News 08:00

BULLETIN 9 March 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba, has been named as Iran’s new supreme leader
# Global oil prices surge as the US-Israeli war with Iran escalates
# And rugby: The Blitzboks are crowned as the champions in Canada

# Iran’s 88-member Assembly of Experts has chosen Mojtaba Khamenei to replace his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as the country’s new supreme leader. The 56-year-old worked for decades in the shadow of his father, who was killed in the first wave of US and Israeli strikes last week, and is also closely linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. The assembly says Khamenei was chosen through what it described as a decisive vote and has called on Iranians to rally behind him and preserve national unity.

Meanwhile, the US-Israeli war against Iran has driven global oil prices up, with the price of crude oil above 100-dollars per barrel for the first time since 2022. The war has caused a reduction in shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which carries one-fifth of the oil consumed globally as well as large quantities of gas. US Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNN that the spike in energy prices would last weeks, at the worst, not months:

# ActionSA calls on the National Prosecuting Authority to urgently conclude its probe into the 2017 charges against Paul O’Sullivan linked to the alleged impersonation of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate investigators. ActionSA’s spokesperson Matthew George says the NPA must determine whether these charges should be reinstated, particularly following testimony before the Ad Hoc Committee that points to serious allegations of misconduct which must be tested before a court of law:

# The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry will hand down a ruling today on whether controversial North West businessman and ANC backer, Suleiman Carrim’s testimony can be held in-camera. He is scheduled to testify today and tomorrow. Carrim’s lawyer, Kameel Prehmid, says his client has received threats warning him not to testify. Carrim has been implicated by several witnesses at the commission for using his political connections to secure a 360-million-rand tender for suspected crime boss Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala with the South African Police Service.

# Rugby: The Blitzboks defeated Spain 38-12 to win the Vancouver Sevens in Canada, their third tournament victory this season after Cape Town and Australia. South Africa outplayed Great Britain, Spain and New Zealand to finish top of pool A. Philip Snyman’s men then narrowly beat Australia 19-12 in the semifinals. Fiji won the third-place playoff, beating Australia 29-10. Meanwhile, in the women’s draw, New Zealand defeated Australia 24-17 to be crowned champions in Vancouver for the fourth consecutive year.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-82-cents and the euro at 19-rand-38-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-37-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 67-thousand-273-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-85-dollars-60-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 110-dollars-30-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….