Fresh Start: Podcast News (12/5/2018 Wed.)
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Welcome to Fresh Start.

This is People’s Daily app.

Here are today’s picks from our editors.

Chinese President arrives in Portugal for state visit

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Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Portugal on Tuesday for a two-day state visit aimed at carrying forward friendship and expanding cooperation between the two countries.

Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, were greeted by senior Portuguese government officials at the airport.

While delivering a written speech upon arrival, Xi praised the traditional friendship between China and Portugal, saying that the bilateral relations have withstood the test of time and international vicissitudes and become even stronger.

Xi said that he is looking forward to meeting President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Prime Minister Antonio Costa and other Portuguese leaders to draw up the blueprint for future bilateral cooperation.

He added that he believes with the concerted efforts of both sides, the China-Portugal comprehensive strategic partnership will enjoy an even brighter future. (Xinhua)

Consulate: Chinese citizens arrested in Japan under investigation

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Police are investigating and collecting evidence about the 11 Chinese people who were detained in Japan, and 40 other people who worked illegally in Japan and went missing are also under investigation, according to the Chinese consulate in Sapporo.

According to Japanese police, on Nov 25, four Chinese men brought a patient to Kikonai hospital to see a doctor. Due to being in critical condition, the patient died in the hospital in the early morning of Nov 26. The whereabouts of the four men were unknown.

The police immediately launched an investigation and detained 11 Chinese citizens near Kikonai station on Nov 26. They were suspected of working illegally with expired visas.

The consulate requested Japanese police to provide humanitarian treatment to the Chinese detainees and keep them informed of the investigation results. (China Plus)

UK Parliament delivers rebuke to government over Brexit

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The British government received a historic rebuke from lawmakers on Tuesday over its Brexit plans — an inauspicious sign for Prime Minister Theresa May as she opened a debate in Parliament that will decide the fate of her divorce deal with the European Union.

Legislators in the House of Commons found the government in contempt of Parliament for refusing to publish in full the advice it had received from the country's top law officer about the terms of Britain's departure from the EU.

The vote has little direct impact on the Brexit debate, but reflects mounting tension between the government and Parliament over the next steps in the UK's exit. (AP)

French PM announces 6-month suspension of fuel tax increase to defuse violent social action

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French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced Tuesday a six-month suspension of fuel-tax increases in response to weeks of countrywide blockades and riots that have plunged Paris into chaos and left the French economy in tatters.

In a televised speech, Philippe also unveiled a planned rise in power and gas prices would also be suspended in order to alleviate the burden on squeezed middle-class households.

The "Yellow Vests" movement started on Nov. 17 as a protest against a rise in fuel tax which president Macron says is necessary to combat climate change. (Xinhua)

European Travel Commission calls for full visa liberalization for Chinese travelers

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The European Travel Commission (ETC) on Tuesday called for full visa liberalization for Chinese travelers to tap into European countries, generating more inbound spending and jobs across Europe.

"The analysis estimates that a full visa liberalization scenario between China and the European Union (EU) is likely to increase the growth of Chinese arrivals from 7 percent to 18 percent per year between 2018-2023," said ETC in the press release.

"This in turn would generate additional inbound spending of 12.5 billion euros per annum and raise total employment level by nearly 1 percent," said the release. (Xinhua)

Space burial of 100 people realized by SpaceX Rocket

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One of the 64 small satellites launched into space aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Monday carried cremated remains of 100 people, including former veterans and space enthusiasts.

The space burial was provided by the San Francisco-based company Elysium Space. With a price tag of $2,500 customers can send a one gram sample of ashes into space on board a 26-square-centimeter satellite called a cubesat.

After the remains enter orbit, the families can track the coordinates of the satellite online in real time. After four years, it will re-enter the atmosphere in an uncontrolled reentry, according to Thomas Cievit, the founder and CEO of Elysium Space. (China Plus)

Budapest to host 2023 World Athletics Championships

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The Hungarian capital of Budapest will host the 2023 World Athletics Championships, the IAAF announced Tuesday.

The next worlds will take place in Doha in 2019 before going to Eugene, United States, in 2021.

It will be the first time Budapest has hosted the world's, having previously hosted the 1998 European championships. (AFP)

Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.

And now for the Question of the Day:

Lisbon, the capital city of Portugal, is on the northern bank of which river?

(Answer: Tagus.)

Today’s quote is from American athlete Michael Jordan.

“Limits, like fear, is often an illusion.”

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