News 12:00

BULLETIN 25 September 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# John Steenhuisen initiates the dismissal of his chief of staff following his refusal to step down
# The SA Zionist Federation opposes Johannesburg’s proposal to rename Sandton Drive after Leila Khaled
# And tennis: US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka chases the year-end number one ranking

# Agriculture minister John Steenhuisen has begun dismissal proceedings against his controversial chief of staff, Roman Cabanac, referring the matter to the department’s human resources division. This comes after Cabanac refused to step down after the minister asked him to do so two weeks ago. Steenhuisen’s spokesperson, Charity McCord, says the minister is following labour law processes. Steenhuisen’s appointment of the controversial podcaster in August sparked criticism due to his past provocative social media posts.

# The South African Zionist Federation says renaming Sandton Drive in Johannesburg after Palestinian politician Leila Khaled disregards local heritage and celebrates terrorism. They argue the proposal goes against the city’s street renaming policy focused on unity. The federation’s spokesperson, Rolene Marks, warns that Khaled’s violent background with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine could potentially sow division among residents, harm businesses, and deter foreign investment:

# The United Nations has called for urgent international action to reduce rising tensions in Lebanon. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu advised Lebanese civilians to avoid areas used by Hezbollah for military purposes. Under-secretary-general Rosemary DiCarlo warned that the escalating violence between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, which has caused civilian casualties and mass displacement, threatens regional stability. She urges all parties to exercise restraint and abide by international law: 

# Tennis: Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus wants to cap off a stellar year by returning to the top of the world rankings. The number two is the top seed at the China Open this week following the withdrawal of world number one and defending champion, Iga Swiatek of Poland, because of undisclosed personal matters. Fresh from winning the US Open, Sabalenka can take a large step towards overhauling Swiatek with victory in Beijing. She will play for the first time since beating Jessica Pegula in New York.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-22-cents and the euro at 19-rand-27-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-5-cents and Bitcoin trades at 63-thousand-834-dollars-51-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-655-dollars-83-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 75-dollars-4-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Grammy-award-winning singer and songwriter, Lady Gaga, will release a seventh studio album and Harlequin, a soundtrack album titled to her forthcoming film, Joker: Folie et Deux. The soundtrack album, which will feature 13 tracks, will be released on Friday and her studio album next month. In the movie out next month, Gaga stars alongside Joaquin Phoenix. Both albums follow her recent surprise single with Bruno Mars, Die With a Smile.

Stay tuned for more news………….