Fresh Start: Podcast News (4/8/2018 Sun.)

Welcome to Fresh Start.

This is People’s Daily app. 

Here are today’s picks from our editors.

Tourism on the rise during Qingming Festival

Qingming Festival, also known as Tomb-sweeping day, is responsible for China’s growing domestic tourism market, having earned the country 42 billion yuan (roughly $6.7 billion), which is an 8 percent increase from last year.

On the first day of the holiday alone, China had roughly 12 million train trips.

According to statistics by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, tourism revenue in China is estimated to reach 168 billion yuan (roughly $27 billion) in the first half of this year. (People’s Daily app)

Philadelphia apologizes to China for damaged terracotta warrior

Philadelphia government officials formally apologized in writing to China for a terracotta warrior statue that was damaged while displayed at the city’s Franklin Institute in December 2017.

A thumb of the statue was broken off and stolen by Michael Rohana, who reportedly attended a party held at the institute, when he made his way into the museum's special exhibit "Terracotta Warriors of the First Emperor." The incident drew global attention and caused outrage from the public about the institution's poor security. (People’s Daily app)

South Korea, North Korea hold working-level talks to discuss Moon-Kim hotline

Three working-level officials from South Korea’s Blue House and the unification ministry met with their North Korean counterparts on Saturday to discuss a telephone hotline for communications between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Moon and Kim agreed to have their first phone conversation through the established phone line before their first summit on April 27. (People’s Daily app)

Russian embassy seeks talk with UK over ex-spy poisoning

Russia recently requested a meeting between its Ambassador Alexander Yakovenko and British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson on a variety of issues, including the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter in March.

The British Foreign Office confirmed having received the request and said it would respond in "due course.” (People’s Daily app)

Texas, Arizona announce troop deployments to Mexican border

Following an order to strengthen security at the US-Mexican border from US President Donald Trump, the Texas National Guard said it will send 250 troops by Monday while Arizona’s governor said he would send 150 next week.

Trump on Thursday said the final deployment would range from 2,000 to 4,000 troops, and he would "probably" keep many personnel there until his promised border wall is built. (People’s Daily app)

14 killed in Canada after truck collides with bus carrying hockey team

A bus carrying a Canadian junior hockey team on the way to a match crashed into a truck in western Canada on Friday, resulting in the death of 14 people while 14 others were injured.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police would not confirm if the victims were players or coaches.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted his condolences, stating that he “cannot imagine what these parents are going through.” (People’s Daily app)

Three dead after truck drives into crowd in Germany

Three people were killed and many others injured in the western German city of Münster, when the driver of a truck crashed into a group of people on Saturday.

According to police, the driver of the truck shot and killed himself after the crash. They found a suspicious object near the vehicle, but would not specify what it was. The police have also asked people to stop speculating the cause of the incident until an investigation has been completed.

According to German media, the driver might be a German national with a history of mental health issues.

The incident, though not confirmed to be a terrorist attack, is reminiscent to the December 2016 truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market that killed 12 people. (People’s Daily app)

Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.

This weekend’s poem is by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:

“Art is long, and Time is fleeting, / And our hearts, though stout and brave, / Still, like muffled drums, are beating / Funeral marches to the grave.”

(Produced by Nancy Yan Xu, Ryan Yaoran Yu, Ziyi Zeng, and Raymond Mendoza.)