Fresh Start: Podcast News (12/22/2019 Sun.)

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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 meeting to map out plans for 2020 rural work

The central rural work conference was held in Beijing from Dec. 20 to 21, outlining the roadmap for the country's work related to agriculture, rural areas and rural people in the coming year.

A speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, was studied at the conference.

The work on agriculture, rural areas and rural people in 2020 will largely decide the quality of China's anti-poverty campaign and success of its goal to become a moderately prosperous society in all respects, Xi said.

The battle against poverty won't stop until victory is secured, Xi added.

The central rural work conference also discussed a document on increasing efforts on major work concerning agriculture, rural areas and rural people to ensure the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects is achieved on time. (Xinhua)

China has 27,000 schools featuring football education

China has over 27,000 primary and middle schools featuring football education amid its continuous effort to develop football on campus, the Ministry of Education said Friday.

There are approximately 27 million students, 1,000 for each school on average, attending football classes at least once a week and participating in football training and competitions, said Wang Dengfeng, director of the department of physical, health and arts education of the ministry.

Moreover, 181 institutions of higher education in China are now enrolling quality football players, said Wang. (Xinhua)

Death toll in attack on Moscow security officers rises to 2

The death toll in the shooting outside the Moscow headquarters of Russia’s main security agency has risen to two, officials said Friday as investigators pressed to uncover the assailant’s motives.

The Investigative Committee identified the attacker as 39-year-old Yevgeny Manyurov, who also wounded five other people before police shot him dead.

It said Manyurov opened fire Thursday just outside the main headquarters of the Federal Security Service, killing one security officer and badly wounding another, who later died in hospital. (AP)

New Zealanders hand in 50,000 guns after assault weapon ban

New Zealand authorities said Saturday their country will be a safer place after owners handed in more than 50,000 guns during a buyback program following a ban on assault weapons. 

The government banned the most lethal types of semi-automatic weapons less than a month after a lone gunman in March killed 51 worshippers at two Christchurch mosques. The police then launched a six-month program to buy the newly banned weapons from owners.

The buyback ended midnight Friday, with gun collection events staying open late as police reported a surge in last-minute returns. (AP)

France fines Google 150 million euros for opaque advertising rules

France's competition watchdog fined Google 150 million euros on Friday for abusing its power over the treatment of advertisers, saying it applied opaque rules and changed them at will.

It is the first penalty imposed by the French antitrust watchdog against the US tech company in a number of clashes with French authorities, and as Google faces a growing number of investigations into its business practices on both sides of the Atlantic.

Google said it would appeal the decision. (AP)

Caffeine may offset some health risks of diets high in fat and sugar

Caffeine may offset some of the negative effects of an obesogenic diet by reducing the storage of lipids in fat cells and limiting weight gain and the production of triglycerides, according to a study in rats posted on the website of the University of Illinois (UI) this week.

For four weeks, the rats in the study ate a diet that contained 40 percent fat, 45 percent carbohydrate and 15 percent protein. They also ingested one of the forms of caffeine in an amount equivalent to that of a human who drinks four cups of coffee daily.

Researchers found that the rats that consumed the caffeine extracted from mate tea gained 16 percent less weight and accumulated 22 percent less body fat than the rats that consumed decaffeinated mate tea. (Xinhua)

Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.

And now for the Question of the Day:

What unusual thing can the bull shark do?

(Answer: Survive in fresh water.)

Today’s quote is from English author Mary Shelley (1797-1851).

"Elegance is inferior to virtue."

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