News 13:00

BULLETIN 26 September 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The ANC, EFF, and ActionSA unite to remove mayor Cilliers Brink in Tshwane
# Disaster management teams are activated in KwaZulu-Natal amid snowfall warnings
# And tennis: The race to Turin is heating up with Carlos Alcaraz also qualifying

# The ANC in Tshwane has been given the go-ahead to remove the DA-led coalition. Mayor Cilliers Brink faces a motion of no confidence today, with the ANC, EFF, and ActionSA backing his removal, holding 55-percent of council seats. DA and Freedom Front Plus supporters gathered outside Tshwane House to support the mayor. Addressing supporters, Brink expressed disappointment with ActionSA’s exit from the coalition but is open to talks with the ANC if the motion is withdrawn: 

# Disaster management teams in KwaZulu-Natal have been activated in response to forecasts of possible snowfall next week. Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi alerts residents to expected extremely cold temperatures on Monday and Tuesday, particularly in areas around the Drakensberg mountains. The department’s Senzelwe Mzila says the provincial disaster management centre is coordinating with local municipalities and relevant stakeholders to prepare for any potential emergencies:

# New York mayor Eric Adams is set to be indicted on federal criminal charges. According to New York Times, this follows an investigation by the US attorney’s office in Manhattan, which was reportedly scrutinising his connection to Turkish officials and businessmen, and campaign donations he received. The 64-year-old will be the first mayor in the city’s history to be charged while in office. Adams says he will fight the charges:

# Tennis: The Race to Turin is heating up, with Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz becoming the third player to cement his place in the ATP Finals in Italy in November. He joins the top-two, Italian Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev from Germany, in the tournament featuring the season’s eight best singles players and doubles pairings. Twenty-one-year-old Alcaraz doubled his Grand Slam titles to four this year and also clinched silver at the Paris Olympics. He qualified for the finals for the third successive year.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-21-cents and the euro at 19-rand-18-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-97-cents and Bitcoin trades at 63-thousand-628-dollars-69-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-669-dollars-32-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 73-dollars-71-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Finland announced the early return of two giant pandas to China due to the costs involved. Lumi and Pyry were supposed to stay in the Ähtäri Zoo until 2032, but the park decided to send them back due to inflation and debt linked to the Covid 19-pandemic. It says it costs 29-million-rand a year to take care of the animals, while the Finnish government wasn’t prepared to share the costs. The giant pandas will soon go into a month-long quarantine before their trip to China.

Stay tuned for more news………….