World News – 28 August 2025

Abrego Garcia Files Emergency Petition.
Suspect Contained After Shooting at Minneapolis School: A shooting has happened at a school in Minneapolis, officials said on Aug. 27. Federal agents responded to an active shooter at Annunciation Church, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms,…
Sean Duffy Announces Federal Takeover of Union Station in DC: WASHINGTON—Federal officials will take over the management of Washington’s Union Station, which Amtrak now runs. Amtrak is a federally chartered corporation operating as a for-profit entity, with the U.S. government.
Trump’s 50 Percent Tariff on India Takes Effect: President Donald Trump’s additional 25 percent tariff on India became effective at midnight on Aug. 27, bringing the total rate to 50 percent on many imports entering the United States.
Why Amazon Won’t Give Up on Grocery: Amazon is making another concerted effort to capture a larger slice of the $1 trillion American grocery industry.
FBI Announces Identity of Minneapolis Catholic School Shooter.
RFK Jr. Calls on Medical Schools to Ramp Up Nutrition Education: Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Education Secretary Linda McMahon are calling on medical schools to provide nutrition education to students, pointing to data that many medical students receive.
Chinese Researcher Charged With Stealing Federally Funded Research: A former Chinese researcher at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has been accused of stealing U.S. government-funded cancer research and taking it back to China.
Jannie Mouton Foundation’s R7.2bn Curro bid could redefine private education: A mega donation deal may turn Curro into a non-profit, opening doors for lower-income learners, but current Curro parents shouldn’t expect cheaper fees anytime soon.
Mexico’s senate ended in utter chaos on Wednesday as a fight broke out after an opposition party leader grabbed the chamber’s president after a “difficult debate”.
Mexico has also reported a 53% jump in cases of flesh-eating screwworm — yoh! What a name — in animals since July. Screwworms are flesh-eating parasites that have slowly inched their way into North America since a 2023 outbreak. Luckily, the parasites mostly infect cattle (and dogs, horses and sheep), because a flesh-eating pandemic would be the last thing humans need right now.
Not that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would be able to do much about it, because CDC director Susan Monarez has been fired less than a month after being sworn in. Four senior officials also resigned amid tensions over vaccine policies and public health directives.
The UN’s aviation agency has been asked to raise the international age limit for commercial pilots from age 65 to 67, as worldwide demand for air travel outstrips the supply of aviators.
Tshidi Madia, ‘media darling’ and industry powerhouse, dies at 42.
Asian stocks seesawed on Thursday as Nvidia’s blockbuster earnings buoyed tech optimism, but concerns over the outlook for its China business tempered gains.
The dollar was on the defensive as traders ramped up bets of an interest rate cut next month.
Oil prices fell on Thursday.
Gold prices remained stable as market participants held back from placing big bets ahead of US economic data.
Japan’s top trade negotiator abruptly cancelled a planned US trip on Thursday, postponing critical talks to finalise a R9.7-trillion ($550-billion) investment package. The deal, Tokyo hopes, will secure relief from Washington’s steep tariffs, but the delay risks prolonging economic tensions.
Global airlines, through Iata, urged the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organisation to raise the commercial pilot age limit from 65 to 67, citing surging travel demand. Opposed by US pilot unions, the proposal will be debated at ICAO’s September assembly.
ByteDance, TikTok’s parent, will launch a new employee share buyback valuing the firm above R5.8-trillion ($330-billion). Employees are being offered R3 542 ($200.41) per share, up 5.5% from six months ago, reflecting sustained revenue growth.
Car finance cartel dismantled with R30m settlement.
The fertility rate for England and Wales has fallen for the third year in a row to reach a record low, figures show. Last year’s total fertility rate of 1.41 was the lowest since comparable data was first collected in 1938.
Children under 15 years old made up almost a third of outpatients treated for wounds in field hospitals run by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Gaza last year, statistics published in the Lancet reveal.
Two children were killed and 17 injured in a mass shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis on Wednesday.
Open AI is changing the way it responds to users who show emotional distress after legal action from the family of 16-year-old Adam Raine, who killed himself after months of conversations with the chatbot.
Russian strikes killed at least four people in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and wounded at least 24 others, city officials said on Thursday morning. Casualty numbers were expected to rise.
Seventieth anniversary of Guinness World Records: The organisation’s first volume was published on 27 August 1955 and sparked a worldwide curiosity about extraordinary record-breaking achievements.
