Flash News

TREE NEWS update: An Iranian lawmaker said parliament is reviewing a bill for Iran to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iranian media reported. The measure is under consideration in the legislature, the MP said. No vote, timetable or further details were given.

TREE NEWS update: NASA Administrator said parts of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft will be redesigned as the agency prepares for crewed flights in 2028. Starliner is slated to fly up to five crewed missions to the International Space Station for NASA. No further details on the specific components or redesign timeline were provided.

TREE NEWS reports: The Hang Seng Index closed its main night session down 0.06% at 24,698 points. The Hang Seng Tech Index also slipped 0.02% to close at 4,304 points in the same session.

TREE NEWS update: US President Donald Trump said Canada wants to reach an agreement with the United States and has been calling repeatedly. Trump added that he believes a trade deal with Canada will be reached. He gave no timeline or terms for any agreement.

TREE NEWS update: A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck the waters off Hualien County, Taiwan, at a depth of 23 kilometers, CCTV reported. No casualties or damage have been reported so far. The epicenter was located offshore in the sea area of Hualien County.

TREE NEWS reports: US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is pitching an iron ore pellet trade sourced from Brazil. No transaction value, counterparty or timeline was disclosed. Iron ore pellets are a key feedstock for steelmaking, and the pitch puts a senior US official at the center of a commodity trading arrangement.

TREE NEWS update: US President Donald Trump said the United States’ steel production has now exceeded Japan’s. The statement was made by Trump without additional figures or details on timing.

TREE NEWS reports: WTI November crude futures settled up $0.19, or more than 0.20%, at $92.60 a barrel, with a sharp short-term pullback around 00:00 Beijing time. Middle East benchmark Abu Dhabi Murban crude futures rose 7.35% to $121.43 a barrel. NYMEX October natural gas settled at $3 per million British thermal units, while October gasoline closed at $3.3377 a gallon and heating oil at $4.7553 a gallon.

TREE NEWS reports: Shanghai Futures Exchange crude oil futures for the 2611 contract closed the night session down 3.06% at 711.60 yuan per barrel. Shanghai gold fell 1.57% and Shanghai silver dropped 1.63% in the same session.

TREE NEWS update: EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on September 28 that the bloc must commit more forces to its Red Sea naval escort mission, speaking after a meeting of EU defence ministers in Brussels. Kallas cited the Strait of Hormuz, the Bab el-Mandeb and the Black Sea as key maritime corridors requiring stronger protection.

TREE NEWS reports: Prediction market Polymarket traders price a 91% probability that Democrats win the US House of Representatives on November 3, with Republicans at just 9%. The single-market reading reflects where bettors on the platform place the odds roughly at the time of the quote.

TREE NEWS reports: A study by the Belgian group IPIS found that the living conditions of artisanal copper and cobalt miners in the Democratic Republic of Congo have barely improved despite decades of intervention. Researchers surveyed more than 50 artisanal mining sites in copper-rich Lualaba province last year, observing widespread abuse by local elites, soldiers and foreign middlemen. IPIS said the more than 100,000 miners at these sites receive minimal returns from the mineral resources.

TREE NEWS update: Dutch Foreign Minister Berendsen summoned Israel’s ambassador to the Netherlands on September 28, demanding an explanation for the revocation of diplomatic status for some employees at the Dutch representative office in Ramallah. Berendsen said expelling diplomatic staff was “unnecessary” and that he wanted details on the move and to discuss its implications. The Israeli ambassador is due at the Dutch foreign ministry on September 29.

TREE NEWS update: Poland’s deputy defense minister, Cezary Tomczyk, said on the 28th that the country will revise combat procedures for its fighter jets and helicopters, allowing the military to decide on beyond-visual-range shootdowns of foreign aircraft based on radar data and other information. Previously, Polish forces needed visual confirmation before firing in peacetime to avoid hitting civilian or allied aircraft. Under the new procedures, pilots or commanders can weigh radar readings, whether a target has entered a no-fly zone and information from Ukraine.

TREE NEWS update: Iran Air has resumed flights from Najaf airport in Iraq to Iran, the airline announced. The route had been suspended, and no further details on frequency or aircraft were provided. The resumption restores a link between the Iraqi shrine city and Iranian destinations.

TREE NEWS reports: The United States is considering a tax break on red-dyed diesel as a way to bring down fuel prices. Red-dyed diesel is typically reserved for off-road and agricultural use, and the proposed relief targets the cost of that fuel. No further details on the size, timing or scope of the measure were provided.

TREE NEWS update: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he will meet senior economic officials and heads of relevant agencies on Tuesday, as the government prepares further measures to address turmoil in the country’s fund market. Authorities are proceeding “extremely cautiously” given the capital market’s particular characteristics, and liquidation of affected funds is being handled carefully. The statement followed a cabinet discussion at which Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek and Justice Minister Akin Gurlek reported on the investigation and measures taken so far.

TREE NEWS update: Israel’s Shin Bet filed a formal complaint with the military censor seeking legal action against Channel 12, saying the broadcaster leaked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s UAE trip nearly an hour before his plane returned to Israel. The security assessment classified the leak as a serious threat to Netanyahu and his delegation.

TREE NEWS update: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Abu Dhabi on September 27 and met UAE President Mohamed, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office confirmed in a statement on the evening of September 28 local time. His delegation included the head of the Mossad, the chairman of the National Security Council, the prime minister’s military secretary and a senior Shin Bet security official.

TREE NEWS update: Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on September 28 extending the gas-for-rubles payment requirement from October 1, 2026 to April 1, 2027. Under the rule, foreign buyers must deposit rubles into a Russian supplier’s account at a Russian bank before payment can be completed.