Fresh Start: Podcast News (6/19/2018 Tue.)

Welcome to Fresh Start.

This is People’s Daily app. 

Here are today’s picks from our editors.

China launches property registration database

China’s long-awaited nationwide property registration database has already started connecting information stations, said the Ministry of Natural Resources.

There are 3,001 property registration stations in 335 cities and 2,853 counties serving more than 300,000 businesses and individuals daily, according to the latest statistics. 

The new system facilitates real-time disclosure of property owners' holdings, which is a vital tool for property market management and a major step in fighting corruption.

With the national database in place, individual ownership of houses and home mortgage records in China will be traceable so speculation will be restrained under the country’s property-purchasing limits. (CGTN – People’s Daily)

Koreas to form joint teams at Asian Games

The two Koreas agreed on Monday to form unified teams to compete in a few events at the upcoming Asian Games in Indonesia in August, Yonhap News Agency reported. 

The agreement came after sports officials from both sides of the peninsula met at Panmunjom to expand their athletic collaborations.

On the agenda was a set of joint-team disciplines where they could play together including a Korean peninsula basketball team, which was proposed by North Korea's top leader Kim Jong Un at last month’s summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in. (People’s Daily app)

Ivan Duque wins Colombian presidential election

Ivan Duque, of the right-wing Democratic Center party, won Colombia’s presidential election on Sunday, claiming 53.97 percent of the vote, with 99.76 percent of the votes counted, according to officials from the National Electoral Council (CNE).

Duque’s left-wing rival, Gustavo Petro, of the Humane Colombia party, finished second, with just over 40 percent of the votes.

This August, Duque will succeed outgoing President Juan Manuel Santos, whose term was marked by forging a peace agreement with the FARC guerrilla group.

Most of the country backed Duque's business-friendly campaign, appealing to international investors that Colombia was open for trade and investment after years of violence. (Xinhua – People’s Daily)

Three dead, 300 injured as quake jolts Japan's Osaka

A powerful earthquake rocked Japan's second city of Osaka on Monday, killing three and injuring over 300, according to an official tally.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters the government was "working united, with its first priority on saving people's lives.”

The quake struck at the height of rush hour in the city of around two million.

"Large-scale quakes are likely to happen in the next two to three days," Abe told reporters. (AFP)

Audi CEO detained in diesel emissions case

German authorities have detained the chief executive of Volkswagen’s Audi division, Rupert Stadler, as part of a probe into manipulation of emissions controls.

Munich prosecutors searched Stadler’s private residence last week in their investigation of suspected fraud and indirect improprieties with documents. 

The Stadler probe focuses on cars sold in Europe that were believed to be equipped with software which turned emissions controls off during regular driving. 

Volkswagen has pleaded guilty to criminal charges in the US where two managers are serving prison terms. (AP)

Gaming addiction classified as mental health disorder by WHO

Parents now have a new argument to limit their children’s “screen time” as gaming addiction has been recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a mental health disorder.

The WHO’s latest reference bible of recognized diseases describes addiction to digital and video gaming as “a pattern of persistent or recurrent gaming behavior” that becomes so extensive that it “takes precedence over other life interests.”

The International Classification of Diseases (ICD), which has been updated annually for the past decade, covers 55,000 different injuries, diseases and causes of death. 

This latest version, ICD-11, is completely electronic for the first time to make it more accessible to doctors and health workers around the world. (Reuters)

Sweden wins with VAR assist, Belgium topples Panama, England climbs over Tunisia

It was a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) that helped give Sweden a narrow but deserved victory in their opening Group F match against South Korea in Nizhny Novgorod on Monday.

Veteran Swedish skipper Andreas Granqvist scored the goal after Viktor Claesson was upended by South Korean substitute Kim Min-woo in the 62nd minute.

Belgium struggled with Panama's physical play in the first half and couldn't get one past goalie Jaime Penedo. 

The attack came alive in the second half as the “Red Devils” wore the Central American side down on the way to a 3-0 victory.

In the last game of the day, England skipper Harry Kane scored a brace as the UK side started their campaign with a 2-1 victory over Tunisia. 

After Kane’s 11th minute lead was negated by Ferjani Sassi's goal in 35th minute, the captain scored the winner in stoppage time to give his team all three points for its first Group G victory. (People’s Daily app)

Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.

Now for the Question of the Day:

Where was the fortune cookie invented?  

(Fortune cookies were first made by Benkyodo, a bakery in San Francisco, California).

Today’s quote is from German scientist Albert Einstein:

“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”

(Produced by Nancy Yan Xu, Ryan Yaoran Yu,  Lance Crayon, and Terry Guanlin Li.)