news

한어Русский языкEnglishFrançaisIndonesianSanskrit日本語DeutschPortuguêsΕλληνικάespañolItalianoSuomalainenLatina

TOP3 Big News

Dong Yuhui may get 140 million yuan reward for "going solo", and the account "Traveling with Hui" is gaining followers quickly

On July 25, Dongfang Zhenxuan announced that Dong Yuhui had resigned. Yu Minhong then responded that "Dongfang Zhenxuan has not taken any of the profits and profits obtained by Yuhui Xingxing since its establishment, and has left them all to Yuhui and Yuhui Xingxing to support their continued development." According to the announcement of Dongfang Zhenxuan, Yuhui Xingxing was established on December 22, 2023. From December 22, 2023 to June 30, 2024, the company's net profit was 141 million yuan. This also means that in addition to the company, Dong Yuhui may receive a reward of 140 million yuan.

It is reported that Dong Yuhui acquired 100% of the equity of Yuhui Tongxing (Beijing) Technology Co., Ltd. for RMB 76.5855 million. Yu Minhong said, "I have arranged the money for Yuhui to purchase the company, and the company is a gift to Yuhui." On the same day, Dong Yuhui responded by posting, "Leaving the protection of the port, Yuhui Tongxing will sail alone to the vast sea from today. The future is unpredictable, and we can only go all out."

On the evening of the 25th, the live broadcast rooms of Dongfang Zhenxuan and Yuhui Xingtong both started broadcasting to promote products. The reporter observed that after the official announcement, Dongfang Zhenxuan continued to lose fans, while Yuhui Xingtong continued to gain fans. As of press time, Yuhui Xingtong account had 21.508 million fans, with 5,000 fans added in 20 minutes. (Jiemian News, Yicai)

National Development and Reform Commission: Domestic gasoline and diesel prices will be reduced by 145 yuan and 140 yuan per ton respectively

36Kr learned that the National Development and Reform Commission has announced that starting from 24:00 on July 25, 2024, the domestic gasoline and diesel prices will be reduced by 145 yuan and 140 yuan per ton, respectively. On average, the price of No. 92 gasoline will be reduced by 0.11 yuan per liter; the price of No. 95 gasoline will be reduced by 0.12 yuan per liter; and the price of No. 0 diesel will be reduced by 0.12 yuan per liter.

The surveillance footage of the Gu Ming "bloody sputum milk tea" incident showed that the store staff wore masks throughout the entire process

Recently, a consumer in Anhui posted a complaint on a social platform saying that she found mucus and blood in the drink she bought at a Gu Ming store in Chizhou city on July 21. The consumer said that a colleague who works in the hospital helped her look at it under a microscope and found a large number of red blood cells in it.

In response to this incident, Gu Ming officially responded that Gu Ming immediately checked the surveillance videos of the relevant stores in Chizhou, Anhui, and carefully checked the entire process of preparing, mixing and serving the drinks involved in the complaint. After inspection, all employees of the store wore masks throughout the operation process, served the cups according to the mixing standards, and there was no violation of regulations and no foreign objects entered. (Top News)

Big companies/big events

Xianyu responds to claims that the platform contains pornographic transactions

Recently, the "color trading" conducted on Xianyu using codes such as "Giant", "second-hand air conditioner", "coin", and "Apple SIM card pin" has attracted attention. When the reporter searched for "Giant" on the platform, a large number of products appeared, but the copywriting was full of suggestive meanings, such as "for female use" and "can be ridden for XX minutes". The "Apple SIM card pin" priced at 99 yuan on Xianyu had the copywriting "Don't ask me why a SIM card pin is so expensive, some things are not measured by value."

There are also "Second-hand air conditioners, door-to-door installation" that have been blocked one after another, and the details page is always accompanied by photos of beautiful women. In addition, 10-cent coins priced at hundreds to thousands of yuan are actually selling pornographic services, and the year of the coin is the age of the service provider. Xianyu staff said that for similar cases, screenshots and chat records can be uploaded to report, and if the situation is true, the account will be blocked. (Caijing.com)

Market research agency report shows: Android users switching to Apple in the second quarter hit a five-year high

The latest report from market research firm CIRP shows that 17% of users who purchased iPhones in the second quarter of this year switched from the Android system, a five-year high and almost double the same period last year (10%). At first glance, this seems to be good news for Apple, as more new users join the Apple ecosystem. However, CIRP is cautious about this. They believe that the influx of Android users may indicate relatively weak sales of the iPhone 15 series this year. These new users tend to be more interested in new operating systems and competitive prices, and do not necessarily need Apple's latest flagship models. (IT Home)

