World News – 9 October 2025

• In case you’re in the market, Barnes & Noble founder Len Riggio’s 720 Park Ave. co-op is for sale, with an asking price of $17 million. Riggio, the son of a cabdriver who was born in Brooklyn but spent most of his adult life in the Peter Marino-designed apartment on Park Avenue, died last year.
• This morning, James Comey pleaded not guilty “to federal charges demanded by President Donald Trump as part of his crusade for retribution,” report Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein of Politico. The judge has set a trial date for Jan. 5, “but Comey is expected to try to kill the case before it starts, including by disqualifying Lindsey Halligan,” Cheney says.
• New reporting by Brittny Mejia and Rachel Uranga of the Los Angeles Times reveals federal agents held and shackled a seriously injured man to a hospital bed for 37 days without telling him why.
• European Union officials met today to discuss new US demands for concessions that could potentially undercut the recent trade agreement between the two sides.
• Outgoing French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has expressed optimism on solving the country’s political crisis. Lecornu said he believes an agreement can be reached to allow the formation of a new government without fully endorsing a new proposal to rethink a controversial pension law that was demanded by the Socialists. President Emmanuel Macron asked Lecornu to have one last attempt to bring together opposing parties to give France “stability” as a budget is urgently needed to curb a growing debt burden and reassure investors.
• Saudi Arabia is in talks to raise as much as $10 billion in a rare loan deal. It is part of the kingdom’s efforts to line up financing for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s diversification plan. The finance ministry is understood to be speaking with banks including large Wall Street lenders for the loan. Saudi Arabia has so far primarily focused on raising funds through bond sales.
• Germany will see a small expansion of 0.2% this year before growth strengthens to 1.3% in 2026, according to revised government projections. Next year’s expansion is supported by tens of billions of euros in fiscal stimulus. The latest twice-yearly forecasts published today are slightly more optimistic than April’s projections by the previous government. The ruling coalition is trying to restore meaningful growth to Europe’s biggest economy after several years of stagnation.
• A slew of approvals by China for imports of agricultural imports from African countries highlights the opportunities Trump’s trade war is creating for African economies. In recent months, Beijing has approved imports of blueberries from Zimbabwe, Gambian groundnuts and cashews and Ethiopian soybean meal. These seemingly minor bureaucratic decisions highlight how African agriculture is rapidly becoming a proving ground for global investment. For China and other nations whose US trade has been disrupted, Africa offers a chance to diversify away from politically risky agricultural imports.
• Cautious positivity has been voiced by both Hamas and Israel as senior negotiations arrive in Egypt to join a third day of negotiations on Trump’s peace plan. Details on the exchange of hostages for prisoners and the withdrawal of Israeli troops are being discussed, said Taher Al-Nounou, a member of the Hamas delegation. Hamas has offered to free the last of the hostages it holds from the Oct. 7, 2023 raid on southern Israel, which triggered the war in Gaza, a conflict that’s devastated the Palestinian territory and destabilized much of the Middle East.
• The Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded to scientists from Japan, the UK and Jordan for creating molecular constructions with potential to help combat climate change. Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar M. Yaghi will share 11 million kronor ($1.2 million) for creating molecular constructions with large spaces through which gases and other chemicals can flow, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm said today. Applications for the so-called metal-organic frameworks include capturing carbon dioxide and harvesting water from desert air.
• Poland Unexpectedly Cuts Rates on Soft Inflation Outlook.
• Greenland Prime Minister Asks EU Help to Secure Digital Links, Block Threats.
• Switzerland Extends Short-Time Work Support Due to US Tariffs.
• EU to ‘Double Down’ on DEI policies, Equality Chief Says.
• Madagascar Leader Overhauls Security Team Amid Deadly Protests.
• Israel drafts hostage release plan as Trump suggests possible deal by this weekend.
• Wisconsin’s DOJ seeks stay after judge orders U.S. citizenship verification for voter registrations.
• Senate Vote to end govt shutdown fails for 6th time as shutdown enters second week
• Accused Palisades Fire arsonist arrested in Florida.
• Patel shutters ‘corrupt’ FBI unit that previously spied on GOP senators, firing agents involved.
• Fmr FBI Director Comey pleads not guilty to charges stemming from 2020 congressional testimony.
• Newsom vetoes raises for state firefighters months after California’s most expensive inferno.
• Pres. Trump sends letter to families of Israeli hostages.
• Voters in the Seychelles return to the polls today for a run-off election between the sitting president and the former speaker of the National Assembly from the longtime governing party, which has already reclaimed a majority in parliament. Seychelles is Africa’s wealthiest country per capita.
