Fresh Start: Podcast News (11/3/2019 Sun.)

Welcome to Fresh Start.

This is People’s Daily app.

Here are today’s picks from our editors.

Xi sends congratulations on 120th anniversary of oracle bone inscription discovery, research

Chinese President Xi Jinping has sent a congratulatory letter on the 120th anniversary of the discovery and research of oracle bone inscriptions.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, stressed enhancing cultural confidence and promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations in the letter.

Xi extended congratulations to experts and scholars who have long been dedicated to the preservation and promotion of fine traditional culture such as oracle bone inscriptions.

The discovery of the oracle bone inscriptions from Yin Ruins is of epoch-making significance in Chinese civilization and even human civilization, Xi said.

Discovered in 1899, oracle bone inscriptions are considered one of the world's four ancient characters and have been included in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register. (Xinhua)

Xinhua strongly condemns vandalizing of its Hong Kong office by rioters

A spokesperson for Xinhua News Agency on Saturday issued a statement expressing strong condemnation of the savage behavior of rioters vandalizing and setting fire to its Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau office building in Hong Kong.

On Saturday afternoon, a number of rioters destroyed the building's security facilities, spray-painted insulting words on the walls and smashed the front gate and some windows. They also threw firebombs and paint bombs into the lobby and vandalized it after trespassing.

Xinhua expresses strong indignation and condemnation against the rioters' savage behavior and hopes that Hong Kong police will launch a serious investigation into the incident, the spokesperson said. (Xinhua)

UK police believe 39 victims of Essex truck deaths were Vietnamese

Essex police said Friday they believe the victims of the truck container deaths were Vietnamese nationals.

According to a statement from Assistant Chief Constable Tim Smith, officer in charge of the investigation into the deaths of 39 men and women discovered at Grays, Essex on Oct. 23, Essex Police are working to progress the investigation and help identify the victims.

"At this time, we believe the victims are Vietnamese nationals, and we are in contact with the Vietnamese government. We are in direct contact with a number of families in Vietnam and the UK, and we believe we have identified families of some of the victims whose journey ended in tragedy on our shores," he said. (Xinhua)

India to make second attempt of soft landing on Moon

India will make its second attempt to carry out a soft landing on the Lunar surface in the near future, said Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) chief K. Sivan on Saturday.

India's first attempt at landing on the Moon’s surface was unsuccessful on Sept. 7, when the lander lost contact when it was two kilometers away from touching down.

If India's Moon Mission-2 had been successful, the country would have become the fourth country to land a spacecraft intact on the Moon. (Xinhua)

Australia's largest pharmacy opens 1st physical store in China

Chemist Warehouse, Australia's biggest pharmacy chain, opened its first physical store in Zhengzhou City, central China's Henan Province.

Chemist Warehouse first appeared on Alibaba's T-mall, China's e-commerce giant, in 2015 and has seen high sales volume on T-mall for three consecutive years.

The products are all from Australia. With regular discounts, the prices are almost the same as in Australia. Free of customs duties, shoppers still have to pay value-added and consumption taxes, both at a 30-percent discount. (CGTN)

Japan retailers to charge for plastic bags from 2020

Japanese retailers including supermarkets and convenience stores will be required to charge for plastic bags starting next summer ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, a government panel agreed Friday.

The move brings Japan in line with many other countries that have already adopted the environmentally friendly measure, but it will only come into effect in July 2020.

There will be no set price for a bag, with each retailer able to decide how much to charge. (CGTN)

FIFA, ASEAN join hands to promote healthy lifestyles through football

FIFA and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) signed a comprehensive memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Bangkok on Saturday to join forces to leverage football as a catalyst for social development and healthy lifestyles in the region.

The alliance will see FIFA and ASEAN collaborate in the implementation of common strategies to promote healthy lifestyles and inclusive participation in football, particularly for women and marginalized communities. (Xinhua)

Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.

And now for the Question of the Day:

What is the only word in English ending in the letters ‘mt’?

(Answer: dreamt.)

Today’s quote is from Greek philosopher Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC). 

"The virtue of justice consists in moderation, as regulated by wisdom."

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