Real-time News

February 15 - Japanese police said on February 15 local time that a stabbing incident occurred in Dotonbori, Chuo Ward, Osaka City in the early hours of the day, resulting in the death of one victim. Police have taken a male suspect in his 20s into custody.

On February 15th, it was reported that on February 14th local time, the U.S. Department of Justice sent a letter to members of Congress explaining the redacting of documents in the Jeffrey Epstein case. The letter outlined the types of redacting and provided a detailed list of numerous prominent or "politically sensitive" individuals mentioned in the documents, even though they had no direct contact with Epstein or his ex-girlfriend and accomplice Maxwell, but were mentioned in news clippings and other sources.

February 15th - According to statistics released by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE), in January 2026, banks settled 2.0048 trillion yuan in foreign exchange and sold 1.4457 trillion yuan; banks' foreign exchange receipts on behalf of clients totaled 5.4722 trillion yuan, while their payments totaled 4.8974 trillion yuan. Li Bin, Deputy Director and Spokesperson of SAFE, explained that in January, both the bank's foreign exchange settlement surplus and the net inflow of cross-border funds from non-bank sectors such as enterprises and individuals declined compared to the previous month. This was mainly due to seasonal factors; while corporate receipts and settlements increased rapidly, the growth slowed recently as demand gradually increased. "Overall, my country's foreign exchange market is active, expectations are stable, and cross-border capital flows are becoming more stable," said Li Bin.

On February 15th, a netizen raised a question on social media: SpaceX is shifting its focus from Mars to the Moon and plans to build an autonomous city on the Moon within ten years, but why is it making this change? Musk responded: "It needs to be clear that we will continue to advance the Mars program. I believe this adjustment will not affect the timeline for the autonomous development of a Martian city by more than five years, and may even accelerate the development process on Mars."

February 15th - According to Iranian media reports on February 14th, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Baghae stated in a media interview that the right to peaceful use of nuclear energy is Iran's inherent and inalienable right, and no form of political pressure can undermine this right. Baghae stated that as a signatory to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Iran enjoys the right to peaceful use of nuclear energy. Iranian President Peshichiyan recently stated that Iran does not seek nuclear weapons and is prepared to accept any form of inspection, but will not back down in the face of excessive demands and injustice. The United States has recently continued to pressure Iran, deploying multiple warships, including the aircraft carrier USS Lincoln, in the Middle East and threatening military intervention. A new round of US-Iran talks will be held on February 17th in Geneva, Switzerland, with Omani representatives coordinating the contacts between the two sides.

February 15th - The Bank of England will be closely watching a series of data releases in the coming days. The bank made the difficult decision to keep interest rates unchanged due to concerns that inflation remains too high. British economic observers are facing a busy week: starting with labor market data and consumer price statistics, and ending with public finances and retail sales reports. Wednesday's inflation report will be the focus, especially as it is the last data release before the Bank of England's next policy meeting in March, and there is significant internal disagreement on its interpretation. Meanwhile, Tuesday's employment report is also an important indicator. Evidence of a continued weakening labor market would be reassuring to officials, as it would suggest easing price pressures.

Market news: Australia will invest AU$3.9 billion in a new submarine construction plant.

Conflict Status: 1. Russian Ministry of Defense: Russian air defense systems destroyed 20 Ukrainian drones over multiple Russian locations overnight. 2. Zelensky: More than 6,000 Russian drones attacked Ukraine in January. No power plant in Ukraine escaped Russian attacks and damage. Peace Negotiations: 1. French Foreign Ministry Spokesperson: We are urging Russia to seriously participate in negotiations with Ukraine. The possibility of future contact with Russia is not ruled out. 2. Zelensky: We hope to hear some compromises from Russia. We hope the United States will continue to participate in the negotiations, and we also hope that Europe will participate more. 3. Zelensky: For Ukraine, setting a date for joining the European Union is crucial; otherwise, Russian President Putin will do everything in his power to prevent this process after the war. 4. Zelensky: The United States keeps demanding concessions from Ukraine; security guarantees should take precedence over a ceasefire agreement; a dignified end to the conflict is crucial for Ukraine. Other Status: 1. Zelensky: Give us a two-month ceasefire period, and we will hold elections. 2. Ukrainian Prime Minister: The International Monetary Fund has eased key conditions for new loans. 3. NATO Secretary General Rutte: Russia's oil revenues have fallen by a third, rapidly depleting its sovereign wealth fund. 4. French Foreign Minister Barro: Some G7 members have expressed their willingness to move forward with a ban on maritime transport services for Russian oil. 5. US Secretary of State Rubio: I believe it is impossible for Russia to achieve its initial goals in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict is our inescapable responsibility, and we will not stand idly by.

