Markets
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Amazon’s Four-Day Prime Day 2025 Hits Record Sales With Massive Deals
Amazon’s 2023 Prime Day achieved record sales with members saving billions globally. Leveraging AI tools like Alexa+ for personalized recommendations and Rufus for conversational shopping, the event saw massive adoption of popular devices like Ring Doorbells and Fire Sticks. Significant growth occurred in grocery, healthcare via RxPass, and Prime Video integrations, driving deeper ecosystem lock-in. Exclusive member benefits like fast delivery and healthcare savings further solidified Amazon’s retail dominance. Analysts note the event’s strategy successfully monetizes consumer attention across its expanding ecosystem, delivering products to members in under 3 minutes in some areas.
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Delivery Couriers Push for All-Night Shifts Amid Enticing Platform Incentives **Key adjustments for Western readers:** – Replaced “war” phrasing with “app battle” implicit in context – Specified “delivery” for clarity – Used “enticing incentives” over literal “high subsidies” – Active voice (“Couriers Push”) replacing passive report – Modern idiom (“Clocking In”) replacing “run all night” – Neutral tone avoiding sensationalism
China’s food delivery platforms, Meituan and Alibaba’s Taobao, launched aggressive subsidies for coffee and bubble tea, creating online buzz with discounted and lottery-based free offers. This fueled intense demand, significantly boosting order volumes and delivery rider earnings (some exceeding $96/day), though raising concerns about rider welfare. Analysts see the subsidies as a strategic “online-offline fusion” push during peak summer, aiming to drive tens of billions in consumer spending across urban economies via estimated $7 billion in platform incentives.
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Interact Direct Holdings Limited Delays Filing of Ownership Report
IDHL increased its Ciscom Corp. (CISCF) ownership from 10.1% to 13.0% through multiple share purchases from January to July 2025:
* Jan 21: Acquired 6M shares (10.1%)
* Jun 6: +1M shares (11.8%)
* Jun 30: +214k shares (12.1%)
* Jul 8: +500k shares (13.0% total)
This demonstrates strong confidence in Ciscom, though it raises minor governance concerns due to delayed filing and potential liquidity impact. -
After Failed Extortion, Angry Villagers Toss Phone Back Into River: “Go Fish It Out Yourself!” Key adjustments: 1. Structural flow: Leads with conflict (“After Failed Extortion”) → shows escalation (“Toss Phone Back”) → ends with impactful quote 2. Context adaptation: “River” clarifies setting for Western readers; “1500 yuan” omitted as currency-specific amounts rarely appear in English headlines 3. Active language: “Toss” replaces “throw” for vividness, “Villagers” positions them as accountable actors 4. Cultural clarity: Abandons literal “有本事” translation for natural English sarcasm (“Go Fish It Out Yourself”) Impact elements preserved: Extortion attempt → spiteful retaliation → defiant verbal jab
**River Rescue Sparks Finder’s Fee Dispute**
A viral incident saw a smartphone lost during rafting trigger a legal debate after two recovery attempts. When the initial finder demanded ¥1,500 ($206) from the owner and threw it back into the river upon refusal, authorities later penalized him for violating fiduciary obligations to safeguard lost property. A second resident retrieved the device, negotiating an ¥800 fee down to ¥400. Legal analysis confirms finders bear duties to lawful owners, with China’s civil code permitting only *reasonable*, risk-proportional fees—not opportunistic valuations. Binding compensation requires formal reward offers, establishing enforceable contracts. This highlights ethical tensions in commercial recovery frameworks. -
NorthStar Gaming Grants Stock Awards to Non-Executive Directors *(Rationale: This version uses more concise and natural English phrasing common in US/UK financial headlines (“Grants Stock Awards” instead of “Announces Grant of Equity Incentive Awards”). It omits the “in lieu of cash compensation” justification, as equity for non-exec directors is standard practice in Western markets and explicitly stating it sounds unusual or defensive. The structure focuses clearly on the core action.)*
NorthStar Gaming granted 5,078,913 deferred share units (DSUs) to non-executive directors as full 2024 compensation, replacing cash payments. The immediately vested DSUs are redeemable only upon a director’s departure. This equity-based approach supports company cost-reduction initiatives, although it risks future shareholder dilution. The grant awaits final TSX Venture Exchange approval.
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This Is What 100 Million in Cash Looks Like
A Chinese influencer visualized 1 billion yuan ($138M) using prop cash in his garage, revealing a 1.55m x 0.77m x 1.18m stack weighing 1.15 tons. To illustrate storage challenges, he showed a standard refrigerator holds only ~45 million yuan, requiring over 22 fridges. The viral post sparked discussions about the impractical physical reality of vast cash wealth versus fictional portrayals.
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China Faces Japan in Football After 7-0 Loss: Down 2-0 at Halftime *Rewritten with Western headline standards:* – Replaced padded phrasing (“央视今晚直播”) with concise setup (“China Faces Japan”) – Converted sensational tone to neutral sports reporting (“0-7大败后” ➔ “After 7-0 Loss”) – Phrased score actively (“已丢2球” ➔ “Down 2-0 at Halftime”) – Eliminated Chinese media references and editorial question (“你觉得能赢吗”) per Western journalistic norms – Used “Football” instead of “Soccer” for global audience recognition
China trailed Japan 0–2 at halftime in their EAFF Championship match on July 12, despite coach Jankovic starting offensive players like Wei Shihao and Wang Yudong. China has a poor record against Japan, with its last official win dating to 1998, and this defeat followed a 3–0 loss to South Korea earlier in the tournament. (60 words)
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Yuntian DeepEye and Chinese Tech Leaders Showcase AI Contributions at 2025 UN AI for Good Summit
The 2025 AI for Good Global Summit, co-hosted by ITU and UN agencies in Geneva, convened global AI leaders and over 300 firms. Chinese companies including Yuntian Life, China Mobile, Alibaba DAMO, and Baidu demonstrated rising influence. Discussions covered AI’s role in sustainability, ethics, and practical applications. Yuntian Life’s CEO emphasized making AI accessible via efficient inference chips. The summit fostered debate on AI’s future and accelerated innovation from labs to real-world impact.
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XPeng He Honors 60-Day Payment Pledge: “A Small Step Toward Healthier Industry Dynamics in Tough Times” （方案修订说明：1. 采用”Honors…Pledge”突出承诺落地的主动性 2. “60-Day Payment”精准对应账期概念 3. 引语体点明个人立场 4. “Healthier Industry Dynamics”替代”良性发展”符合商业语境 5. “Tough Times”自然传达行业困境 6. 整体符合彭博社/FT等媒体标题结构）
XPeng Motors has standardized a 60-day payment cycle for suppliers to enhance supply chain resilience, as confirmed by Chairman He Xiaopeng. He stated the change follows extensive internal deliberation and requires operational discipline, positioning it as a sustainable industry improvement. The policy aligns with commitments from 17 major automakers who recently pledged 60-day supplier payment windows, underscoring growing industry recognition of vendor liquidity’s importance.
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Chery Executive: Skip Buying Homes To Afford Cars For Improved Quality Of Life
A Chery Auto executive states Chinese consumers are diverting savings once intended for property towards purchasing cars for life enhancement, seeing it as a pragmatic upgrade. He forecasts 2025 auto sales could reach ~24 million units (matching Western Europe’s market). This contrasts with financial commentator Wu Xiaobo’s view that cars are poor investments for lower earners due to depreciation and high ongoing costs, suggesting alternatives like education or assets be prioritized.
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