World News – 13 October 2025

• The right to strike and the right to collective bargaining are the most powerful tools workers have to defend themselves against labour abuses. The rise of neoliberal policies has led many governments to introduce new laws designed to curb the impact of strikes – weakening their disruptive power and in effect disarming them as a means of pressure and protection for working people.
• Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi were awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize for their work on immune tolerance that was only made possible thanks to mice.
• Underwater robot departs Mass. on 5-year mission to circle the globe: Leslie Ann McGee, chief innovation officer at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, said the technology could be most useful for studying under-sampled areas, like the Southern Ocean.
• peech after soldiers turned against the government in apparent coup: Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina is due to make a speech on national television after an elite military unit turned against the government in an apparent coup in the Indian Ocean nation and called for Rajoelina to step down.
• If the US president succeeds in preventing the Gaza conflict from flaring up again, a service to peace will have been done. By Stefan Wolff, University of Birmingham. And the winner is … not Donald Trump.
• Cop host Brazil embodies the nuances of depending on fossil fuels while shifting to cleaner energy, writes Caroline Varin. Talks about phasing out fossil fuels have gained momentum since the UN Cop 28 summit in 2023.
• Rother District Council has unanimously approved planning and listed building applications for Haworth Tompkins’ phased revamp of the 1930s De La Warr Pavilion – the Grade I-listed Modernist icon in Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex.
• State Secretary Dr Melita Gabrič participated in the Global Gateway Board meeting, where senior representatives of EU governments discussed priorities for the continued implementation of the Global Gateway strategy.
• France’s newly reappointed Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu named a new government Sunday, as he faces pressure to urgently produce a budget and quell political turmoil that is scaring businesses and investors.
• Every year on October 10, World Mental Health Day reminds us of the vital role mental health plays—especially in times of crisis.
• More than 30 leading economists, former finance ministers and central bankers have called for immediate debt relief for low- and middle-income countries, warning that loan repayments are preventing governments from funding basic services.
• Like Madagascar, the protests in Morocco are driven largely by a youth movement animated by deeply entrenched inequality, high levels of corruption, rampant youth unemployment, and what Gen Z Moroccans view as misplaced government spending priorities.
• A mutinied army unit declared Sunday that it was taking control of all Madagascar military forces as President Andry Rajoelina said an “attempt to seize power illegally” was under way.
• Asian shares tumbled on Monday as escalating trade tensions with China shattered a monthslong calm on Wall Street. U.S. stocks skidded on Friday after President Donald Trump threatened to crank tariffs higher on China.
• At least 17 children, including an infant just seven days old, have reportedly been killed in an attack on the Dar al-Arqam Displacement Centre in El Fasher, North Darfur, early on Saturday morning.
• Sudan faces one of the world’s deepest mental health crises as war, displacement, and trauma reshape the nation’s psychological landscape. As the world marked World Mental Health Day 2025 #WorldMentalHealthDay2025 on Friday, under the theme Mental Health in Humanitarian Emergencies, Sudan embodies that reality. Nearly three years of war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have displaced more than 10.8 million people.
• Emergency room volunteers and revolutionary resistance committees in Sudan are facing a massive digital war, their activity and communication online and social media platforms is monitored, in a way that has cast a negative shadow on their fundraising efforts to provide food to people affected by the armed conflict across the country.
• A France 24 investigation published yesterday, found that the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) used chlorine gas during two airstrikes on the El Jeili oil refinery northeast of Khartoum and its surroundings in September 2024, while attempting to retake the area from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
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• Nearly four million people across Africa’s vast semi-arid Sahel region have been uprooted by a volatile mix of conflict, hunger and climate change, the UN warned on Friday, describing an unfolding protection and survival crisis that is pushing families to flee repeatedly.
• Israeli officials say 48 hostages have remained in the Gaza Strip, including 20 who are believed to be alive.
• The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has brought cautious calm to the region as aid begins to flow into the Gaza Strip.
• A few days ago, Fred Ramsdell was doing something a lot of us dream of doing. Yes, he was on vacation with his family, camping in the Rocky Mountains. But more importantly, his phone was on airplane mode. He was truly, blissfully disconnected from the world. He missed a call, though, from the Nobel Prize Committee telling him that he’d won the 2025 prize for physiology or medicine.
