This is People’s Daily Tonight, your news source from China.
Huawei rolls out Plan B amid US pressure
China urged the US to stop its unfair and discriminatory treatment of Chinese firms.
This, following US government moves to ban federal purchases of telecommunications equipment from five Chinese companies amid the protracted China-US trade war.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said the US' move to smear and crack down on specific Chinese firms has seriously tarnished its image.
Huawei said in a statement sent to the Global Times Thursday that it will continue to challenge the constitutionality of the ban in federal court. (Global Times)
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Beijing-Xiongan intercity railway to open in late September
Construction of the Beijing-Xiongan intercity railway (Beijing section) was completed on Friday.
According to the plan, the railway’s Beijing section will open at the end of September after two-month trial operation.
The line is about 34 kilometers long with a designed speed of 250 kilometers per hour. After completion, it will only take about 20 minutes for passengers to get to Daxing International Airport from Beijing West Railway Station.
At the same time, the intercity railway will be connected to the national rail network. (People’s Daily app)
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HK residents cherish peace and order
An opinion poll conducted at a rally held in Hong Kong last weekend showed most participants hoped that the city's police would strengthen law enforcement and restore its peace and order.
PolitiHK Social Strategic said the rally's participants called for stricter law enforcement by the police and an investigation into the protesters' legal liability in the series of anti-extradition bill protests in the past two months.
The results also indicated that the organizers of those violent demonstrations should be held accountable for the damage made to public facilities and pay for the losses incurred. (China Daily)
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Former top FBI official sues over 'political-targeted' firing
Former top FBI official Andrew McCabe, who was dismissed from the agency following a tumultuous relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump, filed a lawsuit on Thursday alleging the termination violated his constitutional rights to free speech and due process.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, urged a judge to order the reinstatement of "his full earned law enforcement pension, healthcare insurance, and other retirement benefits."
McCabe said in the complaint that his firing was "unlawful retaliation for his refusal to pledge allegiance" to Trump.
McCabe was sacked two days before his 50th birthday, when he would have been eligible to retire from the FBI with his full pension. (CGTN)
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UN climate report: Change land use to avoid a hungry future
A new United Nations scientific report says human-caused climate change is dramatically degrading the Earth’s land, and the way people use the land is making global warming worse.
Scientists said if people change the way they eat, grow food and manage forests, it could help save the planet from a far warmer future.
The report was written by more than 100 scientists and unanimously approved by diplomats from nations around the world at a meeting in Geneva. (AP)
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UK economy shrinks for first time since 2012 as Brexit bites
The British economy shrank in the second quarter of the year for the first time in six and a half years largely because Brexit uncertainties weighed heavily on business investment, official figures showed Friday.
The decline, the first since the fourth quarter of 2012, was unexpected.
The Office for National Statistics said the contraction came "at a time of increased volatility around the U.K.'s original planned exit date from the European Union in late March."
Brexit was meant to happen on March 29, but has been delayed to the end of October after Parliament rejected the withdrawal agreement.
The disappointing figure is set to raise alarm that Brexit uncertainty is weighing on the British economy more than anticipated. (AP)
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China's rural per capita disposable income increases 40 times in 70 years
And a report said the per capita disposable income of rural residents was 14,617 yuan in 2018, or 40 times higher than in 1949.
It said the income gap between urban and rural areas has narrowed significantly.
With consumer goods constantly being upgraded, the report added that mobile phones, computers and cars have become more prevalent. (People's Daily app)
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And that’s People’s Daily Tonight. Thanks for joining us.
(Produced by David Nye and Jenny Huang)