World News – 30 September 2025

• Large Study Links ADHD Medications to Developing Psychosis.
• Trump to Meet With Netanyahu to Discuss Gaza Peace Plans: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Democrats are “ready, willing, and able” to negotiate over funding the government.
• Healthier School Lunch Movement Gains Momentum Nationwide: Out with chicken nuggets and foot-long hot dogs, in with locally grown vegetables and lentil tacos. In the months and years ahead, school cafeteria trays could look much different.
• Missouri Governor Signs Congressional Redistricting Map Into Law: Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed a bill into law on Sept. 28 that could help Republicans gain an additional U.S. House seat in the 2026 midterm election.
• Citizen-Scientists Power the Search for Humanity’s Next Home: AMADO, Ariz.—As the stars come out over the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory, high in southern Arizona’s Santa Rita Mountains, new worlds are waiting to be discovered.
• Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie will stay in the GNU and his ally Kenny Kunene will get his job back as Johannesburg’s transport boss.
• Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina has dissolved his cabinet, in the wake of youth-led protests over water and power cuts. In reaction to the three days of demonstrations, Rajoelina said, “I heard the call, I felt the suffering, I understood the impact on daily life.” Translation: Please don’t kick me out.
• Donald Trump has backing from Benjamin Netanyahu on a peace deal, but the absence of Hamas from the process means its agreement is in doubt. The 20-point plan has all the greatest hits: immediate ceasefire, hostages returned, staged Israeli withdrawal.
• A Dutch cargo ship is on fire and adrift in the Gulf of Aden. The Minervagracht was attacked with “explosive devices”, but involvement by Houthi forces was not confirmed. The crew have been rescued, and two sustained injuries.
• The US government is heading towards a shutdown on Thursday night. As a consequence, the much-watched September jobs report will not be released on Friday. The document is a closely watched one, used as a barometer for presidential performance.
• Gold prices continue to set record highs, driven by strong central bank purchases and investment demand that has been building since the Russia-Ukraine war began in 2022. Central banks have added more than 1,000 metric tons of gold annually since then, with another 900 tons expected this year, double the 2016–2021 average.
• South African consumer behaviour, according to the Absa Merchant Spend Analytics Report for the first half of 2025, is showing signs of strain. Spending is shifting towards smaller, lower-value purchases, while online gambling continues to rise.
• NPR has asked a federal judge to block the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) from awarding a $57.9 million grant to a new consortium of public media groups, saying the move reflects political pressure from the Trump administration.
• The Salt Lake Tribune announced the launch of The Southern Utah Tribune, a nonprofit print and digital news outlet aimed at Washington County. Beginning in October, 40,000 homes and businesses will receive a free monthly paper, with additional coverage online and through a weekly newsletter.
• A gunman opened fire at a church in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, killing four and injuring eight before being shot dead by police.
• The Trump administration has federalized 200 members of the Oregon National Guard for a 60-day deployment in Portland, citing unrest near the city’s ICE facility.
• David Anthony Burke, also known as singer D4vd, broke his lease and moved out of his Hollywood Hills rental days after police searched the home in connection with the death of a 15-year-old girl.
• South Africa’s ambassador to France, Nkosinathi Emmanuel “Nathi” Mthethwa, has been found dead in Paris, just a day after he was reported missing. According to French media reports, the 58-year-old diplomat’s body was discovered outside the Hyatt Regency Paris Étoile in the Porte Maillot district. It is alleged that he fell from the 22nd floor of the hotel, though local authorities have not yet confirmed the exact circumstances surrounding his death.
• South African business is supporting government with digital forensics skills to target organised crime, money laundering and State Capture. More than 500 officials have been trained, and a new digital evidence unit is operational to strengthen prosecutions.
• A Washington judge slammed Trump’s team for “concerning disrespect”, freezing 532 planned Voice of America layoffs. The court says officials flouted orders to keep the state broadcaster reliable — leaving Kari Lake and the White House on the defensive yet again.