• In The Hague, governments, unions and employers faced off over whether laborers everywhere have a legally protected right to stop working for fair pay and dignity.
• The death toll from Mexico’s torrential rains has increased to 44, as the fallout mounted from widespread flooding and landslides across the country
• Chinese coast guard ships have used powerful water cannons and rammed a Philippine government vessel near Thitu Island in the South China Sea.
• Asian markets sank Monday after US President Donald Trump reignited his trade war with China by threatening last week to impose 100 percent tariffs on goods from the country.
• US President Donald Trump says “the war is over” as he travels to Israel for the release of hostages from Gaza. Hamas is due to hand over all Israelis being held as part of a ceasefire agreement.
• After an appeals court again blocked the government’s attempt to deploy the National Guard in the Chicago area, Vice President JD Vance says the Trump administration will “litigate this as much as we can.”
• Afghanistan says it has killed 58 Pakistani soldiers in overnight border operations, in response to what it called repeated violations of its territory and airspace.
• President Trump is on his way to the Middle East and plans the address the Israeli Knesset.
• Displaced Palestinians are returning to the ruins of their homes and new drone video from Gaza City shows what remains after two years of war.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is calling for unity as his country prepares for the return of the last hostages still alive in Gaza. There are believed to be 20 of them. In Gaza, aid trucks are rolling into the devastated territory with Israel set to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
• “The Pharmacy Guild has been working hard to raise our concerns with state and federal regulators about the proliferation of medicinal cannabis prescribing and dispensing, and the unsafe and illegal practices that have emerged in some cases.”
• The president of Madagascar says an attempted coup is underway in the Indian Ocean island country, a day after soldiers joined anti-government demonstrations
• The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) said on Sunday that more than 100 fighters from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) were killed in battles in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State in western Sudan.
• France’s newly reappointed Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu named a new government Sunday, as he faces pressure to urgently produce a budget and quell political turmoil that is scaring businesses and staining the country’s image.
• Troops from an elite unit of the country’s military are urging fellow soldiers to disobey orders and back student protesters. News organisations reported few signs of clashes on Sunday, local time.
• Polls opened in Cameroon on Sunday in a presidential election that sees incumbent Paul Biya, 92, seek an eighth consecutive term after 43 years in power. There are 11 other candidates on the ballot, but some analysts say divisions among the opposition are clearing the path for Biya’s reelection.
• Madagascar’s presidency said on Sunday that “an attempted illegal and forcible seizure of power” was underway in the African nation, without providing details, a day after some soldiers joined a protest movement that had begun last month.
• The Banhine National Park in Mozambique was a wildlife haven 50 years ago.
• Mexico: Two tropical storms have damaged more than 16,000 homes and caused widespread electricity cuts.
• Germany: The election in Frankfurt an der Oder was between independent candidate Axel Strasser and AfD contender Wilko Moller.
• Moscow has warned of the risk of escalation if Kyiv is provided with the US-built long-range missiles.
• Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, who is the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that “Congress is being told nothing” about the Trump administration’s strikes on Venezuelan vessels that are allegedly being used to carry drugs. “Based on what I know now” and the White House’s memo on the strikes, “these are illegal killings,” Himes added.
• Smart grocery refill dispensers are emerging in South Africa’s independent retail sector, offering prices up to 50% lower than those of traditional retailers.
• Mozambique: An elite military unit that installed the president in 2009 has joined Gen Z protesters calling for his resignation.
• An estimated 400,000 Israelis crammed into Hostage Square in Tel Aviv to celebrate as Trump administration officials announced the 20 hostages, believed to be alive, are set to be released. The ceasefire between Hamas and Israel is still holding and 48 hostages — living and dead — are set to be exchanged for 250 Palestinians serving life sentences and 1,700 detained since Oct 7, 2023.
• New Zealand’s FM discusses the decision not to recognise a Palestinian state, shifting global alliances, and diplomacy.
• The Commerce Department added 19 Chinese entities that have supported or supplied drones to terrorist organizations to an entity list on Oct. 8. Among them are Goodview Global, found to be part of an illicit network supplying the sanctioned Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps with drone parts. The U.S. government in March offered rewards of up to $15 million for information that would disrupt the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps funding network, which supports the Hamas terrorist group, the Hezbollah terrorist group, and other proxies. The bounty notice named four Chinese nationals allegedly providing the terrorists with arms.
