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Here are today’s picks from our editors.

Xi sends congratulatory letter to Taihu World Cultural Forum annual conference

Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the fifth annual conference of the Taihu World Cultural Forum which opened in Beijing on Thursday.

The conference, themed "Dialogue of Civilizations: Building a Community With a Shared Future for Humanity," should help improve understanding, accumulate consensus, deepen cooperation and promote exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, Xi said in the letter.

The exchange and mutual learning among civilizations has been a key impetus for civilization advancement of mankind as well as world peace and development, he said. (Xinhua)

US currency monitoring list faithful to global consensus: MFA

The US Treasury Department's latest monitoring list on Wednesday meets the international consensus that China should not be on the list, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Lu Kang said Thursday at a press conference.

China has repeatedly reiterated it will not engage in competitive devaluation or use the RMB exchange rate as a tool to deal with external disruptions such as trade disputes, he said.

China will unswervingly deepen exchange rate market-oriented reforms and continue to improve upon a floating exchange rate system based on market forces. At the same time, we also hope the US can respect market rules and facts, and not politicize the exchange rate issue, Lu said. (People's Daily app)

Chinese defense minister calls for China-US dialogue

Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe on Thursday met with US Defense Secretary James Mattis in Singapore, calling for dialogue between the two countries.

Both are in Singapore for the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus.

Wei said China and the US have common interests and differences, adding that what people hope to see are dialogues between the two countries instead of conflicts.

The two countries postponed their second-round of China-US Diplomatic and Security Dialogue in early October. (CGTN)

Khashoggi case suspect dies in car accident

Meshal Saad al-Bostani, a suspect in the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi died in a car accident in Saudi Arabia’s capital of Riyadh, Turkish media reported on Thursday.

The report said sources did not provide any details on the auto accident.

Khashoggi, a journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, has been missing since he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. His disappearance has attracted worldwide attention.

Turkish authorities suspect that the journalist may have been killed while inside the consulate, but Saudi officials have denied the accusation. (Xinhua)

Trump threatens to close US-Mexico border over undocumented migrants

US President Donald Trump threatened Thursday to send the military to close its southern border if Mexico fails to stem the "onslaught" of migrants from Central America, in a series of tweets that blamed opposition Democrats.

The attack comes less than three weeks before midterm elections where Trump's Republicans are fighting to retain control of Congress, and as thousands of migrants from impoverished Honduras were marching north through Guatemala toward the United States. 

"I am watching the Democrat Party led (because they want Open Borders and existing weak laws) assault on our country by Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, whose leaders are doing little to stop this large flow of people, INCLUDING MANY CRIMINALS," Trump said. (AFP)

FAO aims for total elimination of hunger by 2030

Speakers at the global World Food Day ceremony in Rome this week called for stronger political will and financial support to end hunger and malnutrition, urging the international community to step up efforts until everyone has what they need.

This year's theme — "Our actions are our future: a Zero Hunger world by 2030 is possible" — underscores the need increase efforts to reach the Zero Hunger goal. World Food Day is celebrated in over 150 countries worldwide.

Global hunger has risen for the third consecutive year, affecting one in nine, or 821 million people globally. (People's Daily app)

China's average life expectancy to exceed 80 by 2040

The life expectancy is expected to be slightly longer in 195 countries and regions by 2040.

That's according to a study by the US Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

Two years ago, China’s average life expectancy was 76.3 years, and ranked 68th among 195 nations. However, if recent health trends continue, it could rise to 39th by 2040 where the average life expectancy would be 81.9 years. (People's Daily app)

Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.

And now for the Question of the Day:

What are the Four Great Comedies written by William Shakespeare?

(Answer: The Taming of the Shrew, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merchant of Venice, and Twelfth Night.)

Today’s quote is from Chinese philosopher Xun Kuang.

“I once tried thinking for an entire day, but I found it less valuable than one moment of study.”

(Produced by Nancy Yan Xu, Ryan Yaoran Yu, Lance Crayon, and Terry Guanlin Li.)