The Space X Starship SN5 prototype completed its first ever 150-meter-high test flight in South Texas, US, on Wed. “Mars is looking real” Elon Musk tweeted after the flight. Looks like a fake, a large empty shell powered by a single engine, it is not carrying any weight.
Explosion at the port of Beirut that left over Over 220 killed, more than 7,000 injured
Authorities have traced to a 2,750-ton stash of explosive ammonium nitrate in a warehouse by the port (certainly not an Israeli missile, Lebanese and Israeli authorities as well as Hezbollah have stressed).
Though rumors and speculation of a potential foul play swirled on social media following the explosion, both the Israeli military and the Hezbollah militant group have denied any involvement, while Lebanese officials have also brushed aside suggestions of an Israeli rocket attack. Instead, the head of the country’s General Security Directorate, Abbas Ibrahim, said an “incident” at a chemical depot set off the blast, suggesting it was accidental.
Some 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate – a chemical commonly used in fertilizers, but also in explosives – had been improperly stored at the port warehouse since 2014, President Michel Aoun said in a tweet, calling it “unacceptable” while vowing that those responsible would face the “most severe penalties.”
President Trump has claimed the blast that rocked Beirut was likely an “attack,” citing US military officials who “seem to believe” the explosion was not accidental.
US consulate in HK ‘spy center’
The US consulate in Hong Kong and Macao tops social media polls on the “US consulate in China most likely to be closed,” after the US asked the Chinese consulate in Houston to close, which observers said reflects the Chinese public’s anger over US meddling in Hong Kong affairs and a warning to American “intelligence hegemony.”
Although the chance of closing the consulate in Hong Kong as a countermeasure may be remote, analysts noted that it would be perfect timing for China to clean up “redundant employees” in the US consulate doing intelligence work.
Observers estimated the US consulate has more than 1,100 employees. In 2019 during the peak of Hong Kong riots, the number of employees was estimated to top 1,600, while employees of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region were fewer than 200.
押後立選及DQ十二參選人 美駐港總領事突密晤梁家傑
政府宣布因應新冠肺炎疫情押後立法會換屆選舉至明年9月舉行。惟在宣布押後選舉前，有12名參選人被選舉主任裁定提名無效，取消參選資格(DQ)，其中包括公民黨4名參選人。有讀者提供片段，顯示在今日(4日)下午約3時，美國駐港澳總領事館總領事史墨客
Hanscom Smith ，到訪公民黨主席梁家傑位於中環太子大廈的律師樓，而該黨立法會議員楊岳橋亦有出席會面。在此敏感時刻，實在惹人遐想。
Huawei ‘deepens’ ties with MediaTek, Qualcomm
Huawei has ordered more than 120 million chips from MediaTek.
It is a win-win move, as Huawei’s chip subsidiary HiSilicon may risk “finding nowhere to produce high-end chips,” so the Chinese firm has to diversify its chip supplies. It happens that MediaTek’s 5G chips are “not bad,” a Huawei follower surnamed Jiang told the Global Times Tuesday.
On the other hand, MediaTek will also stand out among competitors with orders from such a big customer as Huawei, Jiang said.
If the deal is true and assuming that Huawei could ship about 180 million mobile phones this year, MediaTek’s market share is more than two-thirds, far better than its US counterpart Qualcomm, media reports estimated.
The move also comes as Huawei has reached a deal with US chip firm Qualcomm to settle a patent dispute last week. Huawei will pay Qualcomm $1.8 billion for back royalties owed for 2019 and for the first six months of this year under the new global patent license agreement. The new deal also includes a cross license granting back rights to certain Huawei patents, covering sales beginning January 1, Qualcomm said.
Chinese battery maker CATL major battery supplier for MercedesBenz’s next generation of electric powered vehicles
Chinese battery maker CATL announced on Wed it will become a major battery supplier for MercedesBenz’s next generation of electric powered vehicles.
