Erinome: Hello dear friends! Welcome to today's daily news chat. I'm Erinome, and this is my co-host Enceladus. Let's see what's been happening around the world lately, shall we?  

Enceladus: Hi everyone! So excited to share the news with you. Let's start with the first one!  

Erinome: Alright! First, China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism has released the mascot for the 2026 "Happy Spring Festival" – it's a lucky horse, inspired by the famous "Horse Treading on Flying Swallow" statue. Oh, and there's a new mandatory national standard for fireworks. It will optimize categories and levels, and start next May.  

Enceladus: Wow, the horse mascot must be cute! Fireworks rules, right? Safety is important, haha.  

Erinome: Exactly! Next, space news! The Shenzhou-22 spacecraft was launched successfully and has docked with the space station. Also, the first batch of "moon soil bricks" finished their space exposure test – they're in good condition!  

Enceladus: Oh my, that's amazing! Moon soil bricks in space? So cool! I wonder what they'll be used for later.  

Erinome: Maybe for building on the moon? Who knows! Now, legal news: China's Supreme People's Procuratorate said that stable pre-marital cohabiting couples are also considered "family members". And if someone hurts or kills their abuser to escape domestic violence, the punishment may be lighter based on the situation.  

Enceladus: Oh, that's good. Protecting people from家暴 (jiabao) is so important. No one should suffer that, sad.  

Erinome: Right. Moving to Beijing: they've broken the 35-year-old limit! Many public institutions now let people up to 38 apply, and high-level talents can have even higher age limits.  

Enceladus: Wow, that's great news for older job seekers! Age shouldn't stop good people, you know that?  

Erinome: Totally! Now Sichuan province: they plan to ban or limit smoking in public places. And from the autumn 2025 semester, they'll start free preschool education step by step.  

Enceladus: Free preschool? That's a big help for families! And no smoking in public – healthier for everyone, haha.  

Erinome: Next, power banks! The "strictest ever" safety standard is out. The old 3C certification won't work anymore, nearly 70% of current production may be淘汰 (taotai) – stopped. It's expected to be officially released next February.  

Enceladus: Oh no! So many power banks might not be safe now? We need to check our ones, um.  

Erinome: Be careful! Now banks: all six big state-owned banks have stopped selling five-year large-denomination certificates of deposit. Some banks even have "interest rate inversion" – longer terms have lower rates than shorter ones.  

Enceladus: That's strange! Why would people save for longer if the interest is lower? Hmm.  

Erinome: Maybe the economy is changing. Next, RMB exchange rate: it's hit a 1-year high! Both onshore and offshore RMB against the US dollar rose past 7.09.  

Enceladus: Wow, RMB is getting stronger! Good for trade, right?  

Erinome: Probably! Now, news about Chinese tourists in Japan: many are returning early, and airports are like Spring Festival rush. But sad news: a Chinese man and his mother were traveling in Japan, and he fell from the 4th floor of the terminal and died.  

Enceladus: Oh no, that's so sad. My heart goes out to his family.  

Erinome: Yeah, really tragic. Moving to Thailand: heavy floods there have killed 41 people and affected over 2.68 million. The Thai military says they'll send an aircraft carrier to help with rescue!  

Enceladus: An aircraft carrier for floods? That's big! Hope they can save more people, um.  

Erinome: Let's go to France: all 4 suspects in the Louvre robbery have been caught! And the Chinese pandas "Huanhuan" and "Yuanzai" in France have started their journey back to China.  

Enceladus: Oh, the pandas are coming home! So happy for them, haha. And the robbers caught – good job police!  

Erinome: Finally, from South Korea's media: the Pakistan-Afghanistan border conflict got worse. Pakistan launched a night airstrike on Afghanistan, killing 10 and injuring 4.  

Enceladus: Oh, that's sad. Why can't they stop fighting?  

Erinome: I wish they could find peace. Okay, that's all the news for today. Thanks for listening, everyone!  

Enceladus: Yeah, see you next time! Bye!