News 15:00

BULLETIN 16 October 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Fadiel Adam’s fraud case is moved to the Durban Regional Court
# Masemola will assess the police’s readiness for the elections
# And golf: The Saudi International is postponed due to terror attacks in Riyadh

# The pre-trial conference in the fraud case against National Coloured Congress leader Fadiel Adams has been moved from Pinetown Magistrate’s Court to the Durban Regional Court. State prosecutor Nokulunga Ngcobo cited police security concerns and a full court roll. The defence agreed to postpone proceedings to December 11. Adams faces charges of fraud and defeating the ends of justice. He has accused the state of deliberately delaying the case:

# National police commissioner Fannie Masemola is expected to assess police’s readiness for next month’s local government elections following his return to duty. Spokesperson Athlenda Mathe says he will review the election security plan through the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure before visiting provinces to meet provincial commissioners. Mathe has also called on political parties, members and candidates to exercise tolerance, warning political positions cannot justify attacks or killings:

# The Motor Industry Staff Association says technological change must benefit workers and not only businesses, as automation and artificial intelligence reshape workplaces. The comments come as union federation FEDUSA holds its eighth national congress, focusing on workers’ dignity, rights and the future of work. MISA spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola says workers must be included in decisions about new technology and given opportunities to learn new skills:

Moving abroad:

# The European Union will probably have to provide Ukraine with another loan to cover a funding shortfall next year and support its war against Russia. Estonian prime minister Kristen Michal says Ukraine faces a gap of around 1.1-trillion-rand for defence and government spending next year. EU leaders agreed last year to lend Ukraine 1.6-trillion-rand for 2026 and 2027, but this may not be enough. Plans to use frozen Russian assets to fund further support have been blocked by Belgium and other member states.

# Golf: The final tournament of the Asian Tour season, the Saudi International, has been postponed indefinitely because of terrorist attacks. The event was planned in the capital of Riyadh next month. Saudi Golf and the Asian Tour say in a joint statement they remain in direct contact with its players and members regarding the schedule and next steps. The postponement follows that of the Six Kings Slam tennis tournament to the end of December, while three Saudi Pro League soccer matches in Saudi Arabia were also postponed.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-42-cents and the euro at 18-rand-48-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-90-cents and Bitcoin trades at 82-thousand-590-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-179-dollars-61-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 108-dollars-29-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….