Welcome to Fresh Start.

This is People’s Daily app. 

Here are today’s picks from our editors.

President Xi Jinping meets Kazakh PM

President Xi Jinping on Thursday met with Kazakh Prime Minister Bakytzhan Sagintayev in Beijing and suggested both sides focus on policy synergizing and well implement the alignment of the China-proposed Silk Road Economic Belt and Kazakhstan's Nurly Zhol (Bright Path) economic program.

Xi asked Sagintayev to give his cordial greetings to Nursultan Nazarbayev, president of Kazakhstan.

He voiced his appreciation of Kazakhstan's people-centric development principle, and stressed that China firmly supported the Kazakh people in following a development path suited to national conditions.

"Over the past five years, cooperation under the initiative has delivered tangible benefits to the people along the route, and injected new impetus to the world economy," Xi said. (Xinhua)

UK and EU agree on future relations after Brexit

The European Union and Britain have agreed on a draft declaration on the future of their political relations after Brexit, European Council President Donald Tusk said Thursday, paving the way for an EU summit this weekend to rubber-stamp the deal.

The draft declaration was agreed upon at a technical level by negotiators and endorsed Thursday by the European Commission.

Representatives from all 28 EU countries are due to meet Friday to prepare the summit, seen as a pivotal moment in the Brexit process. (AP)

Pentagon to reorganize US, S. Korea military drill next year

US Defense Secretary James Mattis said on Wednesday that the joint military exercises between the US and South Korea scheduled for next spring would be reorganized. 

Foal Eagle, code name for the annual drills, "is being reorganized a bit to keep it at a level that will not be harmful to diplomacy," Mattis told reporters, indicating the drills might be reduced in scope. 

The move could be seen as an example of Washington and Seoul seeking to mitigate peninsula tension. (Xinhua)

China, Brazil to launch new Earth resource satellite

China and Brazil will launch an Earth resource satellite next year, according to an official with the China National Space Administration.

The China-Brazil Earth Resource Satellite-4A satellites are Earth remote sensing satellites, specifically designed for observation from orbit and for non-military purposes, such as environment monitoring, meteorology and map making.

China and Brazil inked the joint research and production agreement in July 1988. 

The program has served as a shining example of cooperation among developing countries in the space technology sector. (Xinhua)

Palestine’s Foreign Ministry slams Israeli court for displacing Palestinians in E. Jerusalem

On Thursday, Palestinian Foreign Ministry officials slammed Israel's High Court of Justice ruling to displace 700 Palestinians in East Jerusalem.

They said the decision was further proof that Palestinians are constant victims of displacement and home demolitions, while denouncing "the silence of the world's decision makers."

The Israeli court approved on Wednesday the eviction of roughly 700 Palestinians from their homes in Silwan, after rejecting an earlier petition from the Palestinians while granting approval for Israeli citizens to take their place. (Xinhua)

Oxford research center launched in East China

The University of Oxford on Thursday launched its first overseas center for physical science and engineering research, in East China's Jiangsu Province.

The Oxford-Suzhou Centre for Advanced Research (OSCAR) opened in the Suzhou Industrial Park in Suzhou City. 

Initial research programs will be led by groups from the Oxford departments of Engineering, Physics, Chemistry and Materials, with applications ranging from health informatics, tissue engineering and biomedical imaging techniques to environmental remediation, advanced materials and electronic devices. (Xinhua)

Leaning Tower of Pisa continues long path towards vertical

After more than two decades of efforts to straighten it, engineers say the famed Leaning Tower of Pisa has recovered four centimeters more and is in better structural health than predicted, according to a consultant to the international committee monitoring the tilt.

The 12th-century tower reopened to the public in 2001 after being closed for more than a decade to let workers reduce its slant. By using hundreds of tons of lead counterweights at the base and extracting soil from under the foundations, engineers initially shaved 43 centimeters off the lean. (AP)

Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.

And now for the Question of the Day:

Why is Black Friday called “Black Friday”?

(Answer: Black Friday is the name given to the shopping day after Thanksgiving. It was originally called Black Friday because so many people went out to shop that it caused traffic accidents and sometimes even violence.)

Today’s quote is from German physicist Albert Einstein (1879-1955).

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”

(Produced by Nancy Yan Xu, Ryan Yaoran Yu, and Lance Crayon.)