Qingqiao Morning Post, January 27|Thailand discovered 14.8 million metric tons of lepidolite ore

Self-cultivation is like holding jade, accumulating virtue and winning gold

Today in history: 268 years ago today, the Austrian composer Mozart was born during the classical period, and his representative works include "Symphony No. 1 in E flat major" and "Harem Escape". In the course of his short life of 35 years, Mozart completed more than 600 music works of different genres and forms, and is one of the representatives of the Viennese classical music school, known as the "musical prodigy".

politics

01 The U.S. Congress passed the Short-Term Spending Act to avoid a government shutdown

Xinhua News Agency reported that recently, the U.S. Senate passed a short-term spending bill with 77 votes in favor and 18 votes against to avoid the "shutdown" of some institutions due to the exhaustion of operating funds. It is understood that because the U.S. Congress is quite divided on the annual budget legislation and has not been able to reach an agreement on the fiscal year 2024 appropriations bill in time, it can only temporarily maintain the operation of the federal government through the short-term spending bill to gain more time for negotiations.

In November last year, Congress passed a short-term spending bill that would allow some federal government agencies and programs to receive funding to keep them afloat until Jan. 19 and others until Feb. 2, which were extended to March 1 and March 8, respectively, under the newly passed short-term spending bill.

It is reported that the contradictions of the U.S. fiscal year 2024 appropriations bill mainly focus on a spending of 1.59 trillion. Democrats in the U.S. believe the money should be included in government spending, while conservative Republicans are demanding cuts in government spending to include the money in border security provisions.

02 The three major factions of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan decided to disband

According to Reuters, recently, affected by the "black gold" scandal of Japan's liberal democratic parties, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced the dissolution of the "Kishida faction" where he had served as chairman all year round, and then the largest faction of the Liberal Democratic Party, the "Abe faction" and the "second-order faction", also decided to dissolve on the same day.

In November last year, the "black gold" scandal was exposed within the Liberal Democratic Party. Several factions of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) have set sales targets for their members of the Diet and asked them to sell political fund-raising party tickets. If the sales target is exceeded, the excess funds will be returned to the councillor in the form of a "kickback". This part of the money will not be registered on the report of income and expenditure of factions and the income and expenditure report of political funds of parliamentarians, and thus become unregulated secret funds.

The Special Investigation Department of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office then intervened in the investigation, which revealed that from 2018 to 2023, the "Abe faction" of the Liberal Democratic Party involved more than 600 million yen in secret funds, the "second-order faction" involved more than 200 million yen in secret funds, and the "Kishida faction" involved more than 30 million yen in secret funds. It is reported that the three major factions of the "Abe faction", the "second-order faction" and the "Kishida faction" have a total of 182 members of the Diet, accounting for nearly half of the total number of members of the Liberal Democratic Party.

military

01 Nearly 300 Burmese soldiers fled to India

According to AFP, since November last year, the Arakan army has been fighting with the Burmese army in parts of the area near the India-Myanmar border, and in recent days, the Arakan army claimed to have captured Bailiwa, a key border town in Chin State, near India and Bangladesh, and six military bases. But an officer with an anonymous Indian paramilitary group, the Assam Rifles, said a total of 276 Burmese soldiers carrying weapons and ammunition had arrived in the village of Bandu Bangsola in Mizoram on the Indian side of the border to escape the fighting. The Indian side is collecting the biometric data of the soldiers and seeking approval from the Indian Ministry of Defence to return them to Myanmar.

Hundreds of Burmese soldiers have fled to India to escape fighting since last November, according to local media reports. The "Three Brothers" of the Kokang, De'ang and Arakan armies launched a joint offensive in Myanmar's northern Shan State last October, capturing towns and seizing key trading hubs along the border with Myanmar, a ceasefire that does not apply to militaries and militant groups fighting fiercely near the Indian border.

economy

01 14.8 million metric tons of lepidolite ore discovered in Thailand

Bangkok comprehensive news, recently, Thailand's Department of Basic Industries and Mines announced that 14.8 million metric tons of lepidolite ore resources have been discovered in Phang Nga Province, and the lithium content of lepidolite is about 0.45%. It is reported that lithium is one of the key raw materials for electric vehicle batteries, and its performance directly affects the range and service life of the battery. Therefore, having a stable supply of lithium ore is essential for the development of the electric vehicle industry. This discovery in Thailand undoubtedly provides a strong support for its electric vehicle industry, which is expected to attract more investors and automakers.

