News 13:00

BULLETIN 16th October 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Cabinet welcomes the signing of the peace plan between Israel and Palestine
# The Madlanga commission and the media reach an agreement to hold proceedings in-camera
# And London will get driverless taxis next year

# Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, says cabinet welcomed the signing of US president Donald Trump’s Israeli and Palestian peace plan which paves the way to end the devastating conflict in Gaza. She says this development aligns with South Africa’s longstanding commitment to global peace, justice and freedom for the people of Palestine. Ntshavheni says cabinet also welcomes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange of Palestinian political prisoners:

# The Madlanga commission of inquiry in Pretoria has reached an agreement with media houses News24 and Daily Maverick to hold Witness X’s testimony in-camera today and tomorrow. The two publications have since withdrawn their opposition to the closed proceedings, and the commission will now continue behind closed doors. Chief evidence leader Matthew Chaskalson says the decision follows concerns over the sensitivity of the evidence and the impact it may have on ongoing investigations:

# The Institute of Race Relations says the widely publicised Driefontein case has renewed concerns about the expropriating powers of the state. The Expropriation Act states that government may expropriate land with nil compensation in the public interest. The IRR’s Makone Maja says they need clarity from the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure on the number of expropriating authorities empowered under the Expropriation Act:

# Soccer: Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong signed a new deal until 2029. The 28-year-old Dutch international joined Barcelona from Ajax in 2019 and is in his seventh season with the Catalan giants, winning two La Liga titles and the Copa del Rey twice. De Jong has struggled for form at times but became a key part of the midfield under Hansi Flick last season, alongside Pedri Gonzalez.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-32-cents and the euro at 20-rand-20-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-28-cents and Bitcoin trades at 110-thousand-883-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-229-dollars-39-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 62-dollars-4-cents a barrel.

# And finally, US self-driving car company Waymo announced plans to launch its robotaxis in London next year, as the UK moves to develop an autonomous vehicle market. This would mark the first foray into Europe for Waymo, owned by Google parent Alphabet and already present in a growing number of cities in the United States. Under the pilot scheme, commuters will be able to hail a driverless taxi via an app, once the company receives regulatory approval.

Stay tuned for more news………….