Real-time News

Ukrainian Minister: Gas reserves are sufficient for winter.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GRU) also possesses evidence that a large oil refinery in Kestovo, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia, has ceased production. This refinery processes 17 million tons of crude oil annually. Furthermore, other Russian refineries have also ceased production.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky: Following our series of long-range strikes against the Kamensky plant in Rostov Oblast, Russia's production capacity for solid-fuel rocket engines has been significantly weakened. We will continue to conduct such long-range strike operations.

Ukrainian President Zelensky: Military intelligence has confirmed that our long-range strikes are highly effective, especially against Russian military production facilities and oil industry facilities.

Guangzhou: Starting from September 1, 2026, the minimum housing provident fund contribution base in our city will be adjusted from 2,500 yuan to 2,680 yuan.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that, given the Russian fleet's inability to escort merchant ships and shadow fleets entering relevant ports, one solution Russia is considering is equipping civilian vessels with light weapons, electronic warfare equipment, and military personnel. We will prepare corresponding countermeasures against Russia's militarization of shipping.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy: According to internal Russian documents, exports of some of its products have already fallen by 80% this month alone. This has caused substantial damage to the Russian federal budget and regional budgets, some of which were already on the verge of bankruptcy.

On August 28th, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) released the "Opinions on Capital Market Support for Building a New Model of Real Estate Development." The Opinions emphasize the need to prudently prevent and resolve real estate-related risks. They call for strict enforcement of the delisting system, the steady and orderly supervision of delisting of listed real estate development companies, the smooth flow of diversified delisting channels, and the protection of investors involved in the delisting of listed real estate development companies. For real estate development companies that have defaulted on bonds, the Opinions call for cooperation with the local government to urge the companies, major shareholders, and actual controllers to raise funds from multiple sources, adhering to market-oriented and rule-of-law principles, and steadily promoting the disposal and clearing of defaulted bonds. The Opinions also call for research and improvement of the toolkit for resolving bond default risks, enriching the diversified mechanisms for handling real estate bond risks.

On August 28th, Pakistan, which had previously engaged in defense cooperation with Saudi Arabia, subsequently reached a joint defense agreement with Saudi Arabia and Turkey, and on August 27th signed a new defense cooperation agreement with Kuwait. Why has Pakistan gained the defense trust of multiple Middle Eastern countries? And how much impact will this have on the US's dominant security position in the Gulf region? According to Middle East expert Wang Jin, Pakistan's outstanding military capabilities and unique political identity—being a predominantly Sunni Muslim country—make it easy for it to gain the favor and support of many Islamic countries in the Middle East. Furthermore, historically, Pakistan has maintained very close military cooperation with many Gulf states. These characteristics make Pakistan a top choice for defense cooperation among many Middle Eastern countries. Pakistan will inevitably play an even more important supporting role in Middle Eastern security and defense in the future. However, this does not mean that the US's dominant role in the Middle East is weakening; other countries will find it difficult to replace the US's military presence and security guarantee mechanisms in the Middle East in the short term.

On August 28th, during the earnings call, Meituan's management stated that in the second quarter, Meituan continued to strengthen its leading advantages in user structure, order structure, and operational efficiency. Looking ahead to the third quarter, the unit economics (UE) of food delivery is expected to improve significantly year-on-year, but will decline sequentially due to seasonal factors, and is expected to remain positive.

The yield on French 30-year government bonds rose 3 basis points to 4.92%, the highest level since 2008.

On August 28th, the People's Bank of China and the State Financial Supervision and Administration Bureau issued a notice entitled "Opinions on Reforming and Improving Real Estate Credit Management and Promoting the Accelerated Construction of a New Model for Real Estate Development." The notice defines commercial property loans as loans issued by banking financial institutions to enterprises holding commercial real estate, secured by the commercial property. Loan recipients must be legally established corporate entities that hold completed and registered commercial real estate with property ownership certificates and are in operation. Commercial real estate includes, but is not limited to, commercial complexes, shopping centers, business centers, office buildings, hotels, and cultural tourism real estate projects, but excludes residential housing and rental housing. The maximum loan term for commercial property loans is 15 years, and the loan amount should generally not exceed 70% of the property's appraised value. The primary source of repayment should be the operating income of the borrowed property itself.

Haina International: Lowered its target price for Baidu (BIDU.O) from $140 to $105.

August 28th - Due to the US relocating Patriot air defense interceptors from Europe to the Middle East to counter Iranian drone and missile attacks, US and NATO forces in Europe are facing a shortage of Patriot interceptors. On the 27th, US defense officials stated that US forces in Europe "absolutely" do not have enough Patriot interceptors to defend against a potential sustained ballistic missile attack, and their ability to defend against a single ballistic missile attack is also "very limited." NATO officials also revealed that both US and NATO forces in Europe are facing a shortage of Patriot interceptors.