Piglets are held in pens at a pig farm. [Photo/IC] China has lifted pig quarantines in most of the areas where outbreaks of African swine fever have been found, signaling a steady slowdown in the spread of the virus, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said on Tuesday. Since the first outbreak of the deadly pig disease was discovered in August in Northeast China's Liaoning province, 113 cases in 28 provincial-level regions have been confirmed by the ministry. Restrictions on the transport of pigs in 105 of those cases have been lifted. The ministry has imposed strict quarantine measures in affected areas and ramped up supervision of pig farms, transport businesses and the pork processing industry after the onset of the highly contagious viral disease. Humans are not affected. Yu Kangzhen, vice-minister of agriculture and rural affairs, said the spread of the virus has slowed because of measures imposed by the authorities, but added that it's difficult to wipe out the disease in the short term. In the latest case, which was discovered on March 12 in Linshui county of Guang'an, Sichuan province, a transport truck carrying 150 pigs, nine of them dead, was seized at a toll station. It was the second case in March after an outbreak that killed 20 pigs on a breeding farm in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region was confirmed on March 7. The next step, Yu said, is to maintain the momentum of the ongoing disease prevention and control measures and strengthen oversight over the slaughtering sector. On Friday, the ministry launched checks on slaughterhouses nationwide and ordered them to carry out self-inspections. Yu stressed the need to secure supplies of live pigs and pork products. The domestic output of live pigs in China has been declining since the second half of last year because of the disease, according to Yang Hanchun, a professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine of China Agricultural University. Yang predicted that the supply of pork products is likely to tighten in the third or fourth quarter of this year and lead to a price surge. create your own rubber bracelet cheaprubber braceletsevent wristbandshow do you make rubber band braceletscustom rubber bracelets
Former Malaysia prime minister Najib Razak. [Photo/Agencies] KUALA LUMPUR - Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who just witnessed a shocking loss in the general elections, said on Saturday that he will take a short break to spend time with family whom he has not seen enough in recent years. Najib, 64, said in several tweets that he made the decision after over four decades in politics and the recent election campaign, which was regrettably personal and perhaps the most intense in Malaysian history. He also said he and the losing Barisan Nasional coalition are committed to respecting the election results and facilitating a smooth transfer of power. The best interests of Malaysia and its people will always be my first priority and I intend to continue serving them in whatever capacity I can, he said. The former prime minister, who has been embroiled in the 1MDB state fund scandal but denied any wrongdoing, said he apologizes for any shortcomings and mistakes. I pray that after this divisive period, the country will unite, he said in the tweets. Najib did not elaborate on how he plans to take the short break and for how long, but local media, citing leaking passenger lists, reported on Friday night that he and his wife were about to take a flight to Indonesia on Saturday. Najib, along with several heavyweights of his party, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), attended a low-key celebration of the party's 72nd anniversary at the UMNO headquarters in Kuala Lumpur on Friday. But he broke the tradition of speaking to the party members and did not speak to the media either. The new Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has said that if Najib were found to do something wrong, he will have to face the consequences. The new government is expected to hold a press conference and unveil the new cabinet line-up on Saturday. printed wristbands ukpurple rubber bracelet1 4 inch silicone braceletsbracelet en siliconecustom bar bracelet<%2fcenter>
