At 8 a.m., here are the latest news: The first investigation report on the crash of an Air India Boeing 787 is about to be released; Stocks related to Jay Chou soar by over 90%; The average life expectancy of Chinese people has increased to 79 years.
Top 3 Big News
The first investigation report on the crash of Air India's Boeing 787 is about to be released, with the investigation focusing on fuel switch operation
The first official investigation report on the crash of Air India Flight AI171, which has attracted global attention, is about to be released. According to CCTV News, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau of India submitted a preliminary investigation report on the crash of Air India's Boeing 787-8 airliner to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation of India and other relevant departments on July 8.
Previously, on June 12 local time, a Boeing 787 airliner of Air India flying from Ahmedabad Airport to London crashed 32 seconds after takeoff. All 241 people on board were killed, and only 1 passenger sitting in seat 11A survived. According to sources, the preliminary investigation report led by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau of India is expected to be released around this Friday. The focus of the investigation has shifted from mechanical failures to the operation of the engine fuel control switch. (Cover News)
Stocks related to Jay Chou soar over 90%, triggering the cooling-off mechanism in the Hong Kong stock market
On July 9, reporters learned from ByteDance that Jay Chou has joined the Douyin platform. In response to market rumors that the signing fee was as high as nine figures, a person familiar with the matter from Douyin said it was a rumor. At 11 a.m., reporters searched for Jay Chou's account on the "Jay Chou JayChou Supertopic" and found that the number of followers was less than 10,000. Half an hour later, the number of followers of Jay Chou's Douyin account had exceeded 120,000.
In the market, as of July 9, the share price of MegaStar Legend, a "Jay Chou concept stock," once soared by more than 90%, triggering the cooling-off mechanism in the Hong Kong stock market. It is worth noting that in May 2020, Kuaishou announced a copyright cooperation with JVR Music and obtained the authorization to use all of Jay Chou's songs and MVs on its short-video platform. Users can listen to the songs and watch the MVs for free, and content creators can also use the relevant materials. (New Yellow River)
China's average life expectancy has increased to 79 years
On July 9th, the State Council Information Office held the first press conference on "High - quality implementation of the 14th Five - Year Plan". Zheng Shanjie, the director of the National Development and Reform Commission, said at the meeting that during the 14th Five - Year Plan period, 114 national regional medical centers were newly planned, and the total number has now reached 125. The direct settlement of cross - provincial medical expenses for out - of - town patients has been established from scratch, benefiting more than 400 million person - times. The average life expectancy has reached 79 years, increasing by 1 year every five years from the 12th Five - Year Plan to the 14th Five - Year Plan. (China News Service)
Large companies/ Major events
China's National Health Commission Halts Alzheimer's Disease Surgery
On July 8th, the National Health Commission of China issued a notice titled "Notice on Prohibiting the Application of 'Deep Cervical Lymphatic Vessel/Node - Venous Anastomosis' in the Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease". According to this notice, the National Health Commission organized experts to evaluate this technology. The evaluation found that this technology is in the early exploratory stage of clinical research, with unclear indications and contraindications, and the safety and effectiveness lack high - quality evidence - based medical evidence support. In accordance with the relevant provisions of the "Administrative Measures for the Clinical Application of Medical Technologies" (Order No. 1 of the National Health Commission), it was decided to prohibit the application of "Deep Cervical Lymphatic Vessel/Node - Venous Anastomosis" in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. (Red Star News)
The three major U.S. stock indexes closed higher collectively, and most large technology stocks rose
36Kr learned that at the close on July 9, the three major U.S. stock indexes rose collectively. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.49%, the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.94%, and the S&P 500 Index rose 0.61%. Most large technology stocks rose. NVIDIA closed up 1.8%, and its total market value briefly exceeded $4 trillion during the session. Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Netflix rose more than 1%, and Apple rose 0.54%. Tesla fell 0.65%. Most popular Chinese concept stocks fell. Alibaba, Bilibili, and JD.com fell more than 3%, NetEase fell more than 2%, and Baidu, XPeng Motors, and Pinduoduo fell more than 1%.
Emperor International Owes a Massive Debt of HK$16.6 Billion, with Latest Financial Report Showing a Loss of HK$4.84 Billion
Recently, Emperor International released its full - year performance announcement for the 2024 - 2025 fiscal year. The total annual revenue reached HK$1.376 billion, a year - on - year increase of 41.5%. However, compared with the previous fiscal year, the loss increased from HK$2.028 billion to HK$4.84 billion, a significant increase of 138%. According to a recent report released by the auditing firm, as of the end of March, Emperor International's books showed that bank loans worth HK$16.6 billion were overdue or in violation of relevant terms, which might trigger an immediate repayment requirement, thus raising doubts about its ability to continue as a going concern.
