Donald Trump says South Korea trade deal is finalised

President Donald Trump says he reached a trade deal with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.

“We made our deal, pretty much finalized it,” Trump said Wednesday. A South Korean official also confirmed that both nations agreed on the details of a trade deal.

On his way to South Korea, Trump admitted that he’s “sad” about not being able to run for an unconstitutional third term, days after saying he “would love” to run again.

House Speaker Mike Johnson poured cold water on the idea, saying he doesn’t “see a path” for another run for the White House for Trump.

The U.S. president is also scheduled to sit down with China’s President Xi Jinping on Thursday.

The talks could thaw tensions between the U.S. and China, which were inflamed after Trump imposed massive tariffs earlier this year.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for President Xi and I think we’re going to come away with a deal,” Trump said earlier this week. He also signaled a TikTok deal could be finalized Thursday.

At 2 p.m. the Federal Reserve is expected to cut its benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point, less than Trump has been demanding in recent weeks.

Dog walker killed in Uxbridge triple stabbing was ‘trying to help’

A “gentle and peaceful” dog walker who was “just trying to help” has died and two people have been injured in a triple stabbing in west London.

A 22-year-old Afghan national has been arrested on suspicion of murder as neighbours paid tribute to the victim, who they said was “just doing the normal dog walk that he does every day”.

The Home Office said the suspect entered the UK hiding in the back of a lorry before claiming asylum, which was granted in 2022.

Officials also confirmed that he is not resident in an asylum hotel or any other Home Office accommodation, despite claims on social media.

The decision to release key details, including the suspect’s immigration status, comes as Labour faces pressure over the soaring cost of using hotels to house asylum seekers and a row over last week’s accidental release of migrant sex offender Hadush Kebatu from prison.

Monday night’s attack at around 5pm in Midhurst Gardens, Uxbridge, is not being treated as terror-related.

A 49-year-old victim, named locally as Wayne Broadhurst, died at the scene. Residents told the Daily Mail that Mr Broadhurst, a local bin man, had tried to intervene after a fight spilled out onto the street before the alleged attacker started slashing at him.

Another local added: “He’s well known around here. He’s a lovely guy, very gentle and peaceful. He was just trying to help and it’s ended up costing him his life.”

A man, aged 45, also suffered life-changing injuries in the stabbing and a 14-year-old boy was wounded in what police described as a “senseless act of violence”.

The 45-year-old is said to have survived after locals armed with baseball bats rushed outside to defend him.

Tahira Hassan, who lives near the scene of the attack, said a teenage boy wearing a blood-soaked shirt knocked on her door begging for help at around 5pm.

When her husband opened the door, four or five residents from a house opposite emerged to protect the man, who was badly injured.

She added: “They had bats. There were four or five people. They were protecting him, so they saved his life. They did a very good job.

“Maybe he would have died if they didn’t protect him.”

The Metropolitan Police said the 22-year-old Afghan national was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.

Detectives are working to establish any relationship between the suspect and the three victims, the force said.

Footage posted online appears to show the suspect walking along a residential street, before two police officers sprint after him, one pointing a Taser and shouting “drop the knife” and “get on the floor”.

Several others join them before the Taser is fired and the man falls to the ground.

One neighbour who did not want to be named said the 49-year-old victim was a binman who was “just doing the normal dog walk that he does every day”.

“I’ve been here two years and would see him walk past the window,” she said.

She described him as “the last person on Earth that you would think somebody would go for”.

She said she took some flowers and a box of shortbread over for his wife and added: “I still can’t get over it.

“If he was five or 10 minutes later taking the dog out, would the same thing have happened?”

A group of around 100 mourners gathered to lay flowers near the police tape at the junction between Midhurst Gardens and Leybourne Road on Tuesday night, with some lighting candles.

One Union flag was held above the crowd as they gathered shortly before 7.30pm.

One female neighbour, who earlier left a bunch of flowers near the cordon, said: “Last night the police came down my road, it was about 5pm, I thought to myself ‘oh my god I wonder what’s happened’.”

She said she found out what happened early on Tuesday, which made her feel “absolutely sick”, adding: “That somebody could actually do that, it’s just awful.”

Chief Superintendent Jill Horsfall said: “This was a shocking and senseless act of violence that has left one man dead and two others injured.

“Our thoughts are with the victim’s family and friends at this unimaginably difficult time.

“The incident will have understandably caused concern to the local community. I have deployed multiple officers to the local area; they will be here throughout the week to provide reassurance while detectives work intensely to piece together the circumstances.

