News 16:00

BULLETIN 16th October 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Cabinet is pleased with final preparations for G20 Summit
# An Israeli forum calls on government to halt further stages of the peace deal as all hostages have not been returned
# And rugby: The Rugby Championship won’t take place next year

# Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, says cabinet is pleased with the final preparations for the G20 summit, scheduled for 18 to 20 November. The G20 Social Summit is the flagship platform for integrating civil society voices into the G20 decision-making process. Ntshavheni says president Cyril Ramaphosa undertook an inspection-in-loco on Friday last week at the NASREC Expo Centre in Johannesburg to get an appraisal on the venue’s preparedness:

# EFF leader Julius Malema has dismissed race-based allegations during Parliament’s ad hoc committee proceedings, urging members to focus on the law and facts rather than emotions. Responding to claims of racial bias, Malema said no one participates in the committee because of their skin color, emphasizing that Parliament’s duty is to remain principled and guided by the law, not by race, gender, or personal feelings:

Moving abroad:

# The Hostages and Missing Families Forum urged the Israeli government to immediately halt the implementation of any further stages of the peace agreement as long as Hamas continues to violate its obligations regarding the return of all hostages and the remains of the victims. According to the framework, outlined by US president Donald Trump, the next phases of the truce include offering amnesty to Hamas leaders who decommission their weapons and establishing the governance of post-war Gaza.

# Rugby: Governing body SANZAAR has confirmed the Rugby Championship won’t take place next year. The competition, which the Springboks won the past two seasons, will make way for international tours, with the announcement of a planned New Zealand tour of South Africa expected soon. The championship will resume in 2027 with a full schedule before the World Cup in Australia. SANZAAR says the past 30 years’ joint venture between South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina saw the southern hemisphere winning nine out of ten World Cups.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-31-cents and the euro at 20-rand-17-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-25-cents and Bitcoin trades at 111-thousand-574-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-238-dollars-43-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 62-dollars-3-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The Nelson Mandela Foundation has announced that the 23rd annual Nelson Mandela lecture will now take place at the Sandton convention centre in Johannesburg. The event remains scheduled for the 25th of this month at 3 pm. The move follows overwhelming demand, with tickets selling out within 30 minutes. The United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, will deliver the lecture on this year’s theme: Enhancing Peace and Global Cooperation.

Stay tuned for more news………….