• Donald Trump has deployed National Guard troops near Chicago this week despite objections from Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, who condemned the militarisation. Trump called for the jailing of the officials – although neither faces charges – as they oppose his immigration and troop policies.
• Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on X that the latest vessel in the Caribbean bombed by the US may have been Colombian with Colombian citizens aboard. But the White House called this a “baseless” statement.
• Israel and Hamas have both agreed on the first phase of Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza. It’s a ceasefire and hostage deal, which could open the way to ending a gruesome two-year-old war that has upended the Middle East.
• Netflix and Warner Music are reportedly striking the right note — teaming up to turn iconic songs and artists such as Bruno Mars and Ed Sheeran into binge-worthy movies and documentaries – because even music catalogues crave screen time.
• The world economy is tougher than it looks, says IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva – still growing near 3% despite Trump’s tariffs, gold mania and AI-fuelled jitters. But she warns: debt is ballooning, uncertainty is permanent and complacency is the real risk.
• Spain’s power grid is getting jittery again – steep voltage swings have grid operator REE and regulators on high alert after April’s historic blackout. Market regulator CNMC is rushing emergency fixes before another surge leaves half the Iberian Peninsula in the dark.
• Wesizwe Platinum (that’s the mining company behind Esizwe Platinum Limited) has shared some good news – its underground mine is moving faster than expected!
• FirstRand has spoken up about a new plan from the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The FCA wants to set up a redress scheme to deal with how car finance commissions were handled in the UK – basically, checking if customers were charged unfairly when they bought cars on credit.
• Kibo Energy – a company that focuses on clean and renewable energy – has just announced it is planning to buy Carbon Resilience, a company that builds huge green power projects such as wind farms, solar fields and battery storage in Queensland, Australia.
• Israel and Hamas have agreed to terms for the release of all hostages held by the Palestinian militant group in Gaza, a major breakthrough in the US- and Qatari-brokered negotiations to end their two-year war. Donald Trump, in a Fox News interview, said he expects the hostages to be released “probably” on Monday. Gold and oil edged lower.
• HSBC plans to take Hang Seng Bank private in a deal that values the lender at $37 billion. HSBC CEO Georges Elhedery said the transaction “delivers greater shareholder value than buybacks.” Elsewhere in banking, Goldman’s co-head of Spain and Portugal is leaving the company after he wrote scathing political articles about Trump and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
• Emmanuel Macron said he’ll name a new French prime minister by tomorrow, having for the time being avoided the need to call a snap election that would have deepened the political chaos. Outgoing Premier Sebastien Lecornu said sufficient progress had been made to allow work to begin on forming a new cabinet.
• The Black Swan author Nassim Taleb said investors should insure against a stock-market crash as structural issues such as the US debt burden threaten to derail an otherwise unstoppable rally. Check out our Markets Today live blog for all the latest news and analysis relevant to UK assets.
• Russian strikes in recent days have wiped out more than half of Ukraine’s domestic natural gas production, according to people familiar, likely forcing Kyiv to spend €1.9 billion on fuel imports to survive the looming winter. Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine is breaking Russia’s hold over its former empire.
• Tax Fears Make UK Estate Agents Gloomy for First Time Since 2023.
• Germany Risks €40 Billion Hit on Lower-Than-Usual Gas Stocks.
• First Brands Creditor Seeks Investigation of ‘Vanished’ Cash.
• Chip equipment maker ASML is planning a 100-hectare (247 acre) expansion to meet growth targets, and much is riding on the company’s success.
• AI companies are in an arms race to build the infrastructure needed for more powerful models that could one day power self-driving cars and empower robot doctors, and a lot of it
  needs ASML’s machines.
• Europe’s biggest company based on stock market value, ASML is a vital link in the AI food chain because it’s the only producer of the world’s most advanced lithography equipment.
• Bar Leone—an Italian-themed watering hole in Hong Kong—nabbed the top spot in the World’s 50 Best Bars. Last year’s winner, Handshake Speakeasy in Mexico City, dropped to No. 2. Barcelona’s Sips and Paradiso came in third and fourth, followed by London’s Tayer + Elementary.
• After more than two years of devastating war, a ceasefire has finally been announced in Gaza. US president Donald Trump said Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace plan to pause fighting and secure the release of hostages and prisoners. Under the deal, Hamas is expected to release 20 surviving hostages over the coming days in exchange for Palestinian detainees, while Israeli forces will begin withdrawing from most of Gaza.
• Gaza – Israel and Hamas have agreed to the “first phase” of a peace plan to pause fighting and release some hostages and prisoners held in Gaza, bringing the best hope yet of a definitive end to a bloody two-year conflict that has killed ten of thousands, destabilised much of the Middle East and prompted protests across the world.