As soon as the news broke, the share price of Emperor International plunged, and almost all stocks of the Emperor Group tumbled. Emperor Group stated that the increase in revenue but decline in profit were mainly due to the losses in the fair value of the invested real estate, and the demand in the Hong Kong commercial leasing and office market also remained sluggish. It is reported that Emperor Group manages many well - known artists such as Nicholas Tse, Joey Yung, Hacken Lee, Leo Ku, and Twins. (Nanfang Daily)
The claim that the identities of 237 people have been verified in the "Red Old Man Incident" is a rumor
On July 8th, Douyin Rumor Refutation released a video stating that regarding the rumor points of "the identities of 237 people have been verified" and "11 people have tested positive for HIV (AIDS)" in the "Nanjing Red Old Man" incident, the platform quickly detected the situation, actively verified relevant clues with relevant departments, and immediately took action. As of now, a total of over 14,000 pieces of relevant rumor information have been dealt with. (Beijing News)
Reports: Valuation of Starbucks China in Bidding May Reach $10 Billion, Nearly 30 Institutions Competing
According to three people familiar with the matter, the potential sale of Starbucks' Chinese business has attracted multiple offers, with the valuation of the coffee chain brand reaching up to $10 billion at most. The people familiar with the matter said that nearly 30 domestic and foreign private equity institutions have submitted non - binding offers, and the valuation range for the bidding is between $5 billion and $10 billion. The final transaction price may be close to the upper limit of the range. One of the people pointed out that Starbucks currently has a market value of about $108 billion, and its Chinese business contributes more than 8% of its global revenue. A reasonable valuation should be around $9 billion. (Sina Finance)
Insiders Reveal the Most Likely Successor to Apple's Next CEO
Mark Gurman, a reporter from Bloomberg, recently published an article discussing the next candidate for Apple's CEO. Prior to this, the industry believed that Jeff Williams, the current COO, was the best candidate to succeed Tim Cook. However, as reported earlier, Williams has announced that he will retire at the end of this year, and he is only two years younger than Cook.
Apple insiders told Gurman that the Apple board hopes to have an executive who can stay in the position for at least a decade, just like Cook and Steve Jobs. Apple insiders said that if Cook continues to stay at Apple for another three years, the most likely successor will be John Ternus, the head of hardware engineering. Insiders revealed that Ternus is very popular within Apple and has won the respect and praise of Cook, Williams, and other leadership. People familiar with the matter also revealed that Eddy Cue, an Apple executive and Cook's closest confidant, once privately told colleagues that Ternus should become the next CEO. (IT Home)
Malaysian Central Bank Cuts Interest Rates for the First Time Since 2020
On July 9, the Central Bank of Malaysia cut the overnight policy rate by 25 basis points to 2.75%, marking the first interest rate cut since July 2020. (Jiemian News)
Starting from July 8, the check-in cut-off time for some routes will be cancelled, and passengers only need to arrive 15 minutes before boarding
Starting from July 8, for China Southern Airlines flights between Guangzhou and Beijing Daxing, the check-in cut-off time will be completely cancelled. Passengers only need to arrive at the boarding gate before the aircraft cabin door closes, that is, 15 minutes before the scheduled departure time of the flight, and they can board the plane. This breaks the convention of domestic airports usually closing check-in 30 to 40 minutes in advance, further improving the convenience of civil aviation travel. (CCTV Finance)
Media Exposes Recording of Trump Threatening Putin: Bomb Moscow if You Attack Ukraine
On July 8th, U.S. media exposed a recording of Trump at a private fundraising event in 2024, in which he said he had threatened Putin. Trump said, "I told Putin that if you go (attack) Ukraine, I will bomb Moscow. Putin said he didn't believe it." Trump also said that if he, rather than Biden, were the president, the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the current round of the Israel-Palestine conflict would not have broken out. Currently, Trump's team has refused to respond to this recording. On the 8th, Trump also said at a cabinet meeting in the White House that he was "very dissatisfied" with Putin and threatened to impose additional sanctions on Russia. (Beijing News)
Comedian Yang Shaohua Passes Away at the Age of 94
On the afternoon of July 9th, reporters learned from comedian Miao Fu and well - known Tianjin cross - talk host Teacher Xiao Si that comedian Yang Shaohua passed away at the age of ninety - four. (Beijing Youth Daily)
Zhiyuan Robotics denies that its proposed acquisition of 63.62% of the shares of Shangwei New Materials is a backdoor listing, stating that the business synergy plan between the two will be announced to the public later
Shangwei New Materials issued an announcement on the 8th, stating that Zhiyuan Robotics will acquire at least 63.62% of its shares, which has attracted wide attention in the market. In response, Zhiyuan Robotics told reporters that "this acquisition is only for controlling shares and does not constitute a backdoor listing as defined in the Measures for the Administration of Material Asset Reorganizations." In addition, regarding the question of whether the two companies' main businesses, namely new materials and robotics, can achieve effective business synergy, a relevant person from the securities department of Shangwei New Materials explained that "some of the company's existing businesses are indeed applied in the robotics field. The specific business synergy plan will be announced to the public after a period of integration." (Caixin)
Huayin Power: The company's production and operation are normal, and there are no major matters that should be disclosed but have not been disclosed.
