World News – 1 October 2025

• Trump Revives Threat of 100% Tariff on Foreign Films, Rattling Hollywood.
• Armed robbers struck a Greenacres jewellery store in Gqeberha on Tuesday. Police spokesperson Captain Sandra Janse van Rensburg said two men entered the shop around 5pm, threatened a customer at gunpoint and kicked down a security door. They grabbed jewellery and fired a shot inside, while a third suspect outside smashed a display window with a crowbar and also fired a round. The robbers escaped through a chain store and fled in two vehicles with an undisclosed amount of jewellery. No injuries were reported.
• Journalists who want to hold badges that permit access to the Pentagon were told they had until today to sign a letter acknowledging new rules, including that Defense Department information “must be approved for public release by an appropriate authorizing official before it is released, even if unclassified.”
• Gqeberha police arrested a 30-year-old man after a police officer was wounded in a Missionvale shooting on Monday. Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Majola Nkholi said the arrest followed a tip-off from the public, and officers seized an unlicensed 9mm pistol and ammunition. The suspect was traced near Nelson Mandela University’s Missionvale campus and is due in the New Brighton Magistrate’s Court today on charges including attempted murder and possession of an unlicensed firearm. The injured officer remains in hospital.
• Contract and payment snags have left the Nelson Mandela Bay metro without a call centre and office phone lines for the past month – and councillors have not had official cellphones since Monday.
• Former Bitou Municipality city manager Lonwabo Ngoqo was appointed as the Nelson Mandela Bay metro’s 18th acting city manager on Tuesday.
• Two months after their arrest for covering a protest over the detention of an Egyptian immigrant, Madeline Fening and Lucas Griffith, journalists for the alt-weekly Cincinnati CityBeat, are on trial for journalism in Kentucky, where the arrests were made.
• Officials say the U.S. deported a planeload of Iranians back to Iran after a deal with Tehran. “For decades, the United States had given shelter to Iranians fleeing their homeland, which has one of the harshest human rights records in the world. Iran persecutes women’s rights activists, political dissidents, journalists, lawyers, religious minorities and members of the L.G.B.T.Q. community, among others.”
• Accused Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson appears virtually in Utah court.
• El Salvador President Bukele compares UK Digital ID to Book of Revelation’s ‘Mark of the Beast’.
• Energy Dept. announces $625M investment to ‘Reinvigorate and Expand America’s Coal Industry’.
• Colleagues and friends of South Africa’s Ambassador to France, Nathi Mthethwa, are in mourning after the former Cabinet minister died at 58. French authorities are investigating, according to local media.
• The US was still barrelling towards a government shutdown on Tuesday, closing all but the essential components of the federal workforce. Trump, ever the dealmaker, has sought to bring Democrats to the bipartisan table by, well, threatening layoffs for “a lot of people… They’re going to be Democrats”.
• The DRC’s former president Joseph Kabila was sentenced to death in absentia on Tuesday by a military court. Kabila was convicted of war crimes, treason and crimes against humanity. Reuters reports that since late 2023, he has “been residing mostly in South Africa”.
• The French Navy said that it was investigating a suspected “shadow fleet” tanker belonging to the Russian oil trade. The Boracay was listed under British and EU sanctions.
• The Hollywood actors’ union has criticised the unveiling of an AI-generated “actress” named Tilly Norwood, introduced at a film conference in Zurich on Saturday. The response was a bit like throwing a large block of sodium into water.
• Today in 1890, Yosemite National Park was established by the US Congress.
• Eskom posted an after-tax profit of R16-billion for the 2025 financial year, a remarkable surge into the black from last year’s staggering loss of R55-billion – the first year the SOE has made cash instead of burning it since 2017.
• Japan’s top trade envoy Ryosei Akazawa insists a mammoth R9.4-trillion ($550-billion) US-bound investment package under Tokyo’s tariff pact won’t ruffle currency markets – because apparently you can drop half a trillion dollars without making forex blink.
• Chile’s Gabriel Boric pitches a modest 1.7% 2026 budget boost – pumping about R17-billion ($1-billion) extra into health – while promising fiscal discipline and a deficit-free Chile by 2029.
• The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission waves a polite “brace yourselves” flag ahead of a possible US government shutdown – telling traders, brokers and clearing houses to prep for chaos while markets keep whirring and Washington fumbles the on/off switch.
• ‘Bakkie-brigade’ installations drive surge in solar after-sales demand.
• The prospects of a La Niña weather system forming before the end of this calendar year have risen significantly over the past month, a state of affairs that points to wetter-than-usual weather over South Africa’s summer rainfall region, which includes much of the grain belt.
