AMTV, New York, Feb 2 – On the afternoon of January 31, 2022, the countdown to the Winter Olympics was broadcasted on the Disney screen 43rd street screen in Times Square, New York, until February 1, 2022. The film showed many United Nations personalities and key U.S. dignitaries and cultural stars wishing for the New Year of the Tiger and the Winter Olympics. It is reported that this event is jointly organized by World Harmony Foundation and the Peaceever TV, and was broadcasted on the screen in Times Square, New York, with senior UN officials, US dignitaries and cultural celebrities wishing Asian people a happy Lunar New Year and success for the Beijing Winter Olympics, adding a festive touch to New York.
As Times Square, one of the world’s most famous media and advertising capital, celebrates the Chinese New Year of the Tiger, a beautiful sight appears on the two prime view screens, the Disney screen (between 45th and 46th Streets) and the 43rd Street corner screen: UN agencies, American politicians, singers and other international peace-loving celebrities congratulating Asians for Lunar New Year and sent their best wishes for the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics.
The reporter noticed that the screen first broadcasted the video with the logo of the Winter Olympic Games and the theme of the Winter Olympic Games, “Together to the Future,” the skiers of the Winter Olympic Games, the World Harmony Bell, the logo of the World Harmony Foundation and the logo of Peaceever TV, and showed the Chinese spiritual theme of “Beijing Welcomes You” and “Community of Human Destiny” to the world.
On these screens, a video of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and President of the 76th session of the General Assembly congratulated Asians around the world on the New Year and wished the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games a success. In addition, the President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council, Collen Vixen Kelapile, and the President of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Muhammad Bande, rang the “Golden Bell of World Harmony” to welcome the New Year at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, sending the message of “Happy New Year! Wishing you sustainable peace and security!” They also wished the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games a great success.
American politicians have also wished the Asian community a good Lunar New Year. Tom Suozzi, a prominent U.S. Democratic Congressman and candidate for New York Governor, said an authentic Chinese phrase: “恭喜发财!(Wishing you prosperity and wealth!”) which brought him closer to the Asian and Chinese community. He said, “As a descendant of Italian-Americans, I appreciate the contributions of all Asians and Chinese for their hard work, education, helping families, developing businesses, and helping communities grow and make America a better place. As the Year of the Tiger approaches, I wish my Asian and Chinese friends good health and success in their endeavors! And I wish you a successful Winter Olympic Games!”
On behalf of the Congressional Committee on Asian Americans, Democratic Congresswoman Zhaowen Meng, the first prominent female legislator of Chinese descent in the eastern United States, extended her wishes as well. She is also the first legislator to propose to Congress to make Lunar New Year a legal holiday in the United States. In addition, Washington State Lieutenant Governor Denny Heck, on behalf of the state government, extended wishes to Asians around the world. Bellevue, Washington Mayor Lynne Robinson and Deputy Mayor Jared Nieuwenhuia said, “Happy New Year and wishing you prosperity and wealth! Beijing Winter Olympic Games coincide with the Chinese Lunar New Year. On behalf of the City of Bellevue, we wish the Beijing Winter Olympics success.”
Toshiko Hasegawa, Commissioner (Director) of the Port of Seattle, Washington, takes this opportunity to send Lunar New Year greetings to our people of Asian descent around the world. She is looking forward to the Beijing Winter Olympics, which will be held during the Lunar New Year. She is confident that the event will showcase the skills and abilities of the world’s best snow and ice athletes and will be the most exciting Winter Olympic Games ever. Not only that, Jimmy Matta, Mayor of Burien, Washington, was very excited after participating in the “Chinese welcome Winter Olympics” event, saying, “We are very happy to participate in today’s event to wish Beijing the Winter Olympics, and I believe that the Beijing Winter Olympics will be a success.” All the audience were infected by his passion and cheered.
The mayor of Denver, the former host of the Winter Olympics, expressed his best wishes to the Asian communities for the New Year and said with great enthusiasm, “We must bring the Winter Olympics back to Denver!”
As the Winter Olympics approaches, the United Nations General Assembly held a General Assembly specifically for this Winter Olympics. 173 countries unanimously adopted a resolution on the Winter Olympics Truce, advocating all UN member states to eliminate differences with dialogue, enhance knowledge, and replace confrontation with cooperation, demonstrating the international community’s firm determination to achieve peace, unity, and solidarity, and to move together into the future. This is relevant to the current crisis-ridden regions such as Ukraine and the Korean Peninsula.
