China-bulit Jur River Bridge handed over to South Sudan

The recently completed Jur River Bridge, also known as the Clement Mboro Bridge, was handed over to the South Sudanese government by the Chinese embassy on Monday.

The new bridge, located in the country's Western Bahr el-Ghazal state, has a designed length of 240 meters and a width of 14 meters, and spans a total of 1,480 meters.

This is the only bridge that connects the eastern and western parts of South Sudan. The bridge across the Jur river was built by China. The Chinese embassy in South Sudan has promised to do more to help develop South Sudan's infrastructure.

Chinese Ambassador to South Sudan Ma Qiang said at the handover ceremony in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, that the transportation industry, when properly developed, plays a fundamental and strategic role in driving economic and social development.

He said Wau, the capital of Western Bahr El Ghazal where the bridge is constructed, has the advantageous geographical location, abundant resources and unique development conditions, but its economic potential is being restrained due to the limited infrastructure.

"After the completion of the bridge, it will save time for crossing the Jur River, connect people on both sides, increase employment opportunities, and inject new vitality into the local economic and social development," Ma said.

Sarah Cleto Hassan, governor of Western Bahr el Ghazal State, said constructing roads and bridges will spur sustainable peace and contribute to the economic development of the country.

"We are witnessing a new milestone in South Sudan-China friendship and shows the close and deep relations between us. Today symbolizes development and improves prosperity. I see there will be many more things we can do together," said Hassan.

South Sudan's Minister of Roads and Bridges Simon Mijok Mijak said that the modern bridge built by China's Tianyuan Company Limited will "stand as the symbol of our true, unshakable friendship between China and South Sudan," and appealed for next level of bridges building.

"I am here appealing that we move to the next level of building bridges as you have said rightly that this bridge is part of Silk Road connecting East Africa through South Sudan to West Africa," said Simon.

China-bulit Jur River Bridge handed over to South Sudan

The European Commission on Friday announced its decision to close the four-year-long antitrust investigation into Apple's rules for competing e-book and audiobook app developers following the withdrawal of complaint.

However, the Commission also stated that the closure of the investigation should not be seen as confirmation that Apple’s actions align with EU competition rules.

The Commission will continue to monitor the business practices of technology companies, including Apple, in accordance with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and competition rules, it said.

In 2020, an e-book and audiobook distributor filed an antitrust complaint against Apple, accusing the company of prohibiting developers from directing users to other purchasing channels and requiring all in-app purchases to be made through Apple’s payment system, a practice that violated EU competition rules.

In March, the European Commission slapped Apple with 1.84 billion euros in fines for alleged abuse of its dominant market position in distributing music streaming apps to iPhone and iPad users through its App Store.

The iPhone maker is not the only major U.S. company to face antitrust complaints in the EU in recent months. Earlier this month, Facebook owner Meta was fined 798 million euros (around 846 million U.S. dollars) related to allegations that its advertisement services unfairly favor its own classified service, Facebook Marketplace.

Meanwhile, Amazon may face an EU antitrust investigation amid allegations that the e-commerce giant has given priority to its own brands through its services, Reuters has reported.

EU closes antitrust probe into Apple's e-book rules after complaint withdrawal