According to a report released by the U.S. Geological Survey in January 2023, the global proven lithium reserves are about 98 million tons. Among them, Bolivia has proven reserves of 21 million tons, Argentina 20 million tons, Chile 11 million tons, and Australia 7.9 million tons. On January 18, 2024, China's Ministry of Natural Resources said that nearly one million tonnes of lithium resources have been discovered in Yajiang, Sichuan, making it the largest pegmatite-type monomer lithium mine in Asia to date.

safety

01 A fire broke out at the largest landfill in Panama

Reuters news that recently, a fire broke out in a landfill outside the Central American country of Panama City, and toxic smoke drifted to the capital Panama City, people were forced to evacuate, and firefighters struggled to extinguish the fire. The landfill known to have caused the fire, "Sero Patacon", covers an area of more than 130 hectares and is the largest in Panama, with a fire area between 6 and 8 hectares.

The Panamanian fire brigade said there was every indication that the fire was started by arson, but that the facts were still under investigation. Panama's Minister of Health, Sucre, said that the evacuation of residents is underway to protect them from flames and toxic gases, and that medical centers have been set up to treat people with eye discomfort or bronchial problems. At the same time, he also called on people in the affected areas to evacuate their homes, travel with masks or use air purifiers.

02 Nearly 100 people in Vietnam were jailed for assaulting a police station

In June last year, in a rare violent riot in Vietnam, hundreds of attackers on motorcycles attacked police stations and political offices in Dak Lak province, killing nine people. Recently, a Vietnamese court concluded a five-day trial and sentenced 10 defendants to life imprisonment, while another 90 defendants were sentenced to prison terms ranging from nine months to 20 years.

All the defendants, a minority of indigenous people from the Dale Plateau, aged between 18 and 56, were sentenced to international arrest warrants for the suspects who joined the Degas Soldiers' Group in early June 2023 and gathered in the jungle for paramilitary training, including martial arts and bomb making, and that a Vietnamese court charged them with trying to overthrow the state.

It is understood that the Degas people are one of the ethnic minorities in the central highlands of Vietnam, and there have been disputes over land rights in the region for a long time, and some ethnic minorities are dissatisfied because of this. In addition, individuals are not allowed to own guns in Vietnam, so local gun violence incidents are extremely rare.

culture

01The Singapore Calligraphy Association held the National Fai Chun Conference

According to Lianhe Zaobao, recently, the 41st National Fai Chun Conference, hosted by the Singapore Calligraphers Association and co-sponsored by the National Arts Council and the Singapore Arts Federation, was held at the Singapore Calligraphy Centre. The 6th National Spring Festival Exhibition also opened on the same day. This year's event showcased 70 works by Fai Chun, attracting more than 1,000 members of the public, and the number of participants returned to pre-pandemic levels, with participants of all ages visible on site.

Singapore's Senior Minister of State for National Development and Ministry of Communications and Information, Tan Kit Ho, was invited to be the guest of honour at the conference, and wrote the words "National Peace and Security" on the spot. Tan Kit Ho said that under the uncertain international situation, Guotai Min'an is his blessing to Singapore and the world to maintain peace and stability in the new year. At the same time, the event also reflected the prosperity of Singapore's cultural convergence and integration.

Financial Newsletters

According to the Financial Associated Press, recently, the textile and garment sector has strengthened again, Huasheng shares, Hasen shares, Shenzhen China A, Hongxing shares, Joeone, Taiping Bird, etc., have risen by 5.42%. It is worth noting that Shenzhen China A has recently had a daily limit for 9 consecutive trading days, and Hasen shares have a daily limit for 4 consecutive trading days.