• Health – Ministers are preparing to raise the amount the NHS pays pharmaceutical firms for medicines by up to 25% after weeks of intensive talks with the Donald Trump administration and drugmakers.
• Education – Universities in the UK reassured arms companies they would monitor students’ chat groups and social media accounts after firms raised concerns about campus protests, according to internal emails.
• AI – The Bank of England has warned there is a growing risk of a “sudden correction” in global markets as it raised concerns about soaring valuations of leading AI tech companies.
• Politics – The Conservatives will scrap stamp duty on sales of primary residences if they win the next election, Kemi Badenoch has said, in a policy-heavy speech designed to improve her standing as Tory leader and her party’s economic credibility with voters.
• BEE is broken in South Africa: South Africa’s BEE policies have come under renewed scrutiny for enriching a small, well-connected elite rather than broadening economic participation, prompting calls for a review of the policies.
• Home Affairs Minister’s message to people with green ID books in South Africa: Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber is committed to making it easier for South Africans to switch from the green ID book to the more secure smart ID, although no official date is set for when the books should be fully phased out.
• One thing the ANC has not broken in South Africa: South Africa has avoided a common pitfall for emerging markets by keeping its government borrowing mainly in rands thanks to its relatively sophisticated local financial markets.
• Why expropriation without compensation will fail in South Africa: Expropriation without compensation will fail to reduce inequality because land is no longer a key driver of South Africa’s services-based economy, with the policy potentially deterring investment and making the country poorer overall.
• Capitec is different: South Africa’s fastest-growing listed bank, Capitec, has set itself apart from the traditional Big Four in many more ways than simply offering low-fee bank accounts.
• The ANC created a crisis to enrich connected cadres: Prof Joseph Sekhampu from the North-West University (NWU) Business School argues that the South African state has evolved into one that rewards loyalty over competence and dependence over autonomy.
• Big turn for South Africa is on the table: Bank of America believes that South Africa is on the right track to escape junk status, with upgrades potentially beginning this year.
• Top mining CEO warns South Africa is missing out: South African mining veteran Duncan Wanblad on Wednesday lamented the country’s foregone investment in mining, as gold prices surged past $4,000 an ounce.
• Capitec under siege – but winning the war: Despite early doubts and intensifying competition, Capitec has become South Africa’s largest bank by clients, delivering strong growth, diversified income, and exceptional investor returns while sticking to its simple, affordable banking model.
• Important South African industry crumbling in front of everyone’s eyes: South Africa’s automotive industry is facing severe threats from tariffs, falling export demand, infrastructure challenges, and rising competition from cheaper Chinese and Indian imports.
• South Africa’s R1.8 trillion untapped goldmine: South African companies hold a record R1.8 trillion cash stockpile because prevailing economic uncertainty, low growth, and a lack of business confidence are discouraging them from investing this capital in the country.
• Federal authorities announced yesterday the arrest of a Florida man in connection with the Palisades Fire, which burned over 23,400 acres in Los Angeles over 24 days this January. Jonathan Rinderknecht, a 29-year-old former California resident, is charged with destruction of property by means of fire, a felony with a five- to 20-year prison sentence.
• Former FBI Director James Comey pleaded not guilty yesterday to criminal charges of lying to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding tied to testimony he gave more than five years ago. The 64-year-old’s trial is set for Jan. 5 and is expected to last two to three days.
• Miso Robotics is already delivering an AI-powered fry-cooking robot named Flippy that can cook perfectly 24/7. With the restaurant industry grappling with 144% employee turnover rates and rising minimum wages, it’s no surprise that major brands like White Castle are turning to Miso. Now, after selling out the initial run of its first fully commercial robot in one week, Miso is scaling production to 100,000+ U.S. fast food locations in need. That’s accelerated by a brand-new manufacturing partnership that joins established partners like NVIDIA, Amazon, and Uber AI.
• Scientists identify brain area linked to chronic pain, which affects one in five people worldwide; finding could lead to interventions that mute pain signals.
• SoftBank strikes $5.4B deal to buy robotics arm of Swiss engineering firm ABB; Japanese tech conglomerate seeks to merge artificial intelligence and robots.
• US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 +0.6%, Dow -0.0%, Nasdaq +1.1%), Nasdaq and S&P 500 close at record highs after Federal Reserve meeting minutes from September show officials see at least two more rate cuts this year.
• Elon Musk agrees to settle $128M lawsuit over unpaid severance with four former Twitter executives, who were fired after Musk took over the company in 2022.
