This is People’s Daily Tonight, your news source from China.
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Phuket’s ship accident death toll rises to 44
The death toll from last week’s boat accident in Phuket, Thailand rises to 44.
This, after rescuers recover two more dead bodies.
Authorities have confirmed that a body found near Phi Phi Island was a passenger of the ill-fated boat.
Three people remain missing, including those trapped under the boat. (People's Daily app)
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BMW to raise prices in China due to trade tensions fallout
BMW will be forced to raise the prices on its vehicles sold in China due to higher import tariffs.
BMW operates its largest car assembly line in Spartanburg, South Carolina, from where it has traditionally exported the SUV models X3 and X6 to China and other destinations across the world.
Trade tensions between the United States and China have escalated since Friday.
That’s when the US began imposing an additional 25-percent tariff of $34 billion in Chinese products.
China responded by slapping additional tariffs on goods from the US worth the same amount. (Xinhua)
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China, Arab states to sign 'Belt and Road Cooperation Declaration'
Chinese President Xi Jinping says Beijing hopes to further promote cooperation with Arab countries through the Belt and Road initiative.
He says that as important players in the history of the Silk Road, Arab countries are the natural partners to jointly build the Belt and Road initiative.
The China-Arab States Cooperation Forum is expected to sign a Belt and Road Cooperation Declaration. (CGTN)
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Court sentences man to death for killing nine children
The Intermediate People's Court of Yulin City sentenced Zhao Zewei to death on Tuesday for killing nine students of a middle school in Mizhi County of Northwestern China’s Shaanxi Province.
Zhao attacked the students from the No.3 Middle School in Mizhi County on their way home on the afternoon of April 27. He killed nine students and injured 11 others.
A statement released by the Mizhi police quoted Zhao as saying he attacked the students because he was bullied by his classmates as a student of the same school when he was a teenager. (People's Daily app)
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S.Korea halts annual defense drill on improved ties with DPRK
South Korea will halt its annual defense drill this year as a result of improved relations with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The decision was made at a Cabinet meeting.
The cancellation came after Seoul and Washington announced the halt of next month’s Freedom Guardian joint annual war games.
US President Donald Trump vowed to stop what he calls provocative war games with South Korea, as long as talks continue with the DPRK, during his summit meeting with top DPRK leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore on June 12. (Xinhua)
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East China braces for super typhoon Maria
Coastal areas in eastern China have kept a close watch on the progress of super typhoon Maria.
Maria has intensified to wind speeds of up to 209 kilometers per hour within 36 hours.
It is expected to make landfall in the northeastern part of Taiwan and central Fujian Province on July 11.
To ward off potential hazards associated with the super-typhoon, the Shanghai Railway Bureau will temporarily halt ticket sales to and from Wenzhou, Shenzhen and Beijing from Tuesday to Thursday. (China Daily)
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Trump names Brett Kavanaugh as Supreme Court nominee
President Trump nominates a conservative federal appellate judge to the Supreme Court.
Trump named Brett Kavanaugh to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy.
Kennedy was often the decisive vote in the Supreme Court, particularly on issues involving abortion rights.
Analysts say Trump’s decision to put Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court may bring conservative dominance for decades to come, thus shifting the balance of power. (People's Daily app)
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And that’s People’s Daily Tonight. Thanks for joining us.
(Produced by David Nye, Chen Lidan and Zhao Dantong)