News 08:00

BULLETIN 14 August 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Fadiel Adams wants to take legal action against Parliament for defamation
# Transnet is opening its rail network to greater private participation
# And tennis: Ben Shelton and Iga Swiatek are the Canadian Open champions

# National Coloured Congress leader, Fadiel Adams, says he will be taking legal action against Parliament for defamation. This comes after Parliament stated that its records do not support Adams’s claim of persistent laptop malfunction before the Madlanga Commission. It also insisted that he had access to other devices to maintain his work. Adams claimed that laptop problems delayed his responses to the commission. He told eNCA that he has proof of everything:

# Transnet is seeking private sector partners to refurbish, finance, operate and maintain South Africa’s B-Network railway lines, covering approximately nine-thousand-and-98-kilometres. Through the Transnet Rail Infrastructure Manager, government has published a Request for Information, inviting interested parties to submit proposals for partnership opportunities. TRIM CEO Moshe Motlohi says the introduction of private sector participation opportunities on the B-Network is a critical step in reforming South Africa’s freight logistics system. He adds that the information gathered will guide the design of procurement programmes for the national rail network to improve performance.

# The Motor Industry Staff Association says employers must take stronger action against sexual harassment in the workplace. Marking Women’s Month, the union is calling on companies to adopt clear policies, regularly train staff and ensure victims can report incidents safely without fear of retaliation. MISA’s Phakamile Hlubi-Majola has urged workplaces to protect employees’ dignity and safety and act decisively when complaints are made:

# US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says they will continue to economically isolate Iran and blockade its ports. Last week, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed sanctions on individuals, exchange houses and companies across several countries that it accused of helping Iran’s Shahr Bank move hundreds of millions of dollars clandestinely. Bessent says they are going to apply measures on Iran that have “never been seen” in the history of economic isolation on a country:

# Tennis: Fifth seed Ben Shelton has successfully defended his Canadian Open crown in Montreal to clinch his second ATP Masters 1000 title. The American defeated compatriot Brandon Nakashima, 6-3, 7-6, becoming the fourth man this century to successfully defend his Canadian title after Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. In the women’s draw in Toronto, Poland’s Iga Swiatek secured a dominant 6-2, 6-3 win over world number two Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan to claim the Canadian Open title, her first title this season and her 12th WTA 1000 crown.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-19-cents and the euro at 18-rand-67-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-84-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 63-thousand-482-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-324-dollars-59-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 89-dollars-32-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….