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☆ PDD just gave markets the latest warning on China's consumer. Where investors are looking instead
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-01 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

PDD 's tumble of nearly 30% last week on disappointing quarterly results is a reminder that China's consumer has largely moved on from its years of double-digit growth. "The reaction of its stock price is out of touch with its fundamentals," he said in Mandarin, translated by CNBC. "The entire Chinese consumer market is weak, yes, [but] PDD management's very peculiar comments caused the share price decline," he said. Chen Lei, chairman and co-CEO of PDD, warned multiple times on the earnings call about future declines in profit. Revenue grew by 21%, while adjusted earnings nearly doubled from a year ago.

Persons: PDD, Charlie Chen, Chen Lei, Morgan Stanley, Wang Xing, Trip.com, Liqian Ren, Ren, Joey Wat, Banks, Morgan, Richard Xu, Xu Organizations: China Renaissance Securities, CNBC, JPMorgan, Hong, Management, KFC, Yum, Savings Bank of Locations: Asia, Hong Kong, U.S, China, WisdomTree, Beijing, Yum China, Hong, Savings Bank of China

☆ Chinese scientists use lunar soil to produce water, state media reports
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-23 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Chinese scientists have discovered a “brand-new method” of producing large quantities of water using lunar soil brought back from a 2020 expedition, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Thursday. Vials of lunar soil brought back from the moon by China's Chang'e-5 probe in Beijing, on Aug. 26, 2021. China hopes that recent and future lunar expeditions will set the foundations to build the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), an initiative it is co-leading with Russia. The announcement of the discovery comes at a time when Chinese scientists are already conducting experiments on lunar samples brought back in June by the Chang’e-6 mission. The importance of lunar water goes beyond making permanent human presence viable.

Persons: China’s, “, ”, China's Chang'e, Ren Hui, Bill Nelson, NASA’s Nelson Organizations: Academy of Sciences, Getty, Lunar Research, Russia, NPR Locations: U.S, China, Beijing

☆ China moon samples reveal water molecules in groundbreaking discovery, scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-05 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

NASA and Indian spacecraft have spotted what they believe to be water on the moon’s surface, and Chinese scientists last year found water trapped in glass beads strewn across the moon. But people didn’t always know there was water on the moon, though scientists theorized about its existence for hundreds of years. “I think it has lots of potential, this new finding that we can extract molecular water directly from lunar soils,” Qian said. After the latest study, many Weibo users raised the possibility of growing plants or crops on the moon using the molecular water found in soil. “We can’t work behind closed doors – it would be best to attract all of their scientists to China,” one wrote.

Persons: China’s Chang’e, ”, David A, Ren Junchuan, Yuqi Qian, didn’t, NASA’s, Luna, Qian, ” Qian, “, Xi Jinping’s, it’s, ” Kring, hasn’t, Bill Nelson, Weibo Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, NASA, Indian, Planetary Institute, University of Hong, China National Space Administration, Xinhua, CNN, “, International Space, Weibo Locations: China, Hong Kong, ULM, Texas, Xinhua, University of Hong Kong, Soviet, SOFIA, United States

☆ Chinese EV startups are spending more on research than Tesla is
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-25 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

CNBC | Evelyn ChengBEIJING – U.S.-listed Chinese electric car companies are spending more on research as a ratio to sales than Tesla , according to CNBC analysis of the four automakers' first-quarter earnings. Of the four U.S.-listed Chinese electric car companies, Nio ranked first, spending nearly 29% of revenue in the first three months of the year on research and development. He was referring to a popular term in China to describe fierce competition, especially in the electric car industry. She noted that can help Chinese electric car companies respond more quickly to customers and market needs than traditional automakers. Geely has also released an electric car architecture called SEA that it says allows for quicker production of different sized vehicles.

Persons: Evelyn Cheng, Paul Gong, Nio, Elon, Feng Shen, Shen, William Li, Li, Jing Yang, Zeekr's, Parent, Ren Xiangfei, Ren, Geely, Tesla, Taylor Ogan Organizations: CNBC, UBS, Elon Musk's, Ford Motor, China's Ministry of Industry, Information Technology, Fitch, China Passenger Car Association, Snow Bull, Tech Locations: Hefei, Evelyn Cheng BEIJING – U.S, U.S, China, Nio, Hefei city, Anhui, Shanghai, Asia, Pacific, Zhejiang province, Hong Kong, Shenzhen

☆ It looks like China will leapfrog the US in the race to the moon after a fuel leak ruined a pivotal mission
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-10 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

China is gearing up to launch a lunar lander within the next few months. The news comes days after a fuel leak doomed a US space mission to the lunar surface. The Chinese mission will attempt the first-ever sample collection from the far side of the moon. AdvertisementA rendering of the Chang'e 5, China's previous lander mission to the moon, on the lunar surface. Another company, Intuitive Machines, is getting ready to launch its own NASA-backed lunar lander, IM-1, within the next few weeks.

Persons: —, Ren Junchuan, Astrobotic's, it's Organizations: Service, China National Space Agency, NASA, Staff, Getty, European Space Agency, Xinhua, Peregrine Locations: China, Xinhua, France, Italy, Sweden, Pakistani

☆ Llamas don't drink much water. Meta's new AI version is damn thirsty.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Meta just released a big new AI model called Llama 2. Meta didn't disclose how much water it used to train this AI model. Ren took that and looked at how efficient Meta data centers are when it comes to using energy and water. That yielded his estimate, which he said is almost double the water footprint of Meta's previous big AI model, Llama 1, which came out earlier this year. Meta's data centers used just over 5 million cubic meters of water in 2021.

