People's Daily Tonight: Podcast News (4/09/2018 Mon.)

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

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China to launch first software-based satellite

China to launch first software-based satellite in the second half of the year.

The Tianzhi-1 satellite takes advantage of the Internet's open source and can work in a way similar to the Android operating system. 

Reports say the satellite can process data in orbit before sending them back to Earth for various purposes.

It’s also capable of automatic operations to reduce the pressure of the satellite control system on the ground.

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Ex-S.Korean president indicted over corruption charges

Prosecutors indict another former South Korean president.

This time, it’s Lee Myung-bak.

Prosecutors charged him for bribery, embezzlement and tax evasion.

They say Lee is the real owner of DAS.

That’s a local auto parts manufacturer.

They say Lee illegally owned under borrowed names, and embezzled over $32 million and evaded $3 million in corporate taxes by creating a slush fund through accounting fraud and using business credit cards for personal purposes.

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North Korea ready to discuss denuclearization: report

North Korea informs the US it’s ready to discuss the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula at the planned meeting between the two countries' leaders.

Observers see this as a positive step for the meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

It was not revealed when or how the message was delivered, but a US official told media that Washington and Pyongyang have recently held secret contacts.

Tension on the Korean Peninsula has thawed in recent months.
In March, Trump and Kim agreed to meet, but the timing and place of the high-profile gathering have not been announced just yet.

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Chinese soccer fans to flock to Russia for World Cup

Chinese football fans buy 37,000 tickets to the World Cup in Russia.

FIFA also says 1.7 million tickets have been sold worldwide since ticketing opened last September. 

Just over half of those tickets were sold to foreign citizens. 

Over 100,000 people from China are expected to visit Russia during the World Cup, which is being held across 11 Russian cities. 

A Russian travel agency says they will be offering short trips tailored to Chinese visitors. 

Starting June, Air China will schedule two additional direct flights between Beijing and Moscow.

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Syrian media report missile attack; US says it didn’t fire

The US denies launching an air strike on Syria.

This, after missiles struck an air base early on Monday.

A Syrian war-monitoring group says 14 people, including Iranians, were killed in the missile attack.

This follows a suspected poison gas attack on Saturday on the last remaining foothold for Syrian rebels in the eastern suburbs of Damascus. 

At least 40 people were killed, including families found in their homes and shelters.

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China's Hainan aims for 100% new energy vehicles

China's island province of Hainan plans to have all its vehicles run on new energy by 2030.

The governor says government vehicles will be switched to new energy vehicles first, then vehicles for public use like buses and taxis, and finally private cars.

Hainan has more than 9 million people and about 1.18 million vehicles. It plans to introduce 5,600 NEVs into the market and build more than 10,000 recharging posts this year.

China signed the Paris Agreement in April 2016, giving a strong push to international efforts against global warming.

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Alipay fined for violation of rules

And China’s central bank fines the country’s largest mobile payment app Alipay over $28,000 for a number of violations.

The bank says the violations involve customers’ rights and interests, product promotions and protection of personal information.

Alipay says it has improved the situation after identifying the problems. 

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

(Produced by David Nye, Chen Lidan and Liang Peiyu)