Since November last year, long-term agreement negotiations for international market thermal coal, coking coal, and iron ore for fiscal year 2006 have been held in Tokyo, Japan. Based on past experience, annual long-term agreement negotiations usually last three to four months. Under normal circumstances, there should be a clear result by March this year.

An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report disclosed in advance shows that Iran is gradually advancing the country's uranium enrichment project despite pressure from the international community, while obstructing United Nations inspections.

According to Reuters, although Haniyeh, the leader of the Islamic extremist military organization Hamas, was appointed as the Palestinian Prime Minister, the European Union will provide large-scale funding to Palestine on the 27th to alleviate the financial crisis that Palestine may soon face.

On February 19, a piece of news from Itar-Tass news agency attracted the attention of Western media: Commander Vysotsky of the Russian Northern Fleet announced: "After 10 years of waiting, the Northern Fleet is about to return to the Mediterranean." This is even more surprising. What is of concern is that Russia's only aircraft carrier, the "Marshal Kuznetsov", appeared on the list of ships that p

The European Union and Japan signed a cooperation agreement on the peaceful use of nuclear energy on the 27th. This is another new cooperation agreement signed between the three major nuclear energy development countries and groups after Japan and the United States, and Euratom and the United States signed similar agreements.

France's large energy companies, GDF and Suez, announced on the 27th the contents of their rapid merger plan costing 40 billion euros. French Minister of Economy, Finance and Industry Thierry Breton said that the merger will be a complete acquisition of Suez by GDF, and the entire merger process is expected to be completed before the end of the year.

Statistics Netherlands says overall energy consumption in the Netherlands will decrease in 2005, the first decrease since 1999.

German energy giant E.ON announced on February 21 that it had offered 29.1 billion euros ($34.8 billion) to acquire Spain's largest power company, Endesa Electricity Company. The acquisition could become the largest-ever transaction in the global utility sector.