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

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Japan rains disaster toll rises to 199: government

The death toll from record-breaking floods in Japan rises to 199.

Japanese media reports say search operations continue, as dozens of people remain missing after Japan’s worst weather-related disaster in over 30 years.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the flood-ravaged region.

He promised that his government would do whatever it could to bring a return to normalcy. (AFP)

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Beijing's life expectancy rises to 82.15 years

The average life expectancy of Beijing residents rose to 82.15 years in 2017.

That’s more than five years higher than the national average.

The main cause of death was chronic non-communicable diseases. Tumors, heart disease and cerebrovascular disease were the top three.

The municipal government plans to promote a health assessment service and provide fitness guidance to residents.  (Xinhua)

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Typhoon Maria makes landfall in east China's Fujian

Typhoon Maria continues to barrel along China's east coast.

This, after making landfall in Fujian Province on Wednesday morning.

China’s eighth typhoon of the year packed winds of up to 160 kilometers per hour when it made landfall in Fujian.

More than 270,000 people had been evacuated from their homes in Wenzhou city, Zhejiang Province.

All schools in the city were closed on Wednesday due to the typhoon. (Xinhua)

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EU interior ministers meet as nations tussle over migrant response

Interior ministers from 28 European nations will meet on Thursday as they face intense pressure to introduce new policies to stem migrant arrivals.

It's their first meeting since Austria took over the helm of the EU.

Although the number of migrants fleeing war and poverty has fallen sharply since 2015, the issue is a thorny one in Europe. (AFP)

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NATO Summit first day overshadowed by tensions between allies

Verbal fireworks welcomed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Brussels.

This, as US President Donald Trump added on to recent tensions between allies and the US.

Trump criticized NATO over burden sharing and foreign influence.

Trump accused Germany of being under the sway of Russian interests.

EU figures show Russia may be responsible for between 50 to 75 percent of Germany's gas imports.

But gas makes up less than 20 percent of Germany's power production mix. (Xinhua)

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Thai cave rescue site to become a museum

Rescuers who pulled a young Thai football team from deep inside a flooded cave were dismantling their worksite.

This, as plans emerged to turn the spot into a museum in tribute to the daring operation.

At least one film production house was already working on a scheme to make a Hollywood treatment out of the heroics of divers, cavers and medics who risked their lives to free the "Wild Boars.” (AFP)

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S. Korea freezes interest rate on worry about US protectionist move

And South Korea's central bank freezes its benchmark interest rate at a near-record low on rising concerns over US protectionist moves that would shrink global trade.

The US Federal Reserve raised its benchmark rate in June to between 1.75 and 2.00 percent.

That widened the gap between the policy rates of South Korea and the US. (Xinhua)

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

(Produced by Davide Nye, Wu Kai and Zhao Dantong)