On February 15, Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister, met with Norwegian Foreign Minister Ed on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on February 14. Wang Yi stated that China has always viewed China-Norway relations from a strategic and long-term perspective and is willing to maintain close exchanges at all levels, deepen cooperation in various fields, and safeguard the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations. Multilateralism was a consensus reached at the Munich Security Conference. However, multilateralism is not about acting unilaterally, and multipolarity is not dominated by a few major powers. All parties should abide by the purposes of the UN Charter and uphold the international rule of law. President Xi Jinping proposed an equal and orderly multipolar world; equality means that all countries, large and small, have the right to participate, and order means jointly abiding by international law. Both China and Norway support multilateralism and free trade and should further strengthen communication and cooperation. He hoped that Norway would play a constructive role in the stable development of China-EU relations.

On February 15, Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister, met with Canadian Foreign Minister Anand on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on February 14. Wang Yi stated that Prime Minister Carney's visit to China was fruitful, fully demonstrating that the new Canadian government is pursuing a new policy towards China, which is in the common interest of both countries and is the right choice. President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Carney reached a consensus on building a new type of strategic partnership between China and Canada, providing strategic guidance for the positive development of bilateral relations. China is willing to work with Canada to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, eliminate interference, restart exchanges and cooperation in various fields, and promote the healthy, stable, and sustainable development of China-Canada relations. Anand stated that Prime Minister Carney's visit to China was very successful, ushering in a new era for Canada-China relations. He thanked China for granting visa-free access to Canadian citizens and hoped that both sides would strengthen dialogue and cooperation, enhance people-to-people exchanges, and promote the positive and stable development of Canada-China relations.

On February 15th, the General Office of the Heilongjiang Provincial People's Government issued the "Several Policy Measures of Heilongjiang Province to Support the High-Quality Development of the Bio-manufacturing Industry," which mentions the cultivation and development of new foods. It encourages the development of new foods and ingredients such as special medical purpose formula foods, health foods, microbial proteins, probiotics, plant-based alternative proteins, functional sugars, and natural extracts. A one-time reward of 2 million yuan will be given to "three new foods" (new food raw materials, new varieties of food additives, and new varieties of food-related products) that have passed national approval and obtained licenses. It also vigorously promotes the development of biochemicals. It encourages the development of high-tech, high-value-added bio-based chemicals and materials such as polyols, long-chain dicarboxylic acids, polylactic acid, polyester, and bio-based nylon, and promotes the application of bio-based products in plastic packaging, daily chemical consumer goods, transportation and logistics, and environmentally friendly building materials. For key provincial new products with annual single-product sales revenue exceeding 2 million yuan, a reward of 5% of the actual annual transaction amount will be given to the developing enterprise, with a maximum reward of 500,000 yuan per product and a maximum cumulative reward of 3 million yuan per enterprise per year.

On February 15th, the General Office of the Heilongjiang Provincial People's Government issued the "Several Policy Measures of Heilongjiang Province to Support the High-Quality Development of the Biomanufacturing Industry," which mentions promoting the integrated development of the biomanufacturing industry. It encourages leading biomanufacturing enterprises to take the lead in establishing industry technology innovation alliances, industry technology research institutes, and other innovation consortia to strengthen technology spillover, industrial collaboration, and market expansion across the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain. It also guides SMEs to focus on niche areas, strengthen independent innovation, and improve their specialized production, service, and collaborative support capabilities, forming an industrial ecosystem of "leading enterprises, supporting industries, and cluster development," and accelerating the construction of the Suiyuan-Harbin-Daqing-Qiqihar National Biomanufacturing Cluster.

On February 15th, the General Office of the Heilongjiang Provincial People's Government issued the "Several Policy Measures of Heilongjiang Province to Support the High-Quality Development of the Biomanufacturing Industry," which mentions supporting enterprises' intelligent transformation and digital upgrading. It supports biomanufacturing enterprises in using technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things to upgrade and improve their digital and intelligent levels. Provincial financial subsidies will be provided to enterprises that meet the requirements of enterprise technological transformation policies. For digital workshops (production lines) and smart factories that pass provincial certification, a one-time subsidy of 10% of the project contract amount (including equipment investment and digital construction costs such as industrial software purchases) will be granted, with a maximum subsidy of 2 million yuan for digital workshops (production lines) and a maximum subsidy of 10 million yuan for smart factories. Eligible enterprises will be recommended to apply for national-level excellent smart factory status.