• Chinese drone experts have traveled to Russia to work on military drones at a state-owned weapons manufacturer already under Western sanctions, Reuters reported. The Chinese experts visited IEMZ Kupol’s weapon facilities more than six times since mid-2024, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing two European security officials and company documents reviewed by the outlet.
• War-torn Ukraine has much to offer its allies and partners in the expanding drone arms race, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a speech before the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 24. Noting recent developments in unmanned weapons systems and artificial intelligence, Zelenskyy told the assembly, “We are now living through the most destructive arms race in human history.” The Ukrainian president touted his country’s successes in employing drones to slow the march of the numerically superior Russian military.
• Vance, Musk Rebuke Art Project in 1,400-Year-Old Cathedral.
• Trump to Address Israel’s Parliament Monday: TEL AVIV—The Israeli Ministry of Defense announced that it has completed preparations to receive U.S. President Donald Trump at Ben Gurion Airport early on Monday morning.
• Frozen Dog Food Recalled in 4 US States Due to Possible Salmonella Contamination: Minnesota-based Raw Bistro Pet Fare is recalling certain lots of its frozen beef dog food products due to potential salmonella contamination, the company said in an announcement.
• State Deems Law Requiring Priests to Break Confession Unconstitutional: Washington state will not compel Catholic priests to violate the privacy of confession under an agreement signed by the state’s attorney general, both parties announced on Oct. 10.
• New Jersey Declares State of Emergency: States in the northeast are taking extra precautions this week as they brace for a nor’easter that’s expected to bring high winds and flooding.
• The fetid boil of police corruption that has been lanced in the wake of General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s bombshells-that-have-been-public-for-years is nearing the source of its cause.
• Donald Trump has called the war in Gaza “over” and said that the entire Middle East will normalise. The comments were made on the eve of the release of Israeli hostages. One can only hope, this time, that Trump is right despite the history of the region.
• Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said that a counteroffensive had seen gains against the Russians in both southern Zaporizhzhia region and in an area of Donetsk. Russian reporting made no mention of their losses.
• Trump has, in turn, threatened to approve Ukrainian access to Tomahawk cruise missiles if Russia does not end its war in Ukraine. Clearly huffing on the fumes of a Middle East peace breakthrough, Trump is focusing in on Ukraine. All power to him, then.
• Who says monarchies are pointless? The World Conker Championships have been saved by Windsor Castle. Poor weather led to a critical shortage of conkers from the horse chestnut tree, which was remedied by a batch of “shiny ones” from the castle grounds. Cor blimey and all that!
• Merafe’s PSV will now run most of the chrome recovery plants (CRPs) at Sibanye-Stillwater’s platinum mines, speeding up deliveries and tightening operations under new “Enhanced Chrome Arrangements.”
• The Royal Court of Jersey has sanctioned Harmony Gold’s acquisition of 100% of MAC Copper Limited through a Jersey law scheme of arrangement.
• Sappi is prioritising balance sheet strength by cutting capex for the next two years and suspending its 2025 dividend to preserve cash and reduce elevated leverage.
• Gaza – Authorities in Israel and Gaza are preparing for the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, which is the deadline stipulated in the ceasefire deal that could end the two-year war in Gaza. Donald Trump will be in Israel to speak at the Knesset before flying on to a summit in Egypt.
• Prince Andrew – Prince Andrew told Jeffrey Epstein ‘we’re in this together’ in a 2011 email after a picture of him with his arm around a teenage Virginia Giuffre was first published
• Politics – The much-criticised watchdog that scrutinises the jobs UK ministers can take after leaving office will be formally scrapped as part of a wider shake-up of the ethics structure in government. Described as fundamentally toothless by critics, its functions will be taken over by two existing regulators.
• Young people – The world faces “an emerging crisis” of higher death rates among teenagers and young adults across the world, according to a new major study.
• Tony Blair – The former UK prime minister Tony Blair appears to have won the endorsement of the Palestinian Authority to be involved in the reconstruction of Gaza, after an exploratory meeting in Jordan.
• The University of Fort Hare’s vice-chancellor, Professor Sakhela Buhlungu, believes last week’s violent protests at the university were linked to the imminent release of a Special Investigating Unit report naming 33 high-ranking politicians implicated in academic fraud.
• A groundbreaking programme in Nelson Mandela Bay that supports high school learners through to engineering careers celebrated 10 years and a 100% employment record on Friday.
