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More Chinese cities to offer 144-hour visa free transit in 2019

Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, will extend its visa-free period for foreigners transiting through the city from 72 hours to 144 next year, local authorities said Saturday.

People of 53 listed nationalities with valid travel documents and onward travel booked for within 144 hours are eligible for the visa-free policy, which will become available from January 1, 2019.

Besides Chengdu, Fujian Province's coastal city of Xiamen, Shandong Province's coastal city of Qingdao, Hubei Province's capital city of Wuhan, and Yunnan Province's capital city of Kunming will also implement the policy on New Year's Day. (Xinhua)

China Mobile ready to launch 5G devices next year

"China Mobile will launch 5G smartphones in the first half of 2019, as part of the push for 5G precommercial trials in 2019 and commercialization by 2020," said Li Huidi, vice-president of the major telecommunication carrier.

The company is set to roll out customer premises equipment in the first quarter of next year, he added.

Li noted that China Mobile Group Device Co. Ltd. has built an innovative center for intelligent hardware in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, which has already started operating, adding it lays a solid foundation for the launch of 5G terminals next year. (China Plus)

Paris police fire tear gas, water cannons against 'yellow vest' protesters

Police fired tear gas and water cannon Saturday in central Paris against "yellow vest" protesters demanding French President Emmanuel Macron roll back tax hikes on motor fuel.

AFP reporters said several thousand had gathered early Saturday on the famous Champs-Elysees where they clashed with police trying to prevent them moving down to the Place de la Concorde near the Louvre museum.

Police said the protestors had tried to break through a cordon several times but had been prevented from doing so, with tear gas and water cannon used more than once. (AFP)

Dolce and Gabbana issues official apology

Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, designers and founders of Italian luxury brand Dolce & Gabbana, made an apology in a short video posted on its official Sina Weibo account regarding recent outrage over a racist ad and subsequent remarks.

"We have always been in love with China. We've visited it and seen many of its cities. We love your culture and we certainly have much to learn. That is why we are sorry if we made mistakes in the way we expressed ourselves", Dolce apologized.

We also want to apologize to all of the many Chinese people throughout the world. We take this apology very seriously as well as this message, Gabbana said in the video. (China Daily)

Oil prices plummet amid US drilling rigs down

Major oil benchmarks were in a nose dive Friday. Around 3 p.m. local time in Houston, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude for January delivery and Brent crude for January delivery fell more than 7 percent and 6 percent respectively.

Due to concerns with oversupply in the market, oil prices have been falling recently and they are set to post a seventh consecutive weekly loss.

Amid oil prices going down, the number of active drilling rigs in the United States decreased by three to 1,079 this week, but still 156 more than in the same period last year, according to Houston-based Baker Hughes. (Xinhua)

BIE elects Japan to host World Expo 2025

France-based Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) on Friday announced that Japan would host World Expo 2025.

"After two rounds of voting during the BIE's 164th General Assembly in Paris, a majority of Member States voted for Japan's project to host World Expo 2025 in Osaka, Kansai," BIE said in a statement.

With its bid "Designing Future Society for Our Lives", Japan beat the Russian city of Yekaterinburg after collecting 92 votes to 61.

The capital of the oil-rich former Soviet country of Azerbaijan, Baku, came third. (Xinhua)

Harry and Meghan announce move to Windsor in early 2019

Prince Harry and his pregnant wife Meghan Markle will move into a historic cottage on the royal family's Windsor Estate early next year, Kensington Palace said on Saturday.

The couple married in Windsor in May, will live in Frogmore Cottage, a two-storey stucco-faced house in the Windsor Home Park close to the castle.

Prince Harry and Meghan, who returned earlier this month from a 16-day Pacific tour, currently live in Nottingham Cottage on the grounds of Kensington Palace in west London. (AFP)

Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.

And now for the Question of the Day:

In which church is Charles Dickens buried?

(Answer: Westminster Abbey.)

Today’s quote is from Irish dramatist George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950).

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”

(Produced by Nancy Yan Xu, Ryan Yaoran Yu, Brian Lowe, Da Hang and Elaine Yue Lin.)