Reuters World News - Hamas on ceasefire, Comey “perp walk” and Japan’s likely first female PM

Episode Date: October 4, 2025

Hamas agrees to key points in Trump’s proposed Gaza peace plan, which includes a ceasefire and prisoner exchange. An FBI agent is relieved of duty after refusing to participate in the "perp walk" of former FBI director James Comey. Sean “Diddy” Combs is sentenced. Sanae Takaichi is elected leader of Japan’s ruling party, positioning her to become the country’s first female prime minister. And AI-generated “Tilly Norwood” sparks backlash from Hollywood. On the latest episode of On Assignment: Our reports expose harassment of federal workers by a group linked to Trump. Sign up for the Reuters Econ World newsletter ⁠here⁠. Listen to the Reuters Econ World podcast ⁠here⁠. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit megaphone.fm/adchoices to opt out of targeted advertising. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hi, I'm Christopher Wal Jasper. It's Saturday, October 4th. Today. Hamas says it will work with the ceasefire plan, and Trump calls for Israel to stop military action in Gaza. An FBI agent is relieved of duty after refusing to perpwalk James Comey. And Sanei Takaichi is set to become Japan's first female prime minister. This is Reuters World News, bringing you everything you need to know from the front lines. in 10 minutes, seven days a week. I'm Christopher Waljeper in Chicago. U.S. President Donald Trump is calling on Israel to immediately stop bombing Gaza.

The message comes after Hamas has agreed to release hostages as a part of Trump's Gaza peace plan. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Hamas had shown it was ready for lasting peace. He then posted a video thanking Arab leaders for helping shape the deal. Many people fought so hard. This is a big day. We'll see how it all turns out. We have to get the final word down in concrete. The 20-point plan includes a ceasefire, a prisoner exchange, and a staged Israeli withdrawal.

But key issues, like Hamas' disarmament, are still up in the air. Israel says it's preparing for immediate implementation of the plan's first phase. And Israeli media report that political leaders have instructed the military to reduce offensive activity. That being said, residents in Gaza City reported fresh bombing within an hour of Trump's message. Hamas did not clarify whether it would accept Trump's proposal to exclude it from governing Gaza in the future. But senior Hamas official, Mao Zou Abu Marzuk, told Al Jazeera it was clear that Gaza needs

to be led by Palestinians. We will never accept anyone out, not Palestinian, to control the Palestinian. The group says it should be included and will contribute to any Palestinian national discussion. Iranian-backed Islamic jihad, an ally of Hamas, is endorsing the group's response. An FBI agent's been pulled off duty after refusing to stage a perp walk for former FBI director, James Comey. That's according to four people briefed on the matter. An FBI spokeswoman declined to comment on personnel matters. Comey's accused of making false statements and obstructing a congressional probe.

It's the first Trump-era indictment against a top political rival. Comey's due in court on Thursday. Sanei Takaichi has been elected leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party. That puts her on track to become the country's first female prime minister. In a speech after the results, Takaiichi says rather than being happy, she feels like the tough work starts here. Our reporter Tim Kelly in Tokyo explains what her leadership could mean for Japan. She's been an economic security minister. She's been the minister for internal affairs.

So she's known as a nationalist security hawk. But during the campaign, she seems to have been at pains to be more moderate. in her presentation. She's talked about the importance of alliances, relationships with South Korea. She's talked about strategic government investment in industry, something that's going to kick off growth. She often likens herself to the former British Prime Minister Margaret Fatcher. President Donald Trump is due to arrive in Japan later this month. So that will be her first diplomatic test. There was the recent trade deal that lowered tariffs against Japan, but it To get that deal, Japan offered up to $550 billion worth of investment in the US.

