IN BRIEF (Page 2)

Track and field heroes given warm welcome

Kenya's triumphant world championship athletes were given a rousing welcome home on Sept 1, with thousands of supporters and the country's leaders out in force for the homecoming.

Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport was crammed with well-wishers as the team returned from Beijing, where they topped the medals table for the first time since the championships started in 1983.

Kenya garnered seven gold medals, six silver and three bronze. There were also two rare individual title wins for Julius Yego in the men's javelin and Nicholas Bett in the 400m hurdles.

China vows closer ties with Algeria

Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, has met Abdelkader Bensalah, president of the Algerian Council of the Nation, in Beijing, vowing to bring the countries closer together.

Yu praised Bensalah's visit to attend China's V-Day celebrations on Sept 3 on behalf of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

Yu said China and Algeria have both resisted foreign invaders and struggled for national independence, and both enjoy a tradition of remembering history and cherishing peace.

Vice-premier calls for closer ties with Sudan

Chinese Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli has called for closer collaboration between China and Sudan. He made the comment while meeting Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on Sept 1.

Al-Bashir was in China on a four-day visit to attend V-Day celebrations on Sept 3.

China is willing to work with Sudan to implement the important consensus reached by leaders of the two countries, Zhang said

The two are expected to link their development strategies and boost collaboration in both the traditional areas of oil and infrastructure and in new areas such as agriculture, mining, and renewable energy sources, he said.

Nigeria declares war on oil thieves

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corp says it will deploy drones across the territorial waters of Africa's largest oil producer in its fight against oil thieves.

Ibe Kachikwu, the corporation's managing director, said it was launching an "armada of approaches" aimed at ending theft within eight months, including changing staff at loading bays of crude oil export terminals every 90 days.

Kachikwu said the corporation is also looking at arming the navy with equipment to help it with its patrols and working with law enforcement to increase its presence in the area to protect pipelines. Aboout $35 million worth of oil is stolen daily in Nigeria.

New constitution for country

The transitional council in Central African Republic has adopted a constitution designed to form the basis of a new government as it attempts to turn a page on years of violence, government officials said on Aug 31.

Before it becomes law, the constitution agreed on Aug 30 must pass a referendum set for Oct 5, followed by legislative and presidential elections on Oct 18, with a second round four days later.

"The sovereign people will say at the constitutional referendum whether the liberties and fundamental rights ... (in this document) permit the refounding of the republic," said Alexandre-Ferdinand Nguendet, president of the National Transitional Council.

The country descended into chaos in March 2013 when predominantly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power, triggering reprisals by Christian militias who drove tens of thousands of Muslims from the south in a de facto partition.

ROK's Park leads delegation to Beijing

South Korean President Park Geun-hye led a business delegation comprising 128 companies to Beijing on Sept 2.

The presidential office said the visit also would push forward the early implementation of a free trade agreement between the neighbors.

Beijing and Seoul signed the free trade agreement on June 1 and it is expected to expand bilateral trade by $2.7 billion in the first year after taking effect. Last year, two-way trade reached nearly $300 billion.

Tianjin blast area 'normal after rain'

The area around the Tianjin blast site has remained normal despite rain over two days, authorities said on Sept 1.

The site, which is still being cleared, witnessed another fire on Aug 31 after chemicals that ignite in contact with water - magnesium and sodium metals - got wet. The smoke from the fire, which was brought under control, was not toxic, the authorities said.

As of Sept 1, the blasts at a warehouse storing hazardous chemicals had claimed 159 lives, including 95 firefighters, and left 14 missing. Some 321 people are still hospitalized, with four in critical condition.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 09/05/2015 page2)