Pakistani security source said the strikes targeted hideouts belonging to the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

In Kabul's 21st police district, one of the areas hit, a market was left in ruins. Several cars were destroyed, and windows of buildings in the market and nearby areas were shattered. A crater caused by the Pakistani airstrikes was also visible.

"This is my car. I had parked it here, and it was the only way I could bring food to my family's table. It was my sole source of income and my only means of employment. Now my car is in this condition, and I have no other way to provide for my family," said Mohamad Ghulam, a taxi driver.

The airstrikes destroyed a house, killing four members of a single family. More than a dozen other households in the area reported their homes either fully or partially destroyed.

One of the victims was 22-year-old Hedayatullah, who had just been married. He was killed alongside his pregnant wife, as well as his brother and sister.

"Hedayatullah got married nine months ago. His brother was 18 years old. He himself was 22 years old, he also had a 12-year-old sister, and his wife was about 19 years old and was pregnant," said Ghulam Sakhi, a relative of the victims.

"This neighbor of ours was a family of five. Their mother was not present at the moment of the bombardment, but the rest of them lost their lives. It was Hedayatuallah's family. From my own family, two of my daughters, my sister-in-law, my brother, and two nieces got injured," said Mohamad Homayoun, a survivor.

In the past weeks, scores of people from both sides have been killed or injured in the conflict between Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan, according to officials from the two countries.

The United Nations mission in Afghanistan has called for an immediate halt to cross-border clashes, warning that the escalating violence is driving a surge in civilian casualties and deepening a humanitarian crisis.

At least 6 killed, more than a dozen wounded in Pakistani airstrikes on Afghanistan: officials