Erinome: Hello everyone, welcome to our daily news chat! I'm Erinome.
Enceladus: And I'm Enceladus. Let's see what's happening around the world today.
Erinome: Wow, the 2026 Spring Festival travel rush has started! The first day is expected to see over 1.8 billion trips across the country. That's a 13% increase from last year. So many people are going home for the New Year!
Enceladus: Oh yes, you know that? Talking about travel, the railway 12306 system has a new rule. If you cancel a ticket order three times in one day, you cannot buy tickets that day. But the service will come back at midnight.
Erinome: Um, what if someone needs a ticket urgently?
Enceladus: The customer service says, in that case, a family member or friend can buy the ticket using their own account. That's helpful.
Erinome: Good. Also, to help with spending during the holiday, nine government departments have a plan. For the 9-day Spring Festival holiday, they encourage places to give out consumption red packets and subsidies.
Enceladus: Nice! Speaking of good news, there's more. The China Electricity Council says that in 2026, China's solar power capacity will be bigger than coal power capacity for the first time. That's great for the environment!
Erinome: Wow, that is big news! And here's another good thing for people in Fuzhou. From February 15th, for 17 days, buses and subways will be free to ride. A free travel activity for the New Year!
Enceladus: Haha, that's very nice. But, oh no, driving might cost a little more. The price of finished oil products might go up at 24:00 on the 3rd. Filling a 50-liter tank could cost about 9 yuan more.
Erinome: Sad, but maybe this can help. Alibaba's Qianwen APP has a "Spring Festival Treat Plan". They will put 30 billion yuan into it for free meals. It starts on February 6th.
Enceladus: Interesting! Now, about cars. A new national standard for car door handles is out. It says every car door must have a mechanical release handle inside and outside. This rule starts next January.
Erinome: Safety first, you know that? Talking about houses, Shanghai has started to buy second-hand homes to use as public rental housing. Pudong, Xuhui, and Jing'an districts are trying it first.
Enceladus: That's a new idea. But there is some sad news. In Yancheng, Jiangsu, a bridge under construction had an accident. Part of it fell down. It has caused 2 deaths and 3 people are missing. Rescue work is going on.
Erinome: Oh no, that's terrible. I hope they find the missing people soon. Now, news from other places. Japanese media says strong snow in Japan for many days has caused 27 deaths and 290 injuries.
Enceladus: That's a lot of snow. Also, Japan says it successfully got mud containing rare earth from the sea near Minamitorishima Island.
Erinome: Hmm. In space news, American media says SpaceX has asked to put 1 million satellites in space. They want to build a space data center and use solar power to help AI development.
Enceladus: 1 million? That's a huge number! Another American media report says Bill Clinton's team took Jeffrey Epstein's private plane at least 16 times. Elon Musk again said he was not at Epstein's parties. He suggested Clinton and Bill Gates might be "guilty".
Erinome: Um, that's complicated. Russian media says Dmitry Medvedev confirmed Russia and the U.S. are having secret talks. He said again that Russia does not accept NATO troops in Ukraine.
Enceladus: And foreign media says Iran's president ordered to start nuclear talks with the U.S. The U.S. special envoy and Iran's foreign minister will meet in Turkey on the 6th. Donald Trump said he hopes a deal with Iran can be made.
Erinome: Okay, that's it for today's news. Lots of things happening, from travel and holidays to accidents and international talks.
Enceladus: Yes. Let's talk again next time. Take care, everyone!
