Erinome:Hello dear friends, welcome to our daily news talk show. I'm Erinome.
Enceladus:And I'm Enceladus. We've got a lot to talk about today. Let's see what's happening in the world.
Erinome:First up, there's a typhoon coming. Typhoon 'Tapah' is on its way.
Enceladus:Oh no. I heard that many cities in Guangdong province have issued a yellow typhoon warning signal.
Erinome:That's right. Cities like Zhuhai, Yangjiang, and Maoming have announced that they will stop flights, transportation, and classes. All the tourist attractions are closed too for safety.
Enceladus:Wow, it sounds serious. I hope everyone stays safe.
Erinome:And speaking of Guangdong, there's another health update.
Enceladus:What is it?
Erinome:In the past week, Guangdong has reported 178 new local cases of Chikungunya fever.
Enceladus:That sounds scary. Are the cases serious?
Erinome:Um, the good news is that no serious cases or deaths have been reported. So that's a relief.
Enceladus:Okay, moving on. Let's talk about some government reforms in Hunan province.
Erinome:Yes, this is quite interesting. In the Chenzhou development zone, they are making the government team smaller. The number of government jobs has been reduced from 815 to 680.
Enceladus:That's a reduction of 16.6%. And there's more. You know that? Zhangjiajie city is trying a new policy of 'zero reception' for official business within the city.
Erinome:Zero reception? What does that mean?
Enceladus:It means no spending money on meals or gifts for visiting officials. And it's working! In the first seven months of this year, all the towns together only spent 2100 yuan on reception fees. That’s a very small amount.
Erinome:Next, we have a story that might make you a little angry. It's about a university in Chongqing.
Enceladus:Oh? What happened?
Erinome:Chongqing Sanxia University spent 750,000 yuan to buy some routers. But each router's real price is only 299 yuan.
Enceladus:Wait, that doesn't add up. That's a huge price difference! What was the result?
Erinome:Well, an official report came out. Several people, including a vice president of the university, have been investigated, and some were fired from their jobs.
Enceladus:That’s good to hear. Now, here's a warning for all the parents listening. State media has reported on some dangerous 'stress-relief mud' toys.
Erinome:You mean those colorful, soft slime toys? My nephew loves them. What's wrong with them?
Enceladus:They contain a toxic chemical called borax. It's very dangerous for children. If a child accidentally eats 5 grams of borax, it could be deadly.
Erinome:Oh my god, that's terrible!
Enceladus:And that's not all. Long-term contact with it can also harm a child's liver and kidney function, and affect their growth and development. Sad.
Erinome:Okay, let's move to something more amazing, also from Chongqing.
Enceladus:What is it?
Erinome:The water level of the Yangtze River in the Chongqing section has dropped, and something incredible has appeared.
Enceladus:Wow, what did they find?
Erinome:A 600-year-old stone Buddha statue has been revealed. Many tourists are going to the riverbank to see it and pray.
Enceladus:A 600-year-old statue! That's history right there. Why was it built in the river?
Erinome:Experts guess that it was a statue to protect the boats and ships sailing on the river.
Enceladus:Now for some sports news. It was a tough result for the Chinese team in the U16 Men's Basketball Asian Cup.
Erinome:Oh no, what happened?
Enceladus:The Chinese team lost to the Australian team in the final match.
Erinome:So they didn't win the championship?
Enceladus:No, but they did win the silver medal. It's the first time they've won second place in seven years.
Erinome:Alright, let's look at some economic news. The central bank released some new data.
Enceladus:Tell me about the foreign exchange reserves.
Erinome:At the end of August, China's foreign exchange reserves were 3.3222 trillion US dollars. This is an increase of 29.9 billion dollars compared to the end of July.
Enceladus:And what about gold? I heard China has been buying more.
Erinome:That's correct. At the end of August, the gold reserves reached 74.02 million ounces. You know that? This is the 10th month in a row that China has increased its gold reserves.
Enceladus:Now for some travel news that might excite our listeners. It's about South Korea.
Erinome:Good news, I hope?
Enceladus:Yes! According to Korean media, starting from September 29th, South Korea will test a visa-free policy for Chinese tour groups.
Erinome:Visa-free? That's fantastic! How long can they stay?
Enceladus:The stay is for 15 days. But there is a condition: tourists must sign up through a designated travel agency.
Erinome:Okay, our next story is quite shocking and sad. It comes from Thailand.
Enceladus:What happened?
Erinome:Thai media reported that a body was found inside a suitcase. The suitcase was sunk with a 30-jin dumbbell, which is about 15 kilograms.