• To the rescue: DNG Energy has been talking to the liquidator about saving industrial engineering company PSV Holdings. It has a plan to bring the company back to life instead of closing it down.
• ASP Isotopes, a company that makes rare materials, just got an order from a US customer for something called barium-137. Bearium-137 helps build quantum computers. Think of barium-137 like a special Lego block that makes future computers stronger, more reliable and easier to connect.
• Renergen and ASP Isotopes still plan to join forces. Shareholders said “yes”, key SA regulators agreed, and they’re finishing the last approvals. Deadline to wrap things up is 28 November 2025.
• Solar truce = less drama: Renergen and the Springbok Solar project made peace. There’s a money settlement, a public apology, and rules so both projects can work side-by-side without fighting.
• Making gas, planning more wells: LNG output was lower this quarter because the team did extra maintenance now to avoid bigger stoppages later. Helium is paused until more wells boost flow. They gathered new underground data and picked 13 new places to drill.
• The US government began the first shutdown in nearly seven years, disrupting the jobs of hundreds of thousands of Americans and upending many public services. Democrats and Republicans have shown no signs of resolving their deadlock. Asian stocks and US futures fell, while European equity contracts rose.
• EU leaders are meeting in Copenhagen today to discuss a slate of defense projects. A rise in drone incursions into European airspace has prompted a rush among Western allies to build up their defenses. But the continent faces a multitude of challenges that will make it hard to mount a quick response. To fight drone wars, Europe needs tech-style finance.
• Bank of England Deputy Governor Sarah Breeden warned of the threat to the economy posed by leaving interest rates higher for too long. Over in the US, Dallas Federal Reserve chief Lorie Logan said policymakers should be cautious about further rate cuts while inflation remains above target and the labor market relatively balanced.
• Nike’s turnaround efforts are starting to pay off with better-than-expected sales. Banco Sabadell’s board rejected BBVA’s €17 billion takeover bid, renewing its criticism despite an improved price. And after another dismal quarter for Novo Nordisk shares, investors are looking to an experimental treatment of the most common form of dementia to spark a revival.
• British Chancellor Rachel Reeves will scrap a cap limiting family welfare payments to two children in November’s budget, according to a person familiar with the matter. An indicator of business sentiment logged a record low as the Labour Party’s annual conference wound down. Check out our Markets Today live blog for all the latest news and analysis relevant to UK assets.
• ‘We Need Her Back:’ Rayner Supplants Burnham as Labour Favorite.
• Taiwan Rejects US Demand for Half of Chips to Be Made in America.
• Europe’s biggest weather forecaster is reporting record demand for its data as energy traders, insurers, shipping lines and tech companies rush to improve the accuracy of their AI models.
• Petershill Partners’ decision to delist from the London Stock Exchange and return capital to shareholders exemplifies the problems plaguing both private and public markets. Meanwhile, the volume of London IPOs has slumped 69% this year to the lowest tally in more than 35 years.
• Capitec Bank’s interim financial results for the 6 months ended 31 August 2025 show headline earnings growing 26% to R8 billion.
• Malema vows to appeal against gun conviction as possible prison sentence looms: EFF leader Julius Malema has been found guilty on multiple firearm charges after he fired an assault rifle at a party event in Mdantsane, Eastern Cape, in 2018.
• National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola has assured South Africans that Crime Intelligence boss Dumisani Khumalo is in good spirits and receiving medical attention. Khumalo was set to appear before the Madlanga Commission, but left after becoming unwell.
• The prosecutor in the Phala Phala burglary trial has declared his own witness to be hostile, owing to several discrepancies in his oral testimony, which do not align with an earlier statement given to the police.
• As Israel ramps up its offensive on Gaza City, Hamas’s review of Donald Trump’s Gaza plan has stretched into day three, while other Palestinian factions rejected the proposal.
• The international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza has said that Israeli vessels approached some of its boats, engaging in “dangerous and intimidatory manoeuvres” as they neared the strip.
• Gaza – Donald Trump has given Hamas an ultimatum of “three or four days” to respond to his proposed peace and reconstruction plan in Gaza, warning the militant group would “pay in hell” if it rejects the deal, as the Israeli offensive continued, inflicting further civilian casualties.
• US politics – The US government shut down on Wednesday, after congressional Democrats refused to support a Republican plan to extend funding for federal departments unless they won a series of concessions centered on healthcare.
• Afghanistan – Afghans are living under a near-complete communications blackout after Taliban authorities cut internet and mobile phone services for a second day as part of an unprecedented country-wide crackdown. The administration offered no immediate explanation for the blackout, although in recent weeks it has voiced concern about pornography online.