The countdown to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Times Square in New York City was organized by the World Harmony Foundation and Peaceever TV, who joined hands with the United Nations, U.S. dignitaries and celebrities to promote the “Community of Human Destiny” and make a call to the world for peacemaking, reflecting the grand spirit of the United Nations and the Olympics.
The “World Harmony Bell” ringing at the event was made by the World Harmony Foundation (WHF), an NGO of the United Nations Environment Programme. The bell was made from bullet casings donated by Chinese and American veterans and scrap brass and iron collected by Chinese and American students, symbolizing the transformation of conflict into peace, environmental protection, and greenery, and is loved by the United Nations. It was invited by the United Nations as a totem for the opening of the celebration on the 60th anniversary of the United Nations. The first ringers of the Harmony Bell were Secretary-General Annan, the President of the General Assembly, and the President of the Security Council, followed by the two Presidents of Timor-Leste, and several prominent members of Congress of the United States ringing the Harmony Bell on Capitol Hill. The Harmony Bell was invited to the 7th United Nations Global Forum in Vienna, Europe, and was also invited by the Olympic Organizing Committee to participate in the United Nations 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, and to ring the Harmony Bell together with many champions.
The World Harmony Bell was last rung in November 2021 at the 26th United Nations Climate Conference, where it sounded as a reminder of the planet’s rising temperatures. On the Chinese New Year and the Beijing Winter Olympics, the President of the UN Economic and Social Council, and the President of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly rang the Harmony Bell again for the “Lunar New Year and Winter Olympics”. They both received the 2022 World Harmony Award for Outstanding Contribution to World Harmony, which was presented by Frank Liu, President of the World Harmony Foundation, and has been given to several former heads of state before.
