Fresh Start: Podcast News (4/30/2019 Tue.)
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Welcome to Fresh Start.

This is People's Daily app.

Here are today's picks from our editors. 

Highly anticipated Beijing Horticultural Expo opens

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The 2019 International Horticultural Exhibition, the largest expo of its kind worldwide, opened Monday.

The expo, themed "Live Green, Live Better," features exhibitions from 110 countries and international organizations.

Chinese President Xi Jinping officially announced the start of the expo Sunday evening.

"The green development concept embodied by the expo should be spread to every corner of the world," Xi said during his opening remarks. (People's Daily app) 

Foreign investor holdings of Chinese shares up in Q1

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Foreign financial institutions invested heavily in Chinese stocks in the first quarter due to a bullish stock market.

The holdings of financial institutions that invest in China's stock market through the Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors (QFII) program surpassed 96 billion yuan ($14.26 billion) at the end of March, up more than 50 percent from the end of last year, Securities Daily reported Monday.

The paper said sectors including machinery, home appliances, chemicals, medical equipment, property and auto parts were particularly favored by foreign investors. (Xinhua) 

Putin hopes to come to terms with new Ukrainian president on citizenship issue

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Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday he hoped to reach consensus with Ukraine's President-elect Volodymir Zelensky on the issue of common citizenship for nationals of the two countries.

Zelensky said in a statement on Facebook on Saturday that Ukraine will be granting its citizenship to "suffering" Russians.

His statement followed the signing by Putin on Wednesday of a decree which will simplify the process of obtaining Russian citizenship by residents of Ukraine's insurgent Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Ukrainian officials have qualified Russia's move as interference in the country's internal affairs. (Xinhua) 

Palestinians launch global diplomatic campaign against US Mideast peace deal

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Despite the severed Palestinian-UA ties, Washington is trying to push ahead with its "Deal of the Century," Nabil Shaath, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' foreign relations advisor, said on Monday.

But US President Donald Trump's support has encouraged the Israeli government to take more steps against the Palestinians, including a possible annexation of part of the West Bank to keep only Jewish settlements there, he added.

In response, the Palestinian Authority announced a new diplomatic campaign against the US peace deal, after Trump recognized Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Syrian Golan Heights and Jerusalem as Israel's capital. (Xinhua) 

Sri Lanka appoints new defense secretary, police chief

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Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena appointed ex-army commander General Shantha Kottegoda as the country's new defense secretary and Deputy Inspector General C.D. Wickramaratne as the acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) on Monday though the incumbent police chief Pujith Jayasundara is yet to submit his resignation.

The appointment of General Kottegoda comes after his predecessor, Hemasiri Fernando, stepped down from the position after the deadly Easter Sunday bombings on April 21, which killed over 200 people and injured 500 others. (CGTN) 

China to release new RMB bills, coins

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The People’s Bank of China will publish the 2019 version of the fifth set of Renminbi bills and coins on August 30, which will include 50 yuan, 20 yuan, 10 yuan and 1 yuan bills, and 1 yuan, 50 cent, 10 cent coins.

With a brighter appearance, sharper colors, and redesigned patterns and characters, the new RMB bills will be harder for counterfeiters to duplicate.

In the 2019 version of the RMB, 50 yuan, 20 yuan and 10 yuan inherit their size, pattern, and color themes from 2015 versions. Meanwhile, the 1 yuan bill will maintain a similar appearance to the 1999 version. (People's Daily app) 

Emperor penguins in Antarctic vanish

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The world's second largest emperor penguin colony is disappearing in Antarctic, a recent study showed.

The emperor penguin colony at Halley Bay has suffered three years of almost total breeding failure, according to a study published in the journal Antarctic Science.

The breeding failure and reasons for relocation are almost certainly linked to the early breakup of sea ice at the Halley Bay site, but the reasons for the breakup remains unknown, the study said. (Xinhua) 

Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.

And now for the Question of the Day:

How many degrees are found in a circle?

(Answer: 360.)

Today's quote is from Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu.

"Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting."

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