Persons: Meta, Shaolei Ren, Ren, He's, didn't Organizations: Alpaca Association, UC Riverside, Meta Locations: Arizona

☆ Why Chinese students are taking graduation photos looking ‘more dead than alive’
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

These are graduation photos, and their theme is “being more dead than alive,” according to the accompanying caption. Urban youth unemployment is at record levels, reaching 20.8% in May, and an influx of new job seekers will only increase the competition. Li Nian, a PhD student who graduated this past week, is among those to have posted “more dead than alive” style photos. After being inspired by examples online, Li took her own graduation photos, which are funny despite the tiredness depicted. “I thought I would remember such graduation photos for the rest of my life,” she told CNN.

Persons: sprawled facedown, banister, –, Ren Yong, …, commiserate, ”, Li Nian, Li, Goldman Sachs, ” Young, lockdowns, “, can’t Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Urban, Students, Wuhan University, China’s Ministry of Education, CNN, Communist Party, Twitter, Weibo, ” Locations: Hong Kong, China, Nanjing, Spain, Italy

☆ China is waging a war on its financial industry. Some high-profile bankers are ensnared
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Last Friday, authorities opened a similar probe into Liu Liange, former chairman of state-owned Bank of China, the country’s fourth largest lender. And in January, Wang Bin, who headed state-owned China Life Insurance from 2018 to early 2022, was charged by national prosecutors with taking bribes and hiding overseas savings. They include financial giants such as China Investment Corp, the nation’s sovereign wealth fund, China Development Bank, which provides financing for key government projects, and Agricultural Bank of China, another large state-controlled lender. “The current financial crackdown is a new wave of Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign against the financial sector for consolidation of his power,” said Chongyi Feng, an associate professor in China Studies at the University of Technology Sydney. But the deepening crackdown on the vast financial sector could rattle investors.

☆ Romance Scams Are Booming — Especially on Facebook and Instagram
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Eve Upton-Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Americans lost $1.3 billion to romance scams last year — an 164% increase from 2019 — and $3.3 billion in total since the start of the pandemic. According to the FTC report, the most popular way scammers reached out to their victims last year was through Instagram (29%) and Facebook (28%). And as these schemes get more widespread and more complex, the number of people falling for romance scams keeps growing. Confluence of crypto and romanceIf loneliness was the reason "why" for the soaring number of romance scams, then crypto is the "how." 1 payment method for romance scams last year was cryptocurrency.

☆ China Renaissance CEO Bao Fan goes missing
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —One of China’s top investment bankers has become unreachable, according to his company. China Renaissance, an investment bank and private equity firm based in Beijing, said in a Thursday filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange that it “has been unable to contact” Bao Fan, its chairman and CEO. Shares of the company plunged as much as 50% in Hong Kong on Friday following the news. Bao did not immediately respond to messages from CNN on WeChat on Friday, while China Renaissance hasn’t yet responded to a request for comment. Chinese authorities detained Cong Lin, the company’s president, in September, it reported, citing unidentified sources.

☆ China tightens media control with tiny stakes in two Alibaba units
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesBEIJING — State-backed entities have taken tiny stakes in parts of two Alibaba subsidiaries that oversee a video platform and web browser. The state-backed stakes reflect a progression of government directives over the last decade to increase control of media in China. "So far most of the stakes announced (including in other Chinese companies) seem to be highly concentrated on media companies and media subsidiaries." watch nowSince 2020, business records show state-backed entities have taken 1% stakes in popular social media or short-video apps Weibo , ByteDance's Douyin and Kuaishou . A provincial state media group completed a 1% investment in September, leaving Alibaba's media arm with 99% ownership.

Easing Covid measures means accepting a rise in cases that is likely to get worse as winter approaches. Residents buy medications at a pharmacy in Shijiazhuang, China, last week. “There will always be complaints.”Though many people in China still support “zero-Covid,” the strict measures have also stoked growing resentment. China is thus now facing a dual challenge, said Donald Low, a professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. “You’re going to see the Hong Kong story played out on a much larger scale” in mainland China, Low said.

☆ Transfuziile de sânge ar putea reduce daunele cauzate de către atacurile vasculare cerebrale
▼ + stars: | 2020-08-30 | by ( ) tvrmoldova.md time to read: +2 min

Un studiu pe şoareci indică faptul că transfuziile de sânge ar putea fi o terapie viabilă pentru persoanele care au suferit un atac vascular cerebral. Majoritatea accidentelor vasculare cerebrale ischemice apar atunci când alimentarea cu sânge a creierului este întreruptă, de obicei printr-un blocaj al arterelor care duce la creier. Din această cauză, medicii prescriu medicamente care au rolul de a distruge cheagurile de sânge care blochează vasele de sânge la cîteva ore de la producerea accidentului. Cercetările lui Ren indică faptul că transfuziile de sânge pot avea loc dincolo de această fereastră limitată şi că pot avea un impact pozitiv. Înlocuirea a 20% din sângele unui şoarece a fost suficientă pentru a arăta o reducere profundă a leziunilor cerebrale.

Persons: Sophie, Ren, . Ren Organizations: Universitatea West Locations: Universitatea West Virginia, Statele Unite ale Americii

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