Restaurant group Spur announced that an arbitrator has partly ruled against it in a legal dispute with GPS Food Group RSA, which has been ongoing for six years. GPS claims an “oral agreement” was made to develop a rib-processing facility for product supply. Spur plans to appeal the ruling within 30 days.
Eskom board chair Mteto Nyati criticised André de Ruyter’s performance as CEO in an X post, questioning why current CEO Dan Marokane isn’t receiving more praise. This follows comments from electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, who believes the utility erred in appointing De Ruyter in December 2019.
The Government of National Unity (GNU) has reportedly achieved only 2% of its goals since forming last year, according to Dr Corné Mulder of Freedom Front Plus (FF+). He shared this after attending a gathering where National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza discussed the coalition’s progress.
The Sapref refinery was sold to the Central Energy Fund for R1, freeing Shell and BP from past liabilities. Located in low-income neighbourhoods south of Durban, the refinery has harmed local communities for decades, and the sale was done without any consultation or reparations to the communities.
Companies across South Africa’s steel value chain are gearing up to submit responses to a preliminary determination by the International Trade Commission of South Africa (Itac) that proposes the implementation of sweeping tariffs on imported steel products. South Africa’s International Trade Commission (Itac) has proposed increased tariffs on imported steel products, changes that could add R1.54 billion to the annual tariff bill.
NHI under fire in South Africa: Sakeliga has joined other organisations in mounting a legal challenge against the government’s NHI Act, arguing it is unconstitutional, unaffordable, and risks devastating the healthcare system and economy.
Eskom gets R54 billion ‘gift’ from higher electricity prices: Nersa has settled with Eskom to grant it an additional R54 billion in revenue over the next two financial years after admitting errors in its original assessment, a move that will push up electricity prices.
End of an era for Home Affairs in South Africa: The Department of Home Affairs is undergoing a significant transformation aimed at fixing South Africa’s poster child for struggling government departments.
Sasol responds to Trump’s tariffs: Sasol is pursuing various strategies to mitigate against the impact of US tariffs, which threaten around R1.4 billion worth of sales for the company.
Hammer blow to salaries in South Africa: Investec’s chief economist has noted that salaries are dropping in South Africa, and this is bad news for households and the economy.
Netstar app downtime: Netstar customers reported that the vehicle tracking service’s mobile app has not worked since Tuesday afternoon.
GNU has achieved less than 2% of its goals: FF+ leader Corné Mulder says there is a complete lack of policy coherence within the GNU.
South Africa’s new bank is here: Old Mutual has officially launched OM Bank, with it notifying Money Account clients to begin transitioning to the new digital banking platform.
Private ‘universities’ booming in South Africa: With significant growth in revenue, profit, and student enrollment, private tertiary education provider STADIO is booming.
DStv piracy battle: MultiChoice has identified Piracy as one of the most significant risks to the company and has launched a successful anti-piracy campaign.
Fraud warning for South Africa: South Africans are experiencing a surge in fraud, a new survey showed, the latest indicator that the authorities are struggling to bring crime under control.
RFK Jr.: HHS will ‘address’ external interventions ‘clearly, almost certainly causing autism’ in September.
Minnesota: 2 children killed, 17 more injured in Minneapolis Catholic school shooting.
Vanity Fair employees rage, threaten to ‘walk out’ job over potential Melania Trump magazine cover.
Trump urges death penalty for all D.C. homicides: ‘Very strong preventative’.
Trump: Make Cracker Barrel a WINNER again.
‘DJ’ Daniel sworn in as N.Y.C’s honorary deputy mayor.
Federal Reserve Board of Governors member Lisa Cook to sue over GOP admin’s firing: ‘I will not resign’.
Vance questions why Democrats are angrier about Trump’s plan to tackle crime than crime itself.
Acetaminophen Use Linked to Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Acetaminophen, commonly sold under the brand name Tylenol and many others, has been considered the safest painkiller.
CDC Director Departs Agency Weeks After Taking Office.
China Rejects Trump’s Proposal for Nuclear Disarmament Talks With US, Russia.
RFK Jr. Calls on Medical Schools to Ramp Up Nutrition Education.
Minneapolis School Attack: A shooter attacked a Catholic school in Minneapolis yesterday, killing two children—an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old—and wounding 17 other people, most of them children. Authorities say the attacker, 23-year-old Robin Westman, died by suicide. Annunciation Catholic School serves children from preschool to eighth grade and had just begun its first week of school. Shortly before 8:30 am, the assailant fired dozens of rounds through the windows into the church where attendees gathered for Mass. The attack lasted roughly two minutes, according to witnesses; at least two doors were barricaded. Three weapons were discovered at the crime scene—a rifle, shotgun, and pistol—all of them legally purchased.