• UK news – Police have responded to online speculation after a gang-rape in Banbury by saying that there is no evidence linking the crime to migrant accommodation. The force said that “any assumptions being made are unfounded and unhelpful”.
• Inequality – Scientists have linked the impact of living in an unequal society to structural changes in the brains of children – regardless of individual wealth – for the first time. The findings suggest “inequality creates a toxic social environment” that “literally shapes how young minds develop”, researchers said.
• Government has misled South Africans for a decade: Almost every Budget Review since 2009 has projected South Africa’s debt burden would stabilise in the near future. However, these stabilisation targets have been repeatedly postponed.
• These companies will be hit with a new tax in South Africa: The implementation of the Global Minimum Tax Act in South Africa may result in substantial compliance costs for companies that fall within its scope.
• Eskom proves Andre de Ruyter wrong: Despite former CEO Andre de Ruyter’s claims that reduced load-shedding was due to excessive diesel use, Eskom’s 2025 results show that it significantly decreased its reliance on its expensive diesel-powered generators.
• Eskom heading for R300 billion disaster: Eskom’s financial recovery is under serious threat as municipal debt is set to cross R300 billion by the end of the decade.
• Ex-SABC executives ordered to pay back Hlaudi Motsoeneng’s R11-million “success fee”: The Special Investigating Unit has obtained a court ruling enabling it to pursue asset forfeiture methods to recover the funds.
• The average Eskom employee gets paid R870,000 per year: Eskom’s latest financial statements revealed that the average employee costs Eskom R870,000 per year, significantly higher than the average for most other companies in South Africa
• Discovery announces medical aid increases for 2026 – with a big catch: Discovery Health Medical Scheme has announced its increases for the 2026 financial year, with increases set to start four months later.
• Cape Town is coming for Joburg’s crown: Cape Town and the broader Western Cape are set to overtake Johannesburg as Africa’s commercial and wealth hub, driven by superior service delivery, semigration, and rising investment.
• Eskom swings into profit for the first time in eight years: Marking its first profit since 2017, Eskom reported a R16.05 billion profit for the 2025 financial year – a 129% swing from the previous year’s loss.
• One area where South Africa is crushing the United States in 2025: Despite South Africa’s stagnant economy, the JSE All Share has substantially outperformed the S&P500 in dollar terms and is on track for one of its best years ever in 2025.
• Petrol price changes announced for South Africa: In October, South Africa’s petrol prices will rise slightly while diesel prices will decline, as higher global oil prices outweigh the rand’s recent strength against the dollar.
• The federal government shut down at midnight after Congress failed to approve a short-term funding bill, triggering the furlough of an estimated 750,000 federal employees each day and disrupting operations across multiple agencies.
• Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer committed yesterday to lowering US drug prices and investing $70B in domestic manufacturing. Several of its medications will be sold at an average 50% discount on a forthcoming federal website, dubbed TrumpRX.
• Nepal has selected its latest Kumari—a living child goddess revered by Hindus and Buddhists. For years, the girl—2-year-old Aryatara Shakya—will reside in a temple palace, rarely leaving except for festivals, during which devotees bring gifts and worship her.
• “KPop Demon Hunters” becomes first English-language film to make Netflix’s Top 10 chart for 15 straight weeks.
• “Reading Rainbow” to return to PBS after nearly 20 years; former librarian Mychal Threets is tapped to host.
• Prosecutors are seeking an 11-year prison sentence for Sean “Diddy” Combs over prostitution-related charges; Combs’ sentencing is set for Friday.
• Scientists create early-stage human embryos by fertilizing modified DNA from skin cells with sperm; technique could help people overcome infertility or allow same-sex couples to have genetically related children (More) | Watch 1440 explainer (More)
• Archaeologists discover life-sized animal carvings etched into Arabian desert rocks between 12,800 and 11,400 years ago, revealing human activity in the arid desert roughly 2,000 years earlier than previously thought.
• US stock markets close up (S&P 500 +0.4%, Dow +0.2%, Nasdaq +0.3%); S&P 500, Nasdaq cap off their best third quarter since 2020 while Dow hits new record.
• Nvidia’s market cap tops $4.5T following string of AI infrastructure deals; chipmaker’s stock is up roughly 35% for the year.
• CoreWeave shares rise above 11% after signing $14.2B AI cloud infrastructure deal with Meta.
• Spotify founder Daniel Ek steps down as CEO to become executive chairman; chief business officer and chief product and technology officer to become co-CEOs.
