Xi confers July 1 Medal on CPC members

The Communist Party of China has granted the July 1st Medal to its outstanding members for the first time amid celebrations for the Party centenary.

General Secretary Xi Jinping speaks highly of the recipients.

He called on all CPC members to be the vanguard of this era and the backbone of the nation.

Ambassador Liu Guijin is among the recipients of the medal.

The veteran diplomat is a former special representative of the Chinese Government on African Affairs. 

This year, 29 people have been chosen as the first recipients. 

The highest honor in the Party will be granted every five years.

Wang Yi stresses multilateralism at G20 meeting

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has stressed multilateralism at the G20 foreign ministers' meeting.

Over 1.2 bln doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered in China

Over 1.2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in China as of Monday.

The country continues to accelerate its vaccination drive as it aims to inoculate at least 70 percent of its target population by the end of this year.

China's economy to grow 8.5% in 2021: World Bank

An updated forecast by the World Bank says that China's economic growth is projected to reach 8.5 percent this year.

It's up by 0.6 percentage points from the previous report in December, largely thanks to stronger-than-expected foreign demand.

The World Bank suggests that Chinese policymakers redouble their efforts towards promoting growth-enhancing structural reforms and steering the economy towards a greener, more resilient and inclusive development path.

Israeli FM lands in UAE for 1st official visit

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid has landed in the United Arab Emirates on a first visit by a senior Israeli official to the Gulf Arab country.

Lapid will inaugurate the Israeli embassy in the UAE's capital Abu Dhabi and the consulate in Dubai.

Israel and the UAE signed a U.S.-brokered normalization agreement in September last year.

Former South African President Jacob Zuma sentenced to 15 months in jail

Former South African President Jacob Zuma has been sentenced to 15 months in jail after he was found guilty of contempt of court. 

The court ordered Zuma to hand himself to the police to begin his prison term within five days.

The sentencing came after Zuma refused court orders to appear and testify at the state capture commission. 

The commission was launched in January 2018 to investigate allegations of state capture, corruption, fraud and other allegations in the public sector including organs of state in South Africa.