News 17:00

BULLETIN 3 November 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The ACDP urges the government to repair US ties and save AGOA access
# Election security deployment leads to the arrest of a wanted gang member in Cape Town
# And rugby: Erasmus hopes to give the debutants some gametime in Europe

# The ACDP says the loss of South Africa’s trade benefits under the US Africa Growth and Opportunity Act could deepen the country’s economic crisis. The party warns losing US trade benefits could worsen unemployment and poverty, blaming the government’s foreign policy for strained relations with the US. ACDP’s Wayne Thring calls for urgent diplomatic engagement with Washington to resolve outstanding differences and safeguard South Africa’s access to the American market:

# Western Cape police have arrested a wanted gang member after a shootout with Anti-gang unit officers in Manenberg. Police say the suspect opened fire when he spotted officers deployed as part of security measures for the local government elections. Police spokesperson Novela Potelwa says the suspect is expected to face charges of attempted murder and illegal possession of a firearm:

# Tshwane mayor Nasiphi Moya has welcomed the rehabilitation work at the Bronkhorstspruit Water Treatment Works. However, Moya has urged residents not to drink water from the treatment works until it is declared safe. She says rehabilitation work is progressing following the discovery of contamination and decades of infrastructure neglect. Moya confirmed low levels of E. coli and said water supply will be restored gradually once safety standards are met:

# An Indian tourist has been killed and three people injured after two helicopters collided while attempting to land in Nepal’s Mount Everest region this morning. The accident happened at Pheriche, a popular stop on the route to Everest Base Camp, at an altitude of more than four-thousand-300 metres. The injured include a New Zealand passenger and the pilots of both aircraft. The cause of the collision is under investigation. The accident comes during the peak trekking season in ⁠Nepal, where helicopters are widely used to transport trekkers and carry out mountain rescues.

# Rugby: Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus hopes to give all the debutants in the squad gametime during the Nations Championship in Europe. He named an experienced team for Saturday’s opener against Italy in Turin, leaving out all six uncapped players for what is regarded as possibly the easiest match on tour. Erasmus says the debutants will be exposed to the Boks’ structures and being monitored for progress, and they will hopefully get the chance to show what they can do on the highest level.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-64-cents against the rand and the euro at 18-rand-60-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-31-cents and Bitcoin trades at 77-thousand-247-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-936-dollars-32-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 109-dollars-10-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….