News 07:00

BULLETIN 27 October 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Creecy invites the private sector to help with the passenger rail network
# An aircraft crash won’t disrupt schooling activities at Hoërskool Alberton
# And, two suspects have been arrested for the theft of precious jewels from the Louvre museum

# The government has released a series of Requests for Information to gather ideas and investment from the private sector for modernising and growing South Africa’s rail system. The request encompasses a range of areas, including fare collection systems, depot management, and the commercialisation of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa’s fibre network to enhance digital connectivity. Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy says these RFIs are not tenders; they are an invitation for the market to help the government design the future of rail:

# The Jacob G. Zuma Foundation has noted the recent recirculation of an old fundraising poster for President Zuma’s legal fees. The foundation’s spokesperson, Mzwanele Manyi, says the Foundation has not authorised any fundraising campaigns of this nature. He says as previously stated, the Foundation will only make a formal response to the recent judgment against the former president to pay back his state-sponsored legal fees, after consultations with the legal team have been concluded:

# Aviation authorities have launched an investigation after a light aircraft crashed into a tuck shop at Hoërskool Alberton in Ekurhuleni on Sunday. The pilot and the instructor who were onboard the aircraft reportedly sustained no injuries. The Gauteng Department of Education’s spokesperson, Steve Mabona, says this incident will not disrupt schooling activities or the ongoing National Senior Certificate examinations:

# French police have arrested two suspects in connection with the theft of priceless jewels from the Louvre’s Apollo Gallery in Paris. Eight precious pieces worth an estimated 1.2-billion-rand were taken from the world’s most-visited museum last Sunday, when four thieves wielding power tools broke into the building in broad daylight. According to reports, both suspects are in their 30s, known to police, and have prior criminal records for robbery. Security measures have since been tightened around France’s cultural institutions.

# Tennis: Top seed Jannik Sinner claimed his fourth title of the season and his 22nd career crown by winning the Vienna Open in Austria. The Italian came from a set down to beat Germany’s Alexander Zverev, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5. The 24-year-old became the first man to reach eight ATP finals in back-to-back seasons since Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in 2015-2016, when beating Australia’s Alex de Minaur in the semifinals. Sinner says it’s amazing to win another title:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-18-cents and the euro at 20-rand11-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-90-cents and Bitcoin trades at 115-thousand-111-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-89-dollars-62-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 65-dollars-27-cents a barrel.

# And finally: University of Fort Hare Public Law, senior professor Nomthandazo Ntlama-Makhanya has been recognised as one of South Africa’s most influential women, winning the Mail & Guardian Power of Women Award in the Law and Justice category. The university says this honour is a fitting recognition of professor Ntlama-Makhanya’s decades of scholarship, mentorship, and service in the legal profession. UFH says now in its 20th year, the Power of Women awards honour women making remarkable contributions across South Africa in areas such as science, governance, education, health, law, and the arts.

Stay tuned for more news………….