This is People’s Daily Tonight, your news source from China.
_____
China's central bank skips open market operations for 24 days
China’s central bank, the People's Bank of China, suspended open market operations on Wednesday.
This, over what it called increased liquidity from greater expenditure at the end of the month.
It was the 24th consecutive working day for the central bank to skip open market operations.
That’s a record since early 2016 when the bank announced an increased frequency of open market operations.
No reverse repos will mature this week.
A reverse repo is a process by which the central bank purchases securities from commercial banks through bidding, with an agreement to sell them back in the future. (Xinhua)
_____
Residents from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan entitled to public employment services in Beijing
Residents from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan will be integrated into the public employment and entrepreneurship management service system in Beijing, the Beijing Business Daily reported Tuesday.
The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security released a notice regarding public employment and entrepreneurship services in the city.
Starting from December 1, residents from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan seeking employment or to start businesses in Beijing are eligible for services such as employment and entrepreneurship policy consultation, career pairing, career introductions and business guidance from public employment service agencies at all levels, the notice said.
In accordance with the local regulations Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents can apply for unemployment benefits from the nearest community social security agency with valid identity documentation. (People’s Daily app)
_____
5.9-magnitude quake strikes off Japan's Aomori Prefecture, sea level changes may be observed
An intensity 5.9 earthquake struck off the east coast of Japan's northern Aomori Prefecture.
There have been no reports of major damage or injuries, although Japan said "there may be slight sea-level changes in coastal regions.”
Japan's nuclear watchdog has not, thus far, reported any abnormalities at any of its nuclear plants in the affected areas.
The quake struck just before noon local time. (Xinhua)
_____
Lion Air jet should have been grounded before fatal flight, Indonesia says
A Lion Air jet that crashed last month should have been grounded over a recurrent technical problem and never permitted to make the fatal flight, Indonesian authorities said Wednesday in a report that took aim at the carrier's poor safety culture.
The Boeing 737 MAX vanished from radar about 13 minutes after taking off from Jakarta on October 29, slamming into the Java Sea moments after it had asked to return to the capital.
The preliminary crash report from Indonesia's transport safety agency did not pinpoint a definitive cause of the accident, which killed all 189 people on board, with a final report not likely to be filed until next year.
But investigators said that Lion Air kept putting the plane back into service despite repeatedly failing to fix a problem with the airspeed indicator in the days leading up to the fatal flight.
The findings will heighten concerns there were problems with key systems in one of the world's newest and most advanced commercial passenger planes. (AFP)
_____
Trump administration to appeal judge's order blocking asylum ban
The Trump administration said it would appeal a federal judge's order halting a presidential proclamation that prevents certain immigrants from seeking asylum.
The US Department of Justice filed a notice Tuesday that indicated it would appeal the order from the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals. It also asked the judge to stay his order pending the appeal.
Earlier this month, Judge Jon Tigar of the US District Court for the Northern District of California sided with opponents of President Donald Trump's measure prohibiting immigrants who cross the southern border illegally from claiming asylum. (Xinhua)
_____
Tencent ties up with Line in mobile payment services
Tencent Holdings has joined with Tokyo-based social app Line to offer mobile payment services for local small retailers which will appeal to the recent influx of Chinese tourists.
Line Pay and WeChat Pay will offer an integrated system for local small and medium sized merchants so that shoppers can pay through their mobile phones, according to a joint statement on Tuesday.
Business owners will be able to charge from both Line and WeChat users through one unified barcode.
Line says it aims to improve efficiency as well as help small stores that have struggled to tap into the Chinese tourism boom.
According to Japanese government data about 7.35 million Chinese visited Japan last year, triple the number from three years earlier. (Shine.cn)
_____
Investigators think car explosion triggered blast that killed 22 in Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province
And a vehicle waiting at the entrance of a Hebei chemical plant exploded, igniting the surrounding vehicles, and leading to the deaths of 22 people.
A government safety employee said that evidence including the identities of drivers of these vehicles and the identities of all casualties are being verified.
The specific cause of the explosion has yet to be found. Experts are on the way to conduct onsite investigations and there has not been a second explosion. (People's Daily app)
_____
And that’s People’s Daily Tonight. Thanks for joining us.
(Produced by David Nye and Zhan Huilan)