• South Africa’s Constitution guarantees the right to food, yet children are still dying from malnutrition in the Eastern Cape. Bureaucratic failure, systemic inequality and fragmented government responses are turning a constitutional promise into a hollow pledge – and it’s time to act.
• Members of the Khoi-San community in Gqeberha held a march on Friday as part of ongoing efforts for official recognition of their indigenous languages and their claim as the “rightful owners” of South Africa.
• Social unrest warnings for South Africa: South Africa faces a growing risk of social unrest and political violence as rising electricity prices, worsening water shortages, organised crime, and a weak, indecisive government converge.
• The man who was fired from Checkers, broke the law, and built a R20 billion retail empire: After being fired from Checkers, Raymond Ackerman founded one of the biggest retail empires in South Africa, Pick n Pay.
• Lower electricity prices on the cards for South Africa: Eskom plans to slow electricity price increases over the next five years by cutting billions in costs and investing in cheaper technologies, though tariffs may still rise in the short term as the utility works toward financial sustainability.
• The chocolate taking South Africa by storm: The international sensation, Dubai chocolate, is taking South Africa by storm as companies tap into the dessert’s popularity.
• Absa launching mobile operator to take on Capitec Connect: Absa is in talks to launch its own mobile virtual network operator in South Africa, with Cell C one of the shortlisted wholesale providers.
• Most major cities in South Africa set for hung councils after 2026 elections: Election analyst Dawie Scholtz sees the next local government elections resulting in hung councils in most major metropolitan municipalities.
• Three popular businesses in South Africa to be sold: Old Mutual Private Equity will soon sell its stake in several businesses, including popular food, broadcasting and investing companies.
• Five countries where the rand will take South African travellers far: Travel may be expensive, but by taking advantage of exchange rates, South Africans can make their money go much further.
• Reserve Bank’s tricky interest rate balancing act: The Reserve Bank faces a tricky balancing act where it has room to cut interest rates but doing so could threaten its plan to lower South Africa’s inflation target.
• South Africa closer to a tariff deal with the United States: South African Trade Minister Parks Tau said a trade deal with the US was very close, without providing details.
• South Africa will lose two public holidays in 2026: In 2026, South Africa will only get 10 public holidays, instead of 12, as a result of certain rules in the Public Holidays Act.
• The Taliban say they captured 25 Pakistani army posts Saturday night. The group also claimed responsibility for killing 58 Pakistani soldiers and wounding 30 others, calling the attacks a response to Pakistani military operations in Afghanistan.
• Diane Keaton Dies: Oscar-winning actress Diane Keaton died at age 79 Saturday. The cause of death was not immediately known. Keaton began her acting career in the Broadway musical “Hair.” In 1969, she received a Tony nomination for her role in Woody Allen’s “Play It Again, Sam.” Keaton expanded to films in the 1970s and was cast as Michael Corleone’s love interest in “The Godfather” trilogy. She earned an Oscar for her role in Allen’s “Annie Hall” (1977) and appeared regularly in his other films, including the critically acclaimed “Manhattan” (1979). Keaton appeared in more than 100 movies, including the box office hit “The First Wives Club” (1996). She received Oscar nominations for “Reds” (1981), “Marvin’s Room” (1996), and “Something’s Gotta Give” (2003). Keaton also directed films including the 1987 documentary “Heaven” and the 2000 dramedy “Hanging Up.” She wrote roughly a dozen books, including her memoir “Then Again.”
• The European Union began implementing its new border screening process yesterday. The updated protocol involves taking non-EU passengers’ photographs and fingerprints upon arrival, and will replace manually stamping passports beginning April 10.
• Stocks drop sharply Friday (S&P 500 -2.7%, Dow -1.9%, Nasdaq -3.6%) following renewed threats by President Donald Trump to levy tariffs on China.
• Cryptocurrency market capitalization loses roughly $800B in 24-hour period.
• More than 4,000 civil service workers are laid off amid federal government shutdown, per court filing; hundreds of employees at the Centers for Disease Control have since been reinstated.
• Hamas handed over all 20 surviving hostages to Israel, a major step towards ending two years of devastating war in Gaza as US President Donald Trump, who helped broker the truce, proclaimed it was “a great day”.
• Taiwan’s “T-Dome” air defense system will establish a more efficient and integrated “sensor-to-shooter” mechanism for a higher kill rate, with a year-end special budget to propose specific spending on the system, the defense minister said.
• The French presidency announced Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s new cabinet line-up, with most top jobs remaining unchanged at a time when opponents are demanding a political shift to win their support for urgent budget talks.
• At least 42 people were killed in a bus crash in a mountainous region of northern South Africa. The crash took place on the N1 highway near Makhado in the Limpopo province.
• Madagascan President Andry Rajoelina, whose current whereabouts are unknown, will address the nation on Monday evening, his office announced after officers supporting youth-led protests said they were in control of the African island’s paramilitary gendarmerie.
• A handful of US Senate Republicans are wrestling with the impending expiration of health insurance subsidies that are the primary sticking point in the government shutdown standoff that entered its 13th day.
• Four people were killed and at least 20 injured in a shooting at a restaurant in a South Carolina island town. Deputies were called to Willie’s Bar and Grill on St. Helena Island just before 1 a.m. and found several people suffering from gunshot wounds.
• Global warming is crossing dangerous thresholds sooner than expected with the world’s coral reefs now in an almost irreversible die-off, marking what scientists described as the first “tipping point” in climate-driven ecosystem collapse.
• US companies and consumers are bearing the brunt of the country’s new import tariffs, early indications show, contradicting assertions by Trump and complicating the Federal Reserve’s fight against inflation.
• World markets found steadier ground after being whipsawed by broadsides in the US-China trade war, while gold hit new record highs in a sign that uncertainty remained high. Watch our daily rundown for more on global markets.
• JPMorgan launched a $1.5 trillion plan to facilitate, finance and invest in industries deemed critical to the US national security and economic resilience, including defense, energy and advanced manufacturing.
• Global airlines face more than $11 billion in extra costs from supply chain disruption this year, a leading industry group said, in a report likely to rekindle debate over competition in the $250-billion aerospace industry.
• The Dutch government said it is taking control of Dutch chipmaker Nexperia, which manufactures computer chips for the car and consumer electronics industries, due to worries about the possible transfer of crucial technology to its Chinese parent company, Wingtech.
• Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt won the 2025 Nobel economics prize for “having explained innovation-driven economic growth”, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said.
• Cyril Ramaphosa has extended condolences to the families affected by the tragic Limpopo bus crash on Sunday night. Forty-two lives were lost after the bus, en route to the Eastern Cape, overturned in Musina.
• Alvin Botes, the deputy minister of international relations, has called on the public to allow for an official probe into the death of Nathi Mthethwa to be concluded, as some government officials have urged the public to desist from speculating about the circumstances.
• Did Qatari Money Drive Trump’s Push for Gaza Ceasefire?
• The Trump Administration Is Hiding How Many Pregnant People Are in ICE Detention.
• Trump Admin Releases 2026 Medicare Plan Ratings.
• Trump Admin Offers Funding Privilege to Certain Colleges: President Donald Trump recently softened his hardline approach to higher education, offering financial incentives to nine universities if they promise to eliminate preferential treatment by race.
• Hostages Freed, Trump Hails ‘Historic Dawn of New Middle East’: Hamas announced that it would release the bodies of four deceased prisoners later on Monday. According to Hamas, these prisoners are Guy Iluz, Bipin Joshi, Daniel Peretz, and Yossi Sharabi. Iluz and…
• National Zoo Shut Down: Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo closed their doors on Oct. 12 because of the nearly two-week-long government shutdown, said the Smithsonian Institution on its website.
• New Party Leader Poised to Steer Japan on More Assertive Course With China: Japan’s likely leader-in-waiting Sanae Takaichi is expected to strengthen defense ties with Washington and support for Taipei in a bid to counter Chinese aggression, but experts suggest this hawkish approach…
• US stock futures jumped and oil rose after Donald Trump signaled openness to a deal with China, improving sentiment after markets were rattled by a sharp escalation in trade tensions. Crypto bounced back from a record wipeout, while silver hit the highest in decades and gold set a fresh peak. Declines in Asian shares, which were closed when Trump made his comments Friday, signal concerns about the durability of the truce.
• UK household balance sheets are in their best shape for over two decades after a period of spending restraint that has taken a heavy toll on the economy. For politicians and the Bank of England, the question is: Will consumers now feel confident enough to loosen the purse strings?

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