Three-minute news breakfast on Thursday, October 5, 2023

Domestic

1) Return travel flow begins to increase. An estimated 17.3 million passengers are expected to be sent by national railways on October 4th. A cumulative 114 million passengers have been sent by national railways during the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day Golden Week.

2) 395 million domestic tourism trips were made in the first three days of the holiday, and the tourism market continues to heat up.

3) The Daqin Railway, a major artery for energy transportation, has begun concentrated maintenance and construction work, lasting 20 days.

5) National Marine Forecasting Center: The strong typhoon "Xiao Yin" is approaching, and orange sea wave and blue storm surge warnings have been issued.

6) A toxic gas poisoning incident occurred in a family corn processing workshop in Wutai County, Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province, resulting in 7 deaths.

7) [Legal] Market supervision departments have investigated and dealt with more than 1,000 cases of unfair competition online this year. A special operation, "Spring Breeze 2023," has been launched to combat and rectify illegal and criminal activities that damage ancient trees and famous trees.

8) [Military] The Chinese peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of Congo received high praise from a UN working group.

9) [Hong Kong and Macau] New stations have been added to the Hong Kong section of the high-speed rail, increasing the number of daily trips to 7 cities in the Greater Bay Area to 188. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government has established a National Games Coordination Office. The Hong Kong Democratic Alliance for Betterment of Hong Kong has received 23,000 inquiries and requests for assistance from Hong Kong residents regarding mainland affairs in 7 months.

10) [Taiwan] The dengue fever epidemic in Taiwan is still at its peak, with more than 13,000 cases and 20 deaths this year.

International

1) The EU has launched an anti-subsidy investigation into China's electric vehicles. The Ministry of Commerce: This is a blatant act of protectionism, seriously harming China's rights. We will closely monitor the EU's subsequent investigation procedures and firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will lead a delegation to visit China, Japan, and South Korea. Foreign Ministry spokesperson: We hope that this visit will inject positive factors into the development of China-US relations. A shooting incident at a shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand, resulted in one Chinese citizen dead and one injured. The Thai Prime Minister visited the injured Chinese in the hospital and called the Chinese ambassador, saying that he would do his best to provide assistance. The China-Laos Railway has transported over 26.8 million tons of goods in the 22 months since its opening.

3) The US House of Representatives voted 216 to 210 to remove Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House. Republican Representative Mike Johnson will serve as temporary Speaker or acting Speaker. After being removed, McCarthy held a press conference, making self-deprecating remarks and emphasizing that "this is a personal feud."

Three US congressmen recommended Donald Trump as the next Speaker of the House. Biden urged the House to quickly elect a new Speaker to address the "challenges." Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was notified to vacate her Capitol Hill office, and Pelosi expressed dissatisfaction. Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to drug and gun-related charges. A military vehicle rollover accident in Alaska, USA, resulted in 2 deaths and 12 injuries. The vehicle was carrying 17 soldiers.

4) Russia released preliminary findings of the Luna-25 probe accident: It is likely related to an anomaly in the operation of the onboard integrated control system. Russian media: The US believes that Ukraine has six to eight weeks left for its counteroffensive.

5) The French Minister of Health denied that the country was being invaded by bed bugs and called for public calm. Despite strong opposition from Russia, Armenia approved joining the International Criminal Court. France announced that it would provide military equipment to Armenia.

6) The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant will begin its second round of nuclear contaminated water discharge at 10:30 am local time on October 5 (9:30 am Beijing time). The whereabouts of stolen scrap metal from Fukushima remain unknown, and experts believe that Japan's management of radioactive materials is chaotic.

South Korean media: After a nine-year hiatus, South Korea and Japan will resume their vice-ministerial strategic dialogue.

7) The Indian government issued expulsion orders to more than 40 Canadian diplomats.

Finance and Securities

1) State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council: In the first eight months, central enterprises' investment in strategic emerging industries increased by about 30% year-on-year.

2) China Association of Automobile Manufacturers: We firmly oppose trade protectionism; cooperation is the only way forward.

3) Global monetary policy is shifting, and domestic "steady growth" and "steady exchange rate" policies are gradually being implemented.

4) Up to 80% reduction! Air ticket prices plummet; beware of "price gouging" on return trips.

Culture, Education, Sports, and Entertainment

1) From September 21 to October 1, the State Ethnic Affairs Commission organized the 2023 National Minority Visiting Group to visit Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Beijing for inspection and study.

2) As of 11:00 am on October 4, the total box office (including pre-sales) for the 2023 Chinese film National Day period (September 29-October 6) has exceeded 2 billion yuan.

3) The first positive doping case at the Hangzhou Asian Games was discovered, involving a Saudi Arabian track and field athlete. The Chinese team won the gold medal in the mixed 35km race walk.

In the women's 3-meter springboard final, Chen Yiwen won the gold medal, and Chang Yani won the silver medal. The Chinese team won two gold medals on the first day of the dragon boat competition. On October 4, the International Olympic Committee announced that the Chinese men's 4x100m relay team had been awarded the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, marking the first time the Chinese team has won an Olympic medal in the men's 4x100m relay!

4) Gymnastics World Championships: The Chinese team finished third to qualify for the women's team final and secured a place at the Paris Olympics.

Life Services

1) Beijing Traffic Police: There will be significant traffic pressure during the latter part of the holiday and after the holiday. The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism has launched 50 niche tourist destinations.

2) In the first four days of the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday, Hainan's offshore duty-free sales exceeded 600 million yuan.

3) The identity of a 300,000 yuan lottery winner in Jiangxi Province was questioned, and Jiangxi Sports Lottery announced the winner's information.

4) Starting October 11, three pairs of high-speed trains will run between Xi'an and Beijing West, marking the first time Xi'an Station has operated high-speed trains to Beijing.

6) Typhoon "Xiaoyin" will affect Taiwan Island, while the western Sichuan region will experience continuous rain and snow. From 8 PM on October 4th to 8 PM on October 5th, light to moderate snow or rain and snow is expected in central and western Qinghai, eastern Tibet, and western Gansu, with heavy to severe snow in parts of central Qinghai. Heavy to torrential rain is expected in parts of southeastern Tibet, Shaanxi, northeastern Sichuan Basin, western Guizhou, and Taiwan Island.

E Health and Wellness

1) Black soybean sprouts are called "soybean yellow rolls" in Traditional Chinese Medicine and are considered best for relieving the liver and regulating Qi. Nutritionally, black soybean sprouts are rich in calcium, phosphorus, iron, and potassium, even more so than mung bean sprouts. They are particularly rich in anthocyanins, which offer better antioxidant and anti-aging effects.

2) The carbohydrates in refined rice and white flour are quickly absorbed and utilized, leading to a faster rise in blood sugar. On the other hand, legumes, whole grains, and fruits and vegetables are rich in dietary fiber, which slows down digestion and absorption, thus delaying the rise in blood sugar.