36Kr learned that Huayin Power issued an announcement on abnormal stock price fluctuations. The cumulative turnover rate of the company's stock in the past seven trading days has reached as high as 91.94%. The price - earnings ratio, price - to - book ratio, and turnover rate of Huayin Power are significantly higher than those of listed companies in the same industry. The company's stock has risen significantly in the short term. Since July 1, 2025, the cumulative increase has reached 79.82%, and the short - term increase of the company's stock is significantly higher than the increases of the industry and the Shanghai Composite Index during the same period. After the company's self - inspection and verification with the controlling shareholder and the actual controller, the company's production and operation are normal, and there are no major matters that should be disclosed but have not been disclosed.
Trump Demands $10 Billion for U.S. Troops in South Korea, South Korea: Will Abide by Existing Agreement
On July 9 local time, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the South Korean government will continue to abide by the 12th "Special Agreement on the Sharing of Defense Costs" between South Korea and the United States, which has come into effect. U.S. President Trump said at a cabinet meeting held at the White House on the 8th local time that South Korea "should bear its own defense costs" and advocated that the annual cost of stationing U.S. troops in South Korea should be increased to $1 billion. In response, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on the 9th that it will continue to abide by and implement the 12th "Special Agreement on the Sharing of Defense Costs" that has been effectively concluded. It is not appropriate for the South Korean government to respond to and evaluate the remarks of foreign leaders one by one. (CCTV News)
Foreign Ministry Responds to "US Claiming to Restrict Chinese Citizens from Buying US Farmland"
On July 9, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning presided over a regular press conference. A reporter asked: The US government claims that it will start to restrict Chinese citizens and other so - called "foreign adversaries" from buying farmland in the United States on the grounds of "national security" considerations. What's China's comment on this? Mao Ning said that the US over - stretches the concept of national security and deprives specific national institutions and citizens of the right to buy land and real estate. This is a typical discriminatory practice that violates the principles of the market economy and international economic and trade rules, and will ultimately harm the interests of the United States itself. We urge the US to immediately stop politicizing economic, trade and investment issues. (CCTV News)
Elon Musk Sets Priorities for the "American Party": Expose Epstein Case Documents
On July 8 local time, American billionaire and former head of the "Department of Government Efficiency" Elon Musk once again criticized US President Trump over the "Epstein case" and confirmed that his newly - established political party, the "American Party", will make exposing the documents of the "Epstein case" a top priority. Musk posted on his social platform X on the 8th, saying, "If Trump doesn't release the Epstein - related documents, how can people be expected to have confidence in him?" (CCTV News)
Nissan Halts Production of Canada-Exclusive Models at Two U.S. Plants
Due to the mutual tariffs imposed on imported cars between the United States and Canada, Nissan has suspended the production of three car models destined for the Canadian market at its plants in Tennessee and Mississippi. Reports indicate that the production halt began in May and affected the Pathfinder and Murano SUVs produced in Tennessee, as well as the Frontier pickup trucks produced in Mississippi. (Caixin Press)
Goldman Sachs Raises Forecast for U.S. Benchmark Copper Import Tariff to 50%
Goldman Sachs Group on Wednesday adjusted its forecast for the U.S. benchmark copper import tariff from the previous 25% to 50%. The bank said in a report, "Given the increased risk of a 50% tariff, we expect exports to the United States to accelerate further in the coming weeks as the incentive to export before the tariff takes effect has increased." (Sina Finance)
The Cutting - Edge of AI
"Research institution claims a sharp decline in DeepSeek's usage rate" is a one - sided interpretation
Due to the long - awaited release of the new model R2, DeepSeek has been in the spotlight recently. Data from Semianalysis, a well - known international semiconductor research institution, shows that the user usage rate of DeepSeek has significantly dropped from its peak of 7.5% at the beginning of the year, and the official website traffic has declined by nearly 30% during the same period.