“I understand that there has been a lot of speculation online following on from this incident. We ask that you rely on us for information, and that you do not share sensitive footage.

“If anyone saw or has any information about the incident, then please come forward to police. We appreciate any information that you may have.

“There will be a crime scene and a heavy police presence within the area over the next few days. I thank residents for their patience.”

Speaking about the stabbing, Home Office minister Alex Norris said the government is “resolute” in deporting people who commit crimes in the UK.

He told LBC: “This is a dreadful case, and our feelings are with the people of Uxbridge.

“We’re still of course working through precisely what’s happened and the motivation and the intent there.

“I do want to clarify some disinformation that is going round. This wasn’t an individual housed in a hotel, this wasn’t an individual with a live asylum claim.

“We normally don’t go that far, as you know, but I think it’s important for public confidence to say that.

“This individual must feel the full weight of the law, and when people do commit crimes in this country, we are resolute in deporting them.”

Interim guidance issued by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and the College of Policing this summer says police should consider disclosing details about suspects’ nationality and ethnicity in high-profile and sensitive investigations, although decisions will remain with the individual force.

It was introduced after misinformation shared on social media in the wake of the attack on girls at a dance class in Southport last July helped to spark widespread riots.

Anyone with information on the Uxbridge incident can call police on 101 quoting the reference 5129/27OCT, or to remain anonymous, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or online.

Nvidia becomes world’s first $5T company after supercomputer vow

Nvidia made history Wednesday as the first company to reach $5 trillion in market value.

The milestone was powered by a stunning rally that has cemented its place at the center of the global artificial intelligence boom.

The achievement underscores the company’s swift transformation from a niche graphics-chip designer into the backbone of the global AI industry, turning CEO Jensen Huang into a Silicon Valley icon and making its advanced chips a flashpoint in the tech rivalry between the US and China.

Since the launch of ChatGPT in 2022, Nvidia’s shares have climbed 12-fold as the AI frenzy propelled the S&P 500 to record highs, igniting a debate on whether frothy tech valuations could lead to the next big bubble.

The new milestone, coming just three months after Nvidia breached the $4 trillion mark, would surpass the total cryptocurrency market value and equal roughly half the size of Europe’s benchmark equities index, the Stoxx 600 index.

“Nvidia hitting a $5 trillion market cap is more than a milestone; it’s a statement, as Nvidia has gone from chip maker to industry creator,” said Matt Britzman, senior equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, which holds shares in the company.

“The market continues to underestimate the scale of the opportunity, and Nvidia remains one of the best ways to play the AI theme.”

Shares of the Santa Clara, California-based company rose 4.6% after a string of recent announcements solidified its dominance in the AI race.

Huang unveiled $500 billion in AI chip orders on Tuesday and said he plans to build seven supercomputers for the US government.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump is expected to discuss Nvidia’s Blackwell chip with Chinese President Xi Jinping Thursday. Sales of the high-end chip have been a key sticking point between the two sides due to Washington’s export controls.

At current prices, CEO Huang’s stake in Nvidia would be worth about $179.2 billion, according to regulatory filings and Reuters calculations. He is the world’s eighth-richest person, per Forbes’ billionaire list.

Born in Taiwan and raised in the United States from age nine, Huang has led Nvidia since founding it in 1993. Under his leadership, the company’s H100 and Blackwell processors have become the engines behind large-language models powering tools such as ChatGPT and Elon Musk’s xAI.

While Nvidia remains the clear front-runner in the AI race, Big Tech peers such as Apple and Microsoft have also crossed $4 trillion in market value in recent months.

Analysts say the rally reflects investor confidence in unrelenting AI spending, though some warn valuations may be running hot.

“AI’s current expansion relies on a few dominant players financing each other’s capacity. The moment investors start demanding cash-flow returns instead of capacity announcements, some of these flywheels could seize,” said Matthew Tuttle, CEO of Tuttle Capital Management.

Tech companies’ heavy weightage in the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 gives them broad influence over global markets.

Nvidia is due to report quarterly results on November 19.

The company’s dominance has drawn global regulatory scrutiny, with US export curbs on advanced chips making it a key pawn in Washington’s strategy to limit China’s access to AI technology.

“Nvidia clearly brought their story to D.C. to both educate and gain favor with the US government,” said Bob O’Donnell of TECHnalysis Research. “They managed to hit most of the hottest and most influential topics in tech.”