Many banks have lowered their RMB deposit rates

36Kr learned that the five major banks, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Agricultural Bank of China, Bank of China, Construction Bank of China and Communications Bank, lowered the interest rates of RMB deposits. ICBC lowered the interest rates of RMB time deposits for one year, two years, three years and five years to 1.35%, 1.45%, 1.75% and 1.8%; the interest rates of three-month, six-month and one-year fixed deposits of Agricultural Bank of China were all lowered by 10 basis points; the interest rates of two-year, three-year and five-year fixed deposits were lowered by 20 basis points respectively. The annual interest rate of demand deposits of Bank of China was lowered by 0.05 percentage points to 0.15%; the deposits of one year and below were lowered by 0.1 percentage points; the deposits of two years and above were lowered by 0.2 percentage points; the interest rate of demand deposits of China Construction Bank was lowered from 0.2% to 0.15%; the interest rate of RMB time deposits of Bank of Communications was lowered by 10-20 basis points. In addition, the Postal Savings Bank of China will also adjust the listed interest rate of RMB deposits.

Some analysts point out that OpenAI may lose $5 billion this year

According to media reports citing insiders, as of March this year, OpenAI is expected to have spent nearly $4 billion on renting Microsoft servers to support ChatGPT, the underlying large language model. In addition, training costs, including data costs, may also climb to $3 billion this year, and total employee salary costs are $1.5 billion. Overall, OpenAI's operating costs this year may be as high as $8.5 billion, while annual revenue will reach between $3.5 billion and $4.5 billion. By calculation, it can be concluded that OpenAI may lose $4-5 billion this year. (Cailian News)

Ming-Chi Kuo: Apple will remove the iPhone 17 Plus

On July 24, well-known Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that currently Plus only accounts for about 5-10% of the overall shipments of the new iPhone, which means that the other three iPhone models (standard version, Pro and Pro Max) have already well covered the product segmentation of high-end mobile phones, and Plus has become a dispensable model. The positioning of this new ultra-thin model is not to replace Plus, but Apple is trying to find new design trends outside the existing iPhone product line. The product positioning of the ultra-thin iPhone17 is not to compete in hardware specifications (processor, camera, etc.), but to focus on innovative appearance design. (Cailianshe)

A serving of Chinese medicine ice cream is sold for 38 yuan, and hundreds of customers line up to buy it

Recently, a newly opened ice cream shop in Shanghai became popular with its Chinese herbal flavors, attracting customers to line up to buy, and some popular flavors were sold out at one point. Many consumers said that the recognition of its novel experience and health attributes was the main reason for their purchase. Industry insiders pointed out that this marks the rise of health-preserving elements in the catering market segment, and indicates that in the future, healthy products that combine regional characteristics and innovative flavors will be more abundant and diverse. (China Business News)

Tesla's driverless taxis may enter China this year

36Kr learned that during Tesla's earnings call, Tesla CEO Musk said that FSD (full driverless) has made great progress and is expected to enter the Chinese market before the end of this year. Musk also announced that Tesla will launch Robotaxi on October 10, which is expected to be released globally this year.

Apple Shenzhen Applied Research Laboratory is about to be put into operation

Apple's applied research laboratory in Shenzhen is about to be put into operation. The laboratory will focus on the reliability, quality and material analysis and testing of products such as iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro. It is understood that Apple has invested more than 1 billion yuan in the applied research laboratory and has established R&D centers in Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou and Shenzhen. (Cailianshe)

Toyota delays U.S. deliveries of best-selling model due to parts shortage

Toyota Motor Corp. announced that it will delay the launch of an upgraded version of a popular mid-size SUV in the U.S. market due to limited supply of key parts shared with other models. Toyota originally planned to start delivering the latest 4Runner SUV in the U.S. this fall, but now it is not expected to start shipping until December or early next year, a company spokesman said. (Sina Finance)

IOC: Artificial intelligence is expected to revolutionize the way sports talents are selected

The International Olympic Committee is actively exploring the potential of artificial intelligence technology in the Olympic movement, including how to use artificial intelligence to better select young sports talents, according to a press conference held on July 24. "We have identified more than 180 potential artificial intelligence application scenarios and want to maximize their influence," said Ilario Corner, Chief Information Technology Officer of the International Olympic Committee. For example, artificial intelligence tools can show their value in identifying sports talents. Through the corresponding technology, new sports talents can be "discovered" anywhere in the world with just mobile phone software. (Xinhua News Agency)

HEYTEA UK London New Oxford St store officially opened

36Kr learned that recently, HEYTEA officially opened its New Oxford St store in London, UK. It is understood that HEYTEA has opened 9 stores in cities such as London and Manchester, UK.

Inside Out 2 becomes the box office champion of animated films in history

36Kr learned that according to Maoyan Professional Edition data, "Inside Out 2" has grossed over 1.463 billion U.S. dollars worldwide, surpassing "Frozen 2" and becoming the global box office champion for animated films in film history.

