Briefly

China, Belarus to hold joint air drill

Chinese and Belarusian airborne troops will hold the Swift Eagle 2026 joint training exercise in Hubei province in mid-to-late August, a Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman said on Friday. Chen Xi, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, said at an online news briefing that the joint training will focus on joint counterterrorism operations in urban environments. The exercise will cover subjects including surveillance and countersurveillance, seizure and control operations, protection, and offensive and defensive operations, Chen said.

Henan arrests key exam fraud suspects

Henan public security authorities have launched an investigation into organized cheating in the province's 2026 "Three Supports and One Assistance" recruitment exam, arresting the key suspects, the authorities said. According to a statement, a thorough probe has confirmed that systematic cheating took place during the official written test held on July 11, and the suspects colluded with on-site exam staff in advance to obtain the exam questions. They organized personnel to answer, then transmitted these answers point-to-point to prearranged candidates with electronic devices, facilitating the exam fraud. The police have apprehended core members suspected of participating in the illegal activities. To enforce examination discipline and safeguard test fairness, the scores from the July 11 written test have been nullified. A rescheduled written test will be held on Aug 22, according to the Henan provincial personnel examination center. Further investigation is ongoing.

Rise in COVID-19 activity moderates

China's COVID-19 activity has remained at a moderate level overall recently, and the upward trend in its positivity rate has slowed, according to data released by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday. From July 27 to Aug 2, the COVID-19 positivity rate among all influenza-like illnesses at sentinel hospitals nationwide stood at 22.3 percent, up by two percentage points from the previous week and ranking first among all respiratory viruses. The influenza virus positivity rate ranked second at 13.3 percent, followed by the enterovirus at 4.1 percent. The China CDC said that the upward trend in COVID-19 activity has moderated, with positivity rates higher in southern provinces than in northern ones, and the highest rate observed among the 15 to 59 age group. Influenza activity remained at a low level overall, while other respiratory pathogens were either on a downward trend or remained at low levels.

CHINA DAILY