Flash News

TREE NEWS update: Turkey has formally ratified a defense industry cooperation agreement with Brazil, according to an official gazette published by the Turkish presidency on the 18th. The deal paves the way for cooperation between the two countries in the research, development and production of defense equipment. No further terms or timelines were disclosed in the gazette notice.

TREE NEWS reports: China’s national railway network carried 3.32 billion passenger trips in the first eight months of 2025, up 3.9% year on year and a record high for the period, the national rail operator said. Operations were safe and orderly over the period.

TREE NEWS update: Australia plans to ban camera-equipped smart glasses in federal government workplaces, citing privacy and security concerns. The devices can record and capture information, prompting the view that public servants need clear and consistent guidance. No effective date or enforcement mechanism was specified.

TREE NEWS reports: Li Xunlei, chief economist at Zhongtai International, said on September 19 at the Tsinghua PBCSF Chief Economists Forum that Federal Reserve rate hikes may not effectively control inflation. He noted that since last year US capital expenditure has risen sharply, concentrated in AI and semiconductor sectors where firms are less price-sensitive and have high gross margins, making inflation hard to bring down.

TREE NEWS update: China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will launch a special action plan to raise automotive standards and optimize its credit management policy, chief engineer Wang Weiming said at the 2026 China Automotive Industry Development (TEDA) International Forum. The ministry will also establish a digital identity system for power batteries and step up efforts to regulate competition in the industry.

TREE NEWS update: China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will roll out rules governing vehicle modification as part of a package to lift auto consumption, chief engineer Wang Weiming said at the 2026 China Automotive Industry Development (TEDA) International Forum. The measures also include trade-in subsidies, EV sales in rural areas, county-level charging and battery-swap pilots, hydrogen applications and scaled new-energy heavy truck use, alongside a plan for intelligent connected new energy vehicles under the 15th Five-Year Plan.

TREE NEWS update: The US State Department on September 18 approved a $2.68 billion arms sale to Ukraine covering equipment and services for the development and upgrade of air defense systems, and notified Congress of the decision. The department said the package will further strengthen Ukraine’s air defense capabilities.

TREE NEWS update: Explosions were heard in Riyadh early on the 19th, and Saudi Arabia’s national warning platform issued an air-defense alert for the capital, the first such alert since Yemen’s Houthi movement began repeated missile and drone attacks on the kingdom. About ten minutes later, the General Directorate of Civil Defense said the danger in Riyadh had passed. No further details on the explosions were immediately available.

TREE NEWS update: The Federal Reserve’s FOMC voted unanimously on September 16 to raise the benchmark rate by 25 basis points to a 3.75%-4.00% range, its first hike in three years. The latest dot plot signals at least one more increase this year, lifting market odds of an October hike to about 50%. Stocks and gold fell, the dollar hit a one-month high and the yield curve bear-flattened.

TREE NEWS reports: The International Organization for Migration said on the 18th that Yemen’s humanitarian situation has deteriorated sharply amid ongoing conflict, with more than 112,000 people displaced inside the country. Thousands more have been forced to cross the Bab el-Mandeb strait by boat to seek asylum in Djibouti.

TREE NEWS update: HT Flying Car signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the UAE emirate of Ras Al Khaimah on September 18 to jointly build an advanced air mobility regulatory sandbox under the supervision of the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority. The two sides also launched planning and demonstration work for an inter-emirate route between Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah.

TREE NEWS update: Explosions were heard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in the early hours of the 19th, and residents received air-raid alerts through a mobile phone app. The Saudi General Directorate of Civil Defense said the national warning platform had issued an alert for the city, then announced about ten minutes later that the danger in Riyadh had passed. No further information on the explosions was immediately available.

TREE NEWS update: European Commission spokesperson Uivari confirmed on the 18th that Canada has expressed interest in joining the EU’s €90 billion loan programme for Ukraine. The two sides are now negotiating the technical details of Canada’s participation.

TREE NEWS update: Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng will lead a delegation to the United States for economic and trade consultations from September 19 to 23, China’s Ministry of Commerce said. The two sides agreed to hold the talks, which will be guided by the consensus reached by the two countries’ heads of state and cover trade issues of mutual concern.

TREE NEWS update: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected defense industry facilities from September 16 to 18, reviewing production at key military enterprises, state media KCNA reported on September 19. Kim said building a powerful artillery force is the basic core of deterring and waging war. Recent gains in modernizing the country’s defense capabilities mean major changes in the composition and means of North Korea’s armed forces and its war response plans.

TREE NEWS update: China’s Cyberspace Administration (CAC) said it removed more than 1.56 million pieces of infringing enterprise-related information and shut down over 26,000 violating accounts during a special campaign against malicious speculation on corporate information. The action, part of the “Qinglang” initiative to improve the business online environment, also targeted accounts spreading false enterprise information and inciting consumer group confrontation. The second batch of typical cases was released.

TREE NEWS update: US President Donald Trump said on September 18 that The New York Times and The Washington Post are also “fake news media” and could be added to a White House press ban. He reiterated the ban he announced earlier on social media on CNN, MS Now and Politico, barring the three outlets from the White House.

TREE NEWS update: Cuba’s national power system was completely disconnected at 14:06 local time on September 18, the country’s Ministry of Energy and Mines said. Recovery procedures have begun and the cause of the outage has not been announced. Cuba has struggled to import fuel and equipment to repair its aging power plants under US sanctions, and has suffered repeated nationwide blackouts since October 2024.

TREE NEWS reports: US military deaths during the ongoing war with Iran are higher than the figures publicly disclosed by the Pentagon. Five of the officials said at least 22 service members have been killed, four more than the number shown in the Defense Casualty Analysis System.

TREE NEWS update: The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on September 18 that escalating armed conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s North Kivu and South Kivu provinces has displaced more than 70,000 people. The agency said the fighting is deepening pressure on local livelihoods and communities.