White House reverses Trump’s media ban after court order
Hours after a federal judge ruled President Donald Trump’s ban on three news outlets – CNN, Politico and MS NOW – was probably unconstitutional and ordered their access immediately restored, they were back in the White House. The three media companies had sought an emergency court hearing to regain entry to the centre of American political life. They accused the White House in a court filing of having “repeatedly violated” the judge’s ruling by turning away their journalists.The hearing was called off after access was restored. Trump initially said he barred the outlets because of “fake news”. The White House later cited national security. But in his overnight ruling, Judge Timothy Kelly cast doubt on the claim about national security concerns. The chaotic standoff limited some TV coverage as Trump welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to the White House ahead of a state dinner later.
Mexican narcocartels move into South Africa
South African police believe Mexican chemists arrested at a methamphetamine laboratory near Swartruggens were working for the Sinaloa cartel to supply narcotics to foreign markets, such as Australia and New Zealand. The laboratory, raided in May, could reportedly produce five tonnes of crystal methamphetamine a month, worth about $1 billion wholesale in Australia. Police have arrested 16 Mexican citizens in raids on South African laboratories since 2024. Investigators say isolated farms near major transport routes are being used to manufacture the drug, with precursor chemicals imported from China and India. Police have also uncovered suspected cartel-linked laboratories and chemical storage facilities in Musina, Klipvoor, Midrand and elsewhere.
OpenAI hacks government system
The Australian government says an OpenAI agent breached a healthcare database while researching healthcare spending, accessing public and non-public files and writing files into the system. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed that no patient records were accessed, with the exposed information limited to aggregate health statistics and internal file names. He said this was the first case of an AI agent hacking a government system. A forensic investigation is underway, with three other government systems potentially affected. OpenAI said the incident occurred in June but was discovered during an August review and reported to Australian authorities on September 10. Separately, research lab Transluce identified earlier unsuccessful attempts by AI agents to bypass security controls at several institutions, raising concerns about AI oversight.
Foreigners are disrespecting South Africa, says Limpopo premier
Limpopo premier Phophi Ramathuba has accused government officials of allowing foreign nationals to exploit weaknesses in South Africa’s governance systems. Speaking in Polokwane, she referred to the case of businessman Lawrence Mudzinganyama, who was arrested after allegedly threatening women at a Sandton restaurant. Ramathuba also questioned how Mudzinganyama’s companies secured government contracts, including projects for Sanral, while investigations into their appointments and construction industry gradings were under way. She said officials, including corrupt police officers, must take responsibility for allowing criminals to enter and operate in the country.
NAZA film about civilian deaths in Gaza will be free online in November
After its global theatrical release in some 50 countries, the documentary, NAZA, covering Israel’s killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza will stream free online in November, according to the Israeli directors of the documentary, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor. Reportedly, a standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival led to the subsequent Israeli backlash against the film, with the filmmakers being accused of treasonous behaviour by the Netanyahu administration.
Sources: AFP/News24, BBC, CNN, TimesLIVE, Haaretz