Flash News

TREE NEWS update: The UK and Canadian finance ministries issued a joint statement agreeing to develop a cooperation framework under which the two countries will support each other on investment and financing, and reaffirming their commitment to strengthening defense financing. They agreed it would be best to establish two distinct but complementary institutions working in partnership, with the framework intended to safeguard multilateral defense mechanisms and the interests of defense, security and resilience banks.

TREE NEWS update: Iran’s president said the nationwide anti-government protests in January were mainly triggered by social problems. He added that if citizens trust the government and know it wants to help them and solve their problems, they will certainly cooperate with it. The remarks address the wave of unrest that swept the country in January.

TREE NEWS update: SoftBank plans to invest $50 billion in Malaysia to develop artificial intelligence, the Japanese conglomerate said. The planned investment would be one of the largest AI commitments in Southeast Asia. No timeline or specific projects were disclosed.

TREE NEWS update: Yemen’s Houthi group said the Saudi-led coalition carried out 56 airstrikes and missile attacks on civilian targets across seven provinces in the past 24 hours, including Hajjah, Lahij, Amran, Saada, Al-Jawf, Taiz and Ibb. The Houthis said the total number of coalition airstrikes and missile attacks on Yemen since the military escalation began has reached 3,179.

TREE NEWS update: Elon Musk said the endless killing between Ukrainians and Russians must stop, in a statement that did not specify any policy proposal or timeline. The remark addresses the ongoing war between the two countries and calls for an end to the loss of life.

TREE NEWS update: US Central Command commander Gen. Brad Cooper visited the Strait of Hormuz on Oct. 25, flying over the waterway in a CH-47 Chinook to observe the operating environment. US military support has helped Gulf partners export more than 1.5 billion barrels of crude since summer, and over 3,000 commercial vessels have transited the strait with CENTCOM assistance in the past six months. Cooper said the visit underscores the US commitment to freedom of navigation.

TREE NEWS update: US President Donald Trump said on October 25 that trilateral talks involving the United States, Russia and Ukraine on the Ukraine issue will be held “soon,” without giving a specific timetable. Trump said he believes both Russia and Ukraine are willing to reach an agreement.

TREE NEWS update: Israel’s military continued a large-scale operation in the West Bank on the 25th, with dozens of Palestinians arrested and more than 2,200 displaced. The operation follows the killing of two Israeli soldiers near Hebron two days earlier, after which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a “large-scale military operation” would be launched.

TREE NEWS update: More than 1,000 people have been arrested in protests across France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Belgium since Oct. 24, with demonstrators demanding action on rising living costs and inadequate public services. Some marches turned violent, with shops and public facilities damaged. The unrest reflects widespread discontent with government policies in several European countries.

TREE NEWS update: Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense said two ballistic missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthi movement on the afternoon of the 25th were intercepted, with debris falling in the southern Asir province and injuring two people. The statement said the debris also damaged homes and vehicles. Earlier, coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said the Saudi-led coalition had intercepted 12 missiles and two drones across multiple locations in the kingdom that day.

TREE NEWS update: A offshore drilling platform named Prospector 5 sank off the coast of Mayumba in southwestern Gabon on the night of October 24, Gabon’s Ministry of Petroleum and Gas said on October 25. Of the 115 people aboard, 110 are confirmed safe and five remain missing. Search and rescue operations are ongoing.

TREE NEWS update: Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa on October 25 called on Western countries to unconditionally lift sanctions on Zimbabwe, saying the measures are severely constraining the country’s economic development. His remarks came on the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Anti-Sanctions Day. Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe has continued to make progress toward its development vision despite the sanctions.

TREE NEWS update: Mongolia’s government said it will investigate responsibility for a large grassland fire in a protected area and may seek compensation from the parties involved, Deputy Prime Minister Nomtai Bayar said. The fire broke out on the 8th in the Numrug Nature Reserve in Dornod Province after a convoy of more than 10 people and five vehicles from MobiCom, a Japanese-controlled Mongolian telecom operator, entered the reserve; the blaze was extinguished on the 16th. KDDI, MobiCom’s parent, acknowledged on the 20th that the fire was linked to its subsidiary’s Japanese executives and apologized on its website on the 23rd while insisting no laws were broken.

TREE NEWS update: Peru’s government extended a state of emergency in the Lima metropolitan area and the Callao region for 60 days, effective Oct. 28, 2026, to continue combating crime and maintain public order. The Interior Ministry recorded 3,471 extortion complaints and 197 homicides in the two areas between January and May, out of 7,694 extortion reports and 421 homicides nationwide in the same period.

TREE NEWS update: U.S. President Donald Trump said the question now is whether to reach an agreement with Iran or “completely obliterate” them, adding that the U.S. has full knowledge of what happened at Iran’s “Pickaxe Mountain” facility. Trump said Iran has not taken any major action at its nuclear facilities and that the U.S. is closely monitoring the situation.

TREE NEWS update: U.S. President Donald Trump said the question is whether to reach an agreement with Iran or “wipe them out completely,” adding that “we get everything and they get nothing.” He said the U.S. is fully aware of what happened at Iran’s “Pickaxe Mountain” facility and that Tehran has not taken any major action at nuclear sites, with Washington closely monitoring the situation.

TREE NEWS update: Prefabricated housing at the resettlement site for quake victims in Marru Township, Bachen County, Nagqu, Tibet, was connected to electricity at 20:00 on October 25, after eight hours of continuous work. State Grid Tibet Electric Power dispatched 50 emergency repair workers, erected four new utility poles, laid more than 600 meters of conductor and installed one transformer to ensure survivors stay warm through winter.

TREE NEWS update: South Korean police have deployed additional officers to Itaewon and other crowded areas of Seoul ahead of Halloween to prevent stampede accidents, Korean media reported on October 25. The heightened security comes as the country prepares for Halloween festivities in densely packed districts.

TREE NEWS reports: China Merchants Strategy said in a research note that after the recent rapid selloff, multiple A-share indicators have approached historical bottom ranges. Trading volume has shrunk markedly and turnover has fallen to levels near past major bottoms, while mid- and long-term funds led by ETFs are accelerating into the market and stabilization efforts are intensifying. The note said the market bottom often leads the fundamental bottom, with earnings and PPI still improving and providing a positive driver for A-shares.

TREE NEWS update: Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, citing an unnamed informed source, reported late Saturday that claims Iran proposed reopening the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the US lifting its maritime blockade are “false and pure fantasy.” The source said Iran fundamentally rejects any “Hormuz for lifting the blockade” formula, adding that the conflict over the strait will not be resolved until Washington meets Iran’s demands, including an end to disrupting Iranian ports and shipping.