At the same time as the Times Square Disney screen was rolling, the reporter saw an attractive scene in front of the screen: the Winter Olympics mascot, Bing Dwen Dwen and Shuey Rhon Rhon dancing with the music, attracting a large number of tourists who came up to take pictures with the mascot. The Beijing Winter Olympic Games mascots were brought to Times Square by the World Harmony Foundation, and for the first time, the image of the mascots were used to express the Chinese cultural atmosphere, reflecting the friendly spirit of celebrating the Lunar New Year of the Tiger together with people from all over the world.
9月26日,美国加州圣地亚哥的一个联邦陪审团9月25日裁定,科技巨头苹果公司(Apple)侵犯了泰克逊科技(Taction Technology )拥有的两项触觉技术专利,并判决苹果公司向泰克逊科技公司支付超过57亿美元的赔偿金。 位于圣地亚哥的泰克公司逊于 2021 年在美国加利福尼亚州南区联邦地区法院起诉苹果。根据诉状,该公司指控苹果通过销售侵犯其振动技术的设备,不正当地“利用了泰克逊的创新与成功”。苹果公司最初在2023年成功申请驳回该案,但联邦巡回上诉法院随后恢复了此案的审理。 苹果公司在一份声明中表示:“虽然我们感谢陪审团的审议,但我们强烈不同意今天的裁决及判定的赔偿金额,这些完全缺乏事实依据。苹果公司的触感引擎(Taptic Engine)与泰克逊的技术有着本质区别,这一点在庭审期间泰克逊对苹果产品的测试中也得到了证实。苹果公司并未采用泰克逊的技术,我们将提出上诉。” 该公司的首席律师、昆鹰律师事务所(Quinn Emanuel)律师事务所合伙人Lance Yang表示:“我们很高兴陪审团支持 Taction 并维护了其专利权。泰克逊为此案能进入庭审阶段等待了5年半,这一结果来之不易。” 这起诉讼的核心涉及美国专利号10,659,885和10,820,117,这2项专利均涉及基于振动的触觉换能器技术,该技术能让用户感知设备对其输入操作的响应。泰克逊公司主张,苹果公司内置于Apple Watch和iPhone中的“触觉引擎”在未经适当许可或授权的情况下使用了其发明。…
9月25日,短视频社交媒体公司TikTok在一项于庭审前夕达成的和解协议中,同意向阿拉巴马州支付至少 1 亿美元,并必须为该州的青少年实施一系列安全保护措施。 阿拉巴马州于 2025 年起诉了这家社交媒体公司,指控该平台对青少年的心理健康造成了负面影响。诉讼指出,TikTok 具有“令人上瘾的特性”——即其根据用户兴趣精准推送内容的算法会对儿童造成伤害,且该公司明知这些危害的存在。 阿拉巴马州总检察长史蒂夫·马歇尔(Steve Marshall)办公室在宣布该协议的声明中表示,该州将获得至少 1 亿美元的赔偿,若满足特定条件,总金额“最高可达 3 亿美元”。 马歇尔在一份声明中表示:“这对阿拉巴马州的家长来说是美好的一天,今晚,家长们可以安心了,因为已有切实措施保护他们的孩子免受社交媒体成瘾的危害。TikTok 已同意让家长真正掌控孩子在应用上看到的内容以及使用时长。我们从一开始就强调,首要目标是在阿拉巴马州民众遭受侵害时挺身而出维护他们的权益,而今天,我们正是这么做的。”…
9月25日,美国各航空公司在一场即将到来的东北风暴(nor’easter)之前宣布,免除9月25日至27日期间的航班改签费。联邦气象预报员警告称,这场风暴将带来大风和降雨,并可能引发危险的洪水。 截至今天上午,在风暴来临前,东北部地区的航班延误情况尚不严重,周末计划取消的航班也寥寥无几。 航空公司在遭遇严重的冬季风暴或飓风时,通常会取消大部分甚至全部航班计划,以避免飞机、乘客和机组人员滞留异地;不过,目前美国各航空公司仍在评估这场东北风暴的潜在路径。 美国航空(American Airlines)、联合航空(United Airlines)和捷蓝航空(JetBlue Airways)表示,如果乘客能在下周中之前出行,便可免费更改往返纽约市地区、波士顿及新英格兰地区较小机场的航班,且无需支付改签费或补足票价差额。 此前,9月21日发生的一次设备故障曾迫使美国各航空公司取消了数百架飞往纽约地区和费城的航班,而此次周末可能出现的航班中断则是继该事件之后的又一波干扰。
