News 07:00
BULLETIN 18 September 7 am
Good morning. I am……..
In this bulletin:
# Paul Mashatile says he is looking forward to returning to his duties
# The National Taxi Alliance wants a fuel rebate for qualifying minibus taxis
# And, King Charles warns against the dangers of artificial intelligence
# Deputy president Paul Mashatile says he is looking forward to returning to his duties in full, serving the nation with renewed energy and commitment. Former president Thabo Mbeki, accompanied by the Thabo Mbeki Foundation CEO Max Boqwana, paid a courtesy visit to the deputy president yesterday, as he continues to recover from a recent medical procedure. Mashatile posted pictures of him and Mbeki on X, the first public images of him since mid-July after falling ill. He says the visit was cordial and reassuring.
# The Institute of Race Relations says race laws are not only directly harmful, but also have painful second-order effects, holding back growth and investment, while denying people opportunities because of their race or gender. The US has imposed new visa restrictions on South Africans linked to race-based laws and expropriation without compensation. IRR CEO John Endres says the restrictions come as no surprise, as Washington set out its concerns last year, and since then, Pretoria has left the laws in question untouched:
# The National Taxi Alliance has urged government to introduce a targeted fuel rebate for qualifying minibus taxi operators for a minimum period of 12 months, while broader economic and public-transport reforms are finalised. This comes as operators are squeezed between soaring fuel, maintenance, and insurance prices and commuters who cannot afford steep fare hikes. The NTA says government already has regulatory, licensing, and electronic payment tools that can be used to verify eligible operators and control abuse. It adds that the fuel rebate would reduce immediate operating pressure.
# ANC Eastern Cape secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi is threatening legal action against the party’s secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula, over claims that he was responsible for the late submission of candidate lists to the Electoral Commission. Ngcukayitobi denies the claims, including that he altered a list approved by the National Executive Committee and has demanded a full retraction. His lawyers have given Mbalula until midday on Tuesday to withdraw the statements or face possible high court action.
# King Charles has warned artificial intelligence leaders of the existential dangers posed by the technology falling into the wrong hands. This comes as two Anthropic researchers have warned that AI’s rapid advances could lead to human extinction in the not-too-distant future. King Charles says artificial intelligence has the potential to improve and save lives, particularly in life sciences and medicine. However, he stated that there is an urgency in adequately considering the dangers of such technologies being used in potentially catastrophic ways:
# Cricket: Australian batter Steve Smith says memories of the 2018 ball-tampering scandal still return as he prepares to play a Test series in South Africa for the first time since the incident. He says the sound of camera flashes can trigger memories of the fallout during the third Test in Cape Town, which saw him banned for a year and stripped of the captaincy. Smith says he has moved on and will use any hostile reception as motivation when the Test series starts on 9 October.
# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-25-cents and the euro at 18-rand-65-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-71-cents and Bitcoin trades at 76-thousand-658-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-349-dollars-68-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 105-dollars-28-cents a barrel.
Stay tuned for more news………….