News 07:00

BULLETIN 29 September 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Feroz Cachalia says Interpol is still seeking the Gupta brothers
# The EFF is calling for a specialised national task force against mass shootings
# And, Iran’s Foreign minister says it is either fighting or diplomacy

# Acting minister of Police Firoz Cachalia has confirmed that Interpol is still seeking Rajesh and Atul Gupta, as government continues efforts to extradite the brothers to the country. The brothers were arrested in the United Arab Emirates in June 2022. South Africa subsequently sought their extradition, but it was unsuccessful in 2023. In a written parliamentary reply, Cachalia says the Interpol National Central Bureau awaits the finalisation of the provisional request for arrest and the formal extradition request, which forms part of the broader international legal cooperation.

# The EFF is calling for the establishment of a specialised national task force against mass shootings and organised gun violence. This follows the recent deadly mass shootings in Gauteng, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, which left over 40 people dead. The EFF says these incidents demonstrate the deadly intersection between illegal mining, organised criminality, and the proliferation of illegal firearms. It says it rejects a largely reactive policing model, arriving at crime scenes to count bodies instead of preventing criminals from acquiring military-grade weapons and dismantling organised criminal networks.

# Western Cape premier Alan Winde says growing the economy and creating jobs were the main focus of his recent visit to the US. He met with US government and business leaders to strengthen trade, investment and tourism ties. The premier also promoted the province’s plans for renewable energy and greater energy security. Winde says the US remains a key market for exports and tourism, despite a drop in exports last year:

# Iranian Foreign minister Abbas Araghchi says his country is prepared to resume fighting with the US but also remains ready to negotiate. Over the weekend, president Donald Trump rejected Tehran’s proposal, which called for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz within seven days if its conditions are met and restarting talks toward a broader agreement. The proposal also called for the release of Iran’s frozen assets, which would allow the country to resume oil exports. Araghchi told NBC that they are ready for anything:

# Tennis: World number two Alexander Zverev could face six-time champion Novak Djokovic in the China Open quarterfinals. The German, who captured his second major title at the US Open earlier this month, will open his campaign against Britain’s Cameron Norrie. Serbia’s Djokovic, who last played in the tournament in 2015, will face Portugal’s Nuno Borges in the first round. Canadian Auger-Aliassime faces a tough opener against US Open semi-finalist Russian Karen Khachanov. 2023 finalist Daniil Medvedev of Russia and Czech Jakub Mensik anchor the second quarter. 

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-43-cents and the euro at 18-rand-67-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-76-cents and Bitcoin trades at 82-thousand-881-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-130-dollars-73-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 103-dollars-34-cents a barrel.

# And finally: University of Cape Town Emerita professor Sue Harrison has been elected an International Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, recognising her contribution to engineering research, innovation and capacity development. Harrison, now Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation at the University of Queensland in Australia, spent 30 years at UCT, where she built a leading bioprocess engineering research programme and supervised more than 155 postgraduate students. She is among 75 engineers and technology experts elected to the academy this year.

Stay tuned for more news………….