Good morning, everyone. Today is Tuesday, and a day full of energy is about to begin. Let's first take a look at the major events that occurred last night and this morning.
Get vaccinated against COVID-19 every year
@Interface News[Pfizer CEO: Annual COVID-19 Vaccination Likely Necessary for a Long Time]Dr. Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer, Inc., stated that due to the potential decline in vaccine efficacy, new vaccines need to be developed. He also mentioned, "If a vaccine-escape variant emerges, we expect to develop and produce a specific vaccine targeting that variant within approximately 100 days, precisely 95 days, and submit it for approval."
Regarding the question of "whether everyone will need to get vaccinated against COVID-19 every year in the future," Dr. Albert Bourla stated: "For a considerable period of time, we will need to get vaccinated annually. Because the virus is unlikely to disappear and will be around for a long time."
Global COVID-19 confirmed cases exceed 536.59 million
@Cailian Press[WHO: Global COVID-19 confirmed cases exceed 536.59 million]According to the latest real-time statistics from the World Health Organization, as of 17:40 Central European Summer Time on June 20 (23:40 Beijing time on June 20), the cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide has reached 536,590,224, with a total of 6,316,655 deaths. On June 20, the number of newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide was 173,325, and the number of new deaths was 373.
Gas prices in the U.S. are too high.
@China Youth Network【U.S. President Biden Says He Is Considering Establishing a Gas Tax Holiday】U.S. President Biden said on June 20 local time that he is considering establishing a gas tax holiday, which could reduce the price of gasoline by up to 18.4 cents per gallon. Biden stated that he expects to have a final decision by the end of this week.
According to reports by the Associated Press, the Biden administration is exploring various methods to lower oil prices. The Biden administration has already released a significant amount of oil from the U.S. Strategic Reserve and expanded the use of ethanol-blended gasoline. Additionally, last week, the Biden administration sent a letter to energy companies urging them to increase refining capacity, but these efforts have not yet significantly reduced prices.
Germany Sanctions Russia
@Cailian Press【Germany Seizes Russian Citizen's Real Estate for the First Time Due to Sanctions】Cailian Press, June 21st: The Munich Prosecutor's Office in Germany issued a statement saying that it had seized three Munich properties and a bank account related to a Russian legislator on the EU sanctions list. This is the first time that Germany has confiscated real estate belonging to a Russian citizen since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
New Developments in Monkeypox
@China News Service【Israel Reports Its First Case of Community-Transmitted Monkeypox】On the 20th local time, the Israeli Ministry of Health confirmed three new cases of monkeypox in the country that day, including the country's first case of community transmission. Israel discovered its first confirmed case of monkeypox on May 20 this year. So far, nine people have been confirmed in the country.
40,000 British Railway Workers Prepare to Strike
@CCTVNews[Salary Increase Demand Hard to Match Inflation: UK May See Largest Railway Strike in 30 Years]On June 20 local time, Simon Clarke, Chief Secretary to the UK Treasury, stated in an interview with local media that the railway strike planned by the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers for June 21 is likely to proceed due to unsuccessful negotiations. Strikers should not expect "inflation-busting pay rises." It is reported that 40,000 railway workers will participate in the strike, making it the largest railway strike in the UK in 30 years.
Analysis suggests that as UK inflation reaches a four-year high and the cost of living for the public increases by 9%, the unions' demand for a 7% pay raise may not reach a negotiated consensus with the government before the strike. Clarke emphasized that wages must remain within a controllable range to avoid a wage-price spiral. He also stated that to curb inflation, the UK must demonstrate societal responsibility.
The Israeli Parliament May Dissolve Itself
@First Finance【Israeli Prime Minister Announces Dissolution of Parliament】On the afternoon of June 20 local time, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid issued a joint statement, saying that the ruling coalition would submit a bill to dissolve the parliament to the Knesset next Monday. If the bill is passed, the current Knesset will be dissolved. Lapid will serve as the prime minister of the caretaker government until the next parliamentary election ends and a new government is formed. The next Israeli parliamentary election is expected to be held at the end of October this year.
Sinopec Summoned for Talks
@China Emergency Information Network【Joint Meeting of the Ministry of Emergency Management and SASAC with Sinopec Group】In response to the recent consecutive production safety accidents and increased safety risks at enterprises affiliated with Sinopec Group, on June 20, the Ministry of Emergency Management, in conjunction with the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC), held a meeting with the main person in charge of Sinopec Group.
