This is People's Daily Tonight, your news source from China.
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US budget deficit widens to 747 bln USD in 9 months of fiscal year
The U.S. federal budget deficit reached 747 billion dollars in the first nine months of the current fiscal year.
The Treasury department said that's up by 23 percent from the previous year.
The top three outlays from October to June were 780 billion dollars for social security, 512 billion dollars for national defense, and 485 billion dollars for medicare.
The deficit is expected to reach a trillion dollars in the next fiscal year. (Xinhua)
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Search intensifies for Zhejiang girl abducted by tenants
A 9-year-old girl taken from her home in a rural part of Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, on July 4 is still missing despite two days of searches organized by the authorities.
The girl was said to be removed from her home by a man and a woman who were later found dead in a lake in Ningbo, Zhejiang.
Authorities in Ningbo arranged about 300 people to search the sea and mountains where the girl, Zhang Zixin, was last seen with the two suspects in surveillance camera footage at around 7 pm on Sunday.
Also searched was a toll gate 2 kilometers away, where the two were spotted by another camera three hours later without the girl.
The girl's ID card was found in a seaside pavilion on Wednesday evening. (China Daily)
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China seeks public opinions on draft revision of defaulter blacklist regulations
China's State Administration for Market Regulation has released a draft revision of regulations on the blacklist of defaulters in commercial activities on its website for public opinions.
The draft revision was introduced to improve market regulation based on a well-established business credit system.
Under the revised system, supervision of market activities associated with drugs, food, special purpose equipment and other areas vital to people's lives and health will be given priority.
The blacklist will be expanded from enterprises to self-employed business-people, social organizations, individuals who hold direct accountability for the wrongdoings in the blacklisted entities, and other market participants. (Xinhua)
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Ukrainian parliament ratifies free trade agreement with Israel
Ukrainian parliament ratified the international agreement on a free trade zone between Ukraine and Israel, information on the official parliament's website showed on Thursday.
On January 21, Ukraine and Israel signed the FTA agreement. Israel cancels about 80 percent of import duties for Ukrainian industrial goods and more than 9 percent for agricultural products. At the same time, Ukraine drops about 70 percent of import duties on Israeli industrial products and more than 6 percent for agricultural goods.
The agreement will give the green light for cooperation between the two countries in high-tech, engineering, food processing equipment and other industries.
The agreement should enter into force 60 days after ratification by the Parliament of Ukraine and the Israeli Knesset. (Xinhua)
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Turbulence injures dozens on Air Canada flight to Australia
Intense turbulence struck an Air Canada flight to Australia on Thursday.
It sent unbuckled passengers flying into the ceiling, and forced the plane to land in Hawaii.
Of the 37 passengers and flight crew members injured, nine had serious injuries.
The turbulence happened at 36,000 feet about 600 miles southwest of Honolulu.
The Boeing 777-200 was carrying 269 passengers and 15 crew members. (AP)
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Int'l workshop held to enhance cooperation on Third Pole environment study
A workshop with 40 world scientists opened in Beijing Thursday to enhance global study of Third Pole environmental changes.
The Third Pole is a high-altitude region covering the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and surrounding areas. It stores more snow and glaciers than anywhere else in the world after the North and South poles.
Recent studies have found rapidly rising temperatures, accelerated glacier melting and imbalanced water storage in the region, affecting the livelihoods of millions of people.
The workshop focused on water resources, ecosystems and human activities in the region. (Xinhua)
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Green, efficient shipping reforms planned to lift maritime sector
And China said it will build a green and efficient shipping system to achieve high quality development of the maritime sector.
Due to its huge freight volumes and low transport fees, the shipping sector serves as the main transport method of international trade.
A proclamation was also issued by the Transport, Foreign Affairs and Natural Resources ministries and other government agencies to call on maritime-related workers and professionals to work together in advancing the interconnectivity, high-level openness and high quality development of the maritime Silk Road in the New Era. (China Daily)
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And that's People's Daily Tonight. Thanks for joining us.
(Produced by David Nye and Bai Yuanqi)