Fresh Start: Podcast News (11/2/2019 Sat.)

Welcome to Fresh Start.

This is People’s Daily app.

Here are today’s picks from our editors.

China releases guideline to improve elderly care

China's National Health Commission and seven other authorities on Friday jointly issued the country's first guideline on improving the elderly care system.

The guideline requires that over 80 percent of the country's general hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, nursing homes and primary-level healthcare institutions are age-friendly by 2022.

More than half of China's secondary and tertiary general hospitals, which offer a larger number of beds and more comprehensive medical services in the country's three-tier hospital grading system, should have geriatrics departments by 2022, according to the guideline. (Xinhua)

Chinese top mobile operators switch on commercial 5G services

China's three major mobile operators on Thursday launched their long-awaited 5G service plans in dozens of cities.

China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom, in simultaneous moves, unveiled their monthly 5G plans with prices ranging from 128 yuan to 599 yuan.

The 5G commercial services are now available in 50 cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. (Xinhua)

Turkey, Russia begin joint patrols in northern Syria

Turkish and Russian troops began conducting their first joint ground patrols in northeast Syria on Friday, the Turkish Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Russia, a major supporter of Syria, reached a deal last Tuesday to allow the Kurdish fighters to withdraw 30 kilometers away from the border and conduct joint patrols with Turkey in the region.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday warned that war would be the only option if political means fail to secure Turkey's troop pullout from northern Syria. (CGTN)

Japan, S.Korean lawmakers agree to ease tensions amid strained ties

Japanese and South Korean lawmakers on Friday agreed in principle that more dialogue and work in general was necessary for the two countries involved in a bitter trade spat stemming from a dispute over wartime compensation to break the stalemate and ease tensions.

Fukushiro Nukaga, leader of a nonpartisan group of lawmakers committed to promoting friendly ties between Japan and South Korea, told a meeting with South Korean lawmakers at the Diet building in Tokyo that positive decisions must be made by both camps in order to resolve the conflict.

Japan and South Korea have seen bilateral ties sink to their lowest level in recent years following South Korea's top court last year ordering Japanese firms to pay compensation to forced laborers during Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. (Xinhua)

Google buys Fitbit for $2.1B, stepping back into wearables

Google is buying Fitbit for about $2.1 billion, enabling the internet company to step back into the hotly contested market for smartwatches and health trackers.

Fitbit is a pioneer in wearable fitness technology, but it’s been shredded by that competition. Google, meanwhile, has been developing Wear OS software for other manufacturers to build wearable devices, but they haven’t gained much traction in the face of competition from Fitbit, Apple, Samsung and others.

The deal, expected to close next year, will likely face scrutiny from federal and state antitrust investigators that have launched probes this year. (AP)

Chinese workers complete world's first operation on 1,100-kv DC transmission line

Chinese workers have completed a live-wire operation on the 1,100-kv direct-current (DC) transmission line in the city of Lu'an in east China's Anhui Province, which is the first ever in the world.

The operation came after a drone inspection when a patroller found a pin that should have been fixed on a cable clamp of a tower missing, which could affect the safe operation of the line. The whole operation took less than 50 minutes. (Xinhua)

China toughens sales, ads ban on vaping

Chinese authorities on Friday stepped up bans on selling e-cigarettes to minors as well as online sales and ads of vaping over health and safety concerns.

The State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA) and the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) jointly released a notice aimed at further reducing minors' exposure to vaping products and strengthening supervision of the industry.

The notice forbids all types of market entities from selling e-cigarettes to minors. Said entities are urged to shut down online sales in a timely manner and withdraw online ads. (Xinhua)

Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.

And now for the Question of the Day:

What are Alpha Centauri and Sirius?

(Answer: Stars.)

Today’s quote is from French novelist Anatole France (1844-1924).

"It is better to understand little than to misunderstand a lot."

(Produced by Nancy Yan Xu, Ryan Yaoran Yu, Brian Lowe, Elaine Yue Lin and Da Hang. Music by Eugene Loner.)