The meeting pointed out that Sinopec has experienced frequent accidents in recent years. In June this year, during China's nationwide safety production inspection, the concentrated governance of safety risks of hazardous chemicals across China, and China's "Safety Production Month," two fatal accidents occurred successively at Sinopec's Maoming Petrochemical in Guangdong and Shanghai Petrochemical. These incidents severely impacted the public's sense of security, attracted significant social attention, and had a negative influence, which is highly inconsistent with the image of a central backbone enterprise.
The meeting required that Sinopec Group must clearly recognize the current problems and challenges in production safety, face up to them, and deeply reflect on the issues exposed by the accidents—such as aging equipment and facilities, insufficient capabilities of employees, inadequate on-site management, and other surface-level problems. It must also address deeper issues like weak safety awareness, ineffective implementation of production safety responsibilities, insufficient safety investment, a lack of talent succession, ineffective operation of the safety management system, misaligned assessment "guidance" orientation, and low self-imposed standards. The group should feel a sense of shame and then act with courage, promptly taking decisive and effective measures. Through concrete actions, it should resolve issues related to overall ideological understanding, the prioritization of production safety, intrinsic safety, and the full implementation of the production safety responsibility system, making every effort to quickly reverse the passive situation of frequent accidents.
Whether it has exploded or not
@Everyday Economic News[Has the 10-Year-Old Long-Term Apartment Brand YOU+ "Imploded"? Co-Founder: No Implosion, It's a Store Closure]Recently, the "bombshell" news about YOU+ International Youth Community, a long-term apartment brand that has been established for 10 years, has spread. It was reported that YOU+ Beijing Suzhou Bridge Community is "struggling," and YOU+ co-founder Liu Xin confirmed the authenticity of the online documents. However, he stated: "There is no such thing as a bombshell; it’s just that our Suzhou Bridge apartment in Beijing is closing down."
Tesla Charges Car Owners
@AI Finance[Tesla Sends Letter to Car Owners Demanding Payment, Citing Less Than 20,000 Kilometers Driven in 2 Years, Suspected as the First Company to Pursue National Subsidy Recovery]On June 20, it was reported by "Jielan Road Consulting" that recently, Tesla users have been receiving notices to pay additional fees because they failed to meet the required total mileage within the specified time and thus were unable to obtain national subsidies.
Since the car purchase price is already the price after the manufacturer has prepaid the subsidy, Tesla has sent payment reminder letters to users whose vehicles did not meet the standards.
In December 2016, the Chinese government improved and clarified its subsidy policy in response to previous instances of fraud related to new energy vehicle subsidies. Non-individual users purchasing new energy vehicles were required to accumulate a driving distance of 30,000 kilometers within 2 years to be eligible for subsidies. In 2018, this requirement was further adjusted from 30,000 kilometers within 2 years to 20,000 kilometers within the same period.
It is worth noting that the non-private users here do not refer to commercial vehicles, but to new energy vehicles purchased by ordinary companies, most of which are actually still used for private purposes.
Would you buy things on Kuaishou?
@China Securities Journal[Kuaishou Releases 616 Data Report: Brand Merchants' GMV Grew Over 5 Times Year-on-Year]On the evening of June 20, the reporter learned from Kuaishou about the data report of the "616" Shopping Festival. The report shows that during the 616 period (May 20 - June 19), Kuaishou's e-commerce pandemic policy helped more than 110,000 businesses resume work and production. The GMV of brand merchants increased by 515% compared to last year’s 616. Among them, Xiaomi, Tianhai Zang, and Xtep became the top three brands in GMV; Hanxizhen, Yalu, and OPPO became the top three brands in terms of fan growth; the cosmetics, fresh food, digital home appliances, second-hand goods, flowers, pets, and entertainment industries all broke their 2022 daily sales records during the major promotion.
Chinese people are more willing to trust artificial intelligence
@First Finance【75% of Chinese People Find AI Technology "Exciting," Higher Than the Global Average】On June 20, 3M Company released the State of Science Index survey, which showed that trust in science and scientists among the Chinese public is higher than the global average. There is also great hope for the innovative prospects of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, and aerospace technology.
According to the survey data from 3M, 75% of Chinese respondents believe that artificial intelligence is an exciting technology, and in the future, humans will rely more on science and artificial intelligence. Globally, the percentage of people who trust artificial intelligence is 65%.
Epidemic prevention and control cannot be relaxed.