On February 15th, the General Office of the Heilongjiang Provincial People's Government issued the "Several Policy Measures of Heilongjiang Province to Support the High-Quality Development of the Biomanufacturing Industry." The measures include supporting biomanufacturing enterprises in collaborating with universities and research institutes to build concept verification centers and pilot-scale maturation platforms, driving interconnectivity among upstream and downstream links in the industrial chain, including R&D design, pilot-scale verification, and manufacturing. For eligible concept verification centers and pilot-scale maturation platforms in the biomanufacturing field, subsidies of up to 10 million yuan (30% of the total investment) will be provided based on performance evaluation results. For those already built and operational, subsidies of up to 5 million yuan (20% of the annual service amount provided to enterprises in the province) will be provided. For those selected as national biomanufacturing pilot-scale capacity building platforms by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the subsidy will be increased by 50%. The measures also encourage technology trading activities such as synthetic biology technology development, technology transfer, technology licensing, technology consulting, and technology services. For biomanufacturing enterprises within the province that purchase scientific and technological achievements from universities, research institutes, and new R&D institutions and sign technology transfer or technology licensing contracts, and whose technology is transferred and transformed in our province, a subsidy of 20% of the actual payment amount will be granted for contracts with an actual payment amount of more than 1 million yuan, with a maximum subsidy of 2 million yuan per contract.

On February 15th, the General Office of the Heilongjiang Provincial People's Government issued the "Several Policy Measures of Heilongjiang Province to Support the High-Quality Development of the Biomanufacturing Industry," which mentions supporting the tackling of core technologies. Adhering to the orientation of scientific and technological achievements transformation, focusing on key core technologies and cutting-edge directions in biomanufacturing, a number of key R&D projects will be deployed and implemented to support technological breakthroughs in innovative pharmaceuticals and medical devices, core strains, biological breeding, and biochemical engineering. Projects that pass the review will receive provincial financial support in accordance with relevant regulations. Support will be provided for enhancing the innovation capabilities of enterprises. Biomanufacturing enterprises are encouraged to increase R&D investment. For enterprises with R&D investment exceeding 500,000 yuan and meeting the conditions, subsidies will be provided at different proportions based on the enterprise's annual R&D investment stock and incremental portion, with the province and city contributing at a 1:1 ratio.

On February 15th, Cathie Wood, founder of Ark Capital, posted on X, stating, "According to ARKInvest research, developing humanoid robots is 200,000 times more complex than developing robotaxis. Given Elon Musk's first principles and unwavering determination, we predict that Tesla's Optimus Prime robot will begin to change factory life in 2028/2029, and subsequently, home life." Musk responded, "It will begin to change the status quo in 2027, the impact will be evident by 2028, and the impact will be enormous by 2029."

On February 15th, a netizen proposed to Elon Musk on social media the idea of establishing a permanent base on the moon and launching spacecraft to Mars from there. Musk responded that producing fuel on the moon is quite difficult because obtaining hydrogen and carbon to synthesize methane (CH4) is very challenging. On Earth, it's much easier because methane reserves are abundant. However, perhaps things will change when we reach the moon and cities begin operating.

February 15th - According to foreign media reports, the European Central Bank (ECB) announced plans on Saturday to expand the accessibility of its Euro Liquidity Support Facility globally and make it a regular mechanism to enhance the international status of the euro as a single currency. Previously, such repurchase quotas were only open to a limited number of countries, primarily Eastern European countries. ECB President Christine Lagarde stated at the Munich Security Conference, "The ECB must prepare for a more volatile environment." The central bank stated that the tool will be launched in the third quarter of 2026 and will be open to all central banks globally, except for those excluded due to reputational issues such as money laundering, terrorist financing, or international sanctions. The repurchase quota is used in scenarios where banks cannot obtain financing from the market, allowing financial institutions to borrow euros from the ECB using high-quality assets as collateral and repay the principal and interest upon maturity. The new tool will provide a regular access quota of up to €50 billion.

Market sources say Meta Platforms (META.O) is reportedly considering developing facial recognition technology for its smart glasses and plans to add this feature as early as this year.

February 15th - Osaka Prefectural Police reported that around midnight local time on the 15th, multiple people were stabbed in Dotonbori, Osaka City. It is estimated that three people were stabbed at the scene, one of whom is unconscious, while the condition of the other two is unknown. It is understood that the perpetrator may have known the three victims and fled the scene after the incident. Local police are investigating the details.