The developer conference Tuesday also served as a platform for Huang to walk a geopolitical tightrope.

He praised Trump’s “America First” policies for accelerating domestic tech investment, while warning that excluding China from Nvidia’s ecosystem could limit U.S. access to half of the world’s AI developers.

Rivals including Advanced Micro Devices and several well-funded startups are seeking to challenge Nvidia’s dominance in high-end AI chips, but it remains the industry’s top choice.

MPs pressure Crown Estate over ‘value for money’ of Andrew’s rent-free Royal Lodge life

Parliament’s spending watchdog has written to the Crown Estate to raise concerns over the “value for money” of Prince Andrew’s living arrangements.

Pressure has been mounting on the King’s brother to vacate the Royal Lodge amid continuing furore over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, and after it emerged he was paying a “peppercorn” rent on the property.

On Wednesday, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) wrote to the Treasury and the Crown Estate asking them to explain the rationale behind the lease arrangements.

In the letter, PAC chairman and Tory MP Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said the Crown Estate has a duty to manage its land “according to the best consideration of money or money’s worth which in their opinion can be reasonably obtained.”

He went on: “We are therefore concerned as to whether the lease arrangements for Royal Lodge are, in light of recent developments and changes in the responsibilities of Prince Andrew, achieving the best value for money.”

In recent weeks, Prince Andrew has faced continuing controversy over his ties to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, and the publication of the posthumous memoirs by his sexual assault accuser Virginia Giuffre. Andrew strenuously denies all accusations.

My accidental one-on-one with Kamala Harris (and what might have been)

The article below is an excerpt from the weekly Independent Women newsletter. To get it delivered straight to your inbox enter your email into the box above (and to check out The Independent’s full range of other newsletters), click here.

Last week, I had a private chat with former vice-president Kamala Harris.

I was taking my daughter, who’s 13 – and her friend – to see Vice President Harris “in conversation” with the fantastic feminist writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie at the Southbank Centre. When we arrived, security was sky-high, as you might expect – not least because there was a group of pro-Palestine protesters outside, calling for justice for Gaza and angry that the Biden administration hadn’t done enough to stop the bloodshed.

I have enormous sympathy for anyone who stands up against (and calls out) the deaths of more than 68,000 Palestinians – and I was interested to see whether the disruption would be addressed by Harris when the event began. But what I wasn’t prepared for was that there would be three additional protesters planted in the audience, listening to her speak – and that two of them would be sitting in the seats right next to us. When Harris started talking, they stood up and shouted out, waving homemade placards on white cloth. Security acted immediately, telling us to move out of the way as, first one, then the other, were removed from the auditorium.

I’m glad that the teenagers I was responsible for saw politics in action – it enables them to place their heroes in context, to realise that in the murky world of power, no one is blameless. But it was also disruptive and a little frightening – not least when several burly security guards forced their way past our seats to drag the interrupters out, accidentally sitting in our laps as they did so.

Moments later, noticing the girls were a little shaken and upset, Harris’s team approached us to apologise – and to offer us a backstage meet-and-greet.

I know. Without even realising what was happening, we were ushered down the steps while the talk continued, into the green room to wait for Kamala Harris – a world leader, a figure of history, an icon – to come and meet us. And then she did.

What I saw made me wistful and nostalgic for a future that we didn’t get to experience. How different life would be now if Harris were in the White House. What a greatly improved, diverse and tolerant society America would be. What a role model she would be for our children and for women – rather than the sexist, egotistical, divisive disgrace that is Donald Trump. I only hope Harris will do as she’s hinted and stand again in 2028.

In person, she was warm, considerate and softly spoken. She also spent a good five minutes talking to me and the girls, without giving any sense that she needed to rush off. When my daughter opened with a shocked, “We love you!”, she smiled, held their hands, and told them she was so thankful that they’d come to listen – and she seemed to mean it. When my daughter’s friend informed her that they’d done a school project about her, but had been told off for “being too political”, she laughed wryly.

“Well, you know what I have to say about that,” she said. “Use your voice, always. Never let anybody silence you – your thoughts or your opinions, right? I think sometimes when people do it, certain people do it to women, right? But you heard what I said out there. And you’ll have moments like that, but just know that we’re always cheering you on. It’s good to have feelings. This is your future. Give it 30 years – this is where being ‘too political’ gets you. Right here.”

She was so gracious and so inspiring, I just know it is a moment the girls will remember forever. And if Harris does run for office again – and wins – then they’ll know that they heard that inspirational message straight from the mouth of the president of the United States of America (here’s hoping).

