Fresh Start: Podcast News (5/5/2019 Sun.)
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Welcome to Fresh Start.

This is People’s Daily app.

Here are today’s picks from our editors.

Xi congratulates Thai king on coronation

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Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn on being crowned officially on Saturday.

On behalf of the Chinese government and people, and in his own name, Xi expressed in a message sincere congratulations and good wishes to the king and the Thai people.  

The king is an old friend of the Chinese people and has been attending to and supporting the cause of friendship between the two countries for long, Xi said in the message.

The Chinese president wished the Kingdom of Thailand flourishing and prosperity, and the people happiness and good health. (Xinhua)

Chinese youths mark May Fourth Movement centenary with performances

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A TV gala marking the centenary of the May Fourth Movement in China will air in the evening this Saturday and Sunday.

The gala, with Chinese college and middle school students and representatives of outstanding graduates as its main performers, was produced by a production center under the China Media Group with the guidance of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Publicity Department, the Ministry of Education and the Communist Youth League of China (CYLC) Central Committee.

The gala will honor revolutionary pioneers and patriotic scientists to encourage the younger generations to work hard in pursuing their dreams, according to the production team.

Saturday marks the centenary of the May Fourth Movement in China. (Xinhua)

Over 300,000 tourists visit Beijing horticultural expo during May Day holiday

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Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition welcomed its first tourist peak by serving more than 320,000 tourists during the four-day May Day holiday, the organizers said Saturday.

Some 132 activities, including float parades, world ethnic and folk cultural performances, and culture and art carnivals staged by central and eastern European countries, were held during the holiday.

With the theme of "Live Green, Live Better," the expo opened to the public on Monday at the foot of the Great Wall in the capital's Yanqing District and will last until Oct. 7. (Xinhua)

China's tech hub Shenzhen to build 7,000 5G stations

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South China's technological powerhouse Shenzhen is expected to build about 7,000 5G base stations this year, local authorities said Saturday.

The city also plans to launch 5G for commercial use by 2020, according to the city's bureau of industry and information technology.

Enterprises based in the tech hub are expected to launch 5G terminal chips in the first half of this year. Smartphones and tablets featuring 5G will be launched gradually from the middle of this year, according to Xu Zhibin, deputy director of the bureau. (Xinhua)

S.Korea expresses worry over DPRK's short-range projectile launches

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South Korea's presidential Blue House expressed deep worry Saturday over the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s launches of short-range projectiles, saying they escalated tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

The spokesperson urged Pyongyang to stop such launches that escalate military tensions on the peninsula.

The statement came after the DPRK fired unidentified short-range projectiles off its east coast Saturday morning. (Xinhua)

Israel to close Gaza borders, coast amid flaring tension

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Israel decided to close borders and sea coast of the Gaza Strip in the wake of flaring tensions with Palestinian militants, Palestinian officials said Saturday.

Raed Fattouh, head of the committee to coordinate the entrance of goods into Gaza, told reporters that the Israelis informed his office that the commercial crossing of Kerem Shalom will be closed on Sunday until further notice.

Israel Radio also reported that the Israeli army Air Forces warplanes struck with missiles more than 25 posts and military facilities in the Gaza Strip that belong to Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants.

The Israeli airstrikes were a response to over 150 rockets and projectiles fired from Gaza into Israel. (Xinhua)

No deaths as plane carrying US military crashes into river

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A chartered Boeing 737 carrying 143 people from the US military base in Cuba tried to land in a thunderstorm and ended up in the river at Naval Air Station Jacksonville. Authorities said everyone on board emerged without critical injuries, lining up on the wings and waiting to be rescued.

Everyone on board was alive and accounted for, but nearly two dozen people were transported to local hospitals. Most have since been released, authorities said.

Boeing said in a tweet Friday night that the cause of the incident was under investigation. (AP)

Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.

And now for the Question of the Day:

Mancunium was the Roman name for which English city?

(Answer: Manchester.)

Today’s quote is from Roman poet Ovid (43 BC - 17 AD).

"Time is generally the best doctor."

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