Trump drops Hormuz cargo fee as US intensifies blockade of Iranian ports

Donald Trump, US President has abandoned plans to impose a 20 percent charge on cargo passing through the Strait of Hormuz, opting instead to pursue what he described as “massive” trade and investment agreements with Gulf states as Washington escalates military pressure on Iran.

 

The policy reversal came hours before the United States resumed its blockade of Iranian ports, with US Central Command (CENTCOM) launching another wave of strikes targeting facilities it said were being used to threaten commercial shipping in the strategic waterway.

 

The renewed military campaign follows days of exchanges between US and Iranian forces that have sharply reduced tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and driven oil prices higher. Iranian state media reported explosions in several cities, including Bushehr, home to one of the country’s nuclear power plants.

 

Tehran said it had struck US military facilities in Bahrain and Jordan after earlier targeting two United Arab Emirates tankers, accusing Washington of interfering in the management of the vital shipping route.

 

Six killed after fire traps workers in Brussels construction lift

Six people have died after a fire broke out at a high-rise construction site in central Brussels, with firefighters recovering the victims from a lift trapped inside a smoke-filled shaft.

The blaze erupted on Tuesday morning at the Oxy Tower development, a mixed-use project located near the Belgian capital’s Grand Place. Although firefighters quickly brought the fire under control, they later discovered it had spread into the building’s lift shafts.
Rescuers spent several hours opening one of the lifts, where all six victims were found.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire, while two other people remain in hospital with serious burns and one firefighter received treatment for heat exposure.

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever and King Philippe visited the scene as emergency services continued recovery operations.

 

Hungary parliament removes president in major constitutional shake-up

Hungary’s parliament has voted to remove President Tamás Sulyok from office, marking one of the most significant constitutional changes since Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s government took power earlier this year.

 

Lawmakers from the governing Tisza party used their two-thirds majority to approve a constitutional amendment ending the mandates of both Sulyok and Constitutional Court President Péter Polt.

Sulyok now has five days to either sign the amendment or refer it to the Constitutional Court. Prime Minister Magyar has warned that any attempt to block the measure would trigger impeachment proceedings.

Opposition lawmakers from former prime minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party boycotted the vote, accusing the government of granting itself sweeping powers to remove public officials.

Singapore court orders Bloomberg to pay ministers $356,000 in defamation case

A Singapore court has ordered Bloomberg News and one of its reporters to pay S$460,000 (about $356,000) in damages to two government ministers after ruling that a 2024 article defamed them.

The lawsuit was brought by Coordinating Minister for National Security K. Shanmugam and Manpower Minister Tan See Leng over an article discussing luxury property transactions in Singapore.

The court ruled that, taken as a whole, the report implied the ministers were linked to secrecy and money laundering despite containing no direct allegations of wrongdoing. Bloomberg said it respected the ruling but maintained its reporting served the public interest and accurately reflected the facts.

The court also ordered the removal of the article from Bloomberg’s website.

 

Buffett ends Gates Foundation donations after two decades

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett has ended his long-running donations to the Gates Foundation, bringing to a close a philanthropic partnership that has lasted nearly 20 years.

Instead, Buffett announced he would donate about $6 billion worth of Berkshire Hathaway shares to four charitable foundations managed by his children.

The move follows renewed scrutiny of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates over his past contacts with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Buffett did not cite the controversy as the reason for ending donations, but the Gates Foundation was absent from this year’s annual distribution for the first time since 2006.

The Gates Foundation has previously received more than $47 billion in Berkshire Hathaway stock from Buffett.

AFRICA

De Beers suspends production at South Africa’s biggest diamond mine

De Beers will halt production at its flagship Venetia mine in South Africa for two years as the global diamond industry grapples with weak demand and falling prices.

The company said the suspension is intended to reduce costs and improve infrastructure before operations resume when market conditions recover.

Venetia accounts for more than 40 percent of South Africa’s diamond output and employs over 4,000 workers. The decision comes as demand for natural diamonds weakens, particularly in China, while cheaper lab-grown stones continue to gain market share.

Parent company Anglo American is also pursuing a broader restructuring as it shifts focus towards copper, a metal expected to benefit from rising demand linked to artificial intelligence and the energy transition.

US restricts travel from DR Congo as Ebola outbreak expands

The United States has imposed temporary travel restrictions on American citizens in the Democratic Republic of Congo following the country’s worsening Ebola outbreak.

Under the new rules, US citizens in Congo will be barred from boarding commercial flights to the United States until they have spent at least 21 days in a third country. The measure was introduced under US transportation authorities aimed at preventing the spread of infectious diseases.
The outbreak has now spread to multiple provinces, with official figures showing 1,926 confirmed cases and 702 deaths.

Ghana’s artisanal gold output set to surpass record levels

Ghana expects artisanal and small-scale gold production to equal or exceed last year’s record output after the country’s Gold Board purchased between 50 and 54 metric tonnes during the first half of 2026.

Chief Executive Samuel Gyamfi said current production trends indicate the sector could outperform the record 104 tonnes produced in 2025, when artisanal mining overtook large-scale operations for the first time.
The expansion follows government reforms aimed at reducing gold smuggling, increasing foreign exchange earnings and strengthening oversight of the country’s most valuable export sector.

Kenya extends fuel tax relief to cushion consumers

Kenya has extended its reduced Value Added Tax on petroleum products for another three months as the government seeks to shield households and businesses from volatile global oil prices.

The VAT rate will remain at 8 percent, half the normal 16 percent, until mid-October. Authorities also announced a 945 million Kenyan shilling subsidy to help stabilise fuel prices during the current pricing cycle.
The extension comes amid renewed tensions in the Middle East, with Kenya relying heavily on fuel imports from the Gulf region.

Former Senegal president returns home amid UN campaign

Former Senegalese president Macky Sall will return to Dakar on Friday for his first public visit since leaving office, as he continues lobbying support for his bid to become the next United Nations secretary-general.
Sall is expected to meet President Bassirou Diomaye Faye before departing the country later the same day.

His visit comes as Senegal continues to debate allegations that his administration understated public debt figures before leaving office, claims that Sall has consistently denied. The former leader said the trip forms part of consultations linked to his international campaign.