This week, the world in general and the Asian community in particular have come together to welcome a special holiday, Lunar New Year 2024. This is also the leading and recurring topic of attention and discussion throughout the years. the first day of February.
Asian people celebrate Lunar New Year 2024
Unlike other countries that consider Christmas – New Year as the biggest holiday of the year, the Asian community generally celebrates Lunar New Year, also known as Lunar New Year.
This year’s Lunar New Year starts at dawn on February 10, marking the most solemn and longest holiday of the year in countries such as China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines,…
According to the Chinese zodiac theory, 2024 is the year of the Dragon, symbolizing authority and strength. All over the world and in Asia in general, people prepare dragon-shaped decorations, along with traditional decorative items, to welcome a new year with many good and fulfilling expectations.
Red is the typical color for Lunar New Year in Asia.
North Korea cancels economic relations with South Korea
On February 7, North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly voted to cancel all agreements with South Korea on promoting economic cooperation, as relations between the two Koreas continued to deteriorate.
Decided to abolish the law on inter-Korean economic cooperation, the law on special zones for international tours to Mount Kumgang (Diamond) and its implementing regulations as well as agreements on inter-Korean economic cooperation North was brought up at the plenary meeting of the Standing Committee of North Korea.
South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which handles relations with Pyongyang, said North Korea’s actions were not surprising and would only deepen its isolation. Seoul does not recognize this unilateral move, an official added.
North Korea says it now considers South Korea a war enemy and last year abrogated a military pact signed in 2018 aimed at reducing escalating tensions near the military border signed under a ceasefire agreement. ended the Korean War of 1950-1953.
In a pre-recorded interview with South Korean state television station KBS broadcast late on February 7, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol called the change in North Korea’s inter-Korean policy “a change”. extraordinary change” but said it was difficult to understand the thinking behind the move.
King Charles III was diagnosed with cancer
On February 5, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles III of the United Kingdom had been diagnosed with cancer.
Symptoms of cancer appeared shortly after the 75-year-old King was treated for prostate enlargement. A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “King Charles III has been treated for benign prostatic hyperplasia. It was during this intervention that another worrying problem was discovered and later diagnosed as a form of cancer. This second disease will be treated appropriately.”
Doctors have recommended that King Charles III suspend all public activities. Buckingham Palace added that King Charles III “remains completely optimistic about his treatment and looks forward to returning to work as soon as possible”.
According to Buckingham Palace, King Charles III chose to share the diagnosis information to prevent speculation and hopes this can help the public better understand people affected by cancer around the world.
The Kazakh government resigned
On February 5, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a decree accepting the resignation of the government of this country.
The Kazakh President’s Office made the above announcement but did not say the reason for the Cabinet’s resignation. President Tokayev has appointed Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar as acting Prime Minister of Kazakhstan.
On February 6, the Kazakh President’s Office announced that the ruling Amanat party had nominated Mr. Olzhas Bektenov, Chief of the Presidential Office, as the country’s new Prime Minister.
The S&P 500 index of US stocks surpassed the 5,000 point mark for the first time
The S&P 500 index, one of the top three stock indexes in the United States, hit the 5,000 mark on February 9, as optimism spread across Wall Street and investors rejoiced with new data for see progress in inflation.
The milestone comes during a period of strong economic growth, the rise of artificial intelligence, a better-than-expected earnings season and predictions that the Federal Reserve will begin cutting interest rates. .
Previously, the S&P 500 first reached the 5,000 mark on February 8, but it was not until the end of the weekend trading session on February 9 that the index officially closed above 5,000 points.
According to Howard Silverblatt, senior index analyst at S&P Dow Jones Indices, it took nearly 41 years for the S&P 500 to reach its first milestone of 1,000.
The index reached its previous milestone of 4,000 on April 1, 2021, after the Fed cut interest rates to near zero, the government pumped stimulus funds into the economy and Covid-19 vaccines boosted growth. optimistic about economic growth after the pandemic.
On January 19, 2024, the index hit a new record for the first time in two years, closing at its previous high of 4,796.56. The index continued to set six new highs in January alone, driven by large-cap stocks.
The S&P 500 is up about 5.4% this year. The index rose 24% in 2023, with stocks surging late in the year as optimism grew that the Fed could soft-land or reduce inflation without triggering a recession.