Erinome: Hello dear friends! Welcome to our daily news chat. I'm Erinome, and sitting next to me is Enceladus. Let's check out today's top stories, shall we?
Enceladus: Sure! Let's start with the big holiday news first. I heard Mid-Autumn Festival travel was super busy?
Erinome: Oh yeah! On Mid-Autumn Festival day, about 295 million people moved between regions—you know, traveling from one place to another. That's 5.8% more than last year. And the holiday's second half? Hotel bookings in the last three days even doubled! Wow, that's a huge number of travelers.
Enceladus: No surprise there! When Chinese people have holidays, they love to travel. I saw a funny thing: many spots in Europe and Oceania were almost "taken over" by Chinese tourists. Even a small Norwegian island with only 20,000 people had traffic jams! Haha, the whole world knows Chinese are on vacation now.
Erinome: So true! Now, about traffic during the holiday. The traffic police said day six was smooth, but return trips on the 7th will be much heavier. So drivers, be careful and take your time!
Enceladus: Good tip! Speaking of travel problems, Beijing's tourism office回应 (huíyìng, responded) to the pain of booking attractions. They said a new 统一 (tǒngyī, unified) tourism booking platform will launch soon. That should make预约 (yùyuē, booking) easier, right?
Erinome: Definitely good news for visitors! Now, a health story: a new obesity rate map came out. Northern provinces like Tianjin, Beijing, Hebei, and Liaoning have higher rates. About 1 in 5 people there are obese. Oh no, that's a bit sad. We all need to exercise more and eat healthier!
Enceladus: For sure. Switching to money news: gold prices are going crazy! Spot gold hit a new record high—3,950 US dollars per ounce. And in China, many gold jewelry brands now sell at over 1,140 yuan per gram. Wow, gold is getting really expensive.
Erinome: Yikes, maybe not the best time to buy gold now. Here's a weird story: a little boy in a phone shop used a wanted suspect's ID info to verify a game account. Officials quickly said, "Don't copy this!" Faking IDs might get you detained. Kids, be careful with your online accounts, okay?
Enceladus: Scary! Let's talk sports. The Women's Basketball World Cup qualifying draw was announced. China is in the first group with the US, Australia, and France. Japan is in the third group. Go China's women's basketball team!
Erinome: Go team! Now, some sad environment news: the world's largest iceberg is breaking up faster. Scientists think it might not last until late November 2025. Oh no, that's bad for the planet.
Enceladus: So sad. On a brighter note, the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was announced! Two American scientists and one Japanese scientist won. They found the immune system's "peacekeeping force"—you know, the part that keeps the immune system balanced. Cool, congratulations to them!
Erinome: Amazing achievement. Now, a political story from Germany. German media says the German Chancellor admitted Western "democracy" was once looked up to and copied by the world, but now it's losing吸引力 (xīyǐnlì, appeal). Hmm, interesting to hear that.
Enceladus: Politics in France is also messy. The new French Prime Minister, Le Maire, just resigned after only 27 days in office! He's the seventh prime minister to leave under Macron. Wow, that's a really short time.
Erinome: Unbelievable! Over to Japan: before Takachi Sanae was even officially elected, Trump already congratulated Japan on "electing its first female prime minister." And Japan's stock market jumped nearly 5%, hitting a new high! That's confusing but the market seems happy.
Enceladus: Now, a scary incident in Australia: there was a random shooting. 20 people were hurt, and police said the shooter fired 50 to 100 shots. Oh no, that's terrible. Hope everyone stays safe there.
Erinome: Such a sad event. Finally, two stories from Europe and the Middle East. In the Netherlands, hundreds of thousands of people protested on the streets. They want a tougher stance against Israel. And Israel said 171 activists—including the "climate girl"—from the Global Freedom Flotilla were驱逐出境 (qūzhú chūjìng, expelled). Tensions are high there.
Enceladus: A lot happening today! Okay, that's all for our news chat. Thanks for listening, everyone. Let's talk again next time! Bye!
Erinome: Bye! Stay safe and informed!
