Three-minute news breakfast on Monday, December 18, 2023

1) Zhang Guoqing, Vice Premier of the State Council and Director of the National Disaster Reduction Committee, emphasized the need to comprehensively strengthen disaster prevention and response measures to ensure that the people have a safe and warm winter while deploying the prevention and response to low-temperature cold waves and rain, snow, and ice disasters. Emergency relief materials from the central government, urgently dispatched by the Ministry of Emergency Management and the State Grain and Material Reserves Bureau, have all arrived in the disaster-stricken areas of Shanxi. The National Disaster Reduction Committee has called for strengthened inspections of hidden dangers in sections such as subways.

2) National Disease Control Bureau: As of December 10, 7 cases of the JN.1 variant have been monitored in local COVID-19 cases. China CDC: Currently, the infection of COVID-19 in China is at a relatively low level, and no unknown new viruses or bacteria have been found.

3) Ministry of Industry and Information Technology: Deployed emergency communication guarantee work for low-temperature rain, snow, and ice disasters, with a total of 76,000 person-times of personnel and 34,000 vehicle-times of emergency vehicles deployed.

4) China successfully launched the Hyperbola-1 commercial carrier rocket in Jiuquan, successfully sending the Dier-1 satellite into its predetermined orbit.

6) The Ningxia section of the Bao (Tou) Yin (Chuan) high-speed railway has completed track laying, bringing the full line opening closer.

8) [Military] The integrated training course of the Air Force Communications Non-commissioned Officer School was rated as an army-level excellent course. A new type of antenna independently developed by officers and soldiers of a certain Air Force regiment has been put into use, solving problems in warfare.

9) [Hong Kong and Macao] Over 81,000 people arrived in Hong Kong through various talent entry schemes in the first 11 months of 2023. An art exhibition themed on the Yangtze River, "Protecting a River of Green Water," was held in Hong Kong.

10) [Taiwan] A special exhibition of Dunhuang Grotto art opened in Kaohsiung, showcasing the glory of the millennium Silk Road.

The Cross-Strait Literary Pen Conference opened in Xiamen, exploring new paths for cross-Strait integration. The famous Taiwanese scenic spot "Elephant Trunk Rock" fractured, with its nose falling into the sea and disappearing. Experts once said it would take "a thousand years to collapse".

1) Hu Chunhua, Special Envoy of President Xi Jinping and Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, attended the inauguration ceremony of the President of Madagascar. The giant pandas "Mengxiang" and "Mengyuan" in Germany arrived safely in Chengdu.

2) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: Tens of thousands of people in northern Gaza are still awaiting rescue. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus once again called for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

3) The United States threatened to reinstate sanctions against Venezuela, and public opinion in Venezuela condemned US hegemony.

4) Two thousand artifacts were stolen or damaged at the British Museum, some of which were sold as scrap. The museum director "resigned in disgrace" over this, but it failed to appease public anger.

5) The rooster weather vane of the spire of Notre Dame Cathedral was reinstalled, marking another step forward in the restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral.

7) A storm in eastern Argentina killed 13 people. A shipwreck in the western Libyan waters killed 61 people.

1) Premier Li Qiang signed a State Council order to promulgate the "Regulations on the Supervision and Administration of Non-bank Payment Institutions," which will come into effect on May 1, 2024.

2) "Wage deduction if less than 1 million yuan in deposits is secured"? In order to welcome the "opening red" in 2024, some banks have set hard targets for year-end deposits.

3) In the first 11 months of 2023, China's coal supply remained at a high level.

4) New energy vehicle license plate policies disrupt Shanghai's year-end car market: Customers place orders overnight, and store inventories are running low, selling exhibition vehicles.

1) The 2023 Outstanding Student Training and "High School-University Linkage Education" Exchange Seminar was held in Chongqing. Universities from 11 countries gathered in Dali, Yunnan, and the Lancang-Mekong Countries Business and Management Undergraduate Program Department Alliance was officially established.

2) The 8th International Symposium on Child Development was held in Beijing: Laying the foundation for child development to build a high-quality population.

3) An Inner Mongolia art and photography exhibition was held at the National Art Museum of China, with over 130 works promoting the spirit of Mongolian horses.

More than 500 exquisite miniature art pieces were showcased at Yunnan's first comprehensive miniature art exhibition, leaving the audience amazed.

4) China's "post-00s" showdown: Zhao Ruliang won the men's championship at the World Chinese Billiards Championship for the first time.

5) The World Cup Short Track Speed Skating Seoul Station concluded, with the Chinese team winning two gold medals. The first National Ski Mountaineering Championship opened at the Yabuli Sports Training Base in Heilongjiang Province, marking its inclusion in the National Winter Games for the first time.

1) Starting December 18, all primary and secondary schools, kindergartens, and secondary vocational schools in Beijing will resume on-campus learning. The recent snowfall in Beijing resulted in an estimated insurance loss of 49 million yuan. 1967 talent needs were released, and the Qingdao West Coast New Area's 1,000-strong team of doctoral and master's degree talent recruitment event was held in Beijing.

2) Shanghai trade unions supervised the completion of 123,000 safety production hazard rectifications.

3) Guangzhou's "One-Pass System for Culture, Tourism, and Sports" administrative approval reform has been implemented, compressing the time limit for performance approvals.

4) Guiyang Rail Transit Line 3 opened, filling the gap in shield construction in China's karst areas. The Erenhot highway port piloted 24-hour cargo clearance for the first time. Gansu Province's largest peak-regulation thermal power project with installed capacity has been fully completed and put into operation.

5) The first Sufu Ice Sculpture Art, Food, and Amusement Festival opened in Xinjiang, launching a winter tourism brand.