Fresh Start: Podcast News (9/30/2018 Sun.)
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Welcome to Fresh Start.

This is People’s Daily app.

Here are today’s picks from our editors.

Xi inspects military, stresses training, war preparedness

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Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, has stressed efforts to strengthen the military training and war preparedness of the armed forces and improve its capability to win wars.

Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), made the remarks Thursday while inspecting the 79th Group Army of the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

He said it was important to deepen the implementation of the Party's thinking on strengthening the military in the new era and military strategy for new conditions.

Xi listened to the work report of the Group Army and delivered a speech, warning against any thought and behavior that strayed away from real combat and highlighting the implementation of combat requirement throughout training and preparation.

He asked the military to stay focused on the tasks, opponents and environment of combat, to firmly hold the initiative in both strategy and battle. (Xinhua)

Death toll of Indonesia's quake, tsunami climbs to hundreds

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Death toll from Indonesia's multiple-strong quakes and a tsunami in Central Sulawesi Province jumped to 384 with 540 people sustaining from serious injuries, a disaster management agency official said on Saturday.

The figures were only accounted in Palu, the capital city of the province, while the impacts of the natural disasters in Donggala and its coastal areas which was hit by the tsunami has not been included in the data, a spokesperson for the national disaster management agency said.

The spokesperson noted that the number of victims will likely rise significantly as the assessments of downside risks of the disasters in the affected areas and evacuation were being undertaken now. (Xinhua)

Palestine complains to int'l court over US embassy move to Jerusalem

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Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Malki said on Saturday that Palestine has filed a legal complaint against the US to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over moving its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

The foreign minister asked the ICJ to declare that the relocation of the US embassy to Jerusalem as a violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

The complaint aimed at preserving the status of the holy city of Jerusalem with its unique spiritual, religious and cultural dimensions, Malki pointed out. (Xinhua)

Thai authorities urged to probe into excessive force against Chinese tourist

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Thai authorities are being urged to investigate a clash involving a Chinese tourist, the Chinese embassy in Bangkok said Saturday.

The clash flared up after a Chinese man's visa application was denied at Bangkok’s Don Mueang International Airport late on Thursday.

The argument between the Chinese tourist and a security officer soon escalated into a physical altercation and ended after the officer slapped the Chinese man’s face.

The Thai Deputy Prime Minister said he paid close attention to the incident and has ordered a suspension of the officer and president of the Don Mueang airport.

The Chinese embassy said it would keep close contact with relevant Thai agencies to deal with the incident properly and ensure all Chinese nationals' legitimate rights. (People's Daily app)

Shanghai General Motors to recall 3.3 million vehicles

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Shanghai General Motors announced recently that it will recall 3.3 million Buick, Chevrolet, and Cadillac vehicles built from 2013 to 2017 as part of a safety recall, warning that a problem with the suspension could cause the driver to lose control of the vehicle.

Complaints from consumers about the problem emerged as early as 2015, but SGM failed to act until some Buick Envision owners launched administrative proceedings at the Intermediate People's Court in Beijing.

The recall is scheduled to start on October 12. After-sale service centers will contact consumers to organize for a free repair of their affected vehicle. (China Plus)

British PM Theresa May backs joint UK-Ireland World Cup bid in 2030

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British Prime Minister Theresa May signaled her "full support" Friday for a potential joint bid by the United Kingdom and Ireland to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

"The decision on whether to bid is, of course, for the Football Associations to make. But if they decide to go forward, they can count on this government's full support," May said.

May's comments served up a formidable challenge to a Latin American plan that Argentina agreed on with Paraguay and Uruguay in April. (CGTN)

Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.

And now for the Question of the Day:

What is the biggest planet in our solar system?

(Answer: Jupiter is the biggest planet in our solar system. Its diameter measures 142,800 km.)

Today’s quote is from comedian Charlie Chaplin.

“A day without laughter is a day wasted.”

(Produced by Nancy Yan Xu, Ryan Yaoran Yu, Raymond Mendoza, Terry Guanlin Li, and Da Hang.)