Fresh Start: Podcast News (9/4/2019 Wed.)

05:01, September 04, 2019

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  Podcast: Story in the Story (9/4/2019 Wed.)

  From the Peoples Daily app.And this is Story in the Story.Demand for care facilities is growing in China as parents look to expand their families, while continuing to work.Statistics show that around 80 percent of childcare in China is provided by family members, primarily parents and grandparents, who often feel overburdened. As a result, there is huge demand for professional services.Chinas population is aging so rapidly that in 2016 the government announced that every couple could have two children.Since the new policy was implemented, the number of newborns has risen. However, the question of who will take care of the baby has become a major issue for families and is one of the main reasons some couples hesitate to have a second child, said Cui Shuyi, director of the Institute of Demographics at the Shandong Academy of Social Sciences.Today’s Story in the Story looks at what is being done to ease the burden brought on by the increasing need for childcare services.A teacher gives an English class for 1-year-old children at a child care center in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, March 4, 2019. (Photo: China Daily)Until Lyu Jiawei discovered a new childcare center in her community in the suburban district of Tongzhou in east Beijing, she was undecided about having a second child.Though running her own business enabled Lyu to work at home, she still found it difficult to take care of her son while dealing with routine work."Our parents cannot come to help like some other families. Besides, my parenting ideas are different to those of the older generation," she said.Lyu was spending so much time taking care of her first child that she felt it would be almost impossible to have a second without giving up work. She discovered a childcare center in her community when her son was 13 months old."It accepts children ages 6 months to 3 years, which fits my needs," she said. In China, most kindergartens only receive children age 3 month...

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  Fresh Start: Podcast News (9/9/2019 Mon.)

  Welcome to Fresh Start.This is People’s Daily app.Here are today’s picks from our editors.Power supply returns to quake-hit SichuanElectricity is back on for more than 24,000 households who suffered temporary power outage due to the 5.4-magnitude earthquake in Southwest Chinas Sichuan Province on Sunday, local authorities said.As of 9 pm Sunday evening, 4,781 people had been dispatched for rescue work, medical aid, firefighting, order maintenance, power restoration and traffic control to Weiyuan County’s Neijiang.The quake jolted Weiyuan at 6:42 am Sunday, and killed one person and injured 63 others. (Xinhua)China to issue commemorative coins for 70th anniversary of PRC foundingChina will issue a coin set on September 10 commemorating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), the central bank said.The set includes two gold and four silver coins, and one copper alloy coin, all legal tender, according to statement on the Peoples Bank of China website.The coins feature the national emblem on one side, and are inscribed with Chinese characters that read "the 70th anniversary of the founding of the PRC" on the other side. (Xinhua)Trump said he canceled secret Taliban meeting at Camp DavidUS President Donald Trump said he canceled a secret weekend meeting at Camp David with Taliban and Afghanistan leaders after a bombing in the past week in Kabul that killed 12 people, including an American soldier, and has called off peace negotiations with the insurgent group.Trumps tweet Saturday evening was surprising because it would mean that the president was ready to host members of the Taliban at the presidential retreat in Maryland just days before the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks.Canceling the talks also goes against Trumps pledge to withdraw the remaining 14,000 US troops from Afghanistan and end US involvement in a conflict that is closing in on 18 years. (AP)Four scientists wi...

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  People's Daily Tonight: Podcast News (9/4/2019 Wed.)

  This is Peoples Daily Tonight, your news source from China.Chinese netizens boycott Zara for perfunctory response amid suspicion of supporting riotsChinese netizens boycotted the response by Zara after the Spanish fashion brand was suspected of complying with opposition groups call for a strike by suspending business on Monday.Zara said it upholds the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Peoples Republic of China and supports the "one country, two systems" principle.The post came after Chinese netizens called for a boycott of the brand amid a report only one Zara store on Hong Kong Island opened on Monday, the day opposition groups called for strikes.(Global Times)_______Hong Kongs business activity sees steepest fall since 2008 financial crisis: IHS MarkitDecline of business activities in Hong Kong accelerated in August to near-record levels as protests continue to dampen demand, London-based consulting firm IHS Markit reported Wednesday.Hong Kongs Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) sank to 40.8 in August, down from 43.8 in July, signaling the steepest deterioration in the health of the private sector since February 2009, according to the survey.Almost all aspects surveyed for the PMI indicator were worsening in Hong Kong with widespread pessimism and record-low business confidence, the report showed. (Xinhua)_______20 bodies recovered in California dive boat fireTwenty bodies have been recovered after a tragic boat fire early Monday off the Santa Cruz Island in Southern California.Rescue divers saw the bodies of four to six victims in the wreckage, but they can not be recovered before nightfall due to the positioning of the boat.Since many of the victims recovered will need to be identified through DNA analysis, investigators will work with family members of the victims to collect DNA samples for comparison purposes.(Xinhua)_______US imposes sanctions on Irans space agenciesThe US announ...