Papua New Guinean FM highlights education project with China on enhancing friendship

Papua New Guinea's Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko highlighted an education program partnered with China when speaking about forging closer people-to-people relations between the two countries in an interview.

Speaking at a panel interview session with China Global Television Network (CGTN) on the sidelines of the Third China-Pacific Island Countries (PICs) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in east China's city of Xiamen on Wednesday, Tkatchenko spoke positively about his country's cooperation with China at all levels.

"We've seen some really great projects come forward with our partnership with China and also our sister city relationships with Shenzhen and with other provinces like Guangdong [Shenzhen City in Guangdong and other Chinese provinces] that have really inspired to bring our two countries closer together," he said. On people-to-people exchanges, Tkatchenko spoke of a school project funded by China as a key bridge to connect the two peoples, while providing thousands of Papua New Guineans with quality education each year.

"The people to people relationship between China and Papua New Guinea is very important. And it has come out through an investment into a school called Butuka Academy which is a school of excellence and a friendship school between China and Papua New Guinea which educates over 3,000 Papua New Guineans every year from elementary, primary to high school. It's a state-of-the-art school as well," said Tkatchenko.

Noting that the secondary school and primary school of the Butuka Academy are teaching Chinese classes, the minister proudly said that some of the students there can speak Chinese as fluently as native speakers.

"It has become a great success since the construction of that school and the opening of the school by the Chinese President in 2018. Now that shows you the dedication and the will and the need of partnership in this sector, which has really enhanced our relationship with China in our future generations. And that's going to be going on for a long, long time. And we look forward to the other projects as well, in health, and also in infrastructure development, roads and hotels and many other things that China's private sector and government have contributed to," he said.

Papua New Guinean FM highlights education project with China on enhancing friendship

Confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda have surpassed 600 as response efforts face operational constraints, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said Tuesday.

In its latest outbreak update, the African Union's specialized continental public health agency said confirmed Ebola cases in the DRC and Uganda have reached 608, with the death toll climbing to 102 as of Monday.

Uganda has reported no new confirmed cases in the last 24 hours. In the DRC, 45 new confirmed cases were reported during the past 24 hours, bringing the total there to 589, according to the Africa CDC.

The Africa CDC warned that ongoing response efforts are "facing significant operational constraints," noting that health facilities in several affected areas are in poor condition and often lack potable water, incinerators, personal protective equipment, and decontamination supplies.

Insecurity, a shortage of ambulances, growing staffing pressures with some health workers unpaid or without incentives, and poor roads are further slowing access and response operations, it said, while highlighting the existing lack of community trust as "a critical challenge" jeopardizing ongoing response efforts.

The agency also expressed concern over the negative impacts of travel restrictions imposed on affected and at-risk African countries despite guidance from the World Health Organization and the Africa CDC.

The Africa CDC outlined several "immediate priorities," including strengthening community engagement and risk communication, fast-tracking multidisciplinary rapid response teams to high-risk areas, addressing gaps in infection prevention and safe burial, as well as enhancing surveillance and contact follow-up.

Ebola cases in DR Congo, Uganda surpass 600 amid operational constraints: Africa CDC