What do you think of Harris’s chances? I’m sure you, like me, are just waiting for the day a woman runs the White House – and finally stands up for women. It can’t come a moment too soon.

Like what you read? Each edition of the weekly Independent Women newsletter features an in-depth article on the hottest topic affecting women worldwide – plus an exclusive section featuring ‘your views’ from Independent Women readers. Victoria shares emails that are sent in and offers guest slots to writers passionate about what is happening to women – and who want to lift the lid on under-reported topics.

There’s an interactive poll; the chance to join the (free!) monthly Independent Women’s Book Club; TV, film and music recommendations and signposts to the best reads and the watercooler moments you don’t want to miss.

To receive the Independent Women newsletter, simply enter your email address in the box at the top of this page.

You can also head to our newsletter preference centre to sign up for the email.

Once there, all you need to do is press the ‘+’ button and enter your email address to sign up.

You can also write to me at victoria.richards@independent.co.uk – or to my alter-ego, Dear Vix, at dearvix@independent.co.uk.

The Independent EV Price Index October 2025

Welcome to The Independent EV Price Index, your new monthly guide to the real-world costs of buying and running electric vehicles in the UK.

Launched in partnership with E.ON Next, this innovative resource – the first of its kind in the UK – will help you understand how EV prices are shifting, what’s driving those movements, and crucially help you if shopping, trading in, or simply tracking where the market is headed.

Combined with the expert reviews on The Independent’s EV channel, we’ll help you decide what to buy and when is best to buy it.

Built on data from Insider Car Deals, the data reflects actual discounts, finance deals and incentives available at retailers right now, giving you a valuable insight into the evolving electric vehicle market every month, all curated by our electric vehicles editor, Steve Fowler.

With September one of the biggest months for new car registrations, and electric car registrations up nearly 30 per cent year-on-year, it’s no surprise that dealers aren’t working quite so hard for buyers’ business than they were last month. The EV Price Index has shown a typical increase of £207 (0.5 per cent) month-on-month at transaction level across all EVs.

That doesn’t mean that the incentives have dried up – far from it. The standout deal of the month is on the Vauxhall Corsa electric with total incentives – including discounts and finance offers – worth up to 36 per cent of the list price. In the case of the Corsa Ultimate we saw a total of £11,570 worth of incentives. GWM and Cupra joined Vauxhall in the top three brands for overall incentives on their EVs in September.

Takeaways

We might have seen a slight month-on-month increase in transaction prices, but prices are still way down year-on-year. The EV Price Index shows that buyers are typically paying £3,259 less than they were this time last year – a 7.7 per cent drop.

Takeaways

The EV Price Index is also monitoring the prices of used cars. We’ve seen an average increase of £491 (or three per cent) across our basket of ten of the most popular used electric cars from August to September. We look for like-for-like used car prices each month, with the biggest price increases showing for the Audi Q4 e-Tron and Nissan Leaf. Both saw increases month-on-month of well over £1,000.

There are lots of things that can affect used prices, particularly supply and demand, so it could be that supply of those two EVs dropped or the number of people wanting to buy them increased, which is why advertised prices appear to have risen. However, with September a busy new car buying month, it’s also a busy used car month. It will be interesting to see how those prices change over the coming months when showrooms and forecourts won’t be quite so crowded.

Takeaways

There were more EVs on sale in September than there were in August, further boosting choice for consumers. Seven new models were registered on the EV Price Index in September, while year-on-year we’ve seen an incredible 35 per cent rise in total derivatives across 118 EV models compared with just 89 last year.

That’s set to increase again with a host of new brands like Changan coming to market in the coming months, while some recent arrivals such as BYD, Jaecoo and Omoda are set to expand their ranges rapidly.

Takeaways

Buyers love SUVs, so they’re not necessarily the place to look for the biggest bargains. Over the past month we’ve seen our Median target prices for small SUVs and Medium SUVs edge up by £140 and £1,426 – which have both contributed to the overall month-on-month increase of £207. However, every other category is showing a month-on-month drop, with small cars, family cars, large SUVs and prestige cars all showing drops from August to September – the biggest being prestige cars at an extra £712, a drop of 1.1 per cent.

Takeaways

As our overall figures show, incentives have dropped overall across the EV market in September as the new registration plate drives more people into dealers. That means most of the monthly PCP costs have gone up – but not by much. Across the whole market, the rise is just £9 per month, with the only drop being small cars which would typically cost you £10 per month less during September than during August. It’s medium SUVs again that have gone up most – typically £26 a month more than last month – surprisingly followed by prestige cars and the expected small SUVs at £16 a month more in September than August. Car finance can be a bit confusing, so our guide to car finance will help you navigate the options you’ll be faced with.

