Fresh Start: Podcast News (7/11/2018 Wed.)

Welcome to Fresh Start.
This is People’s Daily app.
Here are today’s picks from our editors.

China, Arab states to forge strategic partnership

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the eighth ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum Tuesday morning at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
Xi announced that China and the Arab countries had agreed to establish a "Sino-Arab future-oriented strategic partnership of comprehensive cooperation and common development."
Calling the Arab states China's natural partners in the Belt and Road cooperation, Xi said the cooperation had energized every dimension of Sino-Arab relations and propelled Sino-Arab all-round cooperation into a new phase.
China stands ready to work with the Arab side to coordinate the development strategies and actions, Xi said.
"We must strive to uphold peace and stability in the Middle East, safeguard fairness and justice, promote common development and learn from each other as friends do," Xi said. (Xinhua)

China breaks into top 20 innovative economies: WIPO ranking

China was among the top 20 most-innovative economies in the annual Global Innovation Index (GII) ranking published on Tuesday by Cornell University and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
Switzerland retained its top place this year, followed by the Netherlands and Sweden. China climbed to 17th from 22nd place last year, according to the ranking.
The US slid from 4th in 2017 to 6th, though in absolute terms, the country remained the top contributor in key innovation for input and output.
The US placed second after China in volume of researchers, patents and scientific and technical publications.
WIPO Director General Francis Gurry said that China's rapid rise heralded "the arrival of multipolar innovation.” (Xinhua)

Phuket’s boat accident death toll rises to 44

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Rescuers recovered two more bodies on Tuesday from last week’s boat accident in Phuket, Thailand, raising the death toll to 44.
Three of the five survivors mentioned at Tuesday’s press briefing have returned to China, with the other two on their way.
A body was found near Phi Phi Island, which was later confirmed by authorities to be a passenger on the Phoenix boat, while three remained missing, including those who were trapped under the boat.
44 Chinese tourists have been confirmed dead.

Thai authorities said they will never stop searching until they find the last missing person.

More than 100 Chinese tourists canceled a one-day tour at sea off Phuket Island as of Sunday, Chinese online travel agency Ctrip said in a statement Monday. (Global Times-People's Daily app）

After daring rescue, Thai soccer team out of cave

A daring rescue mission in the treacherous confines of a flooded cave in Northern Thailand has saved all 12 boys and their soccer coach who were trapped deep within the labyrinth, ending a grueling 18-day ordeal that claimed the life of an experienced diver and riveted people around the world.

The remaining four boys and their 25-year-old coach were all brought out safely early Tuesday evening.

Several hours later, a medic and three SEAL divers who had stayed for days with the boys in their tiny refuge in the cave also emerged.

The team was trapped in the Tham Luang cave on June 23, while exploring after soccer practice when it became flooded by monsoon rains.(AP - People’s Daily app)

French food giant Danone investigates new milk formula after sick infant complaints

French food giant Danone is probing claims that its new Aptamil baby milk formula has made some infants ill in Britain.

"We have undertaken extensive quality and safety checks, including clinical trials, product testing and product experience tests on these products," said Danone UK in a statement, but added that "the results have shown that babies take to this formula well and that it is safe."

Hundreds of British parents have complained on Aptamil's Facebook page that recent changes to the recipe of its certain baby milk formulas have made their children sick.

Several mothers have told the BBC their babies experienced upset stomachs after they started using the new version of Aptamil First Infant Milk powder (stage 1). (Xinhua)

Scientists discover world's oldest colors in Africa

Scientists have discovered the oldest colors in the geological record, 1.1 billion-year-old pigments extracted from rocks deep beneath the Sahara desert in Africa.
A study published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences revealed that the pigments taken from marine black shales of the Taoudeni Basin in Mauritania, West Africa, were more than half a billion years older than previous pigment discoveries.

"The bright pink pigments are the molecular fossils of chlorophyll that were produced by ancient photosynthetic organisms inhabiting an ancient ocean that has long since vanished," said Nur Gueneli from the Australia National University (ANU) Research School of Earth Sciences and the paper's first author.

The fossils range from blood red to deep purple in their concentrated form, and bright pink when diluted, according to the study.（Xinhua）

France beats Belgium to advance to World Cup final

France has reached the World Cup final for the first time since 2006 with a 1-0 win over Belgium in a semifinal match that attracted presidents, royalty and a rock star.
Samuel Umtiti’s header in the 51st minute was the only goal in a tense match at St. Petersburg.
France, the 1998 champions and runners-up in ’06, will play either Croatia or England in Sunday’s final at Moscow. England and Croatia will meet Wednesday in Moscow in the second semifinal.
France President Emmanuel Macron and King Philippe of Belgium shook hands in the VIP section before the match. (AP)

Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.
And now for the Question of the Day.
What are the Four Great Classical Novels of China?
(Dream of the Red Chamber by Cao Xueqin; Water Margin by Shi Naian; Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong; Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en.)
Today’s quote is from English novelist Jane Austen.
“There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart.”
(Produced by Nancy Yan Xu, Ryan Yaoran Yu, Lance Crayon, and Raymond Mendoza.)