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

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Chinese president leaves for APEC meeting, visits to Papua New Guinea, Brunei, Philippines

President Xi Jinping left Beijing Thursday for state visits to Papua New Guinea, Brunei and the Philippines, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting in Port Moresby.

During Xi's stay in Papua New Guinea, he will also meet with leaders from Pacific island countries that have established diplomatic ties with China.

Xi was invited to visit the three countries by Papua New Guinea Governor-General Bob Dadae and Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill, Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.

He was invited to attend the APEC meeting by O'Neill. (Xinhua)

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Beijing cracks down on trademark infringement cases involving 14 mln USD

Beijing has cracked down on 2,334 trademark infringement and fake commodity production cases and confiscated over 102 million yuan (about $14.67 million) so far this year, local authorities said Wednesday.

According to the Beijing Administration for Industry and Commerce, 237 cases that infringed the trademarks of companies including Apple, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Royal Dutch Shell have been investigated and punished.

A Beijing-based company was slapped with a fine of over 55.87 million yuan for illegally using the trademark of Japanese footwear company Onitsuka Tiger, which is the biggest trademark infringement case in Beijing in the past 20 years, the sources said.

Recently, Beijing has been deepening law enforcement cooperation in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region to crack down harder on online copyright infringement and to strengthen protection of the exclusive use of foreign trademarks. (Xinhua)

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Trump aide departs West Wing after rebuke from first lady

Deputy US national security adviser Mira Ricardel is leaving the White House, one day after first lady Melania Trump’s office issued an extraordinary statement calling for her dismissal.

No replacement was named.

Aides said Ricardel clashed with the first lady’s staff over her visit to Africa last month.

Yet it is highly unusual for a first lady or her office to weigh in on personnel matters, especially the president’s national security staff.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Ricardel will have a new role in the administration.

President Donald Trump’s White House has set records for administration turnover.

Ricardel was the third person to hold the post under Trump. (AP)

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S.Korean students take all-important college entrance exam

South Korean students on Thursday took an annual college entrance exam, seen as an all-important test in the education-obsessed country.

The College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), which started from 8:40 am local time, would run through 5:40 pm at 1,190 test sites nationwide, according to the education ministry.

This year, a total of 594,924 high school students and graduates registered to take the nine-hour exam, which is believed here to determine their course of life and future professions.

The score a student earns from the test is a key decider of college entrance. In South Korean society, graduating from a prestigious university is crucial in obtaining a successful job.

The government took measures to control traffic and reschedule the morning rush hour to help students arrive on time at the test sites.

The CSAT consists of five sections, including the Korean language, mathematics, English, the Korean history and natural sciences and the second foreign language and Chinese character. (Xinhua)

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Chinese premier calls for strong 'finishing kick' of RCEP talks

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang called on parties involved in talks on a new Asia-Pacific free trade pact to keep up with their efforts so as to clinch the deal next year.

He said talks on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership have reached the final stage.

He said that once the deal is reached, it would boost trade and investment, promote regional economic integration and benefit the people of all participating countries.

Leaders at the meeting expressed a strong will to reach the deal as soon as possible, which will send a strong signal on preserving multilateralism and free trade, and to boost economic growth and globalization. (Xinhua)

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Thailand grants free visas-on-arrival to stimulate tourism

Thailand announced free visas-on-arrival to visitors from 21 countries and regions, including China, in an effort to stimulate tourism.

From November 15 to January 13 next year, visitors from 21 countries and regions including Chinese mainland and Taiwan will no longer need to pay the 2,000-baht (nearly $61 or ￥422) visa-on-arrival fee.

Visitors only need to bring their passport with a validity period of no less than six months, 10,000 baht in cash or foreign currencies of equivalent value for an individual and 20,000 for a family, a standard ID picture with a white background, round-trip ticket and a hotel booking within 15 days, according to a notice issued by the Thai government.

Thai Tourism Minister said earlier that the strategy is one of the ways to lure Chinese tourists.

China is the largest tourist source of Thailand. Last year, more than 9.8 million Chinese visited the country, generating about 524.4 billion baht, according to the country's Ministry of Sports and Tourism.

However, the number of Chinese mainland tourist arrivals has been declining since August after two tourist boats overturned in storms in southern Thailand's Phuket in early July, which resulted in the death of 47 Chinese tourists, according to the Xinhua News Agency. (People's Daily app)

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May wins Cabinet backing for Brexit deal but pitfalls remain

And British Prime Minister Theresa May persuaded her Cabinet to back a draft divorce agreement with the European Union. 

It’s a decision that triggers the final steps on the long and rocky road to Brexit.

But she still faces pitfalls and threats from her domestic opponents as she tries to navigate the UK’s orderly exit from the EU.

May hailed the Cabinet decision as a “decisive step” toward finalizing the exit deal with the EU within days.

It sets in motion an elaborate diplomatic choreography of statements and meetings. (AP)

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

(Produced by David Nye and Zhan Huilan)