Flash News

TREE NEWS reports: Germany’s DAX 30 index closed provisionally 0.66% lower at 25,410.87, while France’s index slipped 0.34% and Italy’s fell 0.21%. Italy’s bank index edged up 0.06% and the UK index closed 0.06% higher.

TREE NEWS reports: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made contact with US President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff without authorization from Iran’s Supreme National Security Council or other relevant decision-making bodies, Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported. The contact was not sanctioned by the bodies responsible for such decisions.

TREE NEWS update: Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service said on September 22 that the European Union is planning to “steal” Russian sovereign assets frozen in the bloc to fund Ukraine. About $300 billion in Russian sovereign assets were frozen by Ukraine’s Western backers after the 2022 war, roughly $240 billion of it held at Belgium-based Euroclear. The SVR said the EU is considering creating a body to manage Russian central bank funds moved out of Belgian jurisdiction.

TREE NEWS reports: France’s government bond risk premium reached 110 basis points, the first time it has hit that level since 2012. The spread measures the extra yield investors demand to hold French sovereign debt over comparable German bunds. The move marks the widest risk premium on French government debt in more than a decade.

TREE NEWS update: China launched the 26th batch of satellite internet low-orbit satellites from the Hainan Commercial Spaceport using a Long March 8A rocket, with the satellites entering their planned orbits and the mission declared a complete success. The launch took place today.

TREE NEWS update: The US Treasury announced it will buy back $4 billion to $6 billion of long-term bonds on Thursday. The previously announced buyback size was “at least $4 billion.”

TREE NEWS reports: Synthetic rubber led gains in China’s night futures session, closing up about 3.7%, while fuel oil rose roughly 3.3% and low-sulfur fuel oil gained about 3.1%. Coking coal fell about 1%, glass dropped about 0.8% and coke slipped about 0.3%.

TREE NEWS update: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that if Vladimir Putin attends the G20, it would be an opportunity for the Russian president to speak with Donald Trump. Rubio made the remark in comments carried in the material, without specifying a date or venue for any such encounter. He did not say whether Putin had confirmed attendance or whether a meeting had been arranged.

TREE NEWS update: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the talks with Iran were a ‘continuation’ of earlier discussions. Rubio described the talks as positive but said they did not produce a breakthrough. He gave no further details on the substance or timing of the discussions.

TREE NEWS update: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Wednesday at the UN General Assembly in New York that Iran has no intention of developing nuclear weapons but will not give up its right to nuclear technology for economic development. He said the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program will not be “solved on the battlefield,” adding: “We state clearly: no nuclear weapons, and no deprivation of nuclear knowledge.”

TREE NEWS update: China’s Transport Minister Liu Wei held separate meetings in Beijing with transport ministers from Georgia, Singapore, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Myanmar and Laos. Liu thanked each delegation for attending the Global Sustainable Transport Forum (2026). The counterparts included Georgia’s Economy and Sustainable Development Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili and Singapore’s Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat.

TREE NEWS update: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said President Donald Trump has many options in response to Yemen’s Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. Rubio did not specify which options are under consideration or whether any decision has been made. The remarks address Washington’s potential response to the Houthi strikes on Saudi targets.

TREE NEWS update: The WHO’s Africa regional office said on September 23 that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo remains broadly uncontrolled. As of September 21, the outbreak has recorded 7,773 confirmed cases and 3,759 deaths. Between August 31 and September 20, cases fell about 26% in Ituri and 15% in Haut-Uele, but surged 73% in North Kivu, leaving the response situation serious.

TREE NEWS update: A senior Iranian official said Tehran is reviewing the US response to a proposal aimed at ending hostilities between the two sides. No further details on the contents of the US reply or a timeline for a decision were given. The review marks the latest step in the exchange of proposals between Washington and Tehran.

TREE NEWS update: Italian Finance Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti told lawmakers in Rome that the upcoming budget will include income tax cuts. He said widening a single income bracket so more earners qualify for the lower rate remains one of the government’s objectives. The ruling coalition will continue drafting the budget, with strategic direction and policy measures to be set out in early October.

TREE NEWS update: Shanghai SASAC Party Secretary and Director Zhou Xiaoquan led a team to SAIC Motor for an inspection, the state asset regulator said. Zhou told the automaker to prioritize basic research and technological innovation, strengthen its smart-driving technology layout and build out systematic capabilities, while advancing its solid-state battery business to consolidate its first-mover advantage. He also called for restructuring SAIC’s operations and optimizing its global footprint.

TREE NEWS reports: Hello Ride-Hailing said carpool booking demand is expected to reach 80 million orders during the combined Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday period, up about 30% year on year. The platform forecast a first order peak on Sept. 30 and a second peak on Oct. 7 as travelers return, with demand for premium vehicles up twofold year on year.

TREE NEWS update: China’s Ministry of Water Resources, chaired by Minister Li Guoying, held an executive meeting to review guidance on advancing the construction of safety dams, ecological dams and smart dams. The ministry said it will comprehensively push forward the three types of dam development. No specific timeline, project list or funding figures were disclosed.

TREE NEWS update: China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment approved at an executive meeting the Industrial Park Water Pollution Remediation Action Plan, targeting inadequate sewage collection and treatment in industrial parks, along with a county-level black-odorous water treatment plan and the 15th Five-Year Plan noise pollution action plan. Minister Huang Runqiu chaired the meeting; party secretary Sun Jinlong attended. Two ecological environment signage standards were also reviewed and approved in principle.

TREE NEWS update: The fifth Global Digital Trade Expo opened in Hangzhou on Wednesday and runs through 27 September, drawing major multinational exhibitors eyeing China’s digital trade market. International exhibitors make up more than 20% of participants, including 55 Fortune Global 500 companies.