Welcome to Fresh Start.

This is People's Daily app.

Here are today's picks from our editors. 

Senior Chinese, US officials discuss Korean Peninsula over phone

Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, held a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday.

Pompeo briefed Yang on the Hanoi summit between leaders of the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), saying that Washington will remain engaged with the DPRK and continue to seek resolution of the Korean Peninsula issue through dialogue and consultations.

Speaking highly of China's active role in helping settle the Korean Peninsula issue, Pompeo said the US is willing to maintain communication and coordination with China.

In the phone talks, Yang, who is also director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, said China is willing to continue to play a constructive role on matters related to the Peninsula. (Xinhua) 

China to improve emergency response to work safety accidents

China has issued regulations to improve emergency response to work safety accidents.

The State Council will be in charge of the overall national task, while local governments at county-level and above are responsible for local emergency response to work safety accidents, according to the regulations issued by the State Council.

Governments at various levels, relevant departments and enterprises should work out emergency response plans and disclose them to the public and employees, according to the regulations on emergency response to work safety accidents.

The regulations will take effect on April 1. (Xinhua) 

UK to pay Eurotunnel $44m over no-deal Brexit contracts

The British government on Friday agreed to pay Channel Tunnel operator Eurotunnel £33m ($44m) to head off a lawsuit over extra ferry services commissioned in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

The Department for Transport (DfT) last year contracted three suppliers to provide extra ferry capacity for freight trucks, but Eurotunnel said the deals, worth £108 million, were struck in a "secretive" manner.

As part of the deal to drop the legal action, Eurotunnel agreed to "deliver improvements which will ensure the Channel Tunnel is ready to continue to keep passengers and freight moving post-Brexit". (AFP) 

Philippines to charge Sanofi officials over dengue vaccination deaths

The Philippine government said Friday it would file criminal charges against six officials of the French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi Pasteur over the deaths of children injected with its Dengvaxia anti-dengue vaccine.

The Philippines in 2016 was the first nation to use Dengvaxia in a mass immunization program, but Sanofi disclosed a year later that it could worsen symptoms for people not previously infected by the dengue virus. 

The disclosure sparked a nationwide panic, with some parents alleging the vaccine killed their children.

The justice department said on Friday its prosecutors found grounds to hold Sanofi officials criminally liable and that charges of "reckless imprudence resulting in homicide" will be filed in court but gave no timeframe. (AFP) 

House of Representatives passes biggest gun control in decades

Gun control groups across America are celebrating after the US House of Representatives passed two bills on stricter gun control.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the House's vote "historic" and hailed the legislation as "a long-overdue, common-sense action to end the epidemic of gun violence in America."

The first bill would expand background checks to include firearm purchases at gun shows and over the Internet.

The background check bill would extend the number of days government authorities have to complete a background check before a gun sale. But the Republican-controlled Senate is expected to kill both bills. (Xinhua) 

Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch back on market at steep discount

Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch in California is back on the market for $31 million, a steep cut from the $100 million asking price four years ago.

The dramatic price cut for the iconic property is partly due to years of drought in the region that affected the real estate market, Kyle Forsyth, one of the listing agents, told US media.

The ranch was raided in 2003 as part of a child molestation case against Jackson and police at the time seized a large collection of pornography and images of nude children. (AFP) 

Catch-up sleep on weekends cannot make up for sleep debt

American scientists found that catch-up sleep on the weekend couldn't repay the weekday sleep debt and such an inconsistent schedule might make things worse.

The study, published in the journal Current Biology, has shown that a sleep-deprived group ate more at night so they gained weight and saw declines in insulin sensitivity. The weekend recovery group had mild improvements during the weekend, but those benefits went away when their weekday schedule resumed.

American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommended seven or more hours of sleep per night for adults. (Xinhua) 

Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.

And now for the Question of the Day:

Which is the only American state to begin with the letter 'p'?

(Answer: Pennsylvania.)

Today's quote is from British artist Alfred Sisley (1839-1899).

"Every picture shows a spot with which the artist has fallen in love."

(Produced by Nancy Yan Xu, Ryan Yaoran Yu, Brian Lowe, Elaine Yue Lin, and Da Hang. Music by Eugene Loner.)