Welcome to Fresh Start.

This is People's Daily app.

Here are today's picks from our editors. 

Xi signs order to release regulation on military training supervision

Xi Jinping, chairman of the Central Military Commission, has signed an order to release a trial regulation on the supervision of military training, the first of its kind in the country.

The regulation, which will take effect on March 1, 2019, focuses on improving the combat readiness of the People's Liberation Army.

The regulation formulates measures to rectify practices that are inconsistent with the requirements of actual combats. It also details the criteria for identifying malpractices and discipline violations during military training. (Xinhua) 

China reports over 60 million railway trips as holiday ends

Railway trips in China reached 60 million during the week-long Spring Festival holiday from Feb 4 to Feb 10, data from the national railway operator showed Monday.

On Feb 10, some 12 million passenger trips were made by rail, up 4.4 percent year on year, according to the China Railway Corporation (CRC).

This year's Spring Festival travel rush started from Jan 21 and will last till March 1, with railway trips expected to hit 413 million in total, up 8.3 percent. (Xinhua) 

AU summit addresses forced displacement, security in Africa

The 32nd African Union summit of heads of state kicked off on Sunday in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, to deliberate on forced displacement, peace and security, and other issues.

The two-day session of the AU heads of state deliberates on issues related to the ongoing AU institutional reform and continental free trade area among other continental projects and initiatives.

While lauding the positive developments of peace and reconciliation in the East African sub-region, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat expressed concern over the existing situation at the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin regions, urging enhanced solidarity to deal with the problem. (Xinhua) 

Maduro leads Venezuela's largest military exercises in history

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro led military exercises on Sunday, pledging to strengthen the country's anti-aircraft defense system.

As part of the drill, Venezuelan Air Force troops at Guicaipuro Fort, in the northern state of Miranda, deployed Russian-made 9M317 and Igla-S surface-to-air missiles.

Maduro said he will make "the sufficient investment for Venezuela" to strengthen its anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense system, and equip the militia with "even the most modern missiles in the world." (Xinhua) 

South Korea chooses Seoul to bid for Olympics with DPRK - report

South Korea has selected Seoul as the candidate city for a joint bid with DPRK for the 2032 Olympic Games, said the Yonhap News Agency on Monday.

According to the report, the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) said the capital city was chosen over Busan after earning 34 out of 49 votes at its general assembly in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province.

South Korea plans for the joint bid for the 2032 Olympics with DPRK as the two sides made the agreement during their sports talks last year.

A letter of intent is scheduled to be submitted to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Friday when sports officials from the two sides and the IOC meet in Lausanne, Switzerland. (Xinhua) 

China to speed up launch of new cancer drugs

China will further shorten the time required for the registration and approval of new cancer drugs and cut prices, a State Council executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang decided on Monday.

Experts will be gathered to select overseas new drugs to meet urgent clinical needs, while import policies will be improved for faster launch of the drugs in China, according to a statement released after the meeting.

The country will step up efforts to ensure more early diagnosis and treatment of cancer, and offer preferential value added tax policies for drugs for treatment of rare diseases. (Xinhua) 

China bank card transactions surge in holiday spending spree

China UnionPay, the country's sole bank card network operator, Monday said transactions surged to a new record high during the week-long Spring Festival holiday as card holders went on a spending spree.

The total transactions through China UnionPay network soared 71.4 percent from last year's Chinese Lunar New Year holiday to 1.16 trillion yuan ($171 billion) between Feb. 4 and 10, the Shanghai-based agency said.

Card owners' sharp increases in spending on entertainment, cultural activities and tourism were the bright spots in the holiday spending spree, said an analyst with China UnionPay. (Xinhua) 

Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.

And now for the Question of the Day:

In which year in the first half of the 20th century did Halley's comet visit Earth?

(Answer: 1910.)

Today's quote is from Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu.

"Sincere words are not fine; fine words are not sincere."

(Produced by Nancy Yan Xu, Ryan Yaoran Yu, Lance Crayon, and Elaine Yue Lin. Music by Eugene Loner.)