• Japanese brewing giant Asahi is flat on its back after a cyberattack foamed over its systems, halting beer, whisky and cider production nationwide, with order processing, shipping and call centres also knocked offline — no restart date in sight.
• China’s Pop Mart wants to turn Labubu into Mickey Mouse with fangs, milking its global toy stardom into a Disney-style IP empire of parks, merch and content – even as critics warn the magic may not last forever. Labubu’s global success has sent the Hong Kong-listed company’s shares up almost 200% so far this year.
• When the corruption at Tembisa Hospital first came to light, the CEO at the time, Ashley Mthunzi, was suspended. More than a year later he had still not faced a disciplinary inquiry.
• Southern Palladium’s share price went up a lot. The company said it is not aware of any secret news that explains the price jump. However, prices of platinum and other precious metals have gone up lately, which makes its Bengwenyama mine project look more valuable.
• Grocery store Boxer’s sales grew almost 14% in the first half of the year. People bought more, and prices inside the store were even a little cheaper than before.
• Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have agreed to a 20-point plan designed to end the war in Gaza, though the prospects for peace remain unclear without the direct involvement of Hamas. Trump said he had the support of other leaders from the Middle East and Muslim-majority nations. Still, the proposal—which mandates Hamas have no role in the future of Gaza—must be accepted by the militant group.
• Keir Starmer will tell Labour colleagues that UK voters can either choose decency or division as he tries to rally the party in its fight against the populist right. Labour members hope the big reveal at the annual party conference will include generous handouts to parents.
• Boeing has started working on a next-gen single-aisle aircraft that could eventually replace the 737 Max, the Wall Street Journal reported. The new narrowbody aircraft is in early-stage development, which includes internal design efforts and exploratory talks with engine makers. CEO Kelly Ortberg met with Rolls-Royce in the UK earlier this year to discuss a new engine for the aircraft.
• Gold hit a record on fears the US government will shut down tomorrow after Trump and congressional leaders failed to reach an agreement on a spending bill. The impasse has raised concerns that crucial data releases, including Friday’s jobs report, will be delayed. Vice President JD Vance said he believes the government is on track for a shutdown, blaming Democrats for failing to prevent a lapse in federal funding.
• Emma Walmsley’s departure as chief executive officer of GSK ends a near nine-year tenure at the British drugmaker. It also means the UK is losing another high-profile female business leader.
• At the White House yesterday, Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu marked their shared “peace plan” for Gaza by giving two entirely different press conferences at the same time.
• Labour conference – Keir Starmer will attempt to brush aside critics of his economic strategy by insisting it can be the “antidote to division” being sown by the populist right. His conference speech comes as Ipsos found that he was the least popular prime minister in the history of their polling.
• Labour conference – Rachel Reeves has said that Labour figures “peddling the idea” the government could abandon fiscal responsibility were “dangerously wrong”. In media interviews before her speech, Reeves confirmed that she no longer stood by a pledge made last year not to raise taxes.
• Covid inquiry – The pandemic disrupted the “very fabric of childhood”, the UK coronavirus inquiry has heard, on the first day of a four-week session devoted to its impact on children and young people.
• Defence – Britain may already be at war with Russia, according to a former head of MI5. Eliza Manningham-Buller pointed to the extent of cyber-attacks and other hostile activity orchestrated by Moscow, saying that the situation had changed “since the invasion of Ukraine”.
• UK news – Andrew Tate will face no criminal charges over allegations made by four women who are suing him in a civil case at the high court in London. The women accuse the self-proclaimed misogynist influencer of sexual violence.
• Transnet going from zero to hero: Transnet has begun to recover from years of decline, with rail volumes and port efficiency improving under a formal Recovery Plan, while ongoing reforms are set to increase private participation.
• South Africa gets a lifeline from Trump: The Trump administration supports a one-year extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, according to a White House official, offering a boost to the decades-old trade pact set to expire at the end of the month.
