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China to Offer Childcare Subsidies in Bid to Boost Birth Rate 

People push baby strollers along a business street in Beijing on July 13, 2021. (AFP)
People push baby strollers along a business street in Beijing on July 13, 2021. (AFP)
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China to Offer Childcare Subsidies in Bid to Boost Birth Rate 

People push baby strollers along a business street in Beijing on July 13, 2021. (AFP)
People push baby strollers along a business street in Beijing on July 13, 2021. (AFP)

China's government will offer subsidies to parents to the tune of $500 per child under the age of three per year, Beijing's state media said Monday, as the world's second most populous nation faces a looming demographic crisis.

The country's population has declined for three consecutive years, with United Nations demography models predicting it could fall from 1.4 billion today to 800 million by 2100.

The nationwide subsidies apply retroactively from January 1, Beijing's state broadcaster CCTV said, citing a decision by the ruling Communist Party and the State Council, China's cabinet.

"This is a major nationwide policy aimed at improving public wellbeing," CCTV said.

"It provides direct cash subsidies to families across the country, helping to reduce the burden of raising children," it added.

There were just 9.54 million births in China last year, half the number than in 2016, the year it ended its one-child policy, which was in place for more than three decades.

The population declined by 1.39 million last year, and China lost its crown as the world's most populous country to India in 2023.

Marriage rates are also at record low levels, in a country where many young couples have been put off having children by high child-rearing costs and career concerns.

Many local governments have already rolled out subsidies to encourage childbirth.

In March, Hohhot, the capital of China's northern Inner Mongolia region, began offering residents up to 100,000 yuan ($14,000) per newborn for couples with three or more children, while first and second children will be eligible for 10,000 and 50,000 yuan subsidies.

In Shenyang, in northeastern Liaoning province, local authorities give families who have a third child 500 yuan per month until the child turns three.

Hangzhou, in eastern Zhejiang province, offers a one-time payment of 25,000 yuan to couples who have a third child.

More than 20 provincial-level administrations in the country now offer childcare subsidies, according to official data.

Premier Li Qiang vowed to provide childcare subsidies during the government's annual work report in March.

The country's shrinking population is also ageing fast, which has sparked worries about the future of the country's pension system.

There were nearly 310 million aged 60 and over in 2024.

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Varieties

More Climate Records Under Threat as Spring Heatwave Bakes Western Europe

A woman shields herself from the sun with a newspaper as she crosses London Bridge during a heatwave in London, Britain, May 26, 2026. REUTERS/Jack Taylor
A woman shields herself from the sun with a newspaper as she crosses London Bridge during a heatwave in London, Britain, May 26, 2026. REUTERS/Jack Taylor
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More Climate Records Under Threat as Spring Heatwave Bakes Western Europe

A woman shields herself from the sun with a newspaper as she crosses London Bridge during a heatwave in London, Britain, May 26, 2026. REUTERS/Jack Taylor
A woman shields herself from the sun with a newspaper as she crosses London Bridge during a heatwave in London, Britain, May 26, 2026. REUTERS/Jack Taylor

Western Europe faced another day of record-breaking temperatures Tuesday as a heatwave pushed the mercury well above normal levels for May.

A so-called "heat dome" of warm air from northern Africa trapped under a high-pressure system over western Europe is behind the sort of heat not usually seen until high summer.

France's weather agency reported that Monday was its hottest day in the month of May on record -- with Tuesday forecast to be even hotter -- while the United Kingdom also posted unprecedented highs and Italy imposed restrictions on outdoor work.

French authorities on Tuesday also reported at least seven deaths linked to the heatwave -- five of which were drownings, as many people sought relief on beaches and other bodies of water, AFP reported.

Scientists say human-driven climate change is amplifying such extremes, with weather events like heatwaves, droughts and floods becoming more intense and frequent.

The United Kingdom's Met Office weather agency said Monday was the hottest May day on record, with temperatures hitting 34.8C at Kew Gardens, southwest London -- a full two degrees above the previous high.

The Met Office forecast a drop later in the week.

A woman drinks an iced coffee during a heatwave in London, Britain, May 26, 2026. REUTERS/Jack Taylor

Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst told AFP the increase in extreme temperatures was "a good indication of climate change in action" and more likely to become "the new norm."

A record May temperature of 28.8C was recorded at two of Ireland's weather stations amid the current blast of heat, Met Eireann data showed.

A grass fire broke out near Arthur's Seat hill near Edinburgh, sending smoke over the Scottish city that saw temperatures climb to 25C, according to firefighters and the BBC.

Across the English Channel, France's weather agency said "Monday was the hottest day recorded for the month of May since measurements began,” with tennis fans in the capital Paris baking in temperatures of 33C at Roland Garros.

Highs of 36C were expected in some regions on Tuesday, Meteo-France said, adding that the spell was likely to last at least until the end of the week.

Government authorities also noted the heat had taken a deadly turn.

"What I can say today is that there have been seven deaths directly or indirectly related to the heat," government spokesperson Maud Bregeon told television broadcaster TF1 on Tuesday.

