Business
China left its benchmark lending rates unchanged in September, extending a period of stable borrowing costs. The one-year loan prime rate remained at 3.0%, while the over-five-year rate stayed at 3.5%. Banks commonly use the longer-term benchmark when pricing mortgages. The September fixing kept both rates at the same levels seen in August. The figures remain central to loan pricing across China’s banking system.
Bullion faced renewed selling pressure across international trading desks as global commodity markets digested a quarter-point interest rate hike by the U.S. Federal Reserve. Spot gold declined 1 percent to $4,249 per ounce, hitting multi-session lows under the weight of higher sovereign yields and restrictive monetary policy. Higher interest rates have increased the opportunity cost of holding physical bullion, prompting institutional portfolios to reallocate capital into fixed-income assets.
Gold prices edged higher on Thursday as a softer U.S. dollar supported bullion before fresh U.S. inflation data. Spot gold rose 0.3% to $4,414.28 an ounce by 0419 GMT. U.S. gold futures for December delivery slipped 0.1% to $4,457.20. The early gain kept spot gold above $4,400 after a sharp reversal during Wednesday’s trading. Gold had initially moved lower before finishing that session more than 1% higher.
Egypt’s net international reserves rose to a record $57.2145 billion at the end of August 2026. The Central Bank of Egypt released the provisional figure on September 7. Reserves stood at $56.2939 billion at the end of July. That means the total increased by about $920.6 million during August, or roughly 1.6%. The latest reading extends a series of monthly gains in 2026 and takes Egypt’s official foreign reserves above $57 billion for the first time.
The carrier’s seasonal performance highlights expanding passenger capacity and higher load factors across primary long-haul routes connecting North America, Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific region. Operational updates released through international aviation channels indicate that forward bookings for the upcoming holiday travel window remain elevated across both premium cabins and economy class. Industry observers note that the sustained passenger volume underscores structural resilience across international long-haul aviation markets.
The iPhone Duo uses Super Retina XDR displays on both sides, with ProMotion and Always-On support. Apple rates peak outdoor brightness at 3,000 nits for both screens. A nano-texture finish on the inner panel reduces glare and makes the fold crease less visible, according to Apple. Grade 5 titanium forms the enclosure, while the precision hinge uses more than 100 components. Apple also gives the iPhone Duo an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance. Apple designed iOS 27.1 to work across the phone’s open and closed configurations. Split View lets users run two apps side by side, a first for the iPhone. Users can also open two windows of the same app and save app pairs for later use. The inner screen can show two Home Screen pages and a vertically scrolling Today View. Touch ID sits in the side button and works whether the device is open or folded.