News 14:00

BULLETIN 16 September 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Electoral Court dismisses the ANC’s challenge against the IEC
# Missing in Southern Africa says there is no waiting period to report a missing person
# And soccer: Messi will have a farewell match with Argentina in October

# The ANC has lost its Electoral Court challenge against the Electoral Commission over the late submission of candidate lists for six municipalities ahead of the 4 November local government elections. The court rejected the ANC’s argument that details of 181 affected nominations should still be accepted as final candidate lists. The court granted the DA permission to intervene, while it rejected the African Transformation Movement’s late application to intervene. There was no order for costs.

# Cross-border support network, Missing in Southern Africa, urges the public to immediately report missing persons, stressing there is no 24-hour waiting period. The call comes amid growing concern following the discovery of eight women’s bodies in and around Kempton Park in Gauteng. The network’s spokesperson, Priya Ranchod, says early reporting of a missing person can be critical to ensure the necessary investigative and search processes begin as soon as possible:

Deputy president and chairperson of the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster, Paul Mashatile, condemns the killings of women in and around Kempton Park. He joined president Cyril Ramaphosa in expressing solidarity with women and residents of Kempton Park and surrounding areas affected by the killings. Mashatile says gender-based violence has no place in communities, and men should be at the forefront condemning such violence:

Moving abroad:

# Airports Council International World, representing more than two-thousand-200 airports across the world, is calling for a global overhaul of the airport slot allocation system, which regulates aircraft landings and take-offs. ACI World says the system, developed more than 50-years ago, is no longer suited to modern aviation demands. It warns congested airports have increased by more than 25-percent over the past decade, while passenger traffic is expected to nearly double over the next 20-years. The council is urging regulators to improve transparency, competition and access.

# Soccer: Lionel Messi has been included in Argentina’s 28-man squad for the friendly against Benin in Buenos Aires on October 6, which will mark his final appearance for the national team. The 39-year-old announced his retirement from international soccer last month following his country’s defeat to Spain in the World Cup final. He is Argentina’s all-time leading scorer and most-capped player, recording 125 goals in 207 games. Argentinian federation president Claudio Tapia says Messi deserves an unforgettable farewell.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-27-cents and the euro at 18-rand-77-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-91-cents and Bitcoin trades at 75-thousand-905-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-437-dollars-72-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 109-dollars-14-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….