• Andre de Ruyter under siege: Former Eskom CEO Jacob Maroga dismissed Andre de Ruyter’s claims about the private sector’s role in ending load-shedding as “engineering gibberish”.
• South Africa on the edge of another disaster: The looming expiry of AGOA, combined with Trump’s 30% ‘reciprocal’ tariffs, threatens to sharply raise costs for South African exporters, strain key industries, and tip the fragile local economy into recession.
• Get live matric exam support via WhatsApp and Mzansi Wethu: Matriculants can receive daily live exam revision from 29 September 2025.
• 280m turbines, 600km of roads, and more battery power than Medupi and Kusile combined — South Africa’s first 1GW wind farm: Hive Hydrogen’s Carissa Wind Energy Facility’s road network will also cover up to 600km.
• Over R2 billion looted from one public hospital in South Africa: From luxury cars to mansions, an ongoing investigation by the SIU has shown that at least R2 billion has been siphoned from the Tembisa Hospital to fund corrupt luxury lifestyles.
• The man who went from a petrol attendant to running South Africa’s best city: Lungelo Mbandazayo is responsible for the administrative running of Cape Town, which has been repeatedly named the best city in the world.
• Nasty surprise for anyone moving to South Africa: Experts warned that the National Treasury’s proposed removal of the foreign pension tax exemption would drive retirees and returning South Africans away and create unplanned tax burdens.
• South African drinks company gets R260 million to take on the United States: Pura Beverage Company has secured a R260 million investment to expand its international footprint and accelerate growth, positioning itself as a disruptive player in the R25 trillion global beverage market.
• Prominent JSE-listed company may be nationalised: South Africa’s top development finance institution is working with financial advisers on a possible bid of about R8.5 billion for control of ArcelorMittal SA’s business in the country.
• Congress must pass a federal funding bill by midnight tonight to avert the shutdown of all nonessential government operations. President Donald Trump met with congressional leaders yesterday in a last-minute bid to break an impasse on a short-term spending measure, but disagreements remain.
• President Donald Trump announces a 100% tariff on films produced outside the US.
• “The Simpsons” theatrical film set for 2027 release.
• High-resolution images and biochemical experiments show for the first time how polymyxin antibiotics infiltrate E. coli cells to treat deadly bacterial infections; finding reveals why antibiotics are ineffective against dormant E. coli (More, w/photos)
• Geochemists unearth over 541-million-year-old chemical fossils suggesting ancestors of modern-day sea sponges were among the first animals on Earth.
• Plate tectonics: This morning’s Science & Technology newsletter unpacks the slowly shifting puzzle pieces that make up Earth’s outer shell. Email comes out at 8:30 am ET—click here to receive!
• US stock markets close up (S&P 500 +0.3%, Dow +0.2%, Nasdaq +0.5%). | YouTube to pay $24.5M to settle President Donald Trump’s lawsuit over his account suspension following the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the US Capitol.
• Charlie Javice sentenced to seven years in prison for defrauding JPMorgan Chase, which bought her financial aid startup, Frank, for $175M in 2021 after she inflated user numbers by millions.
• German airline Lufthansa to cut 4,000 jobs—nearly 4% of workforce—by 2030 amid declining profits; cites plans to automate administrative work with AI.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu endorses President Donald Trump’s 20-point postwar Gaza plan, requiring Hamas to surrender, and for Israel to eventually cede control of Gaza to the Palestinian Authority under certain conditions.
• Taliban severs fiber optic connections across Afghanistan in its first nationwide internet shutdown amid morality crackdown.
• Supreme Court considers whether to take up an appeal by convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, former partner of Jeffrey Epstein; the high court’s next term begins Oct. 6.
• FBI Reveals Grim Shooting Update: Investigators are trying to “get to the bottom of why he would commit such an act of evil,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
• Trump, Congressional Leaders Fail to Reach Deal to Avoid Shutdown.
