Real-time News

July 5: Floodwaters in the area near the Guadalupe River in Texas, the United States, are gradually receding. According to local officials, at least 237 people have been rescued so far. More than 20 girls who were attending a summer camp in the area are still missing.

July 5th news: On July 5th local time, the BRICS Business Forum opened in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Brazilian President Lula and Vice President Gerardo Alckmin attended the opening ceremony of the forum. In his opening speech, Lula emphasized the important contribution of BRICS countries to global economic development, saying that 40% of the current global GDP is contributed by BRICS members, and the economic growth rate of BRICS countries will reach 4% in 2024, which is higher than the global economic growth rate of 3.3% that year. Lula said that with the rise of global protectionism, emerging countries should jointly defend the global multilateral trading system and reshape the international financial architecture.

Ukraine's top military commander, Oleksandr Silsky, warned on Saturday that Russia could launch a new offensive in the Kharkiv region, a region in northeastern Ukraine that has been ravaged by fighting since the conflict erupted in 2022.

On July 5, the head of the Kyiv Military and Political Administration Bureau of Ukraine, Tekachenko, said that the large-scale air strike launched by Russia on Kyiv in the early morning of the 4th has so far caused 2 deaths and 31 injuries, and the number of casualties continues to rise.

On July 5, European Central Bank board member Makhlouf said that if the euro wants to quickly replace the dollar as the pillar of the global financial system, countries still have a long way to go, because there are still many gaps in financial and economic integration among European countries. Makhlouf said that the dominance of the dollar will weaken in the long run, but Europe currently lacks a single fiscal asset that is as stable as U.S. Treasuries and can compete with it. "Frankly speaking, Europe's economic system is not yet fully formed," Makhlouf said, adding that changes in currency exchange rates in recent months are more due to investors' concerns about the rule of law in the United States. Makhlouf said: "It would be a bit of an exaggeration to say that this will suddenly push the euro to replace the dollar, because the euro does not currently have such capabilities."

ECB board member Makhlouf: Euro is not ready to challenge dollar's status as global reserve currency.

Russian Embassy: The Russian trade mission to Sweden has come under attack again, with a drone dropping paint on its premises.

Turkish President Erdogan: We believe that the ceasefire between Iran and Israel has opened a door to Gaza, and Hamas has also demonstrated its sincerity many times.

On July 5, the press office of the Russian Federal Investigative Committee said that a year ago, a Russian Il-76 transport plane carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war crashed. It was found that the person who ordered the destruction was Nikolay Jarman, commander of the Ukrainian missile brigade. The department said that it has announced an international wanted notice for him.

Gaza Humanitarian Foundation: The injured American is in stable condition and is receiving medical treatment. The injuries are not life-threatening. Preliminary information indicates that two attackers threw two grenades at American aid workers.

According to AFP, citing official sources, Israel has not yet decided on Hamas' response to the ceasefire proposal.

July 5th, on Saturday, OPEC+ agreed to increase daily production by 548,000 barrels in August, further accelerating production increases. OPEC+ approved a monthly production increase of 411,000 barrels per day in May, June and July, and 138,000 barrels per day in April. Sources said that some member countries (such as Kazakhstan and Iraq) over-target production angered other member countries that insisted on production cuts. Sources said that OPEC+ hopes to expand its market share amid the increasing supply of competitors such as the United States. With the increase in production in August, the production released by OPEC+ since April will reach 1.918 million barrels per day, and only 280,000 barrels per day of the voluntary reduction of 2.2 million barrels per day have not yet been restored. The organization is still implementing other production cuts totaling 3.66 million barrels per day. The next OPEC+ meeting will be held on August 3.

On July 5, Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bologan said in an interview with the media that the recent claims that Romania might send troops to Ukraine are unfounded and Romania will not consider military intervention in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict under any circumstances. However, Bologan also pointed out that Romania will continue to gradually increase its military budget to meet NATO's requirements and be consistent with the EU's broader militarization agenda.

According to the latest battle report from the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Ukrainian army lost about 1,265 soldiers during the special military operation in the past day and night.

OPEC+ statement: Global economic outlook is stable and market fundamentals are healthy. The eight member countries will increase production by 548,000 barrels per day in August.

The OPEC+ online meeting ended and the next meeting is scheduled for August 3.

Sources: OPEC+ countries begin holding online meetings.