Fresh Start: Podcast News (3/17/2019 Sun.)
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Welcome to Fresh Start.

This is People’s Daily app.

Here are today’s picks from our editors.

China offers tax relief to overseas talent working in Greater Bay Area

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China's Ministry of Finance (MOF) Saturday announced a favorable tax policy for overseas talent working in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Based on the individual income tax differentials between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, overseas high-end talent and professionals in short supply that work in the Greater Bay Area will get subsidies from Guangdong Province and Shenzhen Municipality to offset the differentials, according to the MOF.

The subsidies will be exempt from paying individual income tax.

The policy, effective from January 2019 to the end of 2023, applies to nine cities in Guangdong -- Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing, the ministry said. (Xinhua)

Building collapse kills at least 7, 13 missing in north China landslide

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A house collapse triggered by a landslide in north China's Shanxi Province has left at least seven people dead and 13 others injured, local authorities said Saturday.

So far, 20 people have been pulled out of the debris, with 13 others still missing.

The accident occurred at around 6:10 p.m. Friday in the township of Zaoling in Linfen City, when a landslide toppled two residential buildings, a makeshift house and a public bathhouse. (People's Daily app)

Russia says to respond to new EU sanctions over Kerch Strait incident

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The Russian Foreign Ministry said Saturday that it would respond to the European Union’s (EU) decision to impose new sanctions over the Kerch Strait incident, which shows disrespect for the country's right to protect its state border.

On Nov. 25, Russia seized three Ukrainian warships near the Kerch Strait, accusing them of breaching the Russian border.

Moscow called the incident a provocation, while Kiev denied any wrongdoing and Western countries denounced the "aggressive" actions of Russia.

The EU has decided to sanction eight Russian nationals for their role in the incident. (Xinhua)

Britain to boost number of international students by 30 percent

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A new international education strategy to increase the number of overseas students studying in Britain by 30 percent was announced Saturday.

Education Secretary Damian Hinds and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox jointly published the strategy saying it will cement Britain's leading role in the global market as it prepares to leave the European Union.

Britain currently hosts around 460,000 international higher education students, and the strategy sets out a plan to grow the total number of international students to 600,000 by 2030. (Xinhua)

Boeing upgrades software on crisis-hit 737 MAX after deadly crash

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Boeing is upgrading the stall prevention software on its 737 MAX, industry sources said Friday, as French investigators scoured black box data from the Ethiopia Airlines disaster that killed all 157 on board earlier this month.

Boeing will fine-tune its MCAS system -- implicated in the crash of a Lion Air 737 MAX 8 in Indonesia in October -- within 10 days, said two sources, who cautioned that the cause of the latest crash has yet to be determined. (AFP)

China imports more reindeer from Netherlands to revive species

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China has imported a herd of 33 reindeer from the Netherlands to boost the number of the species in the country, authorities said Saturday.

The reindeer arrived in Beijing on Thursday and will be shipped to a breeding base in Aoluguya township in the city of Genhe in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region after a quarantine period, according to the city's forestry bureau.

The reindeer population has dropped significantly in recent years due to inbreeding. (Xinhua)

Apple Watch may spot heart problem but more research needed

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A huge study suggests the Apple Watch can detect a worrisome irregular heartbeat at least sometimes — but experts say more work is needed to tell if using wearable technology to screen for heart problems really helps.

More than 419,000 Apple Watch users signed up for the unusual study, making it the largest ever to explore screening seemingly healthy people for atrial fibrillation.

A mobile app uses the optical sensor on certain versions of the watch to analyze pulse rate data. If it detects enough variation from beat to beat over a 48-hour period, the user receives a warning of an irregular heart rhythm. (AP)

Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.

And now for the Question of the Day:

On which Mediterranean island is Palermo located?

(Answer: Sicily.)

Today’s quote is from English author Samuel Johnson (1709-1784).

"Praise, like gold and diamonds, owes its value only to its scarcity."

(Produced by Nancy Yan Xu, Ryan Yaoran Yu, Brian Lowe, and Da Hang.)