Fresh Start: Podcast News (5/24/2018 Thu.)
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Welcome to Fresh Start.

This is People’s Daily app. 

Here are today’s picks from our editors.

Xi stresses auditing's role in Party and state supervisory system

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Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on Wednesday stressed the CPC's leadership over auditing work and the vital role of auditing in Party and state supervisory system.

“Efforts should be made to establish a centralized, unified, comprehensive, authoritative, and efficient auditing supervisory system, so that auditing can play a better role in Party and state supervisory system,” he said.

President Xi, also chairman of the Central Military Commission and head of the central auditing committee, made the remarks when presiding over the first meeting of the committee.

He said the reform of auditing management system and the formation of the central auditing committee are both important measures to strengthen the CPC's leadership in auditing. (Xinhua – People’s Daily app)

China approves 11 non-state firms to import crude oil

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China's Ministry of Commerce on Wednesday announced that 11 private refineries have been approved to import crude oil directly.

The ministry said it examined each application from the refineries and found them in accordance with official requirements.

The refineries are located in the provinces of Liaoning, Shaanxi, Shandong, Henan, and Hubei.As one of the world’s largest oil buyers, over 60 percent of China’s oil comes from imports. (Xinhua – People’s Daily app)

South Korean journalists to visit North Korea for covering nuke test site dismantling

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Eight South Korean journalists will visit North Korea to cover the planned dismantling of the North’s nuclear test site.

The visit was permitted at the last minute as Pyongyang received the list of South Korean journalists earlier in the day at the opening call of the inter-Korean hotline in the border village of Panmunjom.

Pyongyang invited journalists from China, Russia, the United States, Britain and South Korea to let them witness the dismantling of its underground nuclear test site, where all of its six nuclear tests were conducted. (People’s Daily app)

China expects smooth North Korea-US summit

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China expects that the summit between North Korea and the US will go smoothly with positive outcomes, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday.

"We have always been encouraging and supporting the US and North Korea to accumulate mutual trust through direct dialogue, so as to advance denuclearization of the Korean peninsula through political means," spokesperson Lu Kang said at a daily press briefing.

Lu's comment came after US President Donald Trump on Tuesday hinted that his scheduled meeting with the top leader of North Korea Kim Jong Un, originally set to be held on June 12, may be delayed. (Xinhua – People’s Daily app)

US Treasury sanctions 5 Iranian individuals

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On Tuesday, the US Treasury Department issued new sanctions on five Iranians who provided ballistic missile-related technical expertise to Yemen's Houthis.

The Houthis launched missiles at Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh as recently as May 9th, while previous targets included Saudi Arabia's King Khalid International Airport and a US Navy ship.

Since US President Donald Trump announced his decision to exit the Iran nuke deal, the US Treasury has launched several sanctions against Iran.

In a speech unveiling the White House administration's new Iran strategy, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned that Washington will inflict the strongest sanctions on Tehran to force the Islamic republic to change its course. (Xinhua – People’s Daily app)

India launches WTO challenge over US steel, aluminum tariffs

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India has opened a World Trade Organization challenge against the US-imposed steel and aluminum tariffs, a document circulated to WTO members on Wednesday said.

Accusing Washington of "multiple violations" of WTO rules, India formally asked the US for "consultations" over the tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum, which is the first step in a full blown legal challenge.

India also pointed out that it is already suffering from the tariffs, and unlike the European Union, Canada, Mexico and others, it has not been granted a provisional exemption. (AFP)

Malaysia announces flight MH370 search to end on May 29

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The search for flight MH370 will end next week, Malaysia's transportation minister said Wednesday, more than four years after the plane disappeared.

The Malaysian airliner crashed in to the Indian Ocean in March 2014 with 239 passengers on board, most of whom were from China and en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Australian-led search and rescue patrols spent almost two years searching for the airliner but weren’t able to find anything before being called off in January 2017.

Search efforts resumed after Malaysian officials struck a deal with US exploration firm Ocean Infinity who agreed they would only be paid if the plane or its black boxes were discovered. (Xinhua – People’s Daily app)

China researchers study rising birth defects

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Every year, nearly 900,000 Chinese newborns have some type of birth defect, according to official statistics.

Chinese researchers launched a study on 500,000 pregnant women across the country in an attempt to establish a national database on the causes of birth defects. 

The project’s director, Yin Chenghong who is also vice-president of Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, said 33 medical institutions in 17 provinces are participating in the study.

The rise in birth defects has been partly attributed to older women who want a second child, but as Yin explained, “We still don't know what causes 60 or even 70 percent of all birth defects as they are caused by a mix of factors, such as genes, environment and a combination of both.” (Global Times – People’s Daily app)

Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.

Today’s quote is from South African-born engineer Elon Musk.

"When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor."

(Produced by Nancy Yan Xu, Ryan Yaoran Yu, Lance Crayon, and Ziyi Zeng.)