• From what has been revealed in the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) interim report released on 29 September 2025, staff and management at both the Tembisa Hospital and Gauteng Department of Health were not in the business of running a hospital. They were in the business of running syndicates, racketeering, money laundering and stealing vast amounts of funds that were meant for service delivery.
• Fetterman Says He Won’t Switch Parties, Calls Himself an Independent Voice.
• Trump, Netanyahu Agree on Gaza Peace Plan—Key Details and Next Steps.
• According to the United Nations World Food Programme, 466 million children now receive meals in school, 80 million more than in 2020. Governments are leading the charge, doubling investment to $84 billion and reaching more kids than ever, especially across Africa.
• A new travel trend is taking off: skillcations. Instead of just relaxing, more travellers – especially Millennials and Gen Z – are building holidays around learning something new, from cooking in Italy to diving in Fiji. Around 86% now choose immersive experiences, with 80% saying these activities matter more than they did five years ago.
• E-bikes in cities: They are booming in cities from London to New York, offering a fast, flexible and eco-friendly alternative to cars and public transport. Paris and New York now have some of the largest fleets, while London’s services from Lime and Forest continue to expand. But with growth has come controversy: dockless bikes often block pavements, sparking safety complaints.
• September marks PCOS awareness month, shining a light on a condition that affects around one in eight women of reproductive age. Often misunderstood and hard to diagnose, it can impact fertility, metabolism and mental health.
• A new survey conducted by cycle-tracking app Clue has found 70% of British women worry about reproductive health misinformation online, but less than half actually fact-check what they read.
• Rekindling relationships: The Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham has called for the UK to rejoin the European Union at the Labour conference.
• Channelling Monica: New research has found that being organised and helpful may not just make you a better person, it could also help you live longer.
• Copenhagen has begun rewarding travellers for eco-conscious activities, modelling what regenerative tourism could look like.
• urging sabbaticals: A recent report by LiveCareerUK has revealed that 24% of job seekers in 2025 have had a career break of a year or more.
• President Donald Trump and his Democratic opponents appeared to make little progress at a White House meeting aimed at heading off a government shutdown that could disrupt a wide range of services as soon as Wednesday. Here’s where each side stands.
• Not many people in Washington are feeling positive that a government shutdown can be averted. Meanwhile, the US government faces a brain drain as 154,000 federal workers exit this week.
• Trump will preside over an extraordinary gathering of America’s top generals and admirals from around the world, who were summoned to a Marine base in Virginia without explanation last week. This as Illinois governor reveals the Trump administration wants US troops sent to the state.
• Nevada’s top federal prosecutor has asked the FBI to investigate debunked Republican claims about voter fraud in the 2020 election, a probe she hopes will influence congressional races and ensnare Democrats, according to a government document seen by Reuters.
• Trump secured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s backing for a US-sponsored peace proposal to end a nearly two-year-old war in Gaza, but questions loomed over whether Hamas would accept the plan.
• British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will call on his Labour Party to unite, saying it was engaged in a “fight for the soul of our country” that would be long, difficult and not always comfortable.
• Indonesian rescuers are racing to find 38 people feared trapped beneath the rubble of an Islamic boarding school that collapsed in East Java during afternoon prayers, killing three, according to disaster officials.
• Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina said he was dissolving the government following youth-led protests over water and power cuts in which the United Nations says at least 22 people have been killed and more than 100 injured.
• Wall Street is set to close one of its calmest quarters in nearly six years, and the lull after a volatile start to 2025 has many market participants increasingly alert for renewed market gyrations.
• Gold prices hit a fresh high and were poised to log their best month in nearly 16 years, as fears of a potential US government shutdown and growing expectations of further Federal Reserve rate cuts boosted demand for the metal. For more, watch our daily market rundown.
