Fresh Start: Podcast News (12/12/2018 Wed.)
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Welcome to Fresh Start.

This is People’s Daily app.

Here are today’s picks from our editors.

Book of Xi's remarks on Belt and Road Initiative published

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A compilation of remarks by President Xi Jinping on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) over the past five years has been published by the Central Party Literature Press.

The book contains 42 articles drawn from speeches and public remarks made by Xi, beginning with a speech he delivered at Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan, in September 2013 calling for jointly building the Silk Road Economic Belt, and ending with the one he delivered at the opening ceremony of the 8th Ministerial Meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum in July 2018.

The book, with about 130,000 Chinese characters, was compiled by the Institute of Party History and Literature of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

The book will be available nationwide from Tuesday. (Xinhua)

Wang Yi: China will not allow rights of its citizens to be harmed

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday that the safety and security of every Chinese citizen overseas is a concern for China.

"For any bullying behavior that infringes on the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens, China will never sit idly by and will spare no effort to safeguard the legitimate rights of Chinese citizens and the justice of the world," Wang added.

Wang made the remarks at the 2018 Symposium on International Development and China's Diplomacy in Beijing on Tuesday.

On Sino-US relations, Wang said the ups and downs of the Sino-US bilateral ties over the past 40 years have indicated that cooperation is beneficial to both sides, while confrontation is harmful to both sides as well. (CGTN)

India's rupee slides as central bank chief quits

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India's rupee plunged on Tuesday after the country's central bank chief quit following a dispute with the government that analysts say raises fears about its independence.

Urjit Patel stood down as governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Monday evening following months of tensions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government over interference in policy.

Patel cited "personal reasons" for his decision but experts and media reports have said he was annoyed by New Delhi's repeated efforts to impose its influence.

The rupee sank more than one percent against the dollar, with speculation swirling that an RBI intervention kept it from falling further. (AFP)

Changsheng Bio-technology receives advance notice of mandatory delisting

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Changsheng Bio-technology, a major Chinese vaccine maker, has received advance notice of a mandatory delisting from the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, the company announced on Tuesday.

According to the advance notice, authorities have revoked the pharmaceutical production license and imposed a fine of more than 9.1 billion yuan ($1.32 billion) on its major subsidiary Changchun Changsheng Life Sciences Limited for the illegal production of vaccines.

The illegal acts have severely damaged national and public interests, the advance notice said.

Changsheng Bio-technology can submit written materials or apply for a hearing to appeal against the stock exchange's decision. (Xinhua)

China to adopt new kilogram definition from May 2019

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China will adopt the new definition of the kilogram from May 20 next year, embracing a weight change in the international system of units for the development of next-level measurement.

"The redefinition will enable physics, chemistry, and biology to gauge at the extreme level and revolutionize the industry of instruments and meters," Xie Jun, an official with the State Administration for Market Regulation told a news conference Tuesday.

Though the change will not have a visible impact on people's daily lives, it is a game-changer for things like nuclear reactors, spacecraft and biological medicine, Xie said. (Xinhua)

Hangzhou surpasses Beijing as most attractive city for Chinese graduates

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Hangzhou has surpassed Beijing for the first time as the most attractive city for new graduates, according to a report by jobs website zhipin.com.

According to the report, in the first 10 months of 2018, Hangzhou, the capital city of east China's Zhejiang Province, has attracted 69 percent of graduates, while at the same time attracting more talent from other cities.

According to research conducted by MyCos, a higher education management data analysis company, at least 37 percent of the graduates in 2018 prefer to go to newly rising “first-tier” cities such as Hangzhou, Nanjing and Tianjin, while 31 percent still make the traditional metropolises Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen their first choice. (CGTN)

British grandpas to receive fewer Christmas gifts than pets do

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British grandfathers will get 4 percent fewer presents than family pets do this year, according to new research by Britain's Barclays Bank.

The research, after surveying 2000 British adults who celebrate Christmas, suggests that while the number of presents for family pets will reach 1.9, the number for grandfathers will only reach an expected 1.8.

"Over a third (34 percent) of pet owners admitted they will splash out on Christmas presents for their furry friends, compared to 11 percent saying they will be buying for grandparents," the research said. (Xinhua)

Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.

And now for the Question of the Day:

What is the name for the last line of a joke?

(Answer: Punch line.)

Today’s quote is from French novelist Marquis de Sade (1740-1814).

“It is always by way of pain one arrives at pleasure.”

(Produced by Nancy Yan Xu, Ryan Yaoran Yu, Lance Crayon, Brian Lowe and Elaine Yue Lin.)