Fresh Start: Podcast News (4/9/2019 Tue.)
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Welcome to Fresh Start.

This is People's Daily app.

Here are today's picks from our editors. 

Xi stresses wide participation in promoting afforestation

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Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday stressed efforts to carry forward the Chinese nation's tradition of loving, planting and protecting trees, and to involve the whole society in promoting afforestation.

Wide participation by everyone in China should be encouraged in pushing for large-scale afforestation of the country to achieve more tangible results, said Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission.

He made the remarks while attending a tree-planting activity in east Beijing's Tongzhou District and planting saplings of different types of trees.

Xi talked with school children who are also attending the tree planting activity, asking about their study and sport exercise, urging them to foster awareness about environmental protection starting in childhood, and encouraging them to build a more beautiful motherland with their own hands. (Xinhua) 

Chinese premier arrives in Brussels for China-EU leaders' meeting

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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang arrived Monday for the 21st China-European Union (EU) leaders' meeting.

China and Europe are two major forces and markets in the international arena, and are important cooperation partners to each other, Li said upon his arrival.

Li said he looks forward to having an in-depth exchange of views with the European side on bilateral ties and other issues of common concern on the basis of mutual respect, consultation, coordination and win-win outcomes.

This is the first stop of the premier's five-day tour to Europe. After Brussels, Li is scheduled to pay an official visit to Croatia, where he will also attend the eighth leaders' meeting of China and Central and Eastern European countries. (Xinhua) 

Trump announces designation of IRGC as 'foreign terrorist organization'

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In a statement released Monday, US President Donald Trump said the US will designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a "foreign terrorist organization."

The IRGC “provides funding, equipment, training, and logistical support to terrorist groups” and “has been directly involved in terrorist plots in numerous countries,” the White House statement read.

In response to the US action, IRGC Chief Commander Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari said the IRGC would enact reciprocal measures stressing that American Forces in Western Asia (CENTCOM) “will not enjoy the tranquility that they are experiencing today,”. (Xinhua-People's Daily app) 

American Airlines extends Max-caused cancellations

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American Airlines is extending by over a month its cancellations of about 90 daily flights as the troubled 737 Max plane remains grounded by regulators.

American said Sunday it is extending the cancellations through June 5 from the earlier timeframe of April 24. The airline acknowledged in a statement that the prolonged cancellations could bring disruption for some travelers.

The Boeing-made Max jets have been grounded in the US and elsewhere since mid-March, following two deadly crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia.

American Airlines, the largest US airline by revenue, has 24 Max jets in its fleet. (AP) 

China's first financial court accepts 2,900 cases since establishment

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The Shanghai Financial Court has accepted nearly 2,900 cases since its establishment in August 2018, with the total amount of claims surpassing $6 billion dollars.

Xiao Kai, the court's vice president, said the main cases accepted by the court were disputes involving securities, financial borrowing contracts, corporate bond trading, financial lease contracts and business trust.

The Shanghai Financial Court is the country's first court specializing in handling finance-related cases. (Xinhua) 

2022 Hangzhou Asian Games to be held in September

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The 19th Asian Games will commence on September 10 and end on the 25th, the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee (HAGOC) announced Monday.

Three new events, including equestrianism, were added to the initial list of 34 announced at the 36th plenary meeting of the Olympic Council Of Asia in 2017.

The HAGOC will next finalize the list of events with the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC). (Xinhua) 

World's largest stone Buddha reopens after restoration

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China's 71-meter-tall Leshan Buddha has reopened to the public after undergoing emergency restoration.

The statue’s face was cleaned and cracks were mended after being exposed for more than a millennium.

The Leshan Giant Buddha was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with Mount Emei in 1996.

Built over a 90-year period starting in the year 713 during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) at the meeting point of three rivers in Leshan, Sichuan Province, the statue is the largest stone Buddha in the world, according to UNESCO. (People's Daily app) 

Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.

And now for the Question of the Day:

In which year in the first half of the 20th century did Halley's comet visit earth?

(Answer: 1910.)

Today's quote is from French philosopher Blaise Pascal (1623-1662).

"We know the truth, not only by the reason, but also by the heart."

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