• Four NATO and European Union countries bordering Russia plan to build concrete bunkers and anti-drone nets at vital energy facilities under a plan to protect their power grids following Russian drone incursions.
• Two auto sector bankruptcies have rattled parts of the US credit market, raising concerns about a deterioration in the financial health of low-income households and migrant communities.
• Alphabet-owned YouTube has agreed to pay $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit that Trump brought against the company over the suspension of his account following the January 2021 US Capitol riots, a court filing showed.
• Trump said he was slapping 10% tariffs on imported timber and lumber and 25% duties on kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities and upholstered furniture, continuing his tariff assault on global trading partners.
• The White House is negotiating with trading partners while US-China commerce seizes up. In this episode of The Big View podcast, Professor Simon Evenett of IMD Business School explains how the tense discussions might play out, and where they will leave the global trade system.
•  Trump visa curbs push US firms to consider shifting more work to India: Donald Trump’s H-1B visa crackdown will hasten US firms’ shift of critical work to India, turbocharging the growth of global capability centres that handle operations from finance to research and development, economists and industry insiders say.
• Illinois Governor Says DHS Seeking to Deploy 100 Troops to State.
• Day 9 of the Madlanga commission of inquiry into high-level accusations that KwaZulu-Natal police boss Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi made in July 2025.
• A wildfire on the Twelve Apostles in Camps Bay scorched 25 hectares and has been contained, but several trails remain closed while authorities investigate the cause and monitor it for flare-ups.
• A childcare NGO has raised the alarm over a rise in baby abandonments in Cape Town, urging struggling mothers to seek alternatives like adoption services or safe hospital placements instead.
• The Kremlin has expressed hope for Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan. Trump secured Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s backing for a US-brokered peace proposal to end a nearly two-year-old war in Gaza.
• South Korea and Japan have reached an agreement to work together to address global trade turmoil while reaffirming their commitment to denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula, according to a South Korean presidential spokesperson.
• SASSA is making big changes to how people apply for grants in South Africa. They’re going digital and making the process more modern.
• Global icon, Bryan Adams is heading to South Africa in 2026! With a career spanning four decades, countless chart-topping hits, and a reputation as one of the world’s most electrifying live performers, he’s set to light up stages across South Africa with his signature anthems and unmatched stage presence.
• A new book about Deputy President Paul Mashatile by bestselling author Pieter du Toit sheds light on the dark underworld linked to one powerful politician.
• RISE Mzansi leader Songezo Zibi said that the DA’s Helen Zille Johannesburg Mayoral candidacy is evidence that the quality of politicians in Johannesburg has severely declined.
• Convening CEOs, changemakers and industry innovators, CNN’s inaugural Global Perspectives event, on 3 November, is a new forum that will cover the big ideas, bold leadership, and dynamic economies at the frontlines of global transformation.
• RS South Africa, a trading brand of RS Group plc (LSE: RS1), a global provider of product and service solutions is set to challenge traditional thinking in the mining sector at this year’s MTE Lephalale, taking place on 16 October 2025 in Limpopo.
• On 4 October, South Africans will join the global community in celebrating World Animal Day, a time to pause and reflect on the animals who share our lives, our land and our homes. This year’s theme “Save Animals, Save the Planet!”, reminds us that animals are not just part of our environment, but part of our communities and caring for them is our shared responsibility.
• According to feedback from three major fibre providers, South African households are sticking it out with the slowest possible speed available to them.
• A prominent energy expert believes that there is little to no room for gas-powered electricity generation in South Africa in the future due to the high cost of importing the resource.
• The EPR Waste Association of South Africa says recent claims by a software company that electronics producers are paying double for their waste disposal compliance than they should are misleading.
• Electricity and energy minister expects that South Africa will face blockades and protests as it moves to cut off illegal connections.
• Israel faced growing isolation as speaker after speaker condemned its ongoing war on Gaza, and delegates from multiple countries staged walkouts when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the stage.