• President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speak to gathering of high-ranking generals and admirals; call for higher standards for physical fitness and grooming, crackdown on US cities.
• The US deports at least 120 Iranians accused of entering the country illegally in rare coordinated action announced by Iran; the US has not commented as of this writing.
• President Donald Trump says he has reached a deal with Harvard University to reinstate $2.4B in federal funding.
• Federal judge rules deportations of pro-Palestinian noncitizen students violated their First Amendment rights.
• Windowless plane could be the private jet of the future.
• Being organized and active may lead to a longer life.
• China just opened the world’s highest bridge.
• Sewage pollution caused by the non-functional Nursery Pump Station in Aliwal North: During a recent oversight visit, the DA found untreated sewage flowing directly into the Orange River – pollution that continues downstream into the Gariep Dam, a vital water source for surrounding communities and agriculture.
• Commerce Secretary Wants a ‘50-50’ Semiconductor Production Split Between US and Taiwan.
• In Maine, scientists have spent 50 years reviving the only puffin colony in the US What began in 1973 with a young ornithologist’s dream has transformed into a thriving community on Eastern Egg Rock.
• A milestone moment for conserving our oceans has just been reached as the 60th country committed to the High Seas Treaty, meaning it will now enter into force under international law.
• Biology breakthrough: Researchers have successfully created human eggs from skin cells, potentially transforming IVF treatments.
• Pink power: Tonight at 9pm, The Shard is turning pink. It’s all in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, shining a light on the power of early detection and education. Keep your eyes on the skyline!
• Feathered friends: The winners of this year’s Bird Photographer of the Year competition have been announced.
• The US government shut down much of its operations as deep partisan divisions prevented Congress and the White House from reaching a funding deal, setting off what could be a long, grueling standoff that could lead to the loss of thousands of federal jobs. Follow our live updates.
• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a rare gathering of commanders they should resign if they do not support his agenda. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump floated the idea of using deployments to US cities as “as training grounds for our military”. Reporter Idrees Ali tells the Reuters World News podcast why that’s “scary” for many Americans.
• Pope Leo appeared to offer his strongest criticism yet of Trump’s hard-line immigration policies, questioning whether they were in line with the Catholic Church’s pro-life teachings.
• Hamas’s review of Trump’s Gaza plan stretched into a third day, a source close to the militant group said, as other Palestinian factions rejected the proposal. The international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza said unidentified vessels approached some of its boats as it got closer to a zone where Israel has imposed a naval blockade on the war-stricken strip.
• The death toll from a 6.9-magnitude earthquake that hit the central Philippines rose to 69, a disaster official said, as authorities mounted a rescue effort to find survivors after one of the country’s strongest quakes in a decade.
• European Union leaders will discuss proposals for a “drone wall” to protect the continent at a summit in Copenhagen, just days after airspace intrusions by unidentified unmanned aircraft forced a temporary closure of Danish airports.
• The Oktoberfest beer festival in Munich will remain shut after police said they discovered explosives in a residential building in the north of the city that caught fire and left one person dead.
• A little more than a year ago, Steve Simoni was a typical Silicon Valley success story who sold a payments company to DoorDash. Now he is a co-founder of a company that makes an AI-powered weapon designed to shoot drones out of the sky.
• Trump’s import tariffs have breathed life into dormant free trade talks across the globe and driven alliances at an unrivalled pace between partners seeking to offset lost exports to the US. Watch our daily market rundown for more.
• The US Transportation Department said more than 11,000 employees at the Federal Aviation Administration, about a quarter of its staff, would be furloughed if government funding lapses.
• Pfizer and Trump said they had cut a deal in which the US-based drugmaker agreed to lower prescription drug prices in the Medicaid program to what it charges in other developed countries, in exchange for tariff relief.
• Tesla has raised lease prices for all its vehicles in the US after a $7,500 federal tax credit that helped boost electric vehicle sales expired, according to the company’s website.
• South Africa now a mafia state: North West University Political analyst, Professor Andre Duvenhage, says South Africa qualifies as a mafia state, as it is difficult to differentiate between the political and criminal elites.
• Julius Malema could go to jail: EFF leader Julius Malema was convicted of five offences by the East London Magistrate’s Court, which could result in over a decade imprisonment.
• New R2 billion luxury Club Med South Africa beach resort opens bookings: The new Club Med South Africa Beach and Safari resort has opened bookings, allowing people to request quotes for a holiday when it launches next year.
• Good news for battery prices: Chinese authorities have green-lit a reserve report for CATL’s Jianxiawo mine, which produces around 6% of the world’s lithium. The development brings the mine one step closer to restart after a shutdown in August.
