The negotiations between the US and Iran have stalled because Iran has firmly stated that it will refuse to negotiate with the US unless Israel ceases fire on Hezbollah in Lebanon. If things had continued this way, the stock market would have suffered losses today. However, a turning point came late last night when the Lebanese government announced that it would hold negotiations with Israel in the US next week.
After this news came out, Brent crude oil prices plummeted, falling from 99 to below 95. As oil prices fell, the stock market rose, and the previously precarious situation was given a much-needed reprieve.
I suspect many readers are a bit confused at this point: Hezbollah is fighting Israel, and Lebanon is going to negotiate—it's like a split personality.
Simply put, there are three main factions in Lebanon: Christians (the president), Sunnis (the prime minister), and Shiites (the speaker of parliament). Hezbollah is a Shiite faction within Hezbollah. You can think of it as a regional warlord separatist regime, where they collect their own taxes, have their own armies, build roads, generate electricity, construct hospitals, and even wage war (against Israel) at will, with the central government having no control over them.
Now that Israel has crippled Hezbollah, the central government may want to take the opportunity to "reduce the power of the vassal states." However, no matter what the outcome of their negotiations with Israel is, Hezbollah may not recognize it. The only true ally Hezbollah recognizes is Iran.
However, if Iran is pressured by the United States to stop funding its brothers in the Crescent of Resistance (one of the focal points of this round of negotiations), Hezbollah will be in danger. It cannot win a war against Israel, and the central government will also undermine its domestic resources, so it may not be able to hold on.
Israel's goal is to completely eliminate Hezbollah on the south bank of the Litani River and then establish a buffer zone. I've attached a picture; the Litani River is the red line in the image. The south bank was originally Hezbollah's core territory; if they destroy that base, they're essentially gone. Therefore, Israel is unwilling to cease fire; they want to seize this window of opportunity to cripple Hezbollah.
Next, let's talk about one of the most discussed topics in the comments section last night: the past events surrounding the armistice negotiations of the Korean War. I'll only discuss the less sensitive aspects, but I will definitely respect the facts.
The first phase of negotiations for the Korean War took place from July to December 1951. Both sides reached agreements on an armistice, the military demarcation line, and troop withdrawal. However, the negotiations stalled on the issue of prisoner exchange. China and North Korea advocated for the complete repatriation of prisoners, while the United States insisted on voluntary repatriation, allowing prisoners to choose their own destination. This disagreement extended the Korean War by an additional year and a half.
Some readers might not understand, is it worth it for such a small matter? Well, the issue of prisoners of war was politicized at the time, involving ideological struggles from the early Cold War. The United States wanted Chinese prisoners of war to go to Taiwan while North Korean prisoners remained in South Korea, as a way to humiliate China, North Korea, and the Soviet Union behind them.
If they couldn't reach an agreement, they continued fighting. But in 1953, an accident happened: Stalin suddenly died of a cerebral hemorrhage. His successor, Khrushchev, promised to end the war as soon as possible, and the negotiations tilted in his favor.
Ultimately, there were 21,374 Chinese People's Volunteer Army prisoners of war. Of these, 6,670 voluntarily returned to China, and the rest were taken to neutral India. Representatives from both the mainland and Taiwan persuaded them to return, resulting in 440 people agreeing to return. In total, there were 7,110 people.
The remaining 14,235 people chose to go to Taiwan.
Another small group of people neither wanted to return to China nor go to Taiwan, insisting on going to neutral countries. Among them, 55 people went to Brazil, more than a dozen stayed in India, and two went to Switzerland and Sweden.
There's some background information here: nearly 60% of the 20,000 captured Chinese People's Volunteer Army soldiers were former Kuomintang soldiers. They were understandably worried about being investigated after returning to China. At the time, the ideological struggle within the POW camps was intense, with those advocating returning to China and those advocating transferring to Taiwan locked in a fierce battle. Some veterans' memoirs record details of the forced coercion.
As for the fate of prisoners of war after they returned to China or went to Taiwan, you can ask AI if you're interested; I won't go into details here.
Having discussed the Chinese People's Volunteer Army prisoners of war, let's also talk about the American prisoners of war. Of these, 3,597 requested to return home, but 21 voluntarily stayed because they identified with communism. The Chinese side promised them they could leave whenever they wanted. These 21 Americans were initially placed in factories in Shandong and Henan provinces, but over the next 10 years, they gradually chose to return home. Only one, named Winneris, lived out his days in China, passing away in Shandong in 2004 and being buried there. He and his Chinese wife had two children, a boy and a girl, and moved to the United States in the mid-1990s.
In fact, there were two other groups of prisoners of war in that war, namely North Korean prisoners of war and South Korean prisoners of war. Their choices and fates are also heartbreaking. It can only be said that the tide of the times has changed the fate of millions of ordinary people.
Finally, let me mention the previous "Take Mom and Dad on a Trip" event. The results were actually announced last week, and 20 users were notified. A few people voluntarily withdrew (their parents couldn't travel), and we found replacements for them. I didn't post the list of winners because I felt it was unnecessary. I definitely won't reveal their names or phone numbers, and you wouldn't recognize their screen names anyway.
I believe I still have credibility in my public image. I said it was a random draw, so there's no trickery involved. All the users are real people, and they've already started planning their trips with their parents. Some of them have already sent photos.
"Thank you so much for providing this opportunity for our whole family to travel together." 
Looking back, the last time our whole family went on a trip was thirty years ago, when Dad took the three of us out for the first time. So many years have passed, and due to various琐事 (trivial matters), we haven't been able to travel together properly again. This trip to Xi'an, I could clearly feel that Mom and Dad were especially happy.
Once again, I sincerely thank Brother Cat, and I wish all readers good health, all the best, and a happy family! 
"
"I was very lucky to win a 5,000 yuan travel fund from Teacher Mao, and I took my whole family and my mother to Nanjing for a few days. Actually, I had planned this trip for a long time, but I always thought it would be too much trouble to travel with elderly people and children, so I kept putting it off. But seeing how happy my mother was when she saw the animals at Hongshan Zoo and took all sorts of photos at Niushou Mountain, I felt it was really worth it. Especially when we strolled around Laomendong at night, the whole family walked slowly, and this relaxed feeling of being together as a family was very comfortable and left me with wonderful memories."
…
To clarify, because we needed to confirm that they were traveling with their parents (not just taking old photos), the assistant asked these readers to take a photo with that day's evening paper when contacting them. Actually, this wasn't a specific pose; you and your parents can take photos however you're happy with. 
A personal message is optional, depending on your preference. I'm simply happy to share these heartwarming photos and words. As for gratitude, there's no set format. I sponsored this with revenue from my public account's traffic, money that you all helped me earn in the first place.
That's all, have a great weekend.
Original Article: View Chinese Version
