每日新闻播报（September 16）

>Maximum student loan values raised
国家助学贷款额度提高4000元

Chinese college students with financial difficulties can apply for more interest-free loans as the government has increased loan ceilings for undergraduate and postgraduate students, according to a new notice. Undergraduate students can apply for a maximum of 12,000 yuan in loans per person each year, according to the notice, which was released by the ministries of finance and education, the People's Bank of China and the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission. The new limit is an increase of 4,000 yuan. Postgraduate students can apply for up to 16,000 yuan each year, up from 12,000 yuan, the notice said. The loans should mainly be used to cover tuition and accommodation, and any extra money can be used for daily expenses, the notice said, adding the new policy has been implemented since the start of the autumn semester.
财政部、教育部、人民银行、银保监会近日印发《关于进一步完善国家助学贷款政策的通知》，决定将国家助学贷款额度提高4000元，让家庭经济困难的学生获得更多免息贷款。通知明确，自今年秋季学期起，全日制普通本专科学生每人每年申请贷款额度提高至不超过1.2万元；全日制研究生则由不超过1.2万元提高至不超过1.6万元。助学贷款优先用于支付学费和住宿费，超出部分可用于日常生活费。

Students do not need to pay the principal or interest while they are still in college and can apply for a five-year probation period after graduation, during which they only pay interest.
在校期间，学生无需还本金或利息，毕业后还可申请5年的还本宽限期，还本宽限期内只需还息无需还本。

>National reading campaign for 2021
全民阅读优秀项目推介启动

China's publication authority has requested submissions of projects for promoting reading nationwide in 2021.
为进一步在全社会营造爱读书、读好书、善读书的良好氛围，国家新闻出版署近日启动2021年全民阅读优秀项目推介工作。

The campaign will select and recommend reading-related projects focused on the centenary of the Communist Party of China and promoting Party history education, according to the National Press and Publication Administration.
活动将遴选推介围绕中国共产党成立100周年、推动党史学习教育的全民阅读项目。

Projects that employ new technologies to explore multimedia and multi-platform reading will also be included in the candidate list.
主动应用阅读新技术的多媒体、多平台融合阅读项目也在推介名录之内。

>HK ranked as world's freest economy
香港获评全球最自由经济体

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government on Tuesday expressed satisfaction that Canada's Fraser Institute once again ranked Hong Kong as the world's freest economy in its Economic Freedom of the World 2021 Annual Report.
加拿大菲沙研究所在《世界经济自由度2021年度报告》中再次把香港评为全球最自由的经济体。香港特区政府9月14日对此表示欢迎。

"This is an unequivocal affirmation of Hong Kong's long-standing and steadfast commitment to building a free economy with a level playing field," a government spokesman said.
特区政府发言人说："报告明确肯定香港一直以来坚定地建立自由经济体及提供公平营商环境的努力。"

Hong Kong has gained the top rank since the inception of the report.
自菲沙研究所开始发布该报告以来，香港一直位列全球第一。

In this year's report, among the five areas of assessment, Hong Kong continued to rank top in "Freedom to Trade Internationally" and "Regulation."
在2021年度报告的五个评估大项中，香港在"国际贸易自由"及"监管"继续排在首位。

As an inalienable part of China, Hong Kong enjoys a high degree of autonomy under "one country, two systems" and comes directly under the central government, the spokesman said.
特区政府发言人指出，香港特区是中华人民共和国不可分离的部分，是一个在"一国两制"下享有高度自治权、直辖于中央人民政府的地方行政区域。

Upholding and implementing the principle of "one country, two systems" is in the interests of the Hong Kong people, conducive for maintaining Hong Kong's prosperity and stability and serves the fundamental interests of the nation, the spokesman said.
贯彻落实"一国两制"方针符合香港市民的利益，有利于维持香港繁荣稳定，符合国家的根本利益。

>US child COVID-19 cases rise
美一周内超24万儿童感染新冠

COVID-19 infections have risen "exponentially" among children in the United States in the past two weeks, according to a report published Monday by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
美国儿科学会9月13日公布的一份新报告显示，过去两周全美儿童新冠确诊病例激增。

"After declining in early summer, child cases have increased exponentially with nearly 500,000 cases in the past two weeks," the report said.
报告指出，"今年夏初出现下降后，美国儿童确诊病例呈现指数级增长，过去两周确诊病例高达50万例。"

As of Thursday, nearly 5.3 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic.
截至9月9日，新冠疫情暴发以来全美儿童确诊病例已达到近530万例。

More than 243,000 cases were added in the past week, the second-highest number of child cases in a week since the pandemic began.
过去一周全美新增的儿童新冠确诊病例超24.3万例，是疫情暴发以来单周儿童新增病例第二高的一周。

For the week ending Thursday, the number of child cases covered 28.9 percent of weekly reported COVID-19 cases, it said, adding children under 18 make up 22.2 percent of the US population.
报告还显示，9月3日至9月9日，美国儿童确诊病例数占每周报告病例数的28.9%。18岁以下儿童占美国人口的比例为22%。

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