Boeing pleads guilty to fraud in U.S. Justice Department deal

Boeing pleaded guilty to fraud as part of a deal with the U.S. Department of Justice and agreed to pay a $243.6 million fine, court documents show. The U.S. Department of Justice said the aircraft manufacturer made mistakes at its factories and failed to ensure the accuracy and completeness of key aircraft records. Boeing confirmed that it had submitted a detailed plea agreement to the Justice Department. (Cai Lianshe)

Japan's population drops by 860,000, the largest drop on record

According to reports, the statistics released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan on the 24th showed that as of January 1, 2024, excluding foreigners living in Japan, the total population of Japan is about 120 million, a decrease of about 860,000 from the previous year, a decrease for 15 consecutive years, the largest drop since statistics were collected in 1968. The report said that compared with 2024, the population of Japan's 46 prefectures, except Tokyo, has decreased. (China News Network)

Microsoft has no plans to restrict Crowdstrike from entering Windows

According to people familiar with the matter, there is no sign that Microsoft plans to restrict Crowdstrike from entering the Windows operating system after a global IT outage last Friday. (Interface News)

UK car production fell 26.6% in June from a year earlier, marking four consecutive months of decline

Industry data released on July 25 showed that UK car production fell for the fourth consecutive month in June as more manufacturers phased out older models and turned to electric vehicles. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said that a total of 62,231 cars rolled off the assembly line in June, down 26.6% year-on-year. Data from the association showed that in the first half of this year, UK electric car production fell 7.6% year-on-year to 157,224 units. Total car production also fell by the same amount. (Sina Finance)

Turkish Airlines uses RMB to finance aircraft leasing for the first time

Turkish Airlines has leased three Airbus A350 aircraft through RMB financing for the first time. Turkish Anadolu News Agency reported on the same day that Turkish Airlines leased three Airbus A350 aircraft through AVIC International Financial Leasing Co., Ltd. and Jianxin Financial Leasing Co., Ltd. The three aircraft joined the Turkish Airlines fleet in May and July. Ahmet Bolat, chairman of the Turkish Airlines board of directors, said that this was the first time that Turkish Airlines used RMB for financing leasing. (Xinhua News Agency)

He Xiaopeng comments on Tesla FSD: end-to-end large model can achieve L4 autonomous driving

In the earnings call on July 24, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that he would apply for regulatory approval in Europe and China to implement supervised FSD, and it is expected to be approved by the end of this year. He Xiaopeng, chairman of Xpeng Motors, said on his personal social platform: "This year's FSD and previous Tesla autonomous driving are completely different in terms of capabilities, and I appreciate it very much. I recently talked about end-to-end with several L4 bosses, and they all believed that end-to-end is the best route for L2 driver assistance or L3 autonomous driving, but it is definitely not the preferred option for L4. I really think that end-to-end and large models will eventually lead to L4 autonomous driving." (Yicai)

Ford's electric vehicle business lost $1.1 billion, and Q2 profit fell far short of Wall Street expectations

On July 24, Ford's stock price fell more than 10% in after-hours trading after the company reported a quarterly profit far below Wall Street expectations and another $1 billion loss in its electric vehicle business. Ford earned $1.8 million, or 46 cents per share, in the second quarter, compared with $1.9 million, or 47 cents per share, in the same period last year. Adjusted for one-time items, the automaker earned 47 cents per share. Analysts surveyed by FactSet expected Ford to report adjusted earnings per share of 68 cents. (Sina Finance)

LVMH boss' wealth to evaporate more than any other billionaire by 2024

French tycoon Bernard Arnault's net worth has fallen more than anyone else on the billionaires index this year as demand for luxury goods continues to slump. According to the ranking of the world's 500 richest people, Bernard Arnault, founder of fashion and champagne group LVMH, has seen his wealth fall by $20 billion to $187 billion during this period. This week, the company's stock price was hit hard by poor performance. (Sina Finance)

AI at the forefront

SenseTime's big model technology will be used in the broadcasting and analysis of the Paris Olympic Games

36Kr learned that during the Paris Olympics, SenseTime's AI smart basketball products will participate in the entire Chinese national basketball team's competition journey, providing sports data analysis and competitive strategy optimization support. In addition, SenseTime's smart event broadcasting technology will be used for the full broadcast of table tennis and archery events. It is reported that based on the InnoMotion event broadcasting solution jointly developed by SenseTime and SMT, SenseTime's 3D non-sensing motion capture technology can be used to achieve multi-person, large-scale, multi-angle multi-scene coverage without wearable devices, and obtain spatial motion posture information in real time.

Intel: Has established partnerships with more than 500 OEM/ODMs and more than 150 ISVs

36Kr learned that the 17th Intel Network and Edge Computing Industry Conference was held in Tianjin. Sachin Katti, senior vice president and general manager of Intel's Network and Edge Division, said: "AI is expected to become the most disruptive technology in recent decades. It will help companies significantly improve their ability to deal with complex business problems. Intel is focused on helping companies simplify the complex process of deploying AI in PCs, edges and data centers." So far, Intel's Network and Edge Division has established partnerships with more than 500 OEM/ODMs and more than 150 ISVs in China.

