Welcome to Fresh Start.

This is People's Daily app.

Here are today's picks from our editors. 

Xi attends opening of Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday attended the opening ceremony of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations in Beijing and delivered a keynote speech.

He called for efforts to jointly create a brighter future for civilizations of Asia and the world.

Exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations should be conducted in a reciprocal and equal manner, and be diversified and multi-directional, he said. The exchanges should neither be compulsory or forced, nor one-directional.

Xi said in his speech that various civilizations are not destined to clash as long as people were able to appreciate the beauty of all civilizations. (Xinhua) 

China to strengthen credit checks of individuals, businesses

China will strengthen credit checks on individuals and businesses and cut their evidentiary burden when applying for government approval or registration.

Under a pilot program initiated by the Ministry of Justice, the applicants will only need to promise that they meet the government requirements and be willing to bear legal liability for false information, instead of presenting related certificates or proof as required previously.

Administrative organs will need to check if the applicants have kept their promises, according to one official, who also added that those who make false promises would be blacklisted. (Xinhua) 

US orders departure of non-emergency gov't employees from Iraq

The US Embassy in Iraq said on Wednesday the US State Department has ordered non-emergency US employees working in both the embassy in Baghdad and the consulate in Erbil to leave Iraq.

Earlier, US military officials said they were on high alert in Iraq and Syria over fears of "imminent threats" from Iran-backed forces in the region.

The US measures came amid the tense situation in the region after US President Donald Trump decided not to re-issue sanction waivers for major importers to continue buying Iran's oil when they expired in early May. (Xinhua) 

UK PM to make fourth bid to get go-ahead for her Brexit deal

British Prime Minister Theresa May confirmed Wednesday she still wants Britain to leave the European Union (EU), but she rejected a second referendum or remain in the EU's customs union.

Widespread media reports in London said May is to submit her Brexit proposals to MPs in early June for what will be the fourth time.

May met main opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn for cross-party talks Tuesday during the latest round of bilateral talks between Labour and her Conservative party.

The talks, aimed at finding a consensus that would lead to parliament agreeing on a withdrawal deal, have so far failed to make a breakthrough. (Xinhua) 

US FAA chief defends handling of Boeing Max safety approval

The acting head of the US Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday that Boeing should have done more to explain an automated flight-control system on its 737 Max aircraft before two deadly crashes.

He defended the agency’s plane safety certification and its decision not to ground the jet until other regulators around the world had done so.

The FAA official, Daniel Elwell, said he expects more explanation to accompany Boeing’s fix for the plane, “to make pilots more aware and respond better to an anomaly.”

He also told members of the House aviation subcommittee that he expects Boeing to submit a fix to the plane’s flight-control software “in the next week or so.” (AP) 

China set to host 2023 Asian Cup as South Korea scraps bid

South Korea has withdrawn its bid to host the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup, giving China a free run to stage the quadrennial competition.

In a statement released Wednesday, the Korea Football Association (KFA) said it had withdrawn its 2023 Asian Cup bid by sending a letter to the AFC earlier that day.

The Chinese Football Association (CFA) filed its bid to host the 2023 AFC Asian Cup back in 2013.

With Indonesia and Thailand having previously withdrawn their host bids, it appears the 2023 Asian Cup will be held in China, the only country still in the running to stage the tournament. (Xinhua) 

Couple awarded $2 billion in Monsanto cancer case

A California jury on Monday ordered agribusiness giant Monsanto to pay more than $2 billion to a couple claiming the company's weed killer Roundup Ready caused them to get cancer, the Associated Press reported.

A state jury in Oakland concluded that Monsanto's weed killer caused the non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that Alva and Alberta Pilliod contracted. Jurors awarded them each $1 billion in punitive damages in addition to a combined $55 million in compensatory damages.

The jury's verdict is the third such courtroom loss for Monsanto in California since August. (China Daily) 

Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.

And now for the Question of the Day:

What is another word for lexicon?

(Answer: Dictionary.)

Today's quote is from English poet Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809-1892).

"I am a part of all that I have met."

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