• A typhoon that ripped roofs from homes has killed dozens of people across Vietnam and the Philippines, officials from both countries said, as a weakened Storm Bualoi crossed into neighbouring Laos.
• he offices of Nigeria’s oil regulator and state oil company were shuttered by a nationwide strike launched by the national oil workers’ union after Dangote refinery dismissed more than 800 of its members.
• Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza has been accepted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while Hamas is yet to issue an official response.
• US President Donald Trump said his plan for ending the war in Gaza was potentially one of the greatest days in the history of civilisation, and one that could bring “eternal peace in the Middle East”.
• The UN says at least 22 people were killed and over 100 injured during the protests, but Madagascar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the casualty figures.
• The president of the African island nation of Madagascar dissolved his government on Monday in response to days of fiery youth-led protests that the United Nations says have claimed nearly two dozen lives and injured dozens more.
• Hurricane Humberto’s swells will probably cause “life-threatening surf and rip current conditions,” the National Hurricane Center warned.
• Imelda is the ninth named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season and is expected to strengthen into a hurricane on Tuesday.
• In its push to hold captured territory in Ukraine, Russia has turned to countries like North Korea for added manpower. Now, it appears additional support is also coming from Cuban mercenaries.
• Remgro CEO Jannie Durand says that slow economic growth and high unemployment are likely to persist unless South Africa adopts pro-growth policies.
• The rand’s recent strength against the US dollar has more to do with the developments in the US than any improvements in South Africa.
• State-owned development finance institution, the IDC, is reportedly working with financial advisers on a possible bid for control of ArcelorMittal SA’s business in the country.
• South African Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana questioned the affordability of providing free public healthcare to all.
• Business liquidations in South Africa crossed a bleak milestone in August, with over 1,000 companies shutting down in 2025 so far.
• President Cyril Ramaphosa has established an inquiry into the fitness of Advocate Andrew Chauke to continue serving as Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
• President Cyril Ramaphosa says engagements in the United States show that South African and US businesses remain deeply connected and committed to mutually beneficial partnerships well into the future.
• Eskom says the current improvement in unplanned outages at generating units is a sign of the generation fleet’s increasing reliability.
• The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued severe storm warnings for various provinces, urging residents and motorists to exercise caution as unpredictable weather conditions unfold.
• The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which came into force on 1 January 2021 with 54 member states, is the world’s largest free trade area by number of countries. It aims to eliminate tariffs and other barriers to spur trade, industrialisation and value addition beyond raw materials. The agreement unites some 1.3 billion people with a combined GDP of about US$3.4 trillion.
• The Palestinian Authority joins regional leaders in welcoming US president’s 20-point peace plan to end war in Gaza.
• US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan guarantees a “long-term occupation by foreign troops,” says Phyllis Bennis.
• Calls for Israel to be banned from the World Cup and Eurovision are growing due to the genocide in Gaza.
• At least 65 students are presumed buried under the rubble of an Islamic school building that collapsed in Indonesia.
• Rescuers ran oxygen and water to students trapped in the unstable concrete rubble of a collapsed school building in Indonesia, as they desperately worked to free survivors.
• China has reported its factory activity shrank for a sixth straight month in September, the longest slump since 2019.
• Nathan Law, a self-exiled Hong Kong pro-democracy activist, says he was denied entry to Singapore over suspected political reasons.
• The foreign ministers of North Korea and China have agreed to deepen bilateral ties and resist hegemonism, a likely reference to pushing back against the United States.
• An internet advocacy group says connectivity in Afghanistan has “collapsed” with a near-total nationwide telecoms disruption in effect.
• Hegseth Lays Out Culture, Policy Reforms in Address to Military Leaders: QUANTICO—Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Sept. 30 addressed a gathering of generals, admirals, and senior enlisted troops at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia.
