This is People's Daily Tonight, your news source from China.
Turkey blocked from F-35 program for accepting Russian S-400: White House
The White House confirmed that Turkey's purchase of Russian S-400 air defense systems has led to the termination of Ankara's involvement with the F-35 program.
The statement noted the F-35 jets cannot coexist with S-400 systems, arguing that its intelligence collection platform would be used to learn about the advanced capabilities of F-35 stealth fighters.
In December 2017, Ankara and Moscow signed a 2.5-billion-dollar agreement for two batteries of the S-400 system.
Turkey began taking the delivery of the S-400 system on Friday. (Xinhua)
_____________
Multiple dead, dozens injured after man sets fire to Kyoto anime studio
A fire at an animation studio in the city of Kyoto, western Japan, has left multiple dead and dozens of people injured, several of them unconscious, local police and rescuers said Thursday.
The fire started at around 10:30 a.m. local time on Thursday at a three-story studio of Kyoto Animation Co., known for producing popular TV animation series and artifacts.
The man believed to have set the fire, apparently in his 40s, was among the injured and has been taken to a hospital. (People’s Daily app)
_____________
Ebola outbreak in Congo declared a global health emergency
The deadly Ebola outbreak in Congo is now an international health emergency.
The World Health Organization made the announcement after a case was confirmed in a city of 2 million people.
The declaration comes days after a single case was confirmed in Goma.
That’s a major regional crossroads in northeastern Congo on the Rwandan border with an international airport.
The WHO estimates that “hundreds of millions” of dollars would be needed to stop the epidemic. (AP)
_____________
Beijing's GDP up 6.3% in H1
The Chinese capital's GDP reached more than 1.52 trillion yuan ($221 million) in the first half of this year, up 6.3 percent year on year, according to a press release by the Beijing municipal statistics bureau on Wednesday.
Total volume of consumption in the city reached more than 1.29 trillion yuan in the first half of the year, up 8.2 percent year on year. Consumption in the service sector reached 728 billion yuan, contributing 70 percent to the city's total consumption growth.
Beijing's investment in fixed assets (excluding rural households) increased by 14.7 percent over the same period last year.
Investments in industries that are in line with the city's capital functions reported fast growth, with those in cultural, sports and entertainment industries up 95.1 percent year on year. (Xinhua)
_____________
French prosecutors want Air France tried for 2009 Rio crash
A judicial official says French prosecutors want Air France to stand trial for manslaughter in the 2009 crash of a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris that killed all 228 people aboard.
Air France Flight 447 left Rio de Janeiro for Paris but crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on June 1, 2009.
The Accident Investigation Bureau found that external speed sensors were frozen and produced irregular readings on the aircraft, which went into an aerodynamic stall.
The captain also wasn’t in the cockpit. (AP)
_____________
China allocates disaster relief supplies to flood-hit Hunan
China's disaster relief authorities have dispatched a second batch of supplies to areas hit by floods and rainstorms in Central China's Hunan Province.
A total of 8,000 folding beds, 8,000 sets of folding tables and chairs, and 5,000 quilts were allocated by the Ministry of Emergency Management and National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration, to support local government's relief work, the ministry said Wednesday.
The Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters earlier launched an emergency response as Hunan has been suffering from severe rainstorms and floods.
The first batch of supplies included 1,000 tents, 10,000 quilts, 5,000 folding beds, as well as 6,000 sets of folding tables and chairs. (Xinhua)
_____________
World heritage grottoes closed again due to heavy rain
And The Mogao Grottoes, a renowned UNESCO World Heritage site in northwest China's Gansu Province, was temporarily closed to tourists on Wednesday due to heavy rain.
The cliff of the grottoes has seen sporadic debris fall down and the site was closed to tourists for safety reasons.
The Mogao Grottoes are home to collections of Buddhist artwork of more than 2,000 colored sculptures and 45,000 square meters of murals -- in 735 caves carved along a cliff. (Xinhua)
_____________
And that's People's Daily Tonight. Thanks for joining us.
(Produced by David Nye, Jenny Huang and Wang Xiangyu)