News 18:00

BULLETIN 14 October 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Electoral Commission ramps up its election readiness as the 4 November voting day nears
# The Foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in the Addo Elephant National Park prompts calls for tighter controls on stray livestock
# And, tennis: Alexander Zverev is looking forward to the responsibility of being the world number one

# The Electoral Commission says preparations are progressing well ahead of the 4 November local government elections, with more than 66-percent of the 79-million ballot papers already printed. The commission’s Sy Mamabolo told a media briefing all 23-thousand-696 voting stations have been secured, while recruitment and training of election officials are underway. Mamabolo added the commission has also accredited 109 observer organisations, while working with online platforms to fight election disinformation:

# Union federation COSATU has elected Mike Shingange as its new president. The federation’s outgoing president, Zingiswa Losi, has been elected as general secretary. More than one-thousand-800 delegates voted at the federation’s 15th national congress in Kempton Park. Shingange defeated Mabutho Cele, while Losi beat outgoing general secretary Solly Phetoe. Susan Khumalo was elected first deputy president, Mbali Blose second deputy president, and General Twaka deputy general secretary. Kgomotso Makhupola is the new treasurer.

# The DA urges the Eastern Cape government to strengthen measures to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth disease following its confirmation in kudu at Addo Elephant National Park. The source of the infection and any links to other outbreaks remain under investigation. The party’s Heinrich Müller calls for better monitoring in nature reserves, tighter controls on stray livestock, improved fencing and adequate veterinary support and vaccination:

# Former US Vice President Kamala Harris has warned that time is running out to put safety rules in place for artificial intelligence. Speaking in South Korea yesterday, she highlighted risks including cyberattacks, AI-powered weapons and systems that could escape human control. Harris urged governments and technology companies to act quickly and involve AI developers in setting safeguards. She also called on the United States and China to work together on international rules, despite their wider political rivalry.

# Tennis: Two-time Grand Slam champion Alexander Zverev is looking forward to the responsibility of being world number one. The 29-year-old German clinched the honour on Monday. After losing three major finals, he landed his first Grand Slam title at the French Open in June, and followed that with victory at the US Open. Zverev admits the full weight of reaching the top spot has not quite sunk in:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-63-cents against the rand and the euro at 18-rand-48-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-89-cents and Bitcoin trades at 82-thousand-86-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-92-dollars-30-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 107-dollars-99-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….