@Shanghai Observer【Always Keep the String of Epidemic Prevention and Control Tight! Shanghai Municipal Epidemic Prevention and Control Leading Group Meeting Studies and Deploys Key Work for Normalized Prevention and Control】Shanghai Municipal Leading Group for the Prevention and Control of the COVID-19 Pandemic convened a meeting this afternoon to hear reports on the recent handling of local outbreaks and to study and deploy key tasks for normalized prevention and control. Li Qiang, Secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Committee and head of the municipal leading group for pandemic prevention and control, presided over the meeting and delivered a speech. The meeting emphasized the need to thoroughly implement the important speeches and instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping, adhere unwaveringly to the overall strategy of "preventing imported cases and internal resurgences" and the general policy of "dynamic zero-COVID," always remain vigilant in pandemic prevention and control, and adopt stricter, more practical, and more detailed measures to resolutely consolidate the hard-won achievements in pandemic control. It also stressed the efficient coordination of pandemic prevention and control with economic and social development, taking concrete actions to welcome the successful convening of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the 12th Shanghai Municipal Congress.
The meeting pointed out that the current epidemic situation remains complex and severe, and there must be no trace of paralysis or slackness. It is necessary to always maintain a clear mind, strengthen prevention and control measures in a targeted manner, strictly guard key checkpoints, strictly manage key places, and strictly supervise key industries. Health management measures for people coming to Shanghai and returning to Shanghai must be strictly implemented, closed-loop management for entry personnel must be airtight, imported goods must be thoroughly disinfected, and management of isolation points must be deepened and investigated. Old residential areas, urban villages, nursing homes, farmers' markets, large construction sites, etc., must adopt tailored strategies to ensure that no one is left behind in nucleic acid testing. Problems must be identified in a timely manner through supervision and inspection, and immediate rectification must be strengthened to effectively plug loopholes.
Zhengzhou Tightens Quarantine Policies for People from Beijing and Shanghai
@Cailian Press[Zhengzhou Tightens Quarantine Policies for People from Beijing and Shanghai: "7+3" for Shanghai Entrants to Zhengzhou Changed to "7+7"]Healthcare Industry News Agency June 20th Report: According to the information from the WeChat Official Account "Healthy Zhengzhou" of Zhengzhou Municipal Health Commission, Zhengzhou adjusted its quarantine policy for people coming from Beijing and Shanghai on June 19. Under the new policy, the health management measures for people entering Zhengzhou from Shanghai (excluding college students) have been adjusted to "7 days of centralized isolation + 7 days of home health monitoring." Previously, according to the announcement on June 18, the policy for people entering Zhengzhou from Shanghai was "7 days of centralized isolation + 3 days of home health monitoring." According to the new policy, for areas in Beijing that have reported cases within 14 days, individuals arriving in Zhengzhou will be subject to '7+7' measures, namely 7 days of centralized isolation plus 7 days of home health monitoring.
Huai'an, Jiangsu Extends an Olive Branch
@Beijing News[Jiangsu Huai'an: Top talents can receive a maximum subsidy of 2 million yuan for purchasing their first home]On June 20, the official website of the Huai'an Municipal People's Government in Jiangsu Province released the "Implementation Opinions of the Municipal Government on Strengthening the Talent Housing Security Work in Huai'an City" (referred to as the "Opinions"), which pointed out that talents who come to Huai'an for entrepreneurship and employment and pay social security such as endowment insurance can apply for housing subsidies when purchasing their first commercial housing with a planned use as a residence in Huai'an City.
Specifically, the "Opinion" stipulates that top talents and urgently needed high-level talents will be granted a housing subsidy equal to 50% of the total purchase price. If the talent has been working or starting a business in Huai for more than 5 years at the time of application, the subsidy percentage will increase by 10% for each additional year, with a maximum cap of 2 million yuan. High-level entrepreneurial talents will receive housing subsidies of 500,000 yuan, 400,000 yuan, and 300,000 yuan respectively, based on their enterprises' average annual revenue exceeding 15 million yuan, 5-15 million yuan, and 2-5 million yuan.
New Allowance for the Elderly in Hong Kong, China
@Interface News[Hong Kong: About 50,000 elderly people can receive an additional monthly living allowance of nearly HKD 1,000 starting September]Hong Kong SAR Social Welfare Department Announces Merger of "Ordinary Elderly Living Allowance" and "High-tier Elderly Living Allowance" Starting September 1
That concludes the entire content of today's morning report. Let's gather our spirits and get to work.