Homie Weekly | News Update For This Week (Nov 19, 2021)

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Double 11

01

China to allow vaccine-mixing for 

Covid-19 booster shots

China will allow the mixing of Covid-19 vaccines for its booster shots drive, with an “an optimal immunisation combination” to be introduced very soon.

The new strategy will help to reduce severe illness and deaths from Covid-19 and win the country time to adjust its strict pandemic controls, National Health Commission official Zheng Zhongwei told state broadcaster CCTV on Monday.

China has thus far prohibited the mixing and matching of vaccines, or sequential immunisation.

“Whether boosting with the same or a different technology, the levels of [neutralising] antibodies will grow significantly in both cases,” Zheng said.

“While sequential boosting increases levels of neutralising antibodies even more, [using] the same technology is relatively better tolerated.”

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3156233/china-allow-vaccine-mixing-covid-19-booster-shots

02

Man sentenced to 2 years in prison 

for concealing COVID-19 infection and 

leading to 488 quarantined

A man was sentenced to two years in prison for concealing his COVID-19 infection after returning from Vietnam which led to the quarantine of 488 people.

When the man, surnamed Cao, returned to China in April, he lied in his health declaration at the port and concealed that there were multiple confirmed cases in the hotel where he stayed in Vietnam and that he had COVID-19 symptoms like fever. He also met his friends while in quarantine which violated anti-epidemic rules.

His behaviors constitute a crime of obstructing frontier health and quarantine in violation of the provisions of Article 332 of the Criminal Law. He was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for three years, and fined 200,000 yuan ($31,369).

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202111/1239290.shtml

Law

03

Pop star Wanting Qu’s mother gets life 

sentence for corruption in China

Zhang Mingjie, a former Harbin planning official and the mother of Canadian pop star Wanting Qu, has been convicted of corruption by a Chinese court and sentenced to life imprisonment, more than five years after a trial in which prosecutors had requested the death penalty.

She was found guilty of bribery and abuse of power over a 2011 property deal involving the redevelopment of state-owned farmland. She received a cash bribe of 5 million yuan (US$780,000) from the developer and a stake in the project worth 93 million yuan (US$14.6 million).

The scheme caused losses of more than 230 million yuan (US$36 million) to the public purse, the announcement said, and Zhang’s sentence included the seizure of all her assets.

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3156446/canadian-pop-star-wanting-qus-mother-sentenced-life-imprisonment

Business

04

Chinese top live-streamers suspend 

cooperation with L'Oréal after the beauty 

brand is accused of false promotion

Two Chinese top live-streamers announced on Wednesday they have suspended their cooperation with the France-based beauty and cosmetics giant L'Oréal. The announcement came after many Chinese customers accused the brand of false promotion during the Double 11 online shopping festival.

At the end of October, several live-streamers including Li Jiaqi, sold one of L'Oréal's facial masks on livestream platforms, with the brand announcing that it was offering the "biggest discount of the year" for it. Customers could buy 50 masks for 429 yuan ($67.30).

However, after a few days, in early November, many consumers who bought the masks found that in L'Oréal's livestream platform they could buy 50 pieces for 257 yuan ($40.30), nearly half the price they paid.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202111/1239262.shtml

05

Beijing's package volume hits 200 mln 

pieces during Singles' Day shopping fest

Beijing's package volume hit 206 million pieces during this year's Singles' Day shopping spree that lasted from Nov. 1 to Nov. 15, according to the city's postal administration Wednesday.

The total volume saw a year-on-year rise of 18 percent, with the average daily delivery surpassing 13 million pieces, said the administration.

To cope with the surging demand, over 9,000 workers, 3,360 vehicles, and one cargo plane have been additionally mobilized to beef up delivery.

Anti-epidemic measures have also been enhanced including regular nucleic acid testing and COVID-19 vaccination. The two-shot vaccination rate of workers in the delivery sector has reached 99.9 percent.

http://www.news.cn/english/2021-11/17/c_1310316432.htm

Society

06

Dior mired in controversy in China with 

photo accused of smearing Chinese women

French fashion brand Dior continued to face a lingering controversy on Chinese social media on Wednesday over a recent photo accused of smearing the image of Chinese women.

The photo shows a model with single eyelids and dark skin dressed in traditional Chinese clothing and holding a Dior bag.

It triggered a controversy on Chinese social media over the past several days, with some criticizing the photo as depicting Chinese females in a way that feeds into Western stereotypes. But some netizens also pointed out that the photo departs from typical standards of beauty in China, which are often characterized by fair skin and large eyes.

The brand has since removed the controversial poster from its social media platforms but didn't offer any explanation.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202111/1239265.shtml

07

Shanghai to regulate role-playing murder 

mystery games to ensure a healthy market

Shanghai will launch regulations on the business of role-playing murder mystery game commonly known in Chinese as jubensha to improve market oversight and promote the industry to develop in an orderly manner. The game has become an obsession especially for Chinese youth, Shanghai authorities announced on Wednesday.

The draft regulation specifies the content that is not allowed in story scripts. Storylines with content "endangering national unity, sovereignty, territorial integrity, or national security" are not allowed. Content that "promotes obscenity, pornography, gambling, violence and drug-related criminal activities, or instigates crime" will be prohibited.

The actors are not allowed to perform in a horrifying, cruel and violent way. Any performance depicting animal cruelty or "human physical defects" will also be banned.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202111/1239248.shtml

Education

08

China 49th in global English proficiency 

survey

China came 49th in a ranking of English proficiency in 112 non-English speaking countries and regions produced by Swedish educational company, EF Education First.

In the company's 2021 English Proficiency Index, China scored 513 out of 800 points, a decrease in its ranking last year, 38th out of 100 non-English speaking countries with a score of 520 points.

This year's report analyzed data from 2 million non-native English speakers, who were tested on their ability to understand written and spoken English. The median age of participants was 26. Ninety-four percent were under 60, and 53 percent were women.

Adults from Netherlands were ranked as the best non-native English speakers with a score of 663.

Within China, Hong Kong was ranked first at 545, followed by Shanghai at 543, Beijing at 523, Tianjin at 520 and Taiwan at 519.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202111/18/WS6195d117a310cdd39bc76157.html

Sports

09

 Music video for Beijing 2022 official 

motto unveiled

A music video on the official motto of the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, "Together for a Shared Future," was launched on Monday.

Starring Chinese singer and actor Jackson Yee, the video showcases some key aspects of the upcoming Games, such as mascots Bing Dwen Dwen and Shuey Rhon Rhon, the Olympic flame, enthusiasts from all age groups, volunteers and culture of host city Beijing.

The catchy and rhythmic song aims to promote the slogan "Together for a Shared Future," as the song "Beijing Welcomes You" did 13 years ago ahead of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, highlighting the slogan "One World One Dream."  

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-11-15/Music-video-for-Beijing-2022-official-motto-unveiled-15cFHU2EAyk/index.html

10

Guanyu Zhou becomes China’s 

first-ever F1 driver

Alfa Romeo announced Guanyu Zhou as China's first Formula One racing driver on Tuesday with his arrival in 2022 hailed by both the team and the sport as a historic breakthrough in a key growth market.

"To be the first ever Chinese driver in Formula One is a breakthrough for Chinese motorsport history," said Zhou in a team statement.

Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali said the signing was "fantastic for the sport and millions of passionate Chinese fans that now have a home hero to cheer all year long."

"Zhou is an incredible talent, who will be a fantastic addition to the amazing grid we have and he will entertain and keep all our Chinese fans excited in 2022," Domenicali said.

https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/first-chinese-driver-is-huge-alfa-f1-says-vasseur-2021-11-16/

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