People's Daily Tonight: Podcast News (12/12/2018 Wed.)

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

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Canadian court grants bail to Huawei CFO

A Canadian court granted bail to Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou, who is being held on an extradition warrant to the United States for allegedly breaking U.S. sanctions on Iran.

Bail was set at $7.5 million. Meng will also be subject to surveillance at her Vancouver home by a combination of security guards and technology as part of the agreement. 

China has condemned the detention and demanded that Canada release Meng. 

Huawei said it complies with all applicable laws and regulations in the countries and regions where it operates. (CGTN&Global Times)

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Mainland extends condolences over death of KMT former vice chairman

The Chinese mainland expressed condolences over the death of Chiang Pin-kung, former vice chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party.

Chiang, who passed away Monday in Taipei, was also the former chairman of the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation and former vice president of the Taiwan-based council of the summit for entrepreneurs across the Taiwan Strait.

Chiang resolutely upheld the 1992 Consensus, opposed "Taiwan independence," and helped promote cross-Strait communication and cooperation, winning praise and respect from people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, said a mainland spokesman. (Xinhua) 

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Trump, Democratic Congress leaders exchange blasts over border wall

US President Donald Trump said he would be "proud to shut down the government for border security" during a heated meeting with Democratic congressional leaders at the White House.

Trump's meeting with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi was meant to prevent a potential government shutdown later this month.

The sticking point is funding for a wall on the US-Mexico border that Trump has promised. (Xinhua)

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Britain's May to face no-confidence vote by lawmakers

British Prime Minister Theresa May will face a no-confidence vote from party lawmakers.

A leadership vote requires at least 48 letters from lawmakers and the threshold has been reached, said a Conservative Party official.

Many lawmakers have been growing angry with May over her handling of Brexit.

If she loses the vote of party legislators, taking place on Wednesday evening, May must step down. If she wins, she cannot be challenged again for a year. (AP) 

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Gunman on run after killing three at Strasbourg Christmas market

A gunman killed at least three people and wounded a dozen of others at the famed Christmas market in the French city of Strasbourg on Tuesday before fleeing the scene.

Soldiers patrolling the area as part of regular anti-terror operations exchanged fire with the suspect and wounded him, but could not stop him from escaping.

France has raised its security alert level to "emergency attack" with "the implementation of reinforced border controls and tightened controls on all Christmas markets in France to avoid the risk of a copycat" attack. (AFP)

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Koreas verify removal of frontline bunkers

The Republic of Korea (ROK) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) began a process to verify the dismantlement of guard posts in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) Wednesday, Seoul said.

DPRK blew up the 10 facilities while the ROK tore down 10 on its own side. The removal work was one of the steps agreed at a inter-Korean summit in September. 

The verification will check if all weapons and troops were pulled out and whether all underground facilities are disarmed. This marks the first time since the division that the soldiers of the North and South are peacefully crossing the military demarcation line, said Seoul's defense ministry. (AFP&CGTN)

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Development zones get big push from govt

And reports say that over the next three years, China's central government will invest $1.45 billion through a special fund to support the development of 200 economic development zones.

An action plan says 600 "little giants" or industrial leaders will be cultivated in three years.

China says "little giants" are companies with an annual revenue of 100 to 400 million yuan and annual profit growth of at least 10 percent.

The plan aims to implement the central government's decision, create better conditions and boost new development for small and medium-sized enterprises. (China Daily)

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

(Produced by David Nye, Chen Lidan and Wang Xiangyu)