Fresh Start: Podcast News (2/5/2019 Tue.)
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Happy Lunar New Year ! 

Welcome to Fresh Start. 

This is People’s Daily app.  

Here are today’s picks from our editors.

World leaders extend Chinese New Year greetings

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Several world leaders on Sunday expressed their good wishes and best regards to the Chinese people, ahead of the Chinese New Year.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sent his warm New Year wishes to the Chinese people in Chinese on Monday, the day before the Spring Festival, calling on joint efforts to build a peaceful and prosperous world.

In his message, Guterres extended his gratitude to China and Chinese people for their support to the UN.

Klaus Schwab, the founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, extended warm wishes from Davos. He wished health and happiness to the Chinese people in the coming year.

Francis Gurry, director-general of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), said he was glad to maintain close contacts with China in 2018 and wished the Chinese people a happy and successful New Year.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president,  Thomas Bach, wished the Chinese people a happy Year of the Pig. He noted that February 4 marked the three-year countdown of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, and he wished the coming Winter Olympic Games a complete success.

Leaders from Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Denmark, Japan, Argentina, Bangladesh, and many more, also extended their lunar new year greetings to the Chinese people. (Xinhua - CGTN - People’s Daily app)

One World Trade Center in New York lit up for Lunar New Year

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One World Trade Center (One WTC), the main building of the rebuilt World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan of New York, was lit up in red and yellow Sunday night to mark the upcoming Chinese New Year for the first time.

The lighting will last for three nights till Feb. 5, when the Chinese New Year officially arrives.

Soaring 541 meters above New York City's Financial District as the tallest building in the United States as well as the Western Hemisphere, One WTC stands on the northwest corner of the ruins of the original World Trade Center twin towers that were destroyed during the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001. The construction of the building started in 2006 and was completed in 2014. (Xinhua)

Pentagon sending another 3,750 troops to Southwest border

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The Pentagon said Sunday it will send 3,750 more troops to the US-Mexico border to put up another 150 miles of concertina wire and provide other support for Customs and Border Protection.

The additions will bring the total number of active-duty troops on the border to 4,350.

The announcement is in line with what Acting Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan had said on Tuesday when he provided estimates for the next phase of a military mission that has grown in size and length. Critics have derided it as a political ploy by the White House as President Donald Trump seeks billions to build a border wall. (Xinhua)

Nayib Bukele declares victory in El Salvador's presidential election

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Nayib Bukele declared victory in El Salvador's presidential elections on Sunday after securing a decisive lead over his two main rivals.

According to preliminary results from the Supreme Electoral Court (TSE), with more than 87 percent of ballots counted, the 37-year-old former mayor of San Salvador garnered a commanding 53.8 percent of the votes, enough to win the first round.

Bukele has pledged to fight corruption and break the domination of the two-party system. (CGTN)

Patriots defeat Rams in lowest-scoring SB ever

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New England topped the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 Sunday in a game that dragged the high-def NFL back to the days of black-and-white TV. It was the lowest-scoring Super Bowl in the 53-year history of the game.

Tom Brady captured his record sixth NFL title by throwing for 262 yards, without a touchdown. The Patriots matched the Steelers for most Super Bowl wins, with six.

The Rams, who averaged 32.9 points a game this season, joined the Miami Dolphins —from Super Bowl 6 in 1972— as the only the second team not to muster a touchdown in the title game. (AP)

Banksy painting that self-destructed displayed in Germany

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A Banksy painting that shocked onlookers as it partially shredded itself after being sold at auction is going on display in Germany.

The Frieder Burda museum said Monday that “Girl with Balloon,” which self-destructed last year after an unidentified European collector successfully bid $1.4 million at a Sotheby’s auction, will be shown from Feb. 5 through March 3.

The painting, retitled “Love is in the Bin” after the shredding, will then be moved to the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart museum on permanent loan. (AP)

Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.

And now for the Question of the Day:

Why does Chinese New Year use red as a color symbol?

(Answer: Red is the symbol of happiness, success, beauty, and good luck in traditional Chinese culture. Red is also the symbol of strength that will expel the bad luck.)

Today’s quote is from German poet Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926).

"And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been."

(Produced by Nancy Yan Xu, Ryan Yaoran Yu, and Lance Crayon.)