People's Daily Tonight: Podcast News (10/31/2019 Thu.)
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This is People’s Daily Tonight, your news source from China.  

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Telecom 'big three' kick off 5G commercialization

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China officially kicked off commercialization of 5G services on Thursday, with the nation's big three telecom operators rolling out their 5G data plans.

More than 86,000 5G base stations have already entered service in China.

Close to half a million 5G smartphones have already been shipped to the Chinese mainland in the past three months. (China Daily)

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China, US carry forward trade talks despite APEC cancellation

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Trade consultations between China and the US are going smoothly and the two sides are moving the talks forward, with more phone calls planned, despite the cancellation of the APEC summit in Chile, where an interim trade deal was widely expected to be signed, according to Chinese officials and experts on Thursday.


Chile's decision to scrap the APEC summit sparked widespread concern about the fate of the first phase of the trade agreement between China and the US, particularly in the US, where officials and businesses appear more anxious to sign the deal to end the costly trade war, analysts noted. 

In China, officials seem to be cool-headed and more focused on the negotiation process and analysts argued that, though the cancellation adds more work to the two teams, the most important thing is to first agree on a balanced deal. (Global Times)

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Fire burns down structures at historic Japanese castle

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Fire gutted Shuri Castle on Japan's southern island of Okinawa, nearly destroying the UNESCO World Heritage site.

The fire in Naha started from the castle's main structure.

The main Seiden temple and a Hokuden structure, or north temple, have been burned.

A third structure, Nanden, or south temple, is nearly destroyed.

The castle was designated as the UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000. (AFP)

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Floods kill 29, displaces thousands in Kenya: UN agency

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At least 29 people have been killed and more than 100,000 others affected since October as raging floods cause havoc in many parts of Kenya, an UN agency said on Thursday.

The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the heavy rains which started in early October have also displaced thousands of people and threaten to unleash a wave of communicable diseases like cholera, typhoid and malaria.

Citing figures from the Kenya Red Cross Society, the UN humanitarian agency said the rains have driven flash floods, mudslides and landslides in various counties, with Wajir county in northeast Kenya amongst the hardest-hit. (Xinhua)

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US sued over health insurance rule for immigrant families

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A lawsuit accused the Trump administration of preventing Americans from bringing their foreign spouses and parents to live with them in the US by requiring those immigrants to prove they can afford health care before they get visas.

Seven US citizens and a nonprofit organization filed the federal lawsuit in Portland, Oregon over the rule that’s set to take effect on Sunday.

The rule is the Trump administration’s latest effort to limit immigrant access to public programs while trying to move the country away from a family-based immigration system and into a merit-based system. (AP)

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DPRK fires 2 unidentified projectiles towards East Sea: ROK

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The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) fired two unidentified projectiles toward the East Sea on Thursday afternoon, Yonhap News Agency reported citing the Republic of Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

The JCS said that the projectiles were launched from the DPRK's western province of South Pyongan toward the eastern waters in the afternoon.

Japan's coast guard said that they appeared to be missiles, and landed outside Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which extends 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) from land. (CGTN)

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China's manufacturing PMI falls in October

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And the purchasing managers' index for China's manufacturing sector fell to 49.3 in October from 49.8 in September.

But an official said production continued to expand and raw material delivery has accelerated.

A reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a reading below reflects contraction. (Xinhua)

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

(Produced by David Nye and Zhan Huilan)