Fresh Start: Podcast News (7/12/2018 Thu.)
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Welcome to Fresh Start.

This is People’s Daily app.

Here are today’s picks from our editors.

Chinese Premier Li and German Chancellor Merkel ride in self-driving vehicle at cooperation exhibition

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Before Chinese Premier Li Keqiang departed Berlin for home on Tuesday, he and his German counterpart Angela Merkel took a special ride in a self-driving vehicle at an exhibition for cooperation between China and Germany in developing autopilot technology.

Before Li and Merkel got to experience the self-driving technology, they viewed three self-driving test vehicles that were jointly developed by Chinese and German enterprises and were briefed on the industry's latest technological developments.

In an address given at the event, Li referred to the cooperation exhibition as the "grand finale" of his visit, adding that by upgrading "traditional manufacturing cooperation" into "modern R&D cooperation", China and Germany can seize the opportunities together in the future market. (CGTN)

China  to take counter-measures to safeguard legitimate rights and interests

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China  will take necessary counter-measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests from the trade war launched by US, said Hua Chunying, spokesperson of  China ’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Wednesday.

"This is a war between unilateralism and multilateralism, between protectionism and free trade, between power and rules," Hua noted, calling US' behavior "typical trade bully".

New  US  tariff threat is totally unacceptable and it is hurting itself as well as the world by imposing additional tariffs,"  China 's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said Wednesday morning.

"The  US  tariff move is in essence a hit to the global industrial and value chain," MOFCOM's spokesperson said. "To put it simply, the US is firing at the whole world. It is also firing at itself."  (People’s Daily app)

Body of last missing passenger from Phuket boat accident found

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A body, which may be the last missing passenger from the Phoenix tourist boat which capsized off the coast of Thailand's Phuket, was found on Wednesday by rescue teams.

The Ram Union rescue team from China , together with a Thai-Chinese rescue team called Blue Sea, told Chinese media that, based on the RMB cash found on the body, they assume the body is the last missing passenger.

As of Wednesday noon, 46 were confirmed dead in the accident, including a body trapped underwater.

A total of 89 Chinese nationals were aboard the boat when the accident happened last Thursday, 42 survived. (CGTN - People’s Daily app)

Thai government releases first photos of Thai boys in hospital

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Thai authorities on Wednesday released the first footage of several boys from a football team recovering in the hospital after they were rescued from a flooded cave.

The boys are wearing face masks, but appear to be in good health, nodding to the camera and making positive hand gestures, according to the footage released by the Government Public Relations Department (PRD) on Wednesday.

Rescue mission chief Narongsak Osottanakorn told a news conference the boys were just being children when they got lost and no one was to blame.

The group, aged between about 11 and 17, survived in the cave nine days after being located by British divers. (CGTN)

RIA:  Russia  to expel two Greek diplomats

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Moscow will respond to the expulsion of Russian diplomats from Greece by expelling two Greek diplomats, RIA news agency said on Wednesday, citing Andrei Klimov, a member of the upper house of parliament.

The Greek government also decided to ban another two Russian diplomats from entering the country, local media reported.

The four diplomats are accused of intrusion into Greece 's domestic affairs and illegal acts against the country's national security.

The case brings the tension that has been brewing between Athens and Moscow over the last two years, for reasons that have to do with regional security, to the forefront. (CGTN)

China 's biggest bank corruption criminal repatriated from US

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A former chief of a sub-branch of the Bank of China who embezzled $485 million from his company was deported on Wednesday after fleeing to the US in 2001.

Xu Chaofan is a former chief of a sub-branch of the Bank of China at Kaiping in southern Guangdong province. After his case was revealed, he fled to the  US  in 2001 and was issued a red arrest warrant by Interpol.

He was detained by the  US  in 2003 and sentenced to a 25-year prison term in the  US  in 2009. (People's Daily app)

Croatia reaches World Cup for first time, beats England 2-1

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Croatia is going to the World Cup final for the first time after beating England 2-1 in extra time.

Mario Mandzukic scored the clincher in the second half of extra time in the semifinal to secure a spot in Sunday’s final against France.

The Croatians rallied from a goal down for the third game in succession, with Ivan Perisic equalizing with a 68th-minute volley after Kieran Trippier opened the scoring for England with a free kick in the fifth.

Mandzukic latched onto Perisic’s header in the 109th minute and rifled it past England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, sparking wild celebrations in the corner.

England’s 52-year wait for a second World Cup continues. England won the title on home soil in 1966 in its only previous trip to the final. (AP)

Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.

And now for the Question of the Day.

What are the Five Great Mountains of  China ?

(Answer: Mount Tai, also known as Eastern Yue, in Shandong; Mount Huashan, also known as Western Yue, in Shaanxi; Mount Hengshan, also known as Southern Yue, in Hunan; Mount Songshan, also known as Center Yue, in Henan and Mount Heng, also known as North Yue, in Shanxi.)

Today’s quote is from English novelist and poet Charlotte Brontë.

"Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity, or registering wrongs.”

(Produced by Nancy Yan Xu, Ryan Yaoran Yu, Lance Crayon, and Raymond Mendoza.)