State Funeral for Chief Justice Maphalala: Government has confirmed a State Memorial Service on Friday, 18 September, and a State Funeral on Saturday, 19 September, with a night vigil and a condolence book opened at the High Court; Acting Deputy PM Sikhumbuzo Dlamini also announced E500,000 support for funeral arrangements. Home Affairs in mourning: The nation is also grieving the death of Princess Lindiwe, Minister of Home Affairs, after a short illness, with condolences issued by the Prime Minister. Security incident at the border: UEDF troops intercepted 22 goats worth E33,000 at Sivule and arrested two suspects, handing the case to law enforcement. Diplomatic fallout from an accidental shooting: Eswatini says its soldiers accidentally shot two US government personnel during an anti-smuggling operation; both were reported to have minor injuries and the matter is being handled diplomatically. Economy and jobs pressure: Finance Minister Neal Rijkenberg warned unemployment is a crisis, citing the 2023 Labour Force Survey figures and urging coordinated action to create jobs. Governance and oversight: PACs at a SADCOPAC conference in Eswatini vowed tougher scrutiny of public procurement and value-for-money checks. Digital services hit by outage: A network blackout left people stranded at Home Affairs and EPTC, disrupting ID card and passport processing for exam-bound students. Regional policy push on AI: Eswatini hosted COMESA–World Bank workshops to shape practical AI policies and regulatory frameworks for the region.