This is People’s Daily Tonight, your news source from China.
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China's GDP grows 6.2 pct in first three quarters
China's GDP grew by 6.2 percent in the first three quarters of 2019 to 69.78 trillion yuan or 9.9 trillion dollars.
The growth was consistent with the government's annual target of 6-6.5 percent.
The Chinese economy has maintained overall stability.
But it faces downward pressure amid slower global economic growth and more external uncertainties. (People's Daily app)
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US imposes tariffs on EU goods, targeting Airbus, wine and whisky
The United States imposed tariffs on a record $7.5-billion worth of European Union goods on Friday, despite threats of retaliation, with Airbus, French wine and Scottish whiskies among the high-profile targets.
The tariffs, which took effect just after midnight in Washington (0401 GMT), came after talks between European officials and US trade representatives failed to win a last-minute reprieve.
In the line of fire are civilian aircraft from Britain, France, Germany and Spain -- the countries that formed Airbus -- which will now cost 10 percent more when imported to the US.
But the tariffs also target consumer products such as French wine, which Trump had vowed to attack in recent months. Wine from France, Spain and Germany will now face 25 percent tariffs. (AFP)
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US Energy Secretary resigning at end of year, Trump says
US Energy Secretary Rick Perry will leave his job by the end of the year.
The former Texas governor has been energy secretary since March 2017, making him one of the longest-serving members of Trump’s Cabinet.
He was traveling with US President Donald Trump to Texas when he notified the president of his decision aboard Air Force One.
Trump told reporters he “knew six months ago” that Perry wanted to leave by the end of the year.
House Democrats have subpoenaed Perry for documents related to a Ukrainian state-owned energy company as well as his involvement in a July call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. (AP)
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China launches new communication technology experiment satellite
China sent a new communication technology experiment satellite into planned orbit from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province late Thursday.
The satellite, launched by a Long March-3B carrier rocket at 23:21 (Beijing Time), will be mainly used for multi-band and high-speed communication technology experiments.
The satellite and the carrier rocket were respectively developed by the China Academy of Space Technology and the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
Thursday's launch was the 315th mission of the Long March rocket series. (Xinhua)
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Australia's largest bank apologises for major system outage
Australian financial giant, Commonwealth Bank, apologized to millions of customers on Friday after a nationwide outage on Thursday that left account holders unable to access their own money.
Blaming Thursday's blackout on a systems upgrade failure, the bank added that extra staff have been put on to deal with the logjam of payments and inquiries.
But despite the apology, furious customers took to social media to vent their frustration. (Xinhua)
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Johnson battles to win over MPs after striking Brexit deal
A critical 24 hours lies ahead for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who must persuade a majority of MPs to back his Brexit deal in a House of Commons vote on Saturday.
If Johnson fails to sell the agreement he struck with European leaders on Thursday he will be legally compelled to ask the European Council for another Brexit delay, though the prime minister has insisted he will not request an extension.
Johnson had hoped to cast Saturday's vote as a choice between his deal and a no-deal exit from the European Union on October 31, heaping huge pressure on opposition MPs to back him.
However, while Jean-Claude Juncker said there "will be no prolongation," the outgoing European Commission president would have no official role in any decision on a delay. (CGTN)
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China's rural online retail sales hit 777.13 billion yuan in H1 2019: report
And China's rural online retail sales reached 777 billion yuan in the first half of the year.
That was 16.1 percent of the country's total online retail sales, an increase of 21 percent, and 3.2 percentage points higher than the country’s growth rate.
As of June, China had 854 million internet users, 225 million of whom were rural internet users, 3 million more than at the end of 2018.
A report said the role of e-commerce in driving up agricultural products and increasing farmers' income has been further manifested. (People's Daily app)
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And that’s People’s Daily Tonight. Thanks for joining us.
(Produced by David Nye and Wang Xiangyu)