People's Daily Tonight: Podcast News (8/10/2018, Fri.)
People's Daily
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This is People’s Daily Tonight, your news source from China.  

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China's Red Cross Society donates 100,000 USD to fire-stricken Greeks

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The Red Cross Society of China on Thursday donated 100,000 US dollars to the Greek Red Cross to support relief efforts for fire-stricken Greeks. 

The fire on July 23 has killed at least 93 people and injured dozens in addition to property losses, according to the latest official data.

The Chinese community in Greece also mobilized quickly to offer help to the fire-stricken areas. Chinese nationals living across Greece collected clothes, shoes, personal care items, food products, money and donated blood for the injured. (Xinhua)

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New US sanctions may nullify outcome of Putin-Trump summit

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Moscow criticized new US sanctions on Russia and vowed retaliation on Thursday in a fresh round of spats that could smother a glimmer of hope from a recent Putin-Trump meeting that bilateral ties may improve.

The US decision to slap new sanctions on Russia is an unfriendly move and inconsistent with the constructive atmosphere created after the Putin-Trump meeting last month, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

The US State Department said Wednesday that Washington will impose new sanctions on Russia over the alleged poison attack on ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the British city of Salisbury in March.

Western countries claim the pair were exposed to a nerve agent and hold Russia responsible, while the Russian government has repeatedly denied any involvement in the case and demanded direct participation in the investigation. (Xinhua)

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IMF: Tariffs will have little effect on trade imbalances

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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned the US that its tariffs are undermining the global trading system. The IMF said Washington's duties would force other countries to retaliate, and they would ultimately damage the US economy.

The IMF said these measures are likely to move the globe further away from an open, fair and rules-based trade system, with adverse effects for both the US economy and its trading partners. (CGTN)

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Turkish lira hits record low against USD

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The Turkish lira on early Friday hit an all-time low of 6.30 against the US dollar, a day after a deadlock in bilateral talks in Washington which aimed to resolve political crisis between Turkey and the United States.

The Turkish lira has fallen more than 10 percent since last week after the US slapped sanctions against two Turkish ministers whom Washington accused of playing role in detention of American Pastor Andrew Brunson.

Talks between Turkish and US delegations failed on Tuesday, triggering the lira rapid weakening to new record low against the US dollar.

Turkish President on Thursday has dismissed concerns over the tumbling lira and called on his nation to "have no worries." (Xinhua)

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New Zealand to ban single-use plastic bags

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New Zealand became the latest country Friday to outlaw single-use plastic shopping bags, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern saying they will be phased out over the next year as a "meaningful step" towards reducing pollution.

Single-use plastic bags are among the most common items found in coastal litter in New Zealand and the environmental group Greenpeace welcomed the decision to outlaw them. (AFP)

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Asteroid named after Tianjin University

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An asteroid has been named after China's Tianjin University, with approval from the Minor Planet Center of the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

Asteroid Tianjindaxue (Tianjin University), coded 8917, was discovered in March 1996 by astronomers with the Beijing Schmidt CCD Asteroid Program at the Xinglong observatory in north China, according to a recent IAU communique.

With a diameter of 37.122 km, the asteroid orbits in an asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Its orbital period is 6.28 years. (Xinhua)

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Hubei to invest RMB 1.3 trln for green dev. in Yangtze River economic belt

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Central China's Hubei Province will invest a total of 1.3 trillion yuan ($190.2 billion) to promote green development in the Yangtze River economic belt, according to local provincial government on Wednesday.

Hubei will accelerate the development of green industries, promote construction of green livable towns, vigorously develop green finance, and support the development of green trading platforms. 

Meanwhile, it will promote tourism development along the Yangtze River in the Province and strive to build itself into a core area for tourism in the Yangtze River economic belt. (Xinhua)

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

(Produced by He Jieqiong and Wu Kai)