Indian rupee opened firmer at 96.6825 per U.S. dollar after central bank intervention.

Syria’s government denied reports it would join the Yemen war, saying its position is clear: it supports Saudi Arabia but will not open new fronts. Damascus said its regional policy focuses on stability, peace and reconstruction, prioritizing domestic state rebuilding and improving livelihoods. Any military cooperation with partner states would occur only via official channels and existing bilateral frameworks. Multiple media outlets had reported Syria might send troops to Yemen to assist Saudi operations against Houthi forces.

Guangzhou received 16.05 million visitors over the National Day holiday; tourism spending totaled 14.5 bln yuan. Visitor arrivals and tourism consumption rose 5.5% and 5.9% YoY respectively on a comparable basis. Online travel platforms show Guangzhou continued to lead Golden Week destination rankings.