News 12:00

BULLETIN 26 September 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa offers South Africa as a venue for future peace talks between Zelensky and Putin
# Israeli prime minister expected to deliver a defiant message at the UN
# And Tennis: Coco Gauff eases through to the next round of the Chinese Open

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says he has offered South Africa as a venue for any future peace talks between Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian president Vladimir Putin. Ramaphosa held a bilateral meeting with Zelensky on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week. The president says South Africa is uniquely placed to engage Putin, Zelensky and US president Donald Trump to bring them together for a trilateral meeting:

# Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dion George, says through the Expanded Public Works Programme, his department is committed to generating more than 77-thousand full-time jobs. Sixty-percent of the opportunities will go to women, 55-percent to youth, and two-percent to persons with disabilities. The department’s spokesperson, Thobile Zulu-Molobi, says projects such as Youth Environmental Services, Youth Jobs in Waste, and Environmental Monitors are providing training and career pathways in biodiversity conservation, aquaculture, waste management, and renewable energy:

# Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to deliver a defiant message to the United Nations today against a Palestinian state, but faces rare pressure from US President Donald Trump, who seeks a deal on Gaza. Netanyahu will address the UN General Assembly days after France, Britain and several other Western powers recognised a state of Palestine. The longest-serving prime minister in Israeli history has long rejected a Palestinian state, and his far-right allies have mulled annexing the West Bank to kill any real prospect of an independent Palestine.

Tennis: American Coco Gauff brushed aside Russia’s Kamilla Rakhimova 6-4, 6-0 to secure a spot in the last 32 as she bids for a second successive China Open crown. The world number three will next face Canada’s Leylah Fernandez in Beijing, who triumphed decisively over Greece’s Maria Sakkari 6-2, 6-0. Gauff’s biggest rival in Beijing is world number two Iga Swiatek from Poland, fresh off a title in Seoul, as top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka is not playing in the tournament due to an injury.

# Financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-44-cents and the euro at 20-rand-38-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-32-cents and Bitcoin trades at 109-thousand-637-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-751-dollars-95-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 68-dollars-59-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Linden in Johannesburg has made TimeOut’s 39 coolest neighbourhoods in the world 2025 list. TimeOut says the world’s coