News 15:00

BULLETIN 15 October 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The IEC is urged to extend candidate relief to all affected parties after the ANC’s court victory
# Wine growers are hopeful for the 2027 harvest
# And tennis: Monfils retires as the last of the French musketeers

# The Afrika Mayibuye Movement says the Electoral Commission must extend relief to all political parties affected by problems with its online candidate nomination system. This follows after the Constitutional Court granted the ANC relief for 181 candidates whose details were captured but not finally submitted. The movement’s spokesperson, Sydney Baloyi, says the IEC must apply the ruling fairly and allow all qualifying candidates to contest next month’s local government elections:

# South Africa’s wine growers are cautiously optimistic for a good 2027 harvest following an above-average crop this year. Early signs show healthy vineyard growth and generally enough water. However, weather conditions, including possible El Niño effects, could influence the final crop. South Africa Wine executive Gerard Martin says it is too early to predict the impact, and urges producers to monitor seasonal forecasts. The industry is also dealing with high wine stocks and weaker demand, putting pressure on producers’ profits.

Staying with agriculture:

Government’s Economic Cluster says rural women play a vital role in food production, job creation and growing local economies. Marking International Day of Rural Women today, government says it offers support through farming programmes, land reform, business funding and skills training. It is also expanding digital skills training to help women access markets and financial services. Government deputy spokesperson William Baloyi says the land allocation policy targets 50-percent of allocation for women:

Moving abroad:

# China and North Korea have opened a major border bridge after more than a decade of delays, in a move aimed at boosting trade between the two countries. The three-kilometre New Yalu River Bridge links the Chinese city of Dandong with Sinuiju in North Korea. It was completed in 2014 but remained unused because unfinished roads and customs facilities on the North Korean side. China is North Korea’s biggest trading partner. The new crossing is expected to make trade and transport easier over time.

# Tennis: French tennis star Gaël Monfils has officially retired at 40, ending a 22-year professional career. His name has been on the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s retired players’ list since 5 October. Under anti-doping rules, retired players must undergo at least six months of testing before returning to competition. Monfils had planned to end his career at the Paris Masters next month, but cannot play there under the rule. His last match was at the US Open in September. He won 13 ATP titles.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-51-cents and the euro at 18-rand-52-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-90-cents and Bitcoin trades at 80-thousand-926-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-156-dollars-34-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 106-dollars-69-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….