News 07:00

BULLETIN 25 October 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# South Africa is removed from the international grey list
# Donald Trump calls off talks with Canada
# And rugby: The Bulls go down against Glasgow

# Financial Action Task Force president, Elisa de Anda Madrazo, announced that South Africa has been removed from the grey list. The country was first added in November 2023 due to deficiencies in its anti-money laundering standards. De Anda Madrazo said South Africa had addressed all 22 deficiencies identified two and a half years ago. She said the country had been removed together with Burkina Faso, Mozambique, and Nigeria, which also instituted measures to comply with international standards:

# Former Police minister Bheki Cele has defended his meeting with businessman Vusimusi ‘Cat’ Matlala, saying it won’t harm the ANC’s image. Speaking before Parliament’s ad hoc committee, Cele said he was not aware that Matlala was wanted for any crimes when they met and stressed that Matlala was not arrested. He admitted that, knowing what he knows now, he wouldn’t repeat the interaction:

# The DA says the chaos surrounding this year’s Golden Games reflects the broader failures within the National Department of Social Development under minister Sisisi Tolashe. The annual event, meant to celebrate active ageing among older citizens in Cape Town this weekend, has been postponed indefinitely. The DA’s Wendy Kaizer-Philander says provinces have lost large sums on bookings and travel, and Tolashe must take responsibility, apologise publicly, and present a clear plan to prevent similar failures:

# US President Donald Trump intensified his criticism of Canada yesterday after terminating trade talks over a Canadian political advertisement that used Republican icon Ronald Reagan, saying tariffs cause trade wars and economic disaster. He accused Canada of trying to influence the Supreme Court over the legality of his global tariffs. The two sides have been in talks for weeks on a deal for the steel and aluminium sectors. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation said the ad used “selective audio and video”, and that it was examining legal options.

# And finally, rugby news:

# The Glasgow Warriors powered past the Bulls 21-12 at Scotstoun last night to temporarily claim the top spot in the United Rugby Championship. The Bulls took a 12-7 lead early in the second half following a try from full-back Willie le Roux. However, the game swung dramatically in the final quarter, with the Bulls down to 14 men after a yellow card infringement. Glasgow secured a crucial penalty try, followed by a close-range score from Nathan McBeth, sealing a hard-fought victory as the Bulls finished their European tour with a defeat.

# And Springbok scrumhalf Cobus Reinach is set to make his Stormers debut in tonight’s United Rugby Championship match against Benetton in Treviso, Italy. He joined the Cape team from Montpellier before the season, after earlier stints with the Sharks and Northampton Saints. Reinach was included on the bench together with former Scottish international Oli Kebble, who joined his old team from French outfit Oyonnax (Ooi-jo-naa). He last represented the Stormers in 2017. Centre Ruhan Nel will captain the log leaders.

Stay tuned for more news………….