Welcome to Fresh Start. This is People’s Daily app. Here are today’s picks from our editors.
Xi visits impoverished ethnic villagers in Southwest China
On Sunday, President Xi Jinping visited the homes of impoverished villagers of the Yi ethnic group who live deep in the Daliang Mountains of Zhaojue County, in Southwestern China’s Sichuan Province.
Xi, who is also the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, asked the villagers about their lives and discussed poverty alleviation with local officials and others. (Xinhua)
Pence says allies firm in isolating Pyongyang after Olympics
US Vice President Mike Pence said the United States, South Korea, and Japan were in complete agreement on isolating Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons program, even as inter-Korea detente continued at the Winter Olympics.
"There is no daylight between the United States, South Korea and Japan on the need to continue to isolate North Korea economically and diplomatically until they abandon their nuclear and ballistic missile program," Pence told reporters on Saturday after leaving the Games in PyeongChang.
A senior official accompanying Pence said South Korea and Japan "are solidly with our alliance and the need to continue and intensify economic sanctions." (CGTN)
NBC apologizes to South Koreans for analyst’s comment
NBC has apologized to South Koreans for an on-air remark by an analyst that cited Japan as an example that has been important to the country’s own transformation.
During Friday’s opening ceremony, Joshua Cooper Ramo said, “Every Korean will tell you that Japan is a cultural and technical and economic example that has been so important to their own transformation.”
An online petition immediately surfaced after the comment demanding an apology, which NBC gave the following day on one of its cable network stations. (People’s Daily app)
China breaks Olympic record in 3,000-meter women’s relay
On Saturday, China set a new Olympic record during a qualifying heat in the women's 3,000-meter short track speed skating relay.
The team’s record-breaking time was 4 minutes and 5.315 seconds.
Composed of Fan Kexin, Han Yutong, Qu Chunyu, and Chinese team flag bearer, Zhou Yang, the team will advance to the Final A round on Tuesday.
Italy finished second in the heat, and will also advance along with Canada and South Korea. (People’s Daily app)
Sunday afternoon, a knife-wielding maniac stabbed one person to death and wounded 12 at a shopping mall in downtown Beijing. Authorities apprehended the suspect, a 35-year-old male surnamed Zhu. The victim, a female, was rushed to the hospital and later pronounced dead. The 12 injured were not listed in critical condition. Local authorities announced the suspect had claimed responsibility for the attack, who said he was motivated by personal grievances. (Xinhua)
Plane carrying 71 crashes near Moscow
Russian officials announced a passenger plane crashed near Moscow, and none of the people aboard are believed to have survived.
Saratov Airlines flight 703 disappeared from radar screens shortly after takeoff from Moscow's Domodedovo Airport Sunday afternoon. Initial reports said 71 people — 65 passengers and six crewmembers — were on the plane en route to the city of Orsk, about 1,000 miles southeast of Moscow. All of the passengers on board were believed to have been residents of the region where the plane was heading. (AP)
South African ruling party leaders to meet amid Zuma limbo
A key committee of South Africa's ruling African National Congress party will hold an emergency meeting Monday as an anxious nation awaits word on whether President Jacob Zuma will resign soon because of corruption allegations, South African media reported.
ANC spokesman Pule Mabe confirmed that a committee meeting was scheduled for Monday, but he did not comment on the agenda.
Many former Zuma supporters want him to resign because of a series of scandals that have sapped support for the ruling party and hurt one of Africa's biggest economies. (AP)
4,000-year-old Chinese characters found on pottery artifact
Archaeologists have found 4,000-year-old Chinese characters, older than the oracle bones scripts, in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
Ink marks, confirmed to be three or four characters, were found on a piece of pottery unearthed at Gaojiataizi, the ruins of the Lower Xiajiadian Culture in the city of Chifeng.
The ruins, consisting of an area over 10,000 square meters, were jointly excavated by the regional research institute of cultural heritage and archaeology and Jilin University. (Xinhua)
Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.
Today’s poem is from the 11th-century Song Dynasty poet, Su Shi.
“Men have sorrow and joy; they part or meet again; / The moon is bright or dim, and she may wax or wane. / There has been nothing perfect since the olden days." (Produced by Nancy Yan Xu, Lance Crayon, Ryan Yaoran Yu, Serena Na Ma, and Regina Barna.)