• World Leaders Welcome Trump’s Gaza Peace Plan: World leaders have welcomed the U.S plan to end the Gaza conflict, unveiled by U.S. President Donald Trump on Sept. 29 and backed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
• McDonald’s Monopoly Is Coming Back: For the first time in nearly a decade, the popular Monopoly game will return to McDonald’s. On Sept. 29, the international quick-serve restaurant chain announced it is reviving its peel-and-reveal.
• $7,500 Electric Vehicle Tax Credit Ends Sept. 30: The $7,500 electric vehicle (EV) federal tax credit is set to end on Sept. 30, a move that is likely to dampen sales of these vehicles in the United States.
• Exxon Mobil is trimming fat, axing 2,000 jobs worldwide — about 4% of staff — but sparing US workers. Half the pain lands in Canada via Imperial Oil. Call it a global “energy transition” of the payroll variety.
• Bangladesh, the world’s fashion factory, now wants to cash in on fashion’s dirtiest secret: textile waste. Digital trackers cut out “muscle men,” boost recycling, and could turn rags into a R86-billion ($5-billion) export bonanza.
• Australia’s housing market is flexing again — prices jumped 0.8% in September to a record median value of R9.7-million (A$857,280), the fastest rise in a year. Rate cuts and scarce listings stoked the surge, with Brisbane and Perth stealing the show while Melbourne shuffled behind.
• OPEC+ is to discuss fast-tracking its latest round of supply hikes in three monthly instalments of about 500,000 barrels a day as it seeks to recoup market share, we’re told. No decision has been taken and a hike of about 500,000 barrels a day is just one option on the table. Delegates have said that Riyadh is seeking to reclaim the share of global markets it has ceded in recent years to rivals like US shale drillers.
• South Africa and Nigeria are poised to exit a global financial watchdog’s “gray list” as soon as next month, marking a change in fortune for two of the continent’s biggest economies. The two nations were put under heightened scrutiny by the Financial Action Task Force in 2023 for shortcomings in tackling illicit financial flows. Assessors from the Paris-based FATF conducted on-site visits in recent weeks and subsequent feedback on the action plans for those countries — as well as for Burkina Faso and Mozambique — noted significant progress, we’ve learned.
• Prime Minister Keir Starmer made an appeal to working-class Britons to stick with his Labour government against the temptations posed by critics to right and left, in a speech aimed at reviving his flagging premiership. Starmer cast himself as the only political leader on the side of “working people,” questioning the patriotism of Reform UK’s Nigel Farage, the right-wing populist topping UK opinion polls.
• Poland’s government approved a plan to increase corporate income taxes on lenders to shore up its budget, rebuffing concerns about the levy’s impact on the availability of credit and banking costs. Poland’s public debt is set to breach a threshold in 2028 that would trigger austerity measures, complicating government efforts to ramp up defense spending without unpopular cuts in welfare.
• A rush of bond sales in Middle East and North Africa picked up speed, with Kuwait and Egypt taking advantage of investor appetite for higher dollar yields before US interest rates fall. Kuwait is tapping the international bond market for the first time in eight years. Egypt, whose high interest rates make it popular with many investors, is seeking to diversify its financing sources. The two nations received a combined $37 billion of demand for the bond sales, we’re told.
• London has slipped out of the world’s top 20 initial public offering markets as the third quarter ends, overtaken by Mexico and Singapore in a fresh blow to its standing as a global finance hub. The UK exchange dropped three places to 23rd in a Bloomberg ranking of the world’s busiest IPO destinations after volume this year dropped 69% to $248 million, the weakest in more than 35 years.
• August 2025 has continued the strong momentum in the South African automotive industry, with both new and used car sales delivering standout performances. Robust month-on-month (MoM) and year-on-year (YoY) increases across the board underscore sustained buyer confidence, indicating a healthy and growing automotive market.
• A drug trafficking cartel known as the Big Five, with international links, has penetrated South Africa’s political sphere and is also involved in tender fraud, extortion, kidnappings and contract killings.

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