Fresh Start: Podcast News (12/22/2018 Sat.)
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Welcome to Fresh Start.

This is People’s Daily app.

Here are today’s picks from our editors. 

China holds key economic meeting to plan for 2019

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The annual Central Economic Work Conference was held in Beijing from Wednesday to Friday, as Chinese leaders charted course for the economy in 2019, a key year for the country to achieve its goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects by 2020.

In a speech at the conference, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese president, and chairman of the Central Military Commission, reviewed the country's economic work in 2018, analyzed the current economic situation and arranged the economic work in 2019.

The meeting said the country has won "the initial victory in its three tough battles" against risk, poverty and pollution this year, and targeted efforts will be taken in 2019.

China will adhere to structural deleveraging, prevent abnormal financial volatility and properly handle local government debt risks. Areas in abject poverty and special groups will receive more government support. (Xinhua) 

JD.com founder Richard Liu not charged with sexual assault

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Richard Liu, founder of JD.com, will not be charged with sexual assault, prosecutors in Minneapolis said on Friday.

The Chinese billionaire was accused of rape nearly four months ago by a young Chinese student at the University of Minnesota.

Liu's lawyer said in a statement that the decision made by the Hennepin County Attorney has proven that Liu was arrested under false accusations and with the fair decision made by prosecutors, Liu's innocence is preserved.

The statement also said that Liu appreciated US prosecutions for its impartial decision and the amount of work done for the case. (People's Daily app) 

NASA's InSight lander places first Instrument on Mars

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NASA's InSight lander has deployed its first instrument onto the surface of Mars, marking the first time a seismometer had ever been placed onto the surface of another planet.

New images from the lander showed the seismometer on the ground, its copper-colored covering faintly illuminated in the Martian dusk, according to the InSight team.

The team has been working carefully toward deploying its two dedicated science instruments onto Martian soil since the landing on Mars on Nov. 26. Besides the seismometer, also known as the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS), the other one is the heat probe, known as the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Probe (HP3). (Xinhua) 

New policy to boost soccer development in China

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China will introduce a series of new regulations including a salary cap from 2019, aiming to boost the healthy development of professional football leagues.

The Chinese Football Association (CFA) is determined to set new limits on money spent on players. For instance, the salary for each domestic player should not exceed 10 million yuan. In addition to huge wages, CFA will also set caps to curb clubs’ irrational investment and huge transfer fees. (People's Daily app) 

French lawmakers approve Macron's emergency social measures to appease protestors

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France's lower house of parliament overnight passed President Emmanuel Macron's emergency measures aiming to improve people's purchasing power and ending road blockades and street protests staged by the "Yellow Vests."

The measures, a mix of wage rises and tax breaks, were approved with support from Macron's La Republique en Marche (LREM) party.

The bill is meant to allow employees who are paid up to 3,600 euros per month to enjoy an "exceptional bonus" worth 1,000 euros, to be paid by March 31, 2019 without being subjected to taxation.

Among the measures is also a tax-free status for overtime hours. (Xinhua) 

Xi'an's first methanol taxis help reduce pollution

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The first batch of 60 methanol taxis in Xi'an, Shanxi Province was unveiled on Thursday, December 20. These new taxis use M100 pure methanol which contributes to pollution control and reduction.

Compared with traditional gasoline vehicles, methanol M100 vehicles have advantages in environmental protection, power and safety. The carbon emissions of the new taxis is significantly reduced, which is of great importance to Xi'an pollution control. (China Plus) 

NBA to play first-ever games in India

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The first NBA games to be played in India will be staged next October in Mumbai with pre-season contests between the Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings.

The 2019 matchups, the first ever by any North American sports league in the nation of 1.2 billion people, will be played October 4 and 5 at the NSCI Dome and televised live in India. (CGTN) 

Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.

And now for the Question of the Day:

What is the word ‘pixel’ short for?

(Answer: Picture Element)

Today's quote is from Greek poet Pindar (552 BC - 433 BC).

"Every gift which is given, even though it be small, is in reality great, if it is given with affection."

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