Category: Flash News

On January 21st, Slovak Prime Minister Fizo stated that discussions regarding Ukraine’s accession to NATO would undermine any peace negotiations and should be postponed. On that day, Fizo met with visiting Hungarian Prime Minister Orban to discuss energy security and the Ukrainian crisis, and subsequently held a press conference. The two prime ministers have reached a consensus on Ukraine’s vision for the EU and NATO: the two countries do not support Ukraine’s accession to NATO and believe that Ukraine’s accession to the EU should also first meet certain conditions. Fizo once again criticized Ukraine’s decision to stop the transit of Russian natural gas, stating that it harms the interests of Slovakia, Hungary, and the entire European Union. Orban reiterated Hungary’s opposition to Western sanctions against Russia, stating that the country has lost billions of euros due to EU sanctions against Russia and that EU policies have led to an increase in natural gas prices.

On January 22, the US Senate Finance Committee approved the nomination of Scott Bessent as the Secretary of the Treasury for the Trump administration with a vote of 16 in favor and 11 against, and submitted the nomination to the Senate for final confirmation. If approved, Besent will become one of the important spokespersons for the new US government in economic policy, with significant influence on fiscal policy, financial regulation, international sanctions, and overseas investment.

On January 21st, the state government of Pernambuco in northeastern Brazil issued an official statement stating that due to severe drought, 118 cities in the state have declared a 180 day state of emergency. The current drought has affected most cities and rural areas in the state, with several major reservoirs in the state storing only about 5% of the total water. At present, the water conservancy, meteorological, civil defense and other departments in the state have taken response measures, including closely monitoring the water level of the reservoir and providing assistance to the affected people. The Hydrological and Meteorological Bureau of Pernambuco State stated that in the first three months of this year, most areas of the state are expected to receive lower than average precipitation than in previous years, and may experience moderate to severe drought.

On January 21st, a 6.2-magnitude earthquake occurred in Tainan City, Taiwan in the early morning of January 21st. A printing factory in Chiayi City, Taiwan has caught fire, and there have been several suspected gas leaks. Firefighters have gone to handle the situation and there have been no reports of anyone being trapped. TSMC stated that some factories located in Taichung and Tainan Science and Technology Parks have met evacuation standards. They prioritized personnel safety and evacuated according to emergency response procedures. (CCTV News)

① 15:00 UK three-month ILO unemployment rate for November; ② 15: 00 UK December unemployment rate and number of unemployment benefit applicants in December; ③ 18: 00 Germany January ZEW Economic Prosperity Index; ④ 18: 00 Eurozone January ZEW Economic Sentiment Index; ⑤ 21:30 Canadian December CPI monthly rate; ⑥ The next day at 03:30, the February crude oil futures in New York completed the final trading on the exchange.

On January 21st, as the Spring Festival approaches, multiple wealth management companies are selling “Spring Festival” wealth management products. The reporter visited bank branches in Beijing and found that several banks have launched “Spring Festival” wealth management products. Compared with the daily sales of wealth management products, their performance benchmark has slightly increased by about 0.1 percentage points. In addition, according to the reporter’s research, multiple “Spring Festival” wealth management products will begin to be raised and launched on the bank channel in late January. Industry insiders remind that performance benchmarks are not equivalent to actual returns, and even if actual returns are high, they may only be a short-term phenomenon. (China Securities Journal)

On January 21st, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov stated that increasing trade between Russia and Iran is the main task of the economy. Xiluanov said, “The main task now is to increase trade volume, because for our country and for our level of economic cooperation, 4 billion US dollars is very little. Xiluanov also pointed out that Iran accepts “MIR” bank cards and the payment systems of the two countries are being “integrated”.

On January 21st, BHP Group’s attributable ore production in the second quarter was 66.22 million tons, copper production was 510700 tons, metallurgical coal production was 4.43 million tons, and thermal coal production was 3.7 million tons. BHP still predicts an annual attributable ore output of 260 million to 270 million tons and a copper output of 1.85 million to 2.05 million tons.

On January 21st, a spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary General responded to the White House’s announcement of plans to withdraw from the Paris Agreement. The spokesperson pointed out that the transformation envisioned in the Paris Agreement has already been carried out globally. The energy revolution triggered by the agreement provides unparalleled opportunities for countries and businesses to invest in renewable energy, driving employment and economic prosperity in the 21st century. In this crucial decade, leaders of all countries must seize these opportunities and take climate action. The spokesperson also stated that the Secretary General still believes that cities, states, and businesses within the United States, as well as other countries, will continue to strive for low-carbon and resilient economic growth, which will create high-quality jobs and markets for prosperity in the 21st century.

On January 21st, as of January 20th local time, forest fires in the Epuyan region of southwestern Argentina have been ongoing for 5 days, burning over 3000 hectares of forest land. Residents in over 200 residential buildings have been urgently evacuated, and more than 50 houses have been destroyed. The Argentine National Fire Management Agency and other institutions are participating in firefighting and rescue efforts. At present, the cause of the fire is still under investigation.