Zuckerberg: AI agents may reach billions, and eventually outnumber humans

Recently, Zuckerberg predicted in an interview program that in the future, humans will live in a world with hundreds of millions or even billions of AI agents. Eventually, the number of AI agents may be greater than that of humans, and people will be able to interact with them in different ways. (The Paper)

Large company financial reports

Hongqi Chain Store: Net profit in the first half of the year was 267 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 3.81%

36Kr learned that Hongqi Chain Store announced that it would achieve operating income of 5.186 billion yuan in the first half of 2024, a year-on-year increase of 3.67%; net profit of 267 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 3.81%; basic earnings per share of 0.20 yuan. During the reporting period, the company's main business net profit was 207 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 6.14%. In addition, the investment in Xinwang Bank and Gansu Hongqi realized an investment income of 59.3636 million yuan.

Nestlé's sales in the first half of 2024 are expected to be CHF 45.045 billion

Nestlé's 2024 semi-annual report shows that sales are 45.045 billion Swiss francs, a year-on-year decrease of 2.7%. Basic trade operating profit is 7.8 billion Swiss francs, a decrease of 0.8%. Basic earnings per share increased by 3.3% at a constant exchange rate. Free cash flow increased by 600 million Swiss francs to 4 billion Swiss francs. Nestlé expects full-year organic sales to grow by at least 3% in 2024. Basic earnings per share at a constant exchange rate are expected to grow by mid-single digits. (Interface News)

AstraZeneca's second-quarter revenue of $12.94 billion beat expectations

AstraZeneca announced on July 25 that its second-quarter revenue was $12.94 billion, compared with an estimated $12.56 billion, of which product sales were $12.45 billion, compared with an estimated $11.93 billion; its core earnings per share in the second quarter were $1.98, higher than the expected $1.95. (Jiemian News)

Stellantis Group's net profit in the first half of the year was 5.65 billion euros, a year-on-year decrease of 48%.

Stellantis Group announced net revenue of 85.02 billion euros in the first half of the year, a year-on-year decrease of 14%, and an estimated 87 billion euros; net profit of 5.65 billion euros in the first half of the year, a year-on-year decrease of 48%, and an estimated 6.97 billion euros; reiterated the financial forecast of double-digit adjusted operating profit margin and positive industrial free cash flow for this fiscal year. (Cailian News Agency)

Investment and Financing

Domestic adult collectible card brand "Hitcard" completes a new round of financing

36Kr learned that the domestic adult collectible card brand "Hitcard" has completed a new round of financing, jointly invested by Japan's leading local game company Cygames, game production company Akastsuki and Japan's largest trendy toy distributor Goodsmile. The brand expects its performance this year to increase by 600% year-on-year.

"Whale Robot" completed the 7th round of financing, with a financing amount of over 100 million

36Kr learned that Shanghai Whale Robotics Technology Co., Ltd. announced the completion of its seventh round of financing. The Shanghai Sports Industry Fund, jointly established by multiple state-owned capital platforms including Shanghai Jiushi Group, Lujiazui Group, Shanghai Media Capital, and Five Star Sports Media, participated in this round of financing, with a financing amount of more than 100 million yuan.

"Baichuan Intelligence" completed 5 billion yuan in Series A financing, with state-owned assets from Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen entering the market

36Kr exclusively learned that the large model startup company "Baichuan Intelligence" has recently completed its A round of financing, with a total financing amount of 5 billion yuan. Previously, Baichuan Intelligence had officially announced the A1 round of financing in October 2023, disclosing a list of technology giants including Alibaba, Tencent, Xiaomi and many top investment institutions. In the A round of financing, in addition to the above-mentioned institutions, Baichuan Intelligence also obtained investments from state-owned industrial investment funds including Beijing Artificial Intelligence Industry Investment Fund, Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Industry Investment Fund, and Shenzhen Capital Group. It is understood that after the completion of the A round of financing, Baichuan Intelligence's valuation has reached 20 billion yuan, and it will start the B round of financing at this valuation.

Cold chain logistics giant Lineage raises $4.45 billion, expected to become the world's largest IPO this year

Two people familiar with the matter said on July 24 that Lineage, the world's largest cold storage operator, raised $4.45 billion in its U.S. initial public offering (IPO), which is expected to become the world's largest IPO this year. The Novi, Michigan-based company issued nearly 57 million shares at a price of $78 per share, at the high end of its guidance price range of $70-82, the sources added. Lineage originally planned to sell 47 million shares, but increased the offering due to strong demand. (Sina Finance)

Arrangement｜ Zheng Jie