Mercedes-Benz and Chinese battery manufacturer CATL today announced a “major” partnership to “create cutting-edge battery technology” and supply batteries for the upcoming EQS electric car.
Over the last few years, CATL has emerged as the leading battery supplier for electric automakers, not just in China, but around the world.
Now they are adding Mercedes-Benz to the long list of global auto partners.
Mercedes-Benz and CATL announced that they have entered “the next stage of their strategic partnership and will create cutting-edge battery technology in support of the high-volume electrification of the Mercedes-Benz model portfolio.”
The two companies say that the agreement covers “the full range of battery technologies, from cells across modules for Mercedes-Benz Cars to entire battery systems for Mercedes-Benz Vans in promising innovative technology configurations.”
China builds world’s first high-speed train passing through sea tunnel
China is building the world’s first high-speed train that can travel through a sea tunnel at a speed of 350 kilometers per hour in Shantou Bay, South China’s Guangdong Province.
The 163-kilometer-long railway, which includes a 9,781-meter-long tunnel, has officially entered the substantive construction stage, with an investment estimated to be at 11 billion yuan ($1.6 billion), the China Central Television reported Tuesday.
According to the report, the tunnel will pass through 17 fault rupture zones in a magnitude-8 earthquake zone, of which eight are active faults, the first underwater tunnel of its kind anywhere in the world.
Most parts of the tunnel are located in high water pressure areas. As a result, construction personnel have to adopt measures to ensure that the tunnel structure is safe, waterproof and reliable, and that operating costs are controllable.
NEV industry marveled at Evergrande Group’s launch of six Hengchi-branded models
http://autonews.gasgoo.com/china_news/70017404.htmlThe advertisement appears in Hong Kong TV everyday although they are not yet available for sale.
Ant Group, ByteDance become world’s highest-valued unicorns: Hurun report
By the end of March China had the world’s second-highest number of unicorns, private companies whose valuations exceed $1 billion, according to the Hurun Global Unicorn Index 2020 list released by the Hurun Research Institute on Tuesday.
Among the world’s 10 highest-valued unicorns, six are Chinese companies. Alibaba’s financial arm Ant Group is the world’s largest unicorn with a valuation of $1 trillion. ByteDance, which has recently been facing a crackdown from the Trump administration, is the second highest with a valuation of $560 billion, the list showed.
Chinese tech firms Didi Chuxing and Kuaishou were also among the top 10.
In total, there are 586 unicorn companies in the world, up 82 from the same time last year. 233 are US companies, making it the country with the most unicorns. China is in second with 227, followed by the UK and India.
Unicorns in China and the US collectively account for about 80 percent of the world’s total.
The list also showed that Beijing is the “capital” of global unicorns, being home to 93, largely outnumbering San Francisco’s 68.
Watch out for those Chinese stocks, ready for a prolonged surge.
Huawei ramps up ‘genius’ hunt amid US chip ban
Huawei’s has accelerated its recruitment of “geniuses” from around the world as it faces intensified external pressure and a US chip ban, with one new Chinese graduate receiving a top salary of 2.01 million yuan ($287,949).
The recruitment program, reportedly directly initiated by Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei last year, has been described by analysts as a well-planned countermove amid US bullying and a technological battle with US counterparts that is expected to last for some time.
Huawei last year said that it would hire 20 to 30 top young graduates from all over the world, and that number would increase annually to enhance the team’s abilities.
Huawei’s recruitment standards for “genius youngsters” are very strict and generally require seven steps: resume screening, written examination, initial interview, supervisor interview, several ministerial interviews, president interview and human resources interview.
Salaries for successful candidates are divided into three ranks. Thus far, only four have been offered the program’s highest salary globally.
Inter-city rail transit systems in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area revamp
China eyes inter-city rail transit systems in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area revamp. The move comes after the NDRC approved an intercity railway construction plan, with investment of 474.1 billion yuan ($67.91 billion)