People's Daily Tonight: Podcast News (10/31/2018 Wed.)
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This is People’s Daily Tonight, your news source from China. 

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China opposes US unilateral sanctions against Chinese firm 

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China's Commerce Ministry expressed opposition to the US imposition of sanctions against a Chinese firm.

This comes after the US Commerce Department on Monday decided to restrict exports to China's Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Company.

A ministry spokesperson said China opposes US generalization of the concept of national security and abuse of export control measures, and opposes unilateral sanctions and interference in enterprises' normal international trade and cooperation.

Jinhua has invested $5.7 billion in a memory chip plant for smartphones and personal computers. 

The company is engaged in a legal dispute with its main competitor, US chipmaker Micron Technology Inc, a major US military supplier. (Xinhua & China Daily)

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US mulls sanction waiver for countries buying Iranian oil

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The US State Department said it is considering giving a sanction waiver to countries that keep buying oil from Iran on a case-by-case basis.

It said although the US goal remains to get countries to buy zero oil "from Iran as quickly as possible" and is "determined to implement the policy of maximum pressure on Iran," it is "prepared to work with countries that reduce their imports on a case-by-case basis.

Washington has intensified its sanctions against Iranian entities and individuals, after President Donald Trump decided to exit from the Iran nuclear deal in May. (Xinhua)

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China's Oct. manufacturing activity remains stable

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China's manufacturing sector remained stable in October.

That’s according to official data from the country’s National Bureau of Statistics.

China’s manufacturing purchasing managers' index came in at 50.2 in October, sliding from 50.8 in September.

A reading above 50 indicates expansion.

Wednesday's data also showed that China's non-manufacturing sector held steady in October, with the PMI for the sector standing at 53.9 in October, down from 54.9 in September.

The service sector, which accounts for more than half of the country's GDP, maintained stable growth, with the sub-index measuring business activity in the industry standing at 52.1 in October, down from 53.4 in September. (Xinhua)

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Possible seabed position of crashed Lion Air jet located

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A massive search effort has identified the possible seabed location of the crashed Lion Air jet.

This, as experts carried out the grim task of identifying dozens of body parts recovered from a 15-nautical-mile-wide search area.

The two-month-old Boeing plane plunged into the Java Sea on Monday just minutes after takeoff from Jakarta,.

All 189 people on board were killed.

The disaster has reignited concerns about safety in Indonesia’s fast-growing aviation industry, which was recently removed from European Union and U.S. blacklists.

It also raised doubts about the safety of Boeing’s new generation 737 MAX 8 plane. (AP)

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RMB, Philippine peso trading platform formally launched

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The Bank of China Manila Branch and the 13 biggest banks in the Philippines jointly ratified the launch of the Philippine Renminbi Trading Community.

That’s a platform aimed at enhancing trade and monetary transactions between the two countries.

A Bank of China officer said the platform will allow for efficient, cost-effective renminbi clearing and settling for Philippine firms that wish to enter China's fast-growing market, as well as strengthen business relationships with their Chinese counterparts. (Xinhua)

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11 dead in Italy storms as wild weather sweeps Europe

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The death toll from fierce storms battering Italy has risen to 11.

This, as wild weather swept parts of Europe, leaving motorists and tourists stranded.

Roads were blocked and thousands of people were left without power in southern and central Europe, as rains and violent winds sparked flooding and tore trees from their roots.

Thick snow has also cloaked French and Italian mountain regions, trapping hundreds of drivers in their cars and tourists in hotels. (AFP)

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NASA's planet-hunter telescope, Kepler, runs out of fuel

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And the US space agency's Kepler space telescope has run out of fuel and is being retired after nine and a half years.

It helped discover more than 2,600 planets, some of which may hold life.

NASA said Kepler helped astronomers measure potential planets by glimpsing transits, or moments when planets passed in front of their stars.

It added that the telescope showed that 20 to 50 percent of the stars visible in the night sky are likely to have small, possibly rocky, planets similar in size to Earth, and located within the habitable zone of their parents' stars. (AFP)

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

(Produced by David Nye and Chi Jingyi)