Tensions over Greenland: Denmark’s foreign minister summoned the top US diplomat in Copenhagen for a meeting yesterday. The move comes after reports that at least three Americans tied to President Donald Trump were conducting covert influence operations in Greenland.
‘Portrait of a Lady’: Argentine police raided a home yesterday in search of an Italian Baroque painting looted by Nazis during World War II. After being spotted in a real estate listing this week, the painting has gone missing again.
Sixteen-year-old convicted for supporting the thwarted terror attack intended to target Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” concerts in Vienna last August.
US health regulators approve updated COVID-19 boosters for those 65 and older and those over age 5 with underlying risk factors.
Historians use models predicting disease outbreaks to trace how conspiratorial rumors spread through France during the Great Fear of 1789.
Scientists create glow-in-the-dark succulents by injecting phosphorescent particles into the leaves; researchers suggest they could one day provide ambient nighttime lighting.
US stock markets close up (S&P 500 +0.2%, Dow +0.3%, Nasdaq +0.2%), with S&P 500 notching record high.
Nvidia beats Wall Street estimates as Q2 revenue rose 56% year over year to $46.7B, breaking quarterly sales record.
Delta Air Lines agrees to pay $79M to settle lawsuit over 2020 midair fuel release that drenched tens of thousands of properties across Los Angeles.
ransportation Department to take control of Washington, DC’s Union Station from Amtrak and nonprofit as part of larger safety and beautification push.
Federal grand jury rejects indictment against former Justice Department employee who allegedly threw a sandwich at federal officers in DC.
Time capsule sealed by Princess Diana opened after 34 years.
Heavy rains kill at least 34 people in Pakistan and India, displace over 200,000 in eastern Pakistan, and submerge a notable Sikh shrine in northern India.
Fully functioning human skin grown in lab, complete with vessels and pigmentation: Researchers from the University of Queensland have successfully grown fully functional human skin in a laboratory. They used stem cells to create a replica of human skin with blood vessels, capillaries, hair follicles, multiple layers of tissue, and immune cells. The skin model took six years to develop. It will be transformative for skin graft transplants, wound healing, and the study of skin disorders.
The Electric Slide: The number of things that can economically go electric increases every year as their components get cheaper and more performant.
Art in motion: A Banksy artwork, where a glass police box looks like a tank of piranhas, has been moved into storage ahead of a museum display.
Lucky launch: SpaceX’s Starship rocket has successfully completed its first orbital test flight, following three previous failed attempts.
Research results: A year-long trial for a four-day working week by the Scottish government has shown improvements in productivity and staff wellbeing.
Wonderful wildlife: Snaps from 2025’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition have been revealed – the Slime Family Portrait looks like a cross between an alien and Willy Wonka tree!
Royal relics: A time capsule buried by Princess Diana, as well as children at Great Ormond Street Hospital, has been unearthed to reveal a collection of nineties memorabilia.
Post-party recouperation: Ever suffered from “festival throat”? That tickly cough that comes at the end of the summer after plenty of singing at the stage.
As President Donald Trump has amped up the threat of a federal deployment in the nation’s third-largest city in recent days, Chicago’s public officials and community organizers said they are doing what they can to get ready.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez has been fired, the White House said, less than a month after being sworn in, and four senior officials have resigned amid growing tensions over vaccine policies and public health directives.
An assailant armed with three guns fired through stained-glass windows into a Catholic church where students were attending Mass, killing two children and wounding 17 other people, officials said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un will attend a military parade in Beijing, marking the first public appearance of the two leaders alongside President Xi Jinping in a show of collective defiance amid Western pressure.
Russian forces launched a large-scale overnight drone and missile attack on Kyiv, killing at least 15 people including four children, and damaging residential and other buildings across seven districts, Ukrainian officials said.
ran’s ambassador to Australia has left the embassy in Canberra having been expelled over claims that Tehran orchestrated violent attacks in the country. Kirsty Needham tells the Reuters World News podcast how Australia traced those antisemitic attacks back to Iran.
