This is People's Daily Tonight, your news source from China.
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China cuts market access barriers nationwide
China took further steps in opening up its market to domestic and overseas investors Tuesday by rolling out nationwide a shorter negative list for market access.
The latest version of the negative list for market access consists 151 items and 581 specific rules, down by 177 and 288 respectively compared with the previous version.
The negative list outlines sectors, fields and businesses off-limits for investors. Industries not on the list are open for investment to all market players.
China started to pilot the negative-list approach in 2016 in the country's four provincial regions with free trade zones. The pilot practice was extended to another 11 provincial regions in 2017.
The country's top economic planner said the negative-list approach will help the market play the decisive role in allocating resources and enable a level playing field for all market players. (Xinhua)
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Somber Christmas, prayers in tsunami-hit Indonesian region
The Christmas holiday was somber with prayers for tsunami victims in the Indonesian region hit by waves that struck without warning Saturday night.
Markus Taekz said his Rahmat Pentecostal Church in the hard-hit area of Carita did not celebrate with joyous music.
Instead, he said only about 100 people showed up for the Christmas Eve service, usually attended by double that number, because many people had left the area for the capital, Jakarta, or other areas away from the disaster zone.
Church leaders called on Christians across Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, to pray for victims of the tsunami. (AP)
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Chinese courts conclude over 2,800 cases of woman, child trafficking in 3 years
Chinese courts concluded 2,806 cases of abducting and trafficking women and children between 2015 and 2018, the Supreme People's Court (SPC) said Tuesday.
People involved in 403 cases of abducting children and those buying abducted women or children in 288 separate cases received penalties in the past three years, said the SPC.
During the same period, judges nationwide meted out sentences for 75,204 rape cases, and 9,889 cases of acting indecently against other adults in a forcible manner. Meanwhile, offenders in 11,519 cases were punished for indecency with children between 2015 and 2018. (Xinhua)
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Mexico: Helicopter crash claims Puebla governor, ex-governor
A husband-and-wife political power couple who were the current and ex-governors of the central state of Puebla died Christmas Eve in a helicopter crash, Mexican officials reported.
Mexican president expressed his "deepest condolences" via Twitter to the family of Gov. Martha Erika Alonso and ex-Gov. Rafael Moreno Valle on Monday evening. He added that authorities would investigate the cause of the crash.
Alonso took office as governor less than two weeks ago. Moreno Valle governed the central state from 2011 to 2017 and was currently a federal senator.
The Reforma newspaper reported that the helicopter took off from Puebla's eponymous capital city and crashed in Huejotzingo, about 20 miles away. (AP)
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China’s branch-line jet airliner ARJ21 conducts first manned cross-water flight
On December 25, the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) and the HNA Group jointly held a demonstration flight of China’s domestic jet airliner ARJ21-700 in Haikou, the capital city of South China’s Hainan Province. This is the first manned cross-water demonstration flight of the ARJ21-700 aircraft.
The event demonstrated the adaptability of the ARJ21 aircraft in tropical maritime climate and is such an important measure for COMAC and the HNA Group to explore the domestic commercial aircraft market.
It is reported that the HNA Group will take Urumqi Air as the main operating body of ARJ21, giving full play of the adaptability of ARJ21 aircraft under different climatic conditions and expanding the scope of operation. (People’s Daily app)
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At least 43 killed in Kabul govt compound attack
An hours-long gun and suicide attack on a Kabul government compound killed at least 43 people, the health ministry said Tuesday, making it one of the deadliest assaults on the Afghan capital this year.
No militant group has claimed responsibility for the raid, which caps a bloody year for Afghanistan as long-suffering civilians and security forces are slaughtered in record numbers.
Another 10 people were wounded in Monday's massacre on a site where the Ministry of Public Works and an office that handles pensions and benefits for war veterans are located, the spokesman said. (AFP)
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Chinese Santa Claus storms the internet
"We wish you a merry Christmas" with pictures of Elvis Tsui seems to be the latest trend among Chinese netizens during this year's Christmas.
Born in 1961, Hong Kong veteran actor Elvis Tsui has become the latest internet icon thanks to the classic character he played in the 1992 comedy movie Royal Tramp, where he looked a little bit similar to Santa Claus, with a red hat and white beard.
Reputed as China's Santa Claus, Elvis Tsui has been frequently searched on Dec 24 on Weibo, China's answer to Twitter, and his images have been adapted into micro videos, gifs and emojis. Some clever business minds have produced tailor-made products on China's e-commerce platform Taobao.
On Dec 25, the film's image of Tsui has already been added into Weibo emoji list for users to choose from. (China Daily)
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And that's People's Daily Tonight. Thanks for joining us.
(Produced by Zhan Huilan)