August 15, 2023 (Tuesday) Three-Minute News Breakfast

1) Nine departments including the Ministry of Commerce: By 2025, create around 500 county-level commercial "leading counties", further smooth the two-way channels for industrial products going to the countryside and agricultural products entering the city, and achieve a virtuous cycle of increased farmers' income and improved consumption quality.

2) The State Council's Safety Committee has launched a special investigation into the Qihe Middle School gymnasium accident, demanding that Heilongjiang quickly determine the cause of the accident.

3) [Rule of Law] The Supreme People's Procuratorate decided to arrest Hao Hongjun, former chairman of the Dalian Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Liaoning Province. Yang Feng, former secretary of the Political and Legal Committee of the Dandong Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China in Liaoning Province, is under disciplinary review and supervisory investigation. Zhang Yunqiang, former president of Guiyang First People's Hospital, is under disciplinary review and supervisory investigation. Du Pengfei, former secretary of the Party Committee of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, is under investigation. Yan Jun, deputy director of the Shanghai China Maritime Museum, is under disciplinary review and supervisory investigation. Court documents reveal details of anti-corruption in the medical field: some hospital presidents received 100 sets of houses, and a 2 yuan rebate for one X-ray film. Chinese courts punish various crimes that damage forest resources, and have concluded over 60,000 criminal cases in 5 years. The Chinese Coast Guard seized a fishing vessel suspected of illegal fishing operations, and 9 people were arrested. Hubei Province reported 4 typical cases of false accusations and malicious reporting. Three men from Guizhou illegally crossed the border into Myanmar to engage in fraud, but were rejected because they could not type, and were sentenced to prison.

4) The Traffic Management Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security has introduced new measures to optimize motor vehicle registration services. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has urgently deployed flood control and disaster reduction for vegetables and autumn production. The Ministry of Water Resources has launched a level IV emergency response to drought in four northwestern provinces and regions.

5) China successfully launched five satellites, including the Hede No. 3 A-E stars, using the Kuaizhou-1A carrier rocket at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. These satellites are mainly used to provide commercial remote sensing services.

7) Many cities including Fuzhou, Xiamen, Chengdu, and Shenyang plan to lower the minimum down payment ratio for second homes in the near future.

8) [Military] Spokesperson of the Ministry of National Defense: Defense Minister Li Shangfu will attend the 11th Moscow International Security Conference in Russia and visit Belarus; China and Thailand will hold the "Strike-2023" joint military exercise from mid-August to early September; the People's Liberation Army and the People's Armed Police Force have effectively completed flood control and disaster relief work. The Chinese and Russian naval fleets passed through the Soya Strait and entered the Sea of Okhotsk. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force dispatched ships and aircraft to track and monitor them. The Ministry of National Defense urged Japan to stop its meaningless interference. The Lianyungang Maritime Safety Administration issued a navigation warning: from August 15 to August 21, from 8:00 to 18:00 each day, live-fire exercises will be conducted in the southern Yellow Sea, and entry is prohibited.

9) [Hong Kong and Macao] The "Flexible Travel" service for the Hong Kong-Futian high-speed rail was launched on August 14, upgrading convenient travel between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, allowing for three free changes per day.

10) [Taiwan] The Ministry of Commerce ruled that imported polycarbonate from Taiwan is being dumped, causing damage to the mainland industry. An accident occurred during a live-fire exercise by the Taiwan Air Force, and a bomb deviated, causing shockwave damage to coast guard personnel.

1) Wang Wenbin responded to Putin's planned visit to China in October, saying that the heads of state of China and Russia have been conducting strategic communication through various means, and the topics are rich and comprehensive. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Rasmussen will visit China from August 16 to 19. The culprit behind the cyberattack on the Wuhan Earthquake Monitoring Center has been identified, and the backdoor software used in the attack matches the characteristics of US intelligence agencies.

2) The second meeting of the China-Angola Economic and Trade Cooperation Guiding Committee was held in Angola on August 13, and both sides jointly announced the completion of negotiations on the China-Angola Bilateral Investment Treaty. UN peacekeeping forces withdrew from a base in northern Mali ahead of schedule. EU natural gas prices have soared, and experts say sanctions against Russia have backfired on the EU.

3) The Maui Island fire in Hawaii has killed at least 96 people, with estimated losses of nearly $6 billion. The Hawaii Attorney General's office will conduct a review. When asked about visiting Maui during a weekend bike ride, Biden responded: We are paying attention.

The outdoor warning system for the Hawaii wildfire did not sound, and local residents said that the real warning was the smoke. Trump appeared at the Iowa State Fair: fans cheered wildly, while DeSantis looked dejected. The US "Red Flag" military exercise simulated a Sino-US air and sea battle. A plane crashed during an air show in Michigan, USA, and the two people on board ejected to safety. A group of people committed a crime in broad daylight, and a shopping mall in Los Angeles was hit by a "flash mob robbery".

