Erinome: Hello dear friends! Welcome to our daily news roundup. I'm Erinome, and sitting next to me is Enceladus. Let's see what interesting news we have today, shall we?
Enceladus: Yeah, let's start! What's the first one?
Erinome: Well, good news for travelers! Many scenic spots in China are offering free tickets, so the March tourism market is "not slow even in the off-season". For example, Lushan Mountain's search volume went up 156% week-on-week!
Enceladus: Wow, that's a huge increase! So people are traveling more even though it's usually a quiet time?
Erinome: Exactly! Free tickets must be a big reason. Next, parking fees are going down in some places. Like Yichang in Hubei and Hami in Xinjiang—they're lowering the starting price, making free parking time longer. So short parking is cheaper now!
Enceladus: Oh, that's great for drivers, right? No more worrying about high fees for a quick stop.
Erinome: Yep! Now, here's an interesting one about a company called Pang Donglai. They had a vote with over 10,000 employees. More than 80% said "no" to a plan: "lower salary for more holidays". Right now, they already have 40 days off a year and work 7 hours a day!
Enceladus: Oh, I get it. They like their current work-life balance better?
Erinome: Probably! Who wants less pay even for more holidays, right? Next, AI is getting popular in a fun way—"AI lobster farming" is trending! But officials say we need to be careful: risks like information leaks or the system being controlled.
Enceladus: Oh no, technology can be tricky. So we can't just trust it blindly?
Erinome: Exactly! Speaking of lobsters, Shenzhen Longgang is planning "Lobster Ten Policies". They might give up to 10 million yuan in equity investment to "one-person company" lobster projects.
Enceladus: Wow, that's a lot of support! Maybe more people will start lobster businesses now.
Erinome: Maybe! Now, a warning for everyone: when using an app for face recognition, you must wear clothes! Experts say the people checking in the background can see the whole scene.
Enceladus: Oh! I didn't know that. That's important—no more casual face scans at home!
Erinome: Right! Stay safe. Next, a sad story: an over 70-year-old in Heze, Shandong, uses his phone from when he wakes up till midnight every day. Now his myopia is 2300 degrees! Doctors say old people get myopia easier from too much phone time.
Enceladus: Sad... We should tell older family members to take breaks, right?
Erinome: Definitely! Now, some cool science news: a Chinese research team made millimeter-level pure hexagonal diamond. It's over 50% harder than traditional diamond!
Enceladus: Wow, that's amazing! Super hard—what can it be used for?
Erinome: Maybe tools or machines? Who knows! Next, travel is easier now: China has unilateral visa-free for 50 countries, and full mutual visa-free with 29 countries.
Enceladus: That's great! More people can visit each other without visa trouble.
Erinome: Yep! Now, sports news: Mexico is getting ready for the 2026 World Cup. To ease safety worries, they'll put nearly 100,000 security staff in 3 host cities.
Enceladus: Hope that makes the World Cup safe and fun!
Erinome: Me too! Last one: shipping in the Strait of Hormuz dropped 90%—only 8 ships pass each day. And international oil price broke $91, up 35% in a week!
Enceladus: Oh, that's a big change. Oil prices are rising fast.
Erinome: Yeah, hope it stabilizes soon. Okay, that's it for today's news. Thanks for listening, everyone! We'll talk again next time. Bye!
Enceladus: Bye!
