News 08:00

BULLETIN 23 September 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Colombia withdraws its support for South Africa’s genocide case against Israel
# Busy traffic conditions are expected on the N3 Toll Route from today
# And, Zelensky reiterates that he is ready for a meeting with Putin

# Colombia has withdrawn its support for South Africa’s genocide lawsuit against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. South Africa instituted proceedings against Israel in December 2023, alleging violations of its obligations under the Genocide Convention in relation to Palestinians in Gaza. Israel has rejected the allegations and denied that its actions in Gaza constitute genocide. This withdrawal comes as Colombia’s new president, Abelardo de la Espriella, has moved to restore diplomatic and economic ties with Israel.

# The DA says it expects suspended Deputy National Police Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya to be fired if he is found guilty of the serious sexual offences charges he is accused of. He faces five charges, including rape, two counts of sexual grooming, promoting the sexual grooming of a child, and trafficking in persons. The DA’s Lisa Schickerling says the police service cannot credibly claim to protect women and children unless they act decisively when serious allegations involve a senior officer:

# Road users travelling on the N3 Toll Route during the coming days are urged to plan, allow extra travel time, and remain patient and courteous. This as traffic volumes are expected to increase from today, as holidaymakers travel between Gauteng, Mpumalanga, the Free State, and KwaZulu-Natal for the Heritage Day long weekend and the start of the school holidays. N3 Toll Concession Thania Dhooga says motorists should expect ongoing construction-related lane restrictions along sections of the N3 Toll Route:

# Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky says he had a positive and productive meeting with US president Donald Trump, as both countries want to see an end to the four-year-old war with ‌Russia. The leaders met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. They discussed launching Patriot interceptor missile production in Kyiv, possible de-escalation, and other bilateral and multilateral issues. Zelensky reiterated that ⁠he is ready to meet Russian president Vladimir Putin at a trilateral meeting with Trump:

# Tennis: Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova fired the Czech Republic into the semifinals of the Billie Jean King Cup in Shenzhen, China. She defeated Britain’s Katie Boulter, 6-2, 7-6, while Marie Bouzkova battled past Sonay Kartal, 7-6, 4-6, 6-4, as the Czech secured an unassailable 2-0 win. The Czechs are bidding for their seventh title in the competition since 2011. Quarterfinal action resumes today with Spain taking on Kazakhstan, Ukraine facing Belgium, before defending champions Italy take on China.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-19-cents and the euro at 18-rand-51-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-56-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 86-thousand-660-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-339-dollars-5-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 99-dollars-24-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….