Journalists' investigations reveal that this data has certain limitations. More importantly, their core statistical object is the official website of DeepSeek, excluding third - party channels such as Tencent Yuanbao, Baidu, and Quark that have deeply integrated DeepSeek. When DeepSeek becomes as ubiquitous as water, electricity, and gas, it is obviously one - sided to only look at the traffic data of the official website. (Metro Express)
Nvidia and OpenAI Set Sights on Google, Enter the Web Browser Market
On July 8th, Perplexity AI, backed by Nvidia, announced that it has launched a new browser called Comet with artificial intelligence search capabilities, aiming to challenge the dominance of market leader Google (GOOG.O). This marks Perplexity AI's entry into the highly competitive browser market, intending to replace traditional internet browsing methods with intelligent agent AI that can think, act, and make decisions on behalf of users. On the same day, reports indicated that OpenAI also plans to launch an artificial intelligence web browser. Data from StatCounter shows that in June this year, Chrome held 68% of the global browser market share, solidifying its position as the world's most widely used browser. (Yicai Global)
Feishu Releases the Industry's First AI Application Maturity Model
36Kr learned that at the 2025 Feishu Future Unlimited Conference, Feishu released the industry's first AI application maturity model. Feishu divides AI applications into four levels: among them, M3 and M4 correspond to "mature applications that can be used on a large scale" and "fully mature and can be used in any suitable scenario" respectively, becoming the standard for Feishu to provide AI products to the market. According to this standard, Feishu Knowledge Q&A has reached the M3 standard. Another AI product, Feishu Meeting, has reached the M4 standard. It is understood that currently, Feishu's intelligent meeting minutes can not only send summaries and generate to - dos through documents, but also achieve real - time summaries during the meeting, while maintaining a high level of accuracy and logical generalization ability.
Manus Responds to Mass Layoffs: Adjusting Some Business Teams
Recently, there were reports that the general AI agent company Manus (officially known as "Beijing Butterfly Effect Technology Co., Ltd.") laid off employees from some of its domestic businesses and relocated core technical staff to its headquarters in Singapore. Currently, the total number of the company's employees in the Chinese region is around 120. On July 8, Manus responded, stating, "Based on considerations of the company's own operational efficiency, we have decided to adjust some business teams. The company will continue to focus on the development of core businesses and improve overall operational efficiency."
According to the Aiqicha App, Beijing Butterfly Effect Technology Co., Ltd. was established in April 2022. Its legal representative is Xiao Hong, and its registered capital is approximately 1.25 million yuan. Its business scope includes computer system services, Internet of Things application services, artificial intelligence application software development, software development, etc. Shareholder information shows that the company is jointly held by Feng Qionghua, Xiao Hong, Pan Chuansheng, etc. Branch information shows that the company has set up one branch in Wuhan, which is currently in operation. It's worth mentioning that recruitment information shows that in June 2025, the company was recruiting for technical positions such as engineers, operation and maintenance developers, and designers in Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan and other places, with a monthly salary ranging from 15,000 to 50,000 yuan. (Jiemian News, The Paper)
Financial Reports of Large Companies
Northern Rare Earth: Expected net profit in the first half of the year to increase by 1882.54% - 2014.71% year-on-year
36Kr learned that Northern Rare Earth issued an announcement, expecting to achieve a net profit attributable to the owners of the parent company of 900 million yuan to 960 million yuan in the first half of 2025, a year-on-year increase of 1882.54% - 2014.71%.
Muyuan Foods Co., Ltd.: Net profit in the first half of the year is expected to increase by 924.6% - 973.39% year-on-year
36Kr learned that Muyuan Foods Co., Ltd. issued an announcement stating that its net profit in the first half of 2025 is expected to be between 10.5 billion yuan and 11 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 924.6% - 973.39%; the net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company is expected to be between 10.2 billion yuan and 10.7 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 1129.97% - 1190.26%.
Hongta Securities: Net profit in the first half of the year is expected to increase by 45% to 55% year-on-year
36Kr learned that Hongta Securities disclosed its performance forecast, expecting the company to achieve a net profit attributable to the owners of the parent company of between 651 million yuan and 696 million yuan in the first half of 2025, a year-on-year increase of 45% to 55%.
Compiled | Qiuxia