• Johnson & Johnson ordered to pay $966M in talc-based baby powder cancer case after jury finds company liable.
• Internal Revenue Service furloughs over 34,000 employees—nearly half its staff—amid government shutdown; workers guaranteed back pay, despite President Donald Trump’s earlier objections to the policy.
• Supreme Court appears poised to revive Republican challenge to Illinois law accepting late-arriving mailed ballots; Illinois is among 18 states and the District of Columbia that accept ballots postmarked on or before Election Day.
• Myanmar military strike kills at least 24 people and wounds nearly 50 during Buddhist candlelight vigil opposing military rule, per government-in-exile.
• Between 2022 and 2023, almost 170 rare editions of Russian classics disappeared from libraries across Europe in what investigators now suspect was a meticulously organized network.
• Scientists are investigating why a man who carries a high-risk Alzheimer’s gene mutation has avoided dementia for decades, in hopes of finding clues to prevent the disease in others.
• In Somerset, conservationists are resurrecting folklore. The Somerset Eel Recovery Project uses songs, river blessings and straw ropes to reconnect people to the European eel and the land. The aim is to bring back awareness for a creature once woven into local myth – and ensure that the eel’s tale isn’t lost to time.
• Antarctica’s ozone hole shrank more in 2024 than it has in years, in a hopeful sign that global cooperation is paying off.
• Very-precious metal: The price of gold has risen above $4,000 (£2,980) per ounce for the first time, with no let up in sight.
• Sausage certification: The European Parliament has decided that names such as hamburger and sausage can only be used for meat products and not for plant-based foods.
• Trailblazing test: Scientists say they have developed the world’s first blood test to diagnose chronic fatigue syndrome.
• Dizzying heights: A “jewel-like” skyscraper has been approved for construction in London’s Square Mile.
• Israelis and Palestinians rejoiced after a ceasefire and hostage deal was announced under the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s initiative to end the war in Gaza.
• Americans blame both Republicans and Democrats for the ongoing government shutdown and are worried services could falter as a third of the federal workforce sits on unpaid leave.
• 2025 has already been a bad year for the US travel industry. The federal government shutdown is making it worse. Travelers are starting to cancel trips and avoid airports until lawmakers find a way to reopen the government.
• French President Emmanuel Macron is searching for his sixth prime minister in under two years, as outgoing Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu plans a wealth tax to try and win the Socialist opposition’s backing for his budget.
• A man was arrested in Florida on charges of intentionally igniting what would become California’s devastating Palisades Fire, which killed 12 people and wiped out a wealthy enclave of Los Angeles at the start of the year.
• Pope Leo urged the world’s Catholics to help immigrants in his first major document, which invoked one of the late Pope Francis’ strongest criticisms of Trump’s anti-immigration policies.
• Cameroonian President Paul Biya is running for an eighth term that could keep him in office until he is nearly 100, seeking to overcome frustration with his decades-long rule and a spirited challenge from a former government mouthpiece.
• New Zealand’s parliament was suspended for a short period when people in the public gallery broke into a haka, a traditional Maori dance, after the newest member of parliament for the Maori party finished her maiden speech.
• Ferrari has unveiled the technology which will power its hotly-anticipated first electric car, the Elettrica, as the 78-year-old luxury Italian sportscar maker looks to add battery power to its hybrid and petrol-engine models.
• When Tesla directors offered Elon Musk the biggest executive pay package in corporate history, it reassured investors that he would have to achieve the equivalent of “Mars-shot milestones” to earn $878 billion in Tesla stock over 10 years. Yet Musk could reap tens of billions of dollars without meeting most of those targets.
• From railways and automobiles to metals, coal, diamonds and cement, some of Russia’s biggest industrial companies are putting employees on furlough or cutting staff as the war economy slows, domestic demand stalls and exports dry up.
• China tightened its rare earth export controls, expanding restrictions on processing technology and spelling out its intention to limit exports to overseas defence and semiconductor users.
• Novo Nordisk has agreed to buy Akero Therapeutics for up to $5.2 billion, giving the Danish drugmaker access to the US-based company’s experimental liver disease drug.
• Saudi Arabia’s sovereign fund and private equity firm Silver Lake are pouring vast resources into their $55 billion acquisition of the ‘FC’ videogame developer.
• President Donald Trump’s threatened crackdown on the finances and activities of liberal non-profits and groups opposed to his agenda is a multi-agency effort with top White House aide Stephen Miller playing a central role, according to officials.
• Country singer Dolly Parton sought to reassure fans about her health after comments by her sister stoked concern that the Grammy winner was near death. “I ain’t dead yet,” Parton said in the caption to an Instagram video.