• Electricity price cuts for South Africa: Mteto Nyati says Eskom is “done with energy security” and will now prioritise making the electricity it generates more affordable.
• Discovery announces medical aid increases for 2026 – with a big catch: Discovery Health Medical Scheme has announced its increases for the 2026 financial year, with increases set to start four months later.
• New Audi S3 launched in South Africa: Audi has officially launched the new S3 Sportback and Sedan in South Africa.
• The US State Department on Monday put Brazil and South Africa on a human trafficking watch list, citing what it said were failures of both countries to demonstrate progress on the issue, amid heightened tensions between their governments and the Trump administration.
• The Government of the Republic of South Africa announces with deep sorrow and profound regret the untimely passing of His Excellency Ambassador Nkosinathi Emmanuel Mthethwa, South Africa’s Ambassador to the French Republic.
• South Africa recorded foreign direct investment outflows of R73.5 billion in the second quarter of 2025, compared to inflows of R11.7 billion in the first quarter, central bank data showed on Tuesday (30 September).
• US President Donald Trump’s administration supports a one-year extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, the trade initiative with sub-Saharan Africa that expires on Tuesday, according to a White House official.
• Over half of South Africa’s parolees are likely to reoffend, committing serious crimes including murder and sexual assault.
• Johannesburg faces life-altering heatwaves, soaring cooling demand, and public health crises as global warming approaches 3 °C.
• Moeletsi Mbeki argues that it is a misconception that black economic empowerment (BEE) places the economy in the hands of the broader black population.
• In a move that has sent shockwaves through the quick-service restaurant industry, KFC Africa announced today that it will do the unthinkable: reveal its secret recipe.
• The Courier Guy is offline, with customers reporting that they were unable to book new deliveries on Tuesday, 30 September 2025.
• Eskom has stayed its legal challenge against the awarding of private electricity trading licences while it participates in Nersa’s trading rules formulation process.
• Hamas and other Palestinian factions are leaning toward accepting President Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza, and they will present the group’s response to Egyptian and Qatari mediators on Wednesday, a source close to the process told CBS News on Tuesday. Debora Patta has more.
• Police have identified a woman whose remains were found in a Canadian well nearly two decades ago. She was born in the 19th century, police said.
• South Africa and Nigeria are poised to exit a global financial watchdog’s “grey list” as soon as next month, marking a change in fortune for two of the continent’s biggest economies.
• The Ministry of Health has today launched the National Sepsis Day, highlighting the urgent need to combat what experts describe as a “silent but deadly condition” that kills millions globally each year.
• The government has dispatched a team of experts to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to investigate Charles “Abbey” Mwesigwa, a Ugandan national accused of masterminding a sex-trafficking network in Dubai, following a recent BBC exposé.
• Former DR Congo President Joseph Kabila was sentenced to death in absentia on Tuesday by a military court that convicted him of war crimes, treason, and crimes against humanity.
• Ghana: Survivors of witchcraft accusations have appealed to Parliament to urgently pass the Anti-Witchcraft Accusation Bill to protect vulnerable women from stigma, banishment and abuse.
• Monrovia: The construction of a Presidential Villa in President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s hometown of Foya, Lofa County, has sparked heated public debate over transparency, priorities, and the use of public resources.
• Peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) “is still mostly a promise”, the head of the UN peacekeeping mission in the country, MONUSCO, told the Security Council on Tuesday.
• Tanzania has conducted regular polls since the first multiparty elections in 1995. But they have often failed to meet democratic standards. The opposition has been persistently excluded and restricted, and media freedoms and civil rights have been suppressed. This pattern has come to be identified as electoral authoritarianism.
• Nigeria turns 65 on 1 October 2025, having obtained independence from Britain on 1 October 1960.
• President H.E. Dr. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah participated in a Roundtable Business Breakfast Meeting organized by the Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU) in partnership with the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB).
• Rohingya speakers urge the UN not to forget the plight of minorities in Myanmar’s Rakhine state and refugee camps.
• The Global Sumud Flotilla says its fleet of over 50 ships has entered the ‘high-risk zone.’
• China is rolling out a new visa aimed at foreign talent in STEM just as the US is tightening eligibility for the H-1B.
• Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has urged China to import Australian iron ore without hindrance.
• Gabon’s president’s party has won the most seats in the first round of the country’s legislative elections.
• Serbia has arrested 11 people suspected of spreading racial hatred in Europe under instructions from a foreign intelligence service.
• Arnold Schwarzenegger is throwing his weight behind the Vatican’s environmental initiative.

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