This is People’s Daily Tonight, your news source from China. 

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China's home prices remain stable in December

Home prices in major Chinese cities largely remained stable in December.

This, as local governments continued to tighten controls on the housing market.

On a monthly basis, new home prices in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou rose 1.3 percent in December.

That’s up 1 percentage point from the previous month.

Meanwhile, the prices of resold homes in the four cities continued to drop last month, dipping 0.3 percent on average. (Xinhua)

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Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei denies spy accusation

Huawei has never and will not spy for the Chinese government, said Ren Zhengfei, founder of the tech giant, in a rare interview on Tuesday as his company undergoes continuous espionage accusations.

“No law requires any company in China to install mandatory back doors,” Ren said to The Wall Street Journal, “I personally would never harm the interest of my customers, and me and my company would not answer to such request.”

According to Bloomberg, the 74-year-old entrepreneur also said there is no “close connection” between his personal political beliefs and the company's business. (CGTN)

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Los Angeles schools lose 15 million USD on first day of teachers' strike

Los Angeles schools lost 15 million dollars on the first day of the teachers' strike.

That’s according to a Los Angeles Unified School District official.

He said only one-third of the district's students showed up to school on Monday - the first day of the teachers' strike.

That cost the district around 25 million dollars in state funding, which is based on student attendance.

More than 32,000 Los Angeles teachers and staff took  to the streets on Monday to demand smaller class sizes, more support staff at schools and better pay. (Xinhua)

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China approves infrastructure projects worth US$72B

China's top economic planner has approved construction of seven infrastructure projects with a total investment of 485 billion yuan (72 billion U.S. dollars) this year, according to Securities Daily.

The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) authorized plans to build infrastructure projects in transportation, water conservancy and energy, the paper reported.

The country's fixed-asset investment rose 5.9 percent year-on-year to 60.93 trillion yuan in the first 11 months of 2018, an encouraging sign amid increasing downward pressures on the wider economy. (Xinhua)

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One in three UN employees have been sexually harassed: survey

A third of United Nations employees have reported experiencing sexual harassment at the world body over the last two years.

That’s according to the findings of the first-ever survey on such misconduct.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told staff in a letter that the study contained "some sobering statistics and evidence of what needs to change" to improve the workplace at the United Nations.

One in three respondents reported at least one instance of sexual harassment in the past two years.

But that figure climbed to 38.7 percent for those who reported some form of sexual harassment during their time at the UN. (AFP)

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Chinese scientists discover self-healing mechanism of giant pandas' teeth

A group of researchers have recently found that giant pandas have particularly clever tooth enamel, which can recover its structure and geometry to counteract early stages of damage.

The team, consisting of members from the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS), the University of Science and Technology of China, Lanzhou University of Technology, and the University of California Berkeley, believe that their observations could be utilized in the tooth enamel of all vertebrates, including humans, and inspire the design of artificial durable ceramics.

Pandas are the representative animal with sharp teeth. Ninety-nine percent of their food is bamboo, and the teeth are the key for them to eat that food. (China Daily)

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Beijing subways to launch one-day pass

And the Beijing subway will soon offer passengers more ticket options, with a one-day pass the first to be launched.

The one-day pass will be valid for 24 hours of unlimited metro travel.

The city also plans to accelerate construction of three subway lines this year, and will open three, including the line connecting the new Beijing Daxing International Airport with the downtown area. (Xinhua)

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And that’s People’s Daily Tonight.  Thanks for joining us.

(Produced by David Nye and Cheng Weidan)