1. Global merchandise trade exceeded $5.6 trillion in the third quarter of 2021, an all-time high, and will remain near that level in the last three months of this year, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad). Global trade in goods and services is expected to increase to about $28 trillion in 2021, about $5.2 trillion more than in 2020 and $2.8 trillion higher than in 2019, Unctad said in its report.

2. The eastern Caribbean country of Barbados was formally transformed into a republic, seceded from the Commonwealth and abolished the status of head of state of the Queen of England, and President Sandra Mason became head of state. Prince Charles attended the transition ceremony in Bridgetown, Barbados. It is reported that Barbados was occupied by Britain in the early 17th century and became independent on November 30, 1966. Later, as a member of the Commonwealth, Queen Elizabeth II was the head of state, and the presidential inauguration ceremony was held on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of the country’s independence.

3. Russian President Vladimir Putin says Russia will soon be awarded a new hypersonic weapon with a flight speed of more than Mach 9. Expressing concern about the unplanned military exercises held in the Russian border area, the development of hypersonic weapons is Russia’s response to NATO operations. In addition, he has the right to run for president again, but whether or not to run has not been decided.

4. World Health Organization (WHO): there is no evidence that the existing vaccine has lost its protective effect on Omicron strain. At a news conference held by World Health Organization (WHO) on December 1, local time in Geneva, Maria Van Kohoff, technical director of World Health Organization (WHO) ‘s health emergency project, said that it is too early to determine the transmission rate and infectivity of the Omicron strain, and whether it will lead to more serious diseases. The information is still being updated and research is still under way. Maria van Kohof stressed that the current protection rate of the vaccine is still very strong, which can greatly reduce the number of severe cases and deaths. She called for more widespread vaccination, including universal vaccination and enhanced needles. Maria van Kohof said there was no evidence that the vaccine had lost its protective effect on the Omicron strain, and it was hoped that people would not panic.

5. Recently, Federal Reserve Chairman Colin Powell said that high inflation is expected to continue until the middle of next year, and it is time to give up the idea of “temporary” inflation. The Fed will remain vigilant in controlling inflation and may consider ending its bond purchase program a few months ahead of schedule. Accelerating the pace of bond purchases will be discussed at future meetings.

6. World Health Organization (WHO): of the more than 800000 virus gene sequence samples collected in the past two months, 99.8% were Delta strains, while Omicron strains accounted for less than 0.1%, only 159. Currently, Omicron strains have been found only in a limited number of countries, and most of the cases are related to travel. According to statistics, Omicron strain has appeared in 20 countries and regions.

7. Federal Reserve Chairman Powell said that COVID-19 mutant virus O’Mick Rong strain may slow down the recovery of the US economy and labor market, and increase the uncertainty of the inflationary situation. High inflation is expected to continue into the middle of next year, and it is time to abandon the idea of “temporary” inflation. The emergence of new mutants has heightened fears that the economic recovery has been damaged, supply chain problems have worsened and inflation has risen further.

8. International Energy Agency: the installed capacity of global renewable energy generation is expected to increase by nearly 290GW this year, reaching an all-time high. It is estimated that by 2026, the total installed capacity of global renewable energy generation will jump to more than 4800GW, an increase of more than 60 per cent over 2020. China will be the main driver of renewable energy capacity growth in the coming years, followed by Europe, the United States and India.

9. World Semiconductor Trade Statistics Organization: in 2022, the semiconductor market is expected to reach US $601.4 billion, an all-time high and an increase of 9% over the same period last year. It was $28 billion higher than expected in June. Under the epidemic of COVID-19, the society is constantly digitized, and the demand for semiconductors in the fields of communications and information terminals is expanding.

10. According to data released by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, global trade is expected to reach about $28 trillion in 2021, an increase of 11 percent compared with before the outbreak. Among them, trade reached a record level in the third quarter, trade in services also showed a momentum of growth, but still below the pre-epidemic level, while the outlook for trade in 2022 is still very uncertain.

11. On December 1, British aeronautical engineer Richard Godfrey said in a report released on November 30 that he had discovered Malaysia Airlines 370 using a revolutionary tracking technology, according to a news report on Australian Channel 7. He said the plane crashed in the Indian Ocean 1993 kilometers west of Perth and is currently 4000 meters below sea level.

12. Thanks to the rise in the property and stock markets, the total net worth of British households rose 8.4 per cent last year to more than 11 trillion pounds, the highest level since records began in 1995, according to the latest figures from the UK statistics department. However, experts point out that the wealth gap that existed before the outbreak is likely to be exacerbated by the crisis.

13. Five European banks have been fined 344 million euros by the European Union for foreign exchange collusion. The European Commission announced on December 2 that it violated EU anti-cartel regulations for participating in collusion in the foreign exchange market. The EU decided to impose fines of a total of 344 million euros on UBS, Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland, HSBC and Credit Suisse. Vestager, executive vice president of the European Commission, said when announcing the penalty decision on the same day that the move is to maintain a stable and competitive European financial market, which is crucial to European investment and growth.

14.World Health Organization (WHO): it is too early to determine the transmission rate and infectivity of the Omicron strain, and whether it will lead to more serious diseases. The information is still being updated and research is still under way. Call for more widespread vaccination, including universal vaccination and enhanced needles. At present, there is no evidence that the vaccine has lost its protective effect on the Omicron strain. I hope people will not panic.

15. According to a report released by the US Federal Reserve, economic activity in the country has generally grown moderately, but growth in some areas has been limited by supply chain disruptions and labor shortages. Demand for parenting, retirement and concerns about the epidemic are the main reasons for limiting the supply of labour. Companies are forced to raise wages and offer other incentives to retain existing employees.

16. Nomisma, an independent energy research institute in Italy, said natural gas prices had remained stable for nearly a decade, but began to soar in the second half of this year. If the government does not intervene, Italian natural gas prices will rise from the current 0.95 euros per cubic meter to 1.4 euros per cubic meter from January 1 next year. With natural gas accounting for a large share of power generation, electricity tariffs will also rise by 17% to 25% next year.