People's Daily Tonight: Podcast News (5/22/2019 Wed.)
People's Daily app
1558528013000

15150050kv5i.jpg

This is People’s Daily Tonight, your news source from China. 

______

Shanghai building China's first pilot zone for AI application

9c035ba3-450e-47f6-b72a-f7a647c76f1c.jpg

The Chinese metropolis of Shanghai has started to build the country's first pilot zone for the innovation and application of artificial intelligence.

The pilot zone in the Pudong New Area will establish an AI core industrial cluster, promote AI applications and build a support system for AI innovation.

It will also explore the layout, infrastructure, standard architecture and intellectual property transactions of the AI industry, removing barriers on qualification, data and security. (Xinhua)

______

Brazil's gutted National Museum seeks funds in Europe

2a6b19640a0e44feb14d81e0ca3f1d85.jpg

Brazil's National Museum director headed to Europe Tuesday for a two-week fundraising trip to help finance the rebuilding of the institution devastated by fire last year.

Alexander Kellner said he would visit Germany and France in search of support after failing to get the much-needed aid in Brazil.

Beyond funds needed for the reconstruction of Latin America's main natural history museum, the institution needs money to safeguard artifacts rescued from the ashes of the gutted building.

Brazil's National Museum had received the equivalent of 280,000 US dollars in donations. The total cost of restoring the National Museum will reportedly be around 100 million reals (about $25 million). (CGTN)

______

California sues Trump administration for canceling fund for high-speed rail

22091740galk.jpg

The California state government has sued the US federal government for canceling a nearly $1 billion fund to support the state's high-speed rail project.

The lawsuit is attempting to recover money from the Federal Railroad Administration.

The FRA announced it would end its $928 million contract with California because the state "failed to make reasonable progress on the project.”

In 2008, California voters approved nearly $10 billion in bond money for the construction of the high-speed rail system linking Los Angeles and San Francisco. (Xinhua)

______

Yunnan, Jilin provinces hit by worst of drought

a2ffa812-f272-4035-aefb-07cf3d4617b7.jpg

A severe drought is baking parts of China, with southwestern Yunnan province and northeastern Jilin province getting the worst of it, according to the Beijing-based National Climate Center.

Crops have been damaged by the drought, including rice and wheat in southern areas and corn in the northeast.

According to the Yunnan government, the drought has made it difficult for about 309,000 people to get drinking water. About 141,000 hectares of crops have been affected, with more than 29,000 hectares experiencing serious damage.

Surveillance from the National Climate Center shows that drought is also occurring in the Inner Mongolia and Guangxi Zhuang autonomous regions, as well as Shanxi, Shaanxi and Hubei provinces. (China Daily)

______

St. Louis airport reopens after storm shutdown

22084803zzk9.jpg

Flights have resumed at St. Louis’ Lambert Airport after a temporary halt caused by a severe storm.

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered a temporary halt to both arrivals and departures Tuesday evening, when a strong storm passed through the region.

There were reports of funnel clouds cited in St. Charles County, near St. Louis, and the downtown turned pitch black as a strong storm rumbled through.

But by 7:30 pm, the worst of the storm appeared to have passed without any reports of significant damage. (AP)

______

Deaths rise to 6 after bar collapses in south China

22100114ep3i.jpg

The death toll has risen to six after the roof of a bar collapsed Monday in the city of Baise, southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Rescuers found two more bodies in the debris on Tuesday afternoon, and all missing have been found so far, according to the regional emergency management department.

A total of 87 people were injured, including one in critical condition and 16 with severe injures.

Local police have summoned 23 people for investigation and seven have been detained on suspicion of causing a major safety accident.

Investigation and clean-up efforts are underway. (Xinhua)

______

Beijing's point-based hukou system opens for annual application

22102406kpot.jpg

And this year's applications for the point-based household registration system for non-Beijingers have begun.

Based on the city's development planning and population capacity, the quota for new hukou holders this year is 6,000.

Last year, 6,019 people were granted hukou status in Beijing. (People's Daily app)

______

And that’s People’s Daily Tonight.  Thanks for joining us.

(Produced by David Nye and Cheng Weidan)