9月24日晚,美国总统特朗普在白宫为欢迎中国国家主席习近平举行盛大欢迎国宴。此前,特朗普总统当天在白宫与习近平主席进行了举世瞻目的中美元首峰会。 在国宴举行前,中国国家主席习近平抵达白宫,在美军仪仗队列队迎候的北门廊受到了红地毯礼遇。此次国宴是在中美两国元首9月24日早些时候举行了约90分钟的闭门会晤之后举行的。 9月24日早些时候,特朗普总统在白宫迎接习近平夫妇,欢迎仪式包括在白宫玫瑰园举行的盛大阅兵和空中分列式。 在中美两国元首举行闭门会晤之前,特朗普总统盛赞了两位领导人之间“真正伟大的友谊”,而习近平主席则就贸易和人工智能问题发表了立场鲜明的言论。 特朗普总统在白宫大门厅的讲台上说道:“自2016年我首次当选以来,习近平主席与我建立了一种友谊,确切地说,是一种真正伟大的友谊,这种友谊建立在相互尊重以及我们两国人民的根本利益之上。” 特朗普总统谈到了9月24日此次国事访问的历史性意义,因为习近平主席已有10多年未曾造访白宫。习近平主席上一次造访白宫是在奥巴马政府时期的2015年国事访问期间。 特朗普总统说:“梅拉尼娅和我深感荣幸能在华盛顿接待你们,因为习近平主席即将成为有史以来首位对美国进行第二次正式国事访问的中国领导人。” 特朗普总统表示:“在本次访问期间,我们还将讨论涉及安全、技术和超级智能的紧迫议题。我们在这些领域今天所作的决定,能够促进未来数十年的和平与繁荣。” 特朗普总统还盛赞了中美两国领导人所取得的“巨大进展”,并指出双方正继续致力于建立“更平衡的贸易关系,其中包括为美国农民和牧场主争取新的市场准入机会”。 特朗普总统在晚宴前的致辞中强调了他与习近平主席之间的关系,盛赞习近平夫妇是“真正杰出、了不起的人”,并表示希望以同样的礼遇回馈习近平主席,正如他此前于5月访华时所受到的礼遇那样。 特朗普总统的致辞未涉及他与习近平主席在9月24日早些时候会晤时的讨论内容,也未提及伊朗战争或人工智能问题。 特朗普总统在致辞期间开玩笑说,他“不得不”脱离讲稿,简短地谈及白宫宴会厅的建设工程,并承诺来宾将成为“首批踏入”该场地的人,以此纪念此次访问。 习近平主席在致辞中,向所有关心、支持中美关系发展的美国各界人士致以诚挚问候和中秋佳节的良好祝愿。 习近平主席指出,今年5月,特朗普总统成功访华。短短不到半年,中美两国元首实现互访,创造了两国交往的历史。这次访问又达成很多新的共识,丰富了中美建设性战略稳定关系的内涵,为中美关系提供了新的战略指引。 习近平主席强调,200多年前,美国独立伊始,便将目光投向中国。中美双方互通有无、优势互补,开启了贸易往来。80多年前,中美两国人民并肩作战,抗击日本军国主义侵略者,这份血与火锻造的友谊必将世代相传。50多年前,乒乓外交叩开了尘封已久的交往大门,中美老一辈政治家以“小球转动大球”的政治智慧,开启了中美关系正常化的伟大进程。…
9月24日,美国第二大政府赞助企业房地美(Freddie Mac)今天公布的数据显示,美国30年期固定利率抵押贷款的平均利率目前为7.03%;自2月底伊朗战争爆发以来,该利率已上升超过一个百分点,美国抵押贷款利率升至20个月以来的最高水平。上一次美国抵押贷款利率超过7%还是在2025年1月。 受燃料价格上涨和通胀风险加剧对金融市场造成压力的影响,美国抵押贷款利率攀升至20个月来的最高水平,抵押贷款利率每上升一个百分点,根据房价不同,每年可能导致数千甚至数万美元的额外借贷成本。 抵押贷款利率的上升,与油价及国债收益率,后者与抵押贷款利率走势高度相关的上涨同步发生。就在美联储上调基准借贷成本几天后,美国一项关键的国债收益率于9月23日触及近20年来的最高水平。 美国联手以色列发动的伊朗战争引发了历史性的石油冲击,推高了能源价格,并波及食品杂货等其他领域的成本。长期通胀持续的风险可能侵蚀长期债券支付款的价值,这类债券通常在10年或更长时间内每年提供固定金额的收益。 对于投资者而言,债券的吸引力随之下降;由于买家寻求更高的年度收益以抵消增加的风险,债券收益率因此走高。此外,金融市场普遍预期美联储下月可能再次加息,这也给债券收益率带来了进一步的上行压力。 一些分析师此前声称,近几个月来,美国房价上涨与高抵押贷款利率的双重打击,使得许多买家无力购房。他们指出,围绕伊朗战争局势的经济不确定性加剧,也让一些买家陷入观望,这些买家既对高企的消费价格感到失望,又对未来借贷成本的走势感到迷茫。 美国居高不下的抵押贷款利率也促成了所谓的“锁定效应”:由于现行利率远高于大多数现有房主目前享有的利率,他们往往不愿将房屋投放市场,以免在办理下一笔抵押贷款时面临高得多的利率。 联邦政府数据显示,在有最新记录的8月份,美国整体消费价格以3.4%的年率上涨。目前的通胀率比美联储2%的目标高出逾一个百分点。 此外,根据美国汽车协会(AAA)的数据,美国每加仑汽油的平均价格为4.48美元,较伊朗战争爆发以来上涨了50%。 美联储上周上调了利率,旨在应对持续数月的通胀飙升。这是该央行自2023年7月以来的首次加息。 美联储主席凯文·沃什(Kevin Warsh)上周在华盛顿特区举行的新闻发布会上表示:“显而易见,通胀率过高,且这种高位状态已持续太久。” 利率上升会增加消费者和企业的借贷成本;从理论上讲,这应能通过放缓经济增长和抑制需求来遏制通胀。然而,这也意味着借款人将面临更高的成本,无论是汽车贷款、信用卡债务还是住房抵押贷款,这可能会抑制那些有意进行大额消费的购物者以及寻求扩张的企业。