Flash News

TREE NEWS update: US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Oslo on Thursday, with leaders from Norway and Finland also taking part and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner joining by video. The talks aim to draft a peace proposal that can be presented to Russia, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Zelenskiy said at a joint news conference.

TREE NEWS reports: WTI November crude futures settled down $1.87, or 1.80%, at $101.79 a barrel, after touching $110.48 at 19:36 Beijing time. The December contract fell 0.66% to $97.66, having earlier risen to $101.37 at the same time. Abu Dhabi Murban crude rose 0.86% to $112.05 a barrel.

TREE NEWS reports: The Shanghai Futures Exchange crude oil futures 2612 contract closed the night session down 4.47% at 694.80 yuan per barrel. In the same session, Shanghai gold futures fell 0.31%, while Shanghai silver futures rose 1.54%.

TREE NEWS update: The United States will propose that Russian President Vladimir Putin meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump for face-to-face talks. The proposal is a diplomatic move to bring the three leaders together directly. No date or venue for the suggested meeting was given.

TREE NEWS update: Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee member Greene said there is concern that the central bank’s policy stance is not sufficiently restrictive. Greene added that inflation expectations are anchored but remain above normal levels. The remarks point to continued caution within the MPC on the pace of easing.

TREE NEWS reports: J.P. Morgan Asset Management issued its first long-term bitcoin return forecast, projecting 10% annual returns. The firm flagged 55% volatility as a barrier to broader portfolio adoption.

TREE NEWS reports: The US is sending a third aircraft carrier and about 10,000 military personnel to the Middle East. Two US officials said the Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group and the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit are expected to arrive by the end of November. The Roosevelt, which departed San Diego on Sunday, September 27, will join the George H.W. Bush and the George Washington. The strike group carries about 6,000 sailors, while the Marine unit and amphibious ready group total about 4,200.

TREE NEWS update: US President Donald Trump said Vice President JD Vance is “very good,” offering a brief public endorsement of his running mate. The remark was made in a statement carried by US media. No further context or policy detail was provided.

TREE NEWS update: All 460 people aboard a passenger ferry that caught fire off the western tip of Java island were safely evacuated, Indonesia’s Banten province search and rescue agency said on the evening of the 20th. The fire broke out in waters near the western end of Java on the afternoon of the same day.

TREE NEWS update: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced the deployment of 500 military personnel to Milan to support police in maintaining public order until the end of the year. The troops will assist law enforcement in the city through December.

TREE NEWS update: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Pakistani mediators that any negotiations must be preceded by the United States lifting all pressure, threats and sanctions. The condition sets a precondition for talks, with the demand placed on Washington to act first. No further details on the timing or scope of the mediation were given.

TREE NEWS update: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he does not believe anti-India sentiment in the United States is widespread or deep-rooted, adding that he has never held that view. The remark addresses perceptions of bias against Indian Americans. Rubio did not elaborate further in the statement.

TREE NEWS update: Nigeria’s federal government confirmed a case of Ebola virus disease in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, on October 20. The country has fully activated its emergency public health response mechanism. No further details on the patient or contact tracing were provided.

TREE NEWS update: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the Libya-Turkey maritime agreement violates the sovereign rights of third countries, does not comply with the law of the sea and is invalid. She reaffirmed the EU’s solidarity with Greece and Cyprus and repeated the bloc’s opposition to any external interference in Libya.

TREE NEWS update: Libya’s eastern-based parliament on Tuesday approved a maritime boundary agreement with Turkey, prompting strong condemnation from Greece, which called the move a violation of international law. The deal is part of a long-running dispute over maritime borders and energy exploration rights in the eastern Mediterranean. It was originally reached in 2019 by the internationally recognized Tripoli government in the west but had for years gone unratified by the rival eastern administration led by military commander Khalifa Haftar.

TREE NEWS reports: Rail logistics firm VTG GmbH said Germany’s rail network cannot absorb all cargo diverted from the Rhine, where low water levels and rail maintenance have further squeezed capacity. Rail has taken on a “substantial share” of the diverted volume, but “rail cannot currently replace Rhine shipping one-for-one” because German rail construction work is ongoing. A full freight train carries 1,200 to 1,500 tonnes, less than a standard barge.

TREE NEWS update: Qatar’s Prime Minister’s adviser and Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said on October 20 at the eighth Global Security Forum in Doha that negotiations between the United States and Iran over Iran’s nuclear program are continuing, with both sides maintaining diplomatic contact despite escalating tensions in the Middle East.

TREE NEWS update: UK Prime Minister Burnham plans to introduce legislation to cut welfare spending, with a draft bill potentially tabled as early as April next year. The plan would require parliamentary approval before taking effect. No further details on the scope of the cuts were provided.

TREE NEWS update: HSBC Holdings CEO Georges Elhedery said AI is a key enabler for reshaping the bank, but cautioned investors to be selective rather than make all-in bets on the underlying infrastructure. In remarks reported by CNBC, he stressed the need to assess the quality of tenant agreements and contract pricing, noting that not all data center projects have sufficiently strong contracts and some may prove more challenging.

TREE NEWS update: Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Rezaei said on the 20th that all enriched nuclear material will remain in Iran, calling it the Iranian people’s valuable asset to be used domestically. He said all Iranians and officials agree no negotiations will take place until the U.S. builds trust, with the first step being to meet Iran’s conditions. Pakistan’s Army Chief Munir said the Iran-Pakistan border reopened that morning after border issues were resolved.