This is People’s Daily Tonight, your news source from China.
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Alibaba appoints Daniel Zhang Yong to succeed Jack Ma
Jack Ma names Alibaba CEO Daniel Zhang as his successor in the 12-month handover plan on Monday in an internal letter.
The letter said starting September 10, 2019, Ma will not serve as Alibaba's chairman of the board.
Zhang joined Alibaba in 2007 and is now Alibaba’s chief executive officer.
Zhang will assume the position of chairman of the board.
The letter said Ma will continue to work with Zhang for a smooth transition.
After September 10, 2019, Ma will continue to serve on the Alibaba Group Board of Directors until the 2020 Alibaba Annual Meeting. (People's Daily app)
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US Vice President Pence: I'd take lie detector test over NYT essay
US Vice President Mike Pence says he'd agree to take a lie detector test "in a heartbeat" to prove he isn't the author of an anti-Trump New York Times opinion piece.
A top Pence aide has already said the vice president didn't write the anonymous piece criticizing President Donald Trump's leadership. Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has said Trump would be justified in using lie detectors to ferret out the anonymous essay writer. Trump hasn't said whether he'd go that far, but Pence says he's willing.
Pence says during a taped "Fox News Sunday" interview: "I would agree to take it in a heartbeat and would submit to any review the administration wanted to do."
Pence adds that he doesn't know the author's identity but repeats that the individual should resign.
Pence says he's "100 percent confident" that no one on his staff was involved with the anonymous New York Times column criticizing President Donald Trump's leadership. (AP)
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S. Korea reports first MERS case in three years
South Korea reported its first case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome in three years.
The country’s health officials said on Saturday that a 61-year-old businessman was diagnosed with the highly contagious viral respiratory illness.
Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said he returned to South Korea Friday from a business trip to Kuwait where he stayed for three weeks.
The center said it has separated 20 people who have come in close contact with the infected person.
They include medical staff, flight attendants and passengers of the plane the man flew back to South Korea on.
He was hospitalized with a fever, and has been quarantined at a university hospital.
It is the first MERS case diagnosed in South Korea since 2015.
That’s when an outbreak killed 38 people and triggered widespread panic. (AFP)
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Hailong 11000 creates new ROV record with 5,600-meter deep sea test
China’s unmanned submersible Hailong 11000 completed its sea test in the northwest Pacific Ocean and mountainous areas on September 1, an official said.
During the scientific expedition, the research vessel Dayang Yihao, or Ocean No. 1, carried the submersible vehicle Hailong 11000, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources.
The remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) completed a 6,000-meter deep test submersible, with a maximum dive depth of 5,630 meters, a record for China's ROV deep dive.
Its underwater working time was up to 13 hours.
The system’s pressure, water tightness and stability were tested.
The Hailong 11000 can support the operations of the 10,000-meter armored optical cable commonly used on the ocean scientific research ship.
The Dayang Yihao is a 5,600-metric-ton vessel meant for research in geophysics, marine chemistry, biology and acoustics. (People's Daily app)
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Death toll of clashes in Libya's Tripoli rises to 78
The death toll from clashes between government forces and armed militias in Libya's capital Tripoli has increased to 78.
The country’s ministry of health said in a statement that the clashes in Tripoli had left 78 dead and 210 injured.
The statement also said 103 injured people have been discharged from hospitals after treatment.
On Thursday, the UN Support Mission in Libya announced that the warring parties signed a UN-sponsored cease-fire agreement to end the clashes, which had displaced more than 1,800 households.
Following the 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime, Libya has been suffering escalating violence, chaos and political division. (Xinhua)
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Chinese airline evacuates stranded passengers after typhoon, quake in Japan
Tianjin Airlines has changed to larger passenger aircraft on its Tokyo-Tianjin air route to evacuate Chinese passengers stranded at Japanese airports in wake of a typhoon and earthquake.
New Chitose Airport, near Sapporo, was closed after a powerful earthquake rocked Hokkaido Prefecture in north Japan Tuesday. Kansai International Airport was also closed as Osaka was hit by a typhoon. Outbound passengers have swarmed to Haneda Airport in Tokyo.
Tianjin Airlines, based in north China's Tianjin Municipality, said it replaced an A320 with larger A330-200 on the Tokyo-Tianjin flight Saturday and Sunday.
From Monday until Sept. 18, an A330-300 plane, the air company's newly added widebody, will be used to fly the route, capable of carrying 303 passengers a time. The adjustment will add an additional 900 seats on return flights from Japan.
During this period, refunds or ticket changes on the route will be free of charge, the company said. (Xinhua)
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Second internet court set up in Beijing
And China opened a second internet court on Sunday to address the rising disputes and problems caused by its ever-growing reliance on cyberspace.
The Beijing Internet Court will mainly handle internet and intellectual property rights cases, such as disputes involving online loans, online shopping contracts and online copyright issues.
One of the judges said litigants can handle their lawsuits entirely online, and are not required to appear in court.
China established its first internet court in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province last year in answer to the burgeoning disputes involving online purchases and financial activities in the area.
Since then, the Hangzhou court has handled more than 11,000 cases, 9,600 of which have been settled.
The average trial lasts 38 days, about half as long as in conventional courts. (China Daily)
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And that’s People’s Daily Tonight. Thanks for joining us.
(Produced by David Nye and Chi Jingyi)