The heat drove many people to the country's beaches to cool off in the water, even though lifeguard supervision is not due to start in many areas until July.

"We were just wondering this morning whether the beach was supervised," Thomas Dupuy told AFP while visiting a beach in the southwestern city of Anglet with his two young children.

"I'm extremely careful for myself, for my children who can't swim yet," he added. "We know the currents can pull you out, the Atlantic beaches are dangerous."

On Monday, the western town of Bergerac recorded a high of 34.7C, with the cities of Nantes and Angers not far behind.

Spain's State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) warned the "extraordinarily high temperatures for this time of year" will continue across the country all week, except in the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean.

"Widespread tropical nights" are also forecast in southwestern Spain from Wednesday, with temperatures peaking from Wednesday to Friday at between 36C and 38C, it wrote on X.

Farther east, Italy's Lazio region, which includes Rome, on Monday approved rules limiting work in conditions "with prolonged exposure in the sun" between 12:30 pm and 4:00 pm.

An April report by the European Copernicus Climate Change Service and the World Meteorological Organization stated that since the 1980s, "Europe has warmed twice as fast as the global average" and "heatwaves are becoming increasingly frequent and severe" across at least 95 percent of the continent's territory.

Varieties

British Doctors: Social Media as Bad for Children as Smoking

(FILES) This photo illustration shows a mobile phone screen displaying the icons for the social networking apps Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, taken in Manchester on March 22, 2018. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)
(FILES) This photo illustration shows a mobile phone screen displaying the icons for the social networking apps Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, taken in Manchester on March 22, 2018. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)
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British Doctors: Social Media as Bad for Children as Smoking

(FILES) This photo illustration shows a mobile phone screen displaying the icons for the social networking apps Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, taken in Manchester on March 22, 2018. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)
(FILES) This photo illustration shows a mobile phone screen displaying the icons for the social networking apps Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, taken in Manchester on March 22, 2018. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)

Social media ranks alongside smoking as a danger to children, senior British doctors said on Tuesday, as they urged lawmakers to tackle the harm that they say excessive screen time is causing to young people.

The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges detailed the impact of social media on children in a submission to the government's consultation on protecting children online, which closes on Tuesday.

"It ranks alongside smoking and wearing seatbelts in cars as a unifying force for the medical ⁠profession."

"There can be ⁠few issues which have united clinicians so resoundingly in recent years as the impact that unfettered exposure to tech and devices is currently having on children and young people's health," said the body, which represents the UK and Ireland's 23 royal medical colleges and faculties.

More than half of 132 doctors surveyed saw at least one case of health ⁠harm that could be related to tech and devices every week, and over a third saw evidence of harm multiple times a week, it said.

Harms ranged from physical injuries, for example caused by replicating acts of extreme pornography, to mental health impacts, such as trauma from seeing violence online.

Britain is consulting on restricting children's access to social media, including a possible ban for under-16s, as well as curfews, app time limits and curbs on what it has described as addictive design features.

Australia last year became the first country to ban social media for ⁠children under ⁠16, with European countries considering similar measures.

Britain's online safety law requires social media companies to take measures to protect children from illegal and harmful online content, but the government has committed to going further.

"The question isn't whether we are going to act; we will, whether that is a ban on social media for the under-16s or restrictions on key features and functions," Technology Secretary Liz Kendall told BBC News.

Hundreds of British families are testing social media bans, curfews and app time limits to see how they impact children's sleep, family life and schoolwork.

Experts are divided on how effective a total ban would be, while a group of young people in London recently told Reuters they were opposed to restrictions.

Varieties

Holy Kaaba to Align with Sun on Thursday in Rare Astronomical Event

During the moment of alignment, shadows cast by vertical objects in Makkah’s surroundings nearly disappear as sunlight falls almost perpendicularly on the surface. (SPA)
During the moment of alignment, shadows cast by vertical objects in Makkah’s surroundings nearly disappear as sunlight falls almost perpendicularly on the surface. (SPA)
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Holy Kaaba to Align with Sun on Thursday in Rare Astronomical Event

During the moment of alignment, shadows cast by vertical objects in Makkah’s surroundings nearly disappear as sunlight falls almost perpendicularly on the surface. (SPA)
During the moment of alignment, shadows cast by vertical objects in Makkah’s surroundings nearly disappear as sunlight falls almost perpendicularly on the surface. (SPA)

The skies above Makkah will witness the phenomenon of the sun aligning directly over the holy Kaaba on Thursday, at approximately 12:18 PM local time.

Jeddah Astronomy Society Director Eng. Majed Abu Zahra described the phenomenon as a precise astronomical event that attracts wide interest among those seeking to determine the Qibla direction.

He noted that it provides a direct opportunity to verify geographical and astronomical calculations without complex instruments.

During the moment of alignment, shadows cast by vertical objects in Makkah’s surroundings nearly disappear as sunlight falls almost perpendicularly on the surface, he added.

This phenomenon occurs twice annually as the sun moves between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn due to Earth’s axial tilt of approximately 23.44 degrees, allowing it to pass over Makkah’s latitude twice a year, once northward and once southward.