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

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China, ROK to strengthen alignment of Belt and Road cooperation

A top Chinese legislator said China and the Republic of Korea should strengthen alignment of the Belt and Road cooperation and jointly safeguard multilateralism and the free trade system.

Hailing the success of last month’s Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, Li Zhanshu said the principles, concepts and goals for high-quality Belt and Road development as well as a series of major reform and opening-up measures that have been announced will bring more opportunities to countries around the world.

He added that China stands ready to maintain and strengthen communication with the Republic of Korea at different levels and in various fields.(Xinhua)

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China's central bank injects liquidity into market in April

China's central bank continued to pump cash into the money market in April to meet the demand for liquidity from financial institutions.

Nearly 200 billion yuan was injected into the market via the medium-term lending facility last month.

The move will maintain liquidity in the banking system at a reasonably sufficient level, said the People's Bank of China.

The funds will mature in one year at an interest rate of 3.3 percent.

The tool was introduced in 2014 to help commercial and policy banks maintain liquidity by allowing them to borrow from the central bank using securities as collateral.

The central bank has adopted open market operations more frequently to manage liquidity in a more flexible and targeted manner. (Xinhua)

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3 killed, 18 injured in blast in Pakistan's Lahore

At least three people were killed and 18 others injured on Wednesday from an explosion outside a shrine in the Pakistan city of Lahore.

The blast hit the vehicle of police commandoes at a famous shrine in the Punjab provincial capital.

Local media reported that it was a suicide attack, but  there has been no official confirmation. 

No group has claimed responsibility. (Xinhua)

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Niger to hold 3 days of mourning for 60 killed in tanker truck blast

Niger will from Wednesday observe three days of mourning for 60 people who were killed in a tanker truck explosion in the capital Niamey.

The days will pay tribute "to the memory of the victims of the tragic accident" that occurred early Monday as crowds had gathered around the overturned truck to collect spilt fuel.

According to witnesses, one biker failed to switch off his engine, causing a spark that ignited the 50,000 litres of fuel.

The driver of the tanker truck has told investigators that an electrical failure caused him to lose control of the vehicle and its brakes. (AFP)

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White House launches new uphill bid to overhaul immigration

Reviving a deeply contentious issue that has stymied both Congress and the administration, the White House launched a new bid to overhaul a legal immigration system that President Donald Trump has long railed against.

Trump invited a dozen Republican senators to the White House to preview the plan spearheaded by senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner.

The plan does not address temporary visa categories, including for laborers.

But the same number of immigrants would be permitted to enter the country, though their composition would change. (AP)

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China's digital economy reaches $4.64t in 2018

China's digital economy generated 34.8 percent of gross domestic product last year, reaching 31.3 trillion yuan, as the country continues to improve its informationization development.

The report said China had 829 million internet users, with internet penetration rate of 59.6 percent by the end of 2018.

In the same period, internet users in rural areas rose to 222 million, with 38.4 percent internet penetration rate, the latter figure increasing by three percentage points compared with 2017, the report said. (China Daily)

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Beijing to record unpaid parking tickets into personal credit system

And Beijing plans to include unpaid parking in the personal credit system.

Reports said the current roadside electronic parking toll system in Beijing has been connected to the city’s traffic control system, which sends parking ticket messages to people in real time.

Three of the city’s districts use the electronic parking payment system. (People's Daily app)

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

(Produced by David Nye and Bai Yuanqi)