People's Daily Tonight: Podcast News (3/20/2018 Tue.)

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

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China's national legislature holds closing meeting

The first session of China’s 13th National People's Congress has come to a close. President Xi Jinping and NPC Standing Committee Chairman Li Zhanshu addressed the meeting. Lawmakers passed a supervision law and draft resolutions on the government work report, and work reports of the 12th NPC Standing Committee, the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate.

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Ex-French President Nicolas Sarkozy in police custody over campaign financing

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy is in police custody over alleged election campaign financing irregularities.Sarkozy allegedly received millions of euros in illegal financing from the regime of the late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.

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Xi calls for more efforts in building China into a 'great modern socialist country'

Chinese President Xi Jinping calls for more efforts to building China into a great modern socialist country. He made the remarks at the closing meeting of the first session of the 13th National People's Congress. Xi says there’s a need for more energy and concrete measures in deepening reform in all areas, expanding opening up, applying a new vision of development, promoting high-quality economic development and developing a modernized economy so as to better demonstrate the vitality of the socialist market economy.

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China to strengthen inclusive finance in rural areas

China will make rural areas the key focus in developing inclusive financing. A document says the growth of inclusive loans to farmers and small and micro agricultural businesses should be no slower than the average lending growth. It adds that by the end of the year, townships without banking institutions and villages without basic financial services should be cut by over one-third.

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S. Korea, US to launch joint military exercises from April 1: Seoul

US and South Korean forces will hold joint military exercises on April 1. Codenamed Key Resolve and Foal Eagle, South Korea says the drills will be similar in scale to last year’s.

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World's last male northern white rhino, Sudan, dies

The world's last male northern white rhino, Sudan, has died following age-related complications. A statement from the conservancy in Kenya said the 45-year-old rhino was euthanized on Monday after his condition worsened significantly. His muscles and bones had degenerated and his skin had extensive wounds, with a deep infection on his back right leg.

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G20 ministerial meeting opens in Buenos Aires

And the first G20 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors has begun in Buenos Aires. The summit brings together 22 finance ministers, 17 central bank governors and 10 heads of international organizations. These include IMF Director-General Christine Lagarde and UN Development Programme Administrator Achim Steiner.

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

(Produced by David Nye, Qu Qiuyan and Liang Peiyu)