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PLA opens warships for public visits

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) has opened four of its major warships for members of the public to visit in Quanzhou, East China's Fujian Province.

The event, from July 30 to Aug. 1 at Port Shihu, is the largest scale public opening of warships by the PLA Navy at the same location.

The four warships are missile destroyer Changchun, corvette Quanzhou, tank landing ship Wuyishan, and amphibious dock landing ship Jinggangshan.

The hot weather did not deter members of the public from traveling afar to take a look at the PLA Navy ships. During the first two days, 14,500 people visited the ships. The number had surpassed 20,000 by noon Wednesday.

Le Bo, political commissar of Quanzhou, often joined the interpreters to introduce the ship to visitors.

Le said this event will help the public know more about the national defense and showcase an open and confident navy. (Xinhua)

US  unilateral threat and pressure to be counterproductive: FM spokesperson

The threat and pressure of further tariffs from the  US  can only be counterproductive, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Wednesday.

It was reported that the Trump administration would propose imposing 25 percent tariffs on a list of $200 billion of Chinese goods in a new round of penalties, up from 10 percent.

China's position on the economic and trade issues is firm, clear, and has not changed, spokesperson Geng Shuang said, noting that pressure and blackmail by the US would not work.

If the  US  makes a further escalation, China  will inevitably counter the threat and resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests, Geng said.

China has always advocated handling trade frictions between  China  and the  US  through dialogue and consultation, Geng said, noting that the international community is very clear about the efforts  China  has made and its sincerity. (Xinhua)

Trump calls on  US  attorney general to end  Russia  probe 'disgrace'

US President Donald Trump called Wednesday on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to end the investigation into  Russia 's interference in the 2016  US  elections, calling it "a disgrace to USA."

The president's latest tweet on the probe led by special counsel Robert Mueller came on the second day of a trial of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort on unrelated bank and tax fraud charges.

"This is a terrible situation and Attorney General Jeff Sessions should stop this Rigged Witch Hunt right now, before it continues to stain our country any further," Trump said. (AFP)

Zimbabwe  ruling ZANU-PF party wins parliamentary election

Zimbabwe 's ruling ZANU-PF party has won over 50 percent of seats in parliament, according to the country's electoral commission on Wednesday.

The official results showed President Emmerson Mnangagwa's ZANU-PF won the parliamentary election with 109 seats against 41 for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). Another 58 seats are still to be announced.

The House of Assembly of Parliament has 210 seats and ZANU-PF would need to win 30 more to have a two-thirds majority that would allow it to change the constitution at will. (CGTN)

Greek fire victims sue authorities over deaths in Mati

The relatives of a woman and a man killed in a wildfire near Athens last week have sued state authorities, the fire brigade and police over their deaths.

The authorities could be liable for criminal charges such as involuntary manslaughter, bodily harm, exposure that led to death, and arson in what they call a “biblical catastrophe,” according to the text of the lawsuit.

Both victims died trying to escape the flames, according to the lawsuit. Their bodies were found about 400 meters from their homes.

Neither before nor during the blaze did authorities tell them how to act or how to escape to a secure place, the relatives said. (CGTN)

Mars makes closest approach to Earth in 15 years

Earth's neighboring planet, Mars, is closer than it has been in the past 15 years, offering unusually bright views of the Red Planet's auburn hues.

"The Red Planet and Earth haven't been this close since 2003, and won't be again until 2035," NASA said.

Astronomers around the world trained their telescopes on the sky on July 31, when the Red Planet was 35.8 million miles (57.6 million kilometers) away.

The last closest approach was in 2003 when Mars was 34.6 million miles away, which is the closest it had been in nearly 60,000 years, according to NASA. (CGTN)

Thieves steal Swedish royal jewels, escape by speedboat

Thieves in  Sweden  walked into a small town’s medieval cathedral in broad daylight and stole priceless crown jewels dating back to the early 1600s before escaping by speedboat, police said Wednesday.

Two men vanished after the heist into a vast patchwork of lakes some 60 kilometers west of Stockholm, police said.

The thieves snatched two gold crowns and an orb made for King Karl IX and Queen Kristina in the daring robbery. One of the crowns is encrusted with precious stones. The stolen items were on display at an exhibition in the cathedral, and visitors were inside at the time.

The stolen items are “impossible to sell” because of their uniqueness and high visibility, Maria Ellior of the Swedish police’s National Operations Department told the Swedish news agency TT.

The theft would be logged at Interpol, enabling an international search, TT said. (AP)

Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.

And now for the Question of the Day.

What's the brightest star in the night sky?

(Sirius in Canis Major.)

Today’s quote is from German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel.

"Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion."

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