Fresh Start: Podcast News (3/25/2020 Wed.)
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Welcome to Fresh Start.

This is People’s Daily app. 

Here are today’s picks from our editors.

Virus-hit Wuhan to lift outbound travel restrictions on April 8

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Wuhan, the Chinese city hardest hit by the novel coronavirus outbreak, will lift outbound travel restrictions from April 8 after over two months of lockdown, local authorities said Tuesday.

People in Wuhan will be allowed to leave the city and Hubei Province, where Wuhan is the capital, if they hold a green health code, meaning no contact with any infected or suspected COVID-19 cases, according to a circular issued by the provincial COVID-19 control headquarters.

Wuhan will take differentiated measures to promote the resumption of business operations based on the health risks of different regions to mitigate the impact on the economy, the circular said. (Xinhua)

Tokyo Olympics postponed to 2021

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The IOC announced a first-of-its-kind postponement of the Summer Olympics on Tuesday, bowing to the realities of a coronavirus pandemic that is shutting down daily life around the globe and making planning for a massive worldwide gathering in July a virtual impossibility.

The International Olympic Committee said the Tokyo Games “must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020, but not later than summer 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community.” (AP)

US capital city to close nonessential businesses due to COVID-19

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Washington DC, the US capital, will order all nonessential businesses to close so as to curb the spread of the coronavirus, the city's mayor said Tuesday.

Muriel Bowser said during a press conference that she is instructing businesses like salons, barber shops, tattoo parlors, tanning salons and services not related to emergency responses to shutter during the pandemic. (Xinhua)

Indian PM Modi announces 21-day lockdown to fight COVID-19

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In a bid to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced a "countrywide lockdown" for 21 days, beginning midnight Tuesday. 

He urged his countrymen to stay in their homes and not risk venturing out.

"Coronavirus spreads very fast. If we don't take it seriously now, it can pose a serious threat in the near future to our country. If we don't follow a countrywide lockdown for the next 21 days, our country can be gripped by coronavirus and we can go 21 years behind," warned Modi in a televised address to the nation. (Xinhua)

Trump administration to use Defense Production Act for 1st time amid COVID-19

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The Trump administration will use the Defense Production Act (DPA) on Tuesday for the first time, to procure some 60,000 test kits to aid against the novel coronavirus pandemic, according to a senior emergency management official.

Peter Gaynor, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, told CNN that the administration had decided to use the law, which President Donald Trump recently said he would invoke, because "there's some test kits we need to get our hands on." (Xinhua)

Archaeologists find China's earliest urban drainage system

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Archaeologists have unearthed a number of pottery drain pipes at a Neolithic site of Longshan Culture dating back more than 4,000 years and believe they form China's earliest and most complete urban drainage system.

The city drainage system was excavated in the Pingliangtai Ancient City ruins in central China's Henan Province. 

The development of public facilities and productivity are key indicators to measure the level of civilization in society. The discovery is of considerable significance to the future studies of the ancient city. (Xinhua)

Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar the world's best-paid footballers

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Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar remain the three best-paid footballers in the world, according to a study by France Football magazine.

The study estimates the income of the world's highest-paid players by adding their estimated gross salaries and income from image rights to bonuses earned last season.

As a result, the publication calculates Barcelona star Messi's total annual income as $141 million. Portuguese forward Ronaldo is second on the list with $127 million of estimated income. Paris Saint-Germain's Brazil star Neymar is third on the list with total pay of $102 million. (CGTN)

Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.

And now for the Question of the Day:

What are shark skeletons made of?

(Answer: Cartilage.) 

Today’s quote is from French artist Gustave Courbet (1819-1877).       

"Painting is the representation of visible forms. The essence of realism is its negation of the ideal."

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