• The violent unrest and intimidation of staff and students at the University of Fort Hare (UFH) has led to the immediate shutdown of all operations. This follows the large-scale destruction of university infrastructure in direct defiance of a Bhisho High Court interdict issued on 7 October 2025.
• Julius Malema under siege: Convicted on firearm charges, implicated in serious corruption allegations in a new book, and facing sharp criticism in the United States, EFF leader Julius Malema’s challenges are piling up.
• South African university suspends operations amid violent protests: The University of Fort Hare has suspended all operations after multiple buildings, including lecture halls, a library, and administrative centre, were set alight.
• The average Eskom employee’s pay package is now over R1 million per year: Eskom’s biggest union wants another increase up to 15% in 2026.
• Top private school in South Africa’s richest square-mile with 4.27 distinctions per matric: Results from this private school, located in the richest square mile in Africa, suggest that it may be worth its expensive school fees.
• Major CEO sends a warning to South Africa: Italtile CEO Lance Foxcroft warned that South Africa is one of the world’s least manufacturing-friendly economies due to onerous regulation, infrastructure deterioration, energy uncertainty, and rising costs.
• Starlink’s R2-billion BEE plan for South Africa: Starlink has pledged to invest nearly R2 billion in local infrastructure in its bid to secure a South African operating licence.
• South Africa’s biggest cities are in a death spiral – except for one: South Africa’s main municipalities are in a “death spiral,” spending way too much money on administrative staff and too little on maintaining and building infrastructure, a deputy finance minister warned.
• The state-owned company in South Africa that’s seen a 670% improvement in 5 years: PRASA has seen its trip numbers rise significantly, almost doubling over the last financial year alone.
• Home Affairs Minister’s message to people with green ID books in South Africa: Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber is committed to making it easier for South Africans to switch from the green ID book to the more secure smart ID, although no official date is set for when the books should be fully phased out.
• New legal battle to stop BEE laws for international airlines: A non-profit company has launched a court case to challenge South Africa’s imposition of BEE requirements for international air services.
• The Sinister Reason Trump Is Itching to Invoke the Insurrection Act: An authoritarian’s dream, the Insurrection Act is ripe for abuse — and Trump’s Cabinet is already setting up his justification to use it.
• Prominent Palestinian Protester in Brussels Dies in Custody: The death followed months in immigration detention — and human rights groups’ condemnation of Belgium’s crackdown on protests.
• Trump’s Plan to Deprive Palestinians Any Say in Their Future: This is not the time for supporters of Palestinian self-determination to be quiet. It’s the moment for us to demand more.
• Jon Chait Thinks Kamala Harris Went Too Far Left. He’s Just Falling for Trump’s Demagoguery: A year ago, Chait said centrists were winning. When Harris lost, though, he blamed the left’s trans rights agenda.
• Black People Knew This Would Happen: Generational experience has taught us what happens when the state builds a weapon for someone else: Sooner or later, it finds a way back to us.
• Mothers in Gaza Give Life to the Next Generation of Palestinians Despite Genocide: As the Israeli government enters the third year of ethnic cleansing in Gaza, mothers keep bringing new Palestinians into the world.
• Fetterman Is Sole Democrat to Vote Against Blocking Caribbean Drug Boat Attacks: It was the first time members of Congress were put on record about whether they supported or opposed the president’s war in the Caribbean.
• Police officers apparently want to arrest suspended Deputy National Commissioner of Crime Detection Shadrack Sibiya, his lawyer confirmed on Thursday. The national police however could not confirm this. This occurred as South Africa’s police boss, Fannie Masemola, told Parliament that there was no policing crisis in the country.
• Gaza and Israel have erupted in celebration after a ceasefire and hostage deal was announced under phase one of US President Donald Trump’s initiative to end the bloodshed.
• Speaking of Trump, his aggressive deployment of US troops in several cities is being legally challenged, with key hearings in Illinois and California that could stop the whole thing.
• The Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded to Hungarian writer László Krasznahorkai.
• Stellantis N.V. today announces that Francesco Ciancia will rejoin the Company on November 1 as Global Head of Manufacturing and a member of the Stellantis Leadership Team (SLT).
• Lesotho’s textile and garment industry workers are gearing up for a mass protest later this month to defend thousands of jobs threatened by uncertainty over the renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and the 15% tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump.
• Former President Kgalema Motlanthe and Minister Parks Tau, say that B-BBEE policies are faltering because they endorse empowerment as gaining a seat at someone else’s boardroom table.
• Prof Joseph Sekhampu from the North-West University (NWU) Business School argues that the South African state has evolved into one that rewards loyalty over competence and dependence over autonomy.

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