4) The Russian Ministry of Defense: The Russian air defense system destroyed 4 Ukrainian drones. A Russian warship fired warning shots at a cargo ship heading to Ukraine in the Black Sea. Zelensky admitted that Ukraine launched an attack on the Crimean Bridge. Zelensky is concerned about corruption in military recruitment, and a recent government investigation revealed corruption in 11 different regional recruitment centers, with many draft dodgers being asked to pay $6,000. Ukrainian troops returned to Snake Island and installed new boundary markers, recording a video to provoke the Russian army: the next one is in Crimea.

5) British media: UK inflation may rebound in August, and the Prime Minister's promise may be difficult to keep. Another migrant boat capsized in the English Channel: 6 dead and 2 missing. The Dutch Ministry of Defense: Dutch Air Force fighter jets had an aerial confrontation with Russian fighter jets. Canada still has over 1,000 forest fires burning, with more than half out of control.

6) South Korean media received threatening emails claiming that Seoul City Hall would be bombed at 3 pm on August 15, and that a bomb had been planted in the building. 149 people who posted "murder warnings" in South Korea were arrested, half of whom were minors. The South Korean government announced a list of pardons for "Liberation Day," with 2,176 people receiving pardons. South Korean media: The 25th World Scout Jamboree had frequent problems, and former South Korean President Moon Jae-in wrote that "South Korea has lost its national character." South Korean fishing boats protested against Japan's discharge of nuclear-contaminated water at sea.

7) Kim Jong Un inspected a military factory for the second time in a week, personally driving a multi-purpose combat armored vehicle to understand its combat performance and mobility.

9) Tribal clashes in southern Sudan have killed nearly 50 people. A jade mine in northern Myanmar collapsed, causing dozens of people to go missing.

An explosion at a hotel in Afghanistan killed 3 and injured 7.

1) Ministry of Commerce: Studying and promoting the reasonable reduction of the negative list for foreign investment access, and further relaxing restrictions on strategic investment by foreign investors in listed companies.

2) Financial Regulatory General Bureau: Promoting the connection between the pilot program for personal tax-deferred commercial pension insurance and personal pension.

3) National Development and Reform Commission: The national average pig-to-grain price ratio is 5.97:1, and the price of live pigs has exited the excessive decline level 1 early warning range. State Administration for Market Regulation: The unqualified rate of inspections of 25 major categories of food in the first half of the year has decreased. National Energy Administration: In July, the total electricity consumption of the whole society was 888.8 billion kWh, a year-on-year increase of 6.5%.

4) China Telecom apologizes for "double billing": System upgrades caused abnormal balance displays for some users in Hebei, and staff are urgently handling the issue. iFlytek: Will release "iFlytek Starfire Cognitive Large Model V2.0" on August 15. Liu Qiangdong and his wife immigrated to the United States? JD.com denies the rumor: A report has been filed.

5) Longfor Group prepaid RMB 1.7 billion in domestic debt and plans to repay its 2024 maturing offshore debt within the year. Tesla: Has established a data center in China, and all data from vehicles in the Chinese mainland market is stored domestically.

1) The 19th Dianchi Literature Award ceremony was held in Kunming, Yunnan on August 13, with writers from Singapore and Indonesia winning awards.

2) Exquisite! A nearly 110-meter-long high-definition large screen panoramically presents the images of 533 people from the ancient capital of Nanjing.

4) The fifth stage of the first China Road Cycling Professional League started on August 13 in Tuanbo Lake, Jinghai District, Tianjin.

1) In the first seven months, the import and export volume of Beijing exceeded RMB 2 trillion, with a year-on-year increase of 3.8%.

2) Did a Shanghai hospital receive tens of billions of yuan in refunds? Official response: It was fabricated by a self-media account. Zhejiang's "super charging treasure" is fully operational, providing 200,000 kWh of off-peak electricity. A hotel in Zhejiang was fined 100,000 yuan for "99 yuan to sleep in the lobby", the market supervision bureau: false advertising. It was reported online that there was a gas leak on Yingbin Avenue in Lianyungang, Jiangsu. Emergency response: Personnel have been evacuated, no casualties.

3) The remnants of "Khanun" brought heavy rain, causing 7 reservoirs in Liaoning to exceed their flood limits. Liaoning: Heavy rain affected 1469 people, damaged 139.5 hectares of crops, and caused direct economic losses of RMB 3.8372 million. Heilongjiang Province terminated the provincial level three emergency response for flood control. Jilin Province lifted the level II emergency response for flood and drought disaster prevention.

4) Strong winds caused a house collapse in Hengnan County, Hunan, resulting in 3 deaths and 3 minor injuries. The preliminary cause of the mountain torrent and debris flow in Xi'an has been determined: Upstream mountain collapse caused blockage, and the accumulated flood water broke through. Huixian, Henan: Encourage real estate companies to make appropriate concessions, and can use provident fund to help immediate family members buy houses.

5) Guangxi University of Foreign Languages: The post linking the Burmese language major with telecom fraud is a P-picture, and a report has been filed. A middle school in Henan responded to the nearly 2-meter-high charging window: It has been rectified.

7) Tourists in a scenic spot in Xinzhou, Shanxi shouted for refunds, the scenic spot said that it was due to excessive passenger flow, and the tourism department intervened in the investigation. Tourists photographed a rare cloud leopard in Huangshan? Experts initially judged: It's a big orange cat.