During the campaign truck, she actually questioned whether this was a fair deal for Japan. As the US government shut down heads into its fourth day, the Trump administration says it's putting $2.1 billion in Chicago L-Train infrastructure projects on hold. The move follows similar funding freezes in New York and 16 Democratic-led states earlier this week. In the Senate, a Republican stopgaping, measure to fund federal agencies through November failed to pass on Friday. Democrats say they want an option that will continue Affordable Care Act health care subsidies

for 24 million Americans that are due to expire in December. The government shutdowns renewed President Donald Trump's calls for mass firings of federal employees. On our latest On Assignment podcast, we hear from civil servants who've been targets of harassment by Trump allies. So it was scary. And I'm just a regular, you know, regular public health professional, quiet in my life. You know, I've never been in the public eye like that, and I don't want to be.

Our investigative journalists spoke with those who were put on so-called watch lists by right-wing groups aligned with the president, and how that list has upended their lives. My heart sunk and seeing your face there, you know, your photo, your federal portrait. on a website that's demeaning you and a picture that you're so proud of. It was really heartbreaking and made me really scared. There's a link in today's show notes. Sean Didy Combs has been sentenced to 50 months in prison for prostitution-related charges. The judge says he caused lasting harm to two former girlfriends.

Outside the court, Combs' lawyer says the sentence ignored the jury's decision. The jury reached a verdict on court. It found that it was not coercion. And I think the judge said coercion today as a basis for a sentence at least a dozen times. He says Combs will appeal the decision. Actors unions are raising the alarm after an AI-generated, quote, actress is released this week in Zurich. The AI-generated Tilly Norwood will be managed by a new talent agency specializing in artificial

intelligence. The actors' union Sag Aftera says Norwood was built on the work of real actors without their okay and without paying them. Our business of entertainment reporter, Don Chimalusky, is here to explain. I think that this is an interesting flashpoint and an interesting way for us to understand the sensitivities around the issue. It's not coming to a theater near you anytime soon, but it is an interesting way to just recognize just how

sensitive people are around the use of this technology. It was almost a collective scream, you know, for one seemingly benign piece of digital art. And even the woman who presented this concept in Zurich, Ms. van der Velden actually went on social media to say, hey, look, this is not an actor. It's just another tool for expressing ourselves. So she did a bit of walking back.

It's a busy sports weekend. In the U.S., Major League Baseball swings into division playoffs with eight teams eyeing the Fall Classic in less than a month. The WNBA finals are underway with the Las Vegas Aces facing off against the Phoenix Mercury in a seven-game series. And with cooler weather on the horizon, hockey fans are heralding the puck drop on the NHL season starting Tuesday. And that's just the start. For what's happening around the world in sports, I called up our global sports editor, O'Sheen Shine. A really big thing for us this weekend is going to be the rugby championship. It's the rugby competition for New Zealand, Australia, Argentina and South Africa,

Southern Hemisphere, Clash of the Titans. But for the first time over, that's going to be decided in the Northern Hemisphere when Argentina plays South Africa at Twickenham Stadium. There's 250,000 roughly South African Diaspora in the UK. A lot of them will be at Twickenham, so it's going to feel very much like a home game for South Africa, even though this is Argentina's home match. South Africa are the huge favourites to win this.

If they beat the Pumas with a bonus point, they retain the title. Even without it, a win will be enough. New Zealand will have played earlier in the day against Australia in Perth, but I mean, it's going to take a massive swing in terms of points and a real shock result of Twiculum for it to be anything other than a South Africa win. And for today's recommended read, The Art of Propaganda. North Korean art featured in a Moscow art show, celebrates the country's role in Russia's Kursk offensive.

The exhibition is said to be the biggest of its kind outside of Pyongyang. It shows dramatic battle scenes and propaganda-style portraits. We'll drop a link to that story in the show notes. For more on any of the stories from today, check out Reuters.com or the Reuters app. Don't forget to follow us on your favorite podcast player. If you're listening on a smart speaker, just ask for the latest news from Reuters, 7. days a week. I'm Christopher Waljaspers. We'll be back tomorrow with our daily headline show.