People's Daily Tonight: Podcast News (3/15/2018 Thu.)

This is People's Daily Tonight, your news source from China. 

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Top political advisory body concludes annual session

The first session of China's top political advisory body comes to a close.

Political advisers passed a work report of the Standing Committee of the 12th CPPCC National Committee, a resolution on an amendment to the CPPCC charter, a report on the examination of proposals and a political resolution on the first session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee.

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Mass production of driverless mini-buses to be initiated in 2018: CEO of Baidu

Li Yanhong, the chairman and CEO of Baidu, says it will take eight to 10 years before driverless vehicles can be mass produced.

But he says a driver-less mini-bus will be manufactured on a limited scale this year.

He adds that driverless vehicles tests will be conducted step by step from a relatively restricted area, before moving to the open road.

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2 killed after Navy F-18 crashes in US state of Florida

Two crew members killed after an F-18 jet crashes near Key West, Florida.

The jet experienced a mishap as it approached the Boca Chica Field.

Eyewitnesses say the aircraft erupted into fire before dropping from the sky.

Photos taken at the site show the aircraft crashed upside down into shallow waters.

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School safety bill passes US House: No action on gun control

The US House of Representatives approves spending more money on metal detectors, locks and other school security measures.

However, it did nothing to tighten gun control laws.

No parallel measure was pending in the Senate, where a somewhat more ambitious bill was being debated.

Gun industry lobbyists continue to offer stiff resistance to any meaningful changes in US gun control laws.

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Peking University's 'celebrity' professor resigned

Peking University's so-called celebrity professor resigns over personal planning concerns.

Xue Zhaofeng is best known in China for his economics class at one of China's largest online paid knowledge-sharing platforms.

He had attracted hundreds of thousands, with each subscriber paying $30 a year. 

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'No-hassle' return policy to apply in China's physical stores

The China Consumers Association (CCA) launches a nationwide campaign to encourage enterprises' commitment to a "no-hassle" return policy.

The China's Consumer Protection Act states that "no-hassle" return within seven days applies to all online shopping activities rather than brick-and-mortar shopping.

CCA enacted a similar regulation for physical stores to protect consumers' rights and bring into full play the exemplary role of major enterprises.

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Ex-S.Korean president Lee Myung-bak questioned on corruption allegations

And former South Korean president Lee Myung-bak undergoes more than 21 hours of questioning for corruption allegations.

The questions focused on whether Lee was aware of the illegal funds and whether he is the secret owner of his brother's auto company.

Prosecutors believe that Lee holds more than 80 percent of the company's shares under borrowed names.

They also believe he is responsible for using funds from the country’s main spy agency for personal purposes through dummies.

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

(Produced by David Nye, Han Xiaomeng and Liang Peiyu)