Takeaways

View last month’s EV Price Index Report here.

Littler denied entry to tournament after missing strict deadline

Luke Littler will not compete in Wednesday’s Players Championship event after getting stuck in traffic led him to miss the strict registration deadline.

The PDC confirmed that the world No 2 missed the 11am cut-off in Wigan.

That means the 18-year-old will be absent from one of the last two tournaments for players to secure their spots in the season-ending Players Championship finals in Minehead, with the last chance on Thursday.

Littler boosted his hopes of securing one of the 64 places, which was at one stage in jeopardy, after victory at the Players Championship 32 earlier this month.

But ‘The Nuke’ will not play today and made light of the situation on social media.

“Back to bed it is,” the world champion said. “Wonder who they are gonna call up”.

Littler was targeting a place as the sport’s world number one last week, but was knocked out of the European Championship after a thrilling 10-7 second-round battle with James Wade.

Littler’s rival and world No 1 Luke Humphries was shocked in the final by Gian van Veen, but ‘Cool Hand’ reiterated his focus is on maintaining his form at the two Players Championship events this week.

“It’s two Players Championship events next for me in Wigan to round off the Pro Tour season,” Humphries said. “I was naturally disappointed to lose in the European Championship final, but fair play to Gian, he showed bottle and deserved the win.

“I’m hoping to sharpen my game up ahead of the Grand Slam and put in some performances here.”

Littler had hit out at fans on social media who doubted his ability to qualify for the Players Championship finals, with a top prize of £120,000.

“I am on social media,” he said. “Lots of people were saying that I wasn’t going to make it. There you go, I’ve won today.”

Keir Starmer refuses to rule out tax rises in Budget

Sir Keir Starmer has declined to say whether he will stick to his manifesto promise not to raise taxes, fuelling speculation that the government will row back on the pledge at next month’s Budget.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch asked the prime minister on Wednesday whether he stuck by his pledge not to raise income tax, national insurance or VAT.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is facing the prospect of tax rises or spending cuts as she looks to balance the books at the November Budget.

Answering Ms Badenoch during Prime Minister’s Questions, the PM pointed to some economic figures, before saying that “the Budget is on 26 November and we will lay out our plans”.

He added: “But I can tell the House now that we will build a stronger economy, we will cut NHS waiting lists and deliver a better future for our country.”

The Conservative leader said it was a different response to one that she got to a similar question in the summer, to which Sir Keir responded: “As she well knows, no prime minister or chancellor will ever set out their plans.” He then attacked the Conservative record on the economy.

“The figures on the productivity review that’s being undertaken, this is a judgment on their record in office,” he said.

“Those figures are now coming through, and they confirm that the Tories did even more damage to the economy than we previously thought.

“Now, we will turn that around. We’ve already delivered the fastest growth in the G7 in the first half of this year, five interest rate cuts in a row, trade deals with the US, EU and India. They broke the economy, we’re fixing it.”

The Institute for Fiscal Studies has warned that Ms Reeves could need to find £22bn of tax rises or spending cuts if she is to restore the £10bn of headroom she left herself against her debt targets in the spring.

That gap is the result of higher borrowing costs, more persistent inflation and weaker growth, along with spending commitments such as partially reversing the cut to winter fuel payments and watering down its plans to cut welfare.

The UK’s bleak fiscal outlook has seen the pound fall sharply this week, with sterling tumbling to a two-and-a-half-year low against the euro and a three-month low versus the US dollar, down 0.4 per cent at €1.13 and 0.4 per cent lower at $1.32.

Writing in The Guardian on Wednesday, the chancellor argued that Brexit and the pandemic had left “deep scars” on the UK economy.

“Austerity, a chaotic Brexit and the pandemic have left deep scars on the British economy that are still being felt today. But the task facing our country – facing me as chancellor – is not to relitigate the past or let past mistakes determine our future,” she said.

Ms Badenoch suggested cuts to welfare spending as an alternative to tax rises, and said she had offered to work with the government.

She told the Commons: “Last month I offered to work cross-party with him to bring down welfare spending, because he knows and we know that he’d rather dip into people’s pockets than upset the people behind him. Instead of tax rises, will he work with us to find a way to cut welfare spending and get Britain working again?”