Fresh Start: Podcast News (4/8/2019 Mon.)
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Welcome to Fresh Start.

This is People’s Daily app. 

Here are today’s picks from our editors.

From Brussels to Balkans, Chinese premier visits Europe for closer ties

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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will travel to Europe on Monday for a series of high-level meetings.

The visit, which will last till Friday, will take Li to Brussels for an annual gathering with European Union (EU) leaders, and to Croatia for an official visit and a leaders' meeting of China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs).

Official statistics from the ministry show that two-way trade between China and the EU hit a record high of 682.2 billion US dollars in 2018, up 10.6 percent year-on-year.

In recent years, China-CEEC cooperation has been adapting to the constantly changing environment in Europe and moving forward productively within the framework of China-EU relations, said Cui Hongjian, head of the Department for European Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, a Chinese think tank. (Xinhua)

Xiongan New Area afforests over 1,400 hectares

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The Xiongan New Area in Northern China has completed an afforestation project of more than 1,400 hectares with several green belts built this spring, the Hebei provincial forestry and grassland bureau said Sunday.

By the end of March, Xiongan had planted trees covering an area over 1,400 hectares.

In January, China's central authorities approved the 2018-2035 master plan for Xiongan. According to the plan, which stresses high-quality development, the area will become a modern city, one that is green, intelligent and livable with "relatively strong competitiveness and human-environment harmony by 2035." (China Daily)

China sees 112 million domestic trips during Qingming Festival 

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China saw 112 million domestic tourist trips during the three-day tomb-sweeping holiday, up 10.9 percent from last year's holiday, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The tourism revenue reached $7.1 billion during the holiday which lasts from Friday to Sunday, up 13.7 percent, according to the ministry.

While tourists still favor sites of natural scenes, an increasing number of people chose to visit history museums, martyrs' memorial halls and memorial sites of revolution during the holiday, the ministry said in a report. (Xinhua)

Six possible locations announced to host US Space Command

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The US Air Force has downsized the list for possible locations for the US Space Command to six, US media reported Saturday.

Four of the locations are in Colorado, one in Alabama and another in California, according to Stars and Stripes.

The new command could reportedly bring as many as 1,450 personnel, including 390 military officers, 183 enlisted, 827 civilians and 50 contractors, which incentivized the states to bid for the command post. (China Plus)

US pulls forces from Libya as fighting approaches capital

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The US has temporarily withdrawn some of its forces from Libya due to “security conditions on the ground,” a top military official said Sunday as a Libyan commander’s forces advanced toward the capital of Tripoli and clashed with rival militias.

A small contingent of American troops has been in Libya in recent years, helping local forces combat Islamic State and al-Qaida militants, as well as protecting diplomatic facilities.

He did not provide details on the number of US troops that have been withdrawn or how many remain in the country. (AP)

Thousands evacuated after Taiwan chemical plant explosion

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Sunday afternoon more than 10,000 villagers were evacuated after an explosion rocked a chemical plant in an industrial zone in Mailiao township, Yunlin County in South Central Taiwan..

The explosion occurred at the aromatics plant for Formosa Chemical and Fiber Corporation at around 2 pm. Nearby buildings suffered damages and homes several kilometers away were also affected, said local authorities. 

Fire fighters and police arrived at the scene about 20 minutes after receiving emergency phone calls. Preliminary investigations have suggested that the explosion was caused by a leak due to a fracture in a liquefied natural gas pipeline, according to local TV reports. (China Plus)

Lawyer for Nissan's ex-chair Ghosn clarifies bail conditions

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A lawyer for Nissan former Chairman Carlos Ghosn, who was taken back into custody last week, has outlined the conditions for his initial release on bail in an effort to clarify what he called incorrect speculation in the Japanese media.

Ghosn, accused of financial misconduct, was arrested in November, but released in March. He was detained again on fresh allegations Thursday.

The conditions include restricting Ghosn to using only one computer and one cellphone. 

The conditions also said Ghosn must turn over his passport, have a camera monitoring his apartment doorway, and keep a record of his phone calls and people he meets, besides his family and lawyers. (AP)

Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.

And now for the Question of the Day:

What is an endoscope used to examine?

(Answer: The inside of the body.)

Today’s quote is from French writer Stendhal (1783-1842).

"What is really beautiful must always be true."

(Produced by Nancy Yan Xu, Ryan Yaoran Yu, Lance Crayon, and Chelle Wenqian Zeng. Music by Eugene Loner.)