More food aid is reaching Gaza but it still remains far from enough to prevent widespread starvation, the head of the World Food Programme (WFP) said.
Nvidia shares dipped as the fate of its China business hung in the balance, caught up in the trade war between Washington and Beijing. Meanwhile, CEO Jensen Huang has dismissed concern about an end to a spending boom on artificial intelligence chips.
Japan’s top trade negotiator cancelled a visit to the US at the last minute, further delaying talks designed to finalise a $550 billion investment package offered by Tokyo in exchange for relief on punishing tariffs.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi heads overseas to meet the leaders of China, Japan and Russia, seeking to build closer diplomatic ties as New Delhi battles fallout from Trump’s escalating tariff offensive.
High electricity prices in Britain are hitting both the competitiveness of businesses and also acting as an obstacle to the economy’s shift towards cleaner energy. British businesses pay roughly four times as much for their power than US rivals, and double those in France and Germany.
New car sales in Europe rose 5.9% in July as a jump in Germany outweighed drops in Britain, France and Italy, European Automobile Manufacturers Association data showed.
Archaeologists in Georgia unearth 1.8-million-year-old human jawbone: Archaeologists in Georgia have unearthed a 1.8-million-year-old jawbone belonging to an early species of human that they say will shed light on some of the earliest prehistoric human settlements on the Eurasian continent.
DNC Votes Down “Overwhelming Popular Position” Calling for Arms Ban to Israel: The weapons ban resolution was put forward by a first-time DNC member to represent the views of younger party members.
Trump Administration Wants to Banish Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Uganda: Trump aims to expel Abrego Garcia as his global gulag expands to Uganda, which has a long record of human rights abuses.
ICE Targets App Delivery Drivers: As part of the federal takeover of D.C., ICE agents have been targeting delivery drivers for the likes of Uber, Grubhub, and DoorDash.
U.S. Wants to “Suppress Dissenting Arguments” Using AI Propaganda: The U.S. is interested in acquiring machine-learning technology to carry out AI-generated propaganda campaigns overseas.
First Ever Dinosaur-Era Dragonfly Fossil Discovered in Canada: Discovery reveals a previously undocumented 30-million-year gap in dragonfly evolution. For the first time in Canadian paleontology, a fossilized dragonfly wing from the Cretaceous period has been identified as a new species. Found in Alberta’s Dinosaur Provincial Park, it represents the earliest dragonfly fossil ever recovered from Canada’s dinosaur-era rock layers.
Were Our Ancestors More Like Gorillas Than Humans? New Study Reveals Shocking Size Gap: Fossils reveal extreme sexual dimorphism in early hominins. The findings reshape views of their social behavior. A recent study has revealed that males of some of humanity’s earliest ancestors were much larger than their female counterparts.
New Fossils Reveal Humans’ Mysterious Lost Cousin: Fossils uncovered in northeastern Ethiopia, dating to between 2.6 and 2.8 million years ago, provide new insights into the course of human evolution. An international team of researchers has uncovered new fossils in Africa showing that Australopithecus and the earliest known members of Homo lived in the same region at the same time, between 2.6…
This Ancient Practice of Blowing Through a Conch Shell Could Help Treat a Dangerous Sleep Condition: Conch shell blowing eased sleep apnea symptoms and improved sleep quality. The practice may provide a simple alternative to machines or medication. A small randomized controlled trial published in ERJ Open Research found that individuals who practiced blowing through a conch shell for six months experienced improvements in their obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) symptoms.
3 Simple Lifestyle Changes Can Cut Diabetes Risk by 31%: A major new study reveals 3 simple lifestyle changes that can cut the risk of type 2 diabetes by nearly a third. Adopting a Mediterranean-style diet while also reducing daily calories, engaging in moderate physical activity, and receiving professional weight-loss support may lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D) by 31%.
Scientists Discover Strange New Parasitic Wasp Species in the U.S.: The lab is contributing to a broader initiative aimed at studying the diversity of oak gall wasps and their parasites. Researchers, including faculty from Binghamton University, State University of New York, have discovered two parasitic wasp species in the United States that were previously unknown to science.
Plant-Inspired Molecule Could Be the Key to Artificial Photosynthesis: Swiss researchers have designed a plant-inspired molecule that mimics photosynthesis and can hold four electric charges when exposed to light. This ability to store multiple charges could be the key to creating solar fuels such as hydrogen, methanol, or synthetic petrol — fuels that would be carbon-neutral because they release only as much CO2 as…
30-Year-Old Climate Predictions Were Shockingly Accurate, Study Finds: Satellites confirm that mid-1990s climate projections of sea-level rise were largely accurate, though ice melt was underestimated. For more than three decades, satellites have tracked global sea-level change, and a recent analysis shows that projections made in the mid-1990s were strikingly accurate.
Could Glucose Be the Key to Next-Generation Cancer Treatments?: Glucose drives T cell signaling. Stronger signals mean better cancer defense. For the body’s disease-fighting T cells, glucose is much more than just a simple sugar rush.
Hidden Belly Fat Found To Accelerate Heart Aging, Scientists Warn: Hidden organ fat speeds up heart aging, while fat around the hips and thighs in women may slow it. Large amounts of visceral fat, the hidden fat that collects around internal organs, have been linked to a quicker aging process in the heart, according to new research.
Democratic Mayor Credits Trump for Sharp Crime Drop.
Pentagon Ends Employment of Chinese Nationals: U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Trump administration has brought to an end Microsoft’s employment of Chinese nationals to write code for sensitive Pentagon cloud systems.
Report Warns of ‘Unprecedented’ Misuse of AI: Artificial intelligence (AI) is being weaponized to conduct increasingly sophisticated cybercrimes, according to a new report from Anthropic, which warns of an “unprecedented” evolution in malicious operations.
Fed Governor’s Firing Resurfaces Legal Questions Surrounding Presidential Power: Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook is expected to sue President Donald Trump over her recent firing, refocusing attention on questions about the extent of presidential power and the protections Congress…
Maryland Lawmaker Proposes Changes to Congressional Maps: A lawmaker from Maryland has introduced legislation to redraw the Democrat-dominated Old Line State’s congressional maps, potentially marking the latest escalation in a national battle over redistricting.
Mastercard has partnered with Circle to enable USDC and EURC settlement for acquirers in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EEMEA). This means merchants in the region can now settle transactions in regulated stablecoins in real time, reducing friction and improving efficiency. USDC circulation hit R1.15-trillion by August 2025, a 90% year-over-year increase.
El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has highlighted increasing bets on prediction markets that the country’s bitcoin holdings will hit $1-billion by late 2025. This is despite previous claims from the central bank and finance minister that the country had stopped buying bitcoin after a $1.4-billion loan deal with the IMF in 2024. The country currently reports holdings of 6,282 BTC, worth R12-billion.
Google Cloud is developing a layer-1 blockchain called the Google Cloud Universal Ledger (GCUL), intended to be a credibly neutral, open infrastructure layer for financial institutions. It is already being tested with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) Group for tokenisation and payments.
The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is integrating Nasdaq’s market surveillance tool to crack down on market abuse, including insider trading and manipulation, in both traditional equities and crypto markets. This software uses specialised algorithms to detect suspicious patterns unique to digital assets and provides real-time analysis across trading venues. Given our local JSE’s partnership with Nasdaq, hopefully this can make it to our side of the pond.
Sweden’s government plans to boost the economy in 2026 to the tune of R148.6-billion ($8.41-billion) via tax cuts and spending. The 2026 budget marks the biggest increase in unfinanced spending since 2021.
Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook filed a lawsuit on Thursday claiming US President Donald Trump has no power to remove her from office, setting up a legal battle that could reset long-established norms for the US central bank’s independence.
Brazil’s federal police and revenue service launched operations on Thursday targeting money laundering and fraud schemes linked to organised crime in the fuel sector.
Beijing Rejects Trump’s Proposal.
Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook Sues Trump Over Firing: Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook has sued President Donald Trump in Washington, alleging that he denied her due process in his attempt to fire her.
Initiating Cannabis Usage for Self-Medication Linked to Higher Rates of Depression, Paranoia: People who first use cannabis for self-medication purposes have been associated with a higher average rate of consumption as well as increased anxiety, depression, and paranoia.

Comments

lucky aurora

7 September 2026 at 6:10 pm

I told my dad to embrace his mistakes. He cried, then he hugged me and my sister
Sherwood Gladiator

29 August 2026 at 4:36 pm

Some lions just escaped a nature reserve in South Africa

They were rejected from their group.

They could maybe ask to be let in the group again

But their pride wouldn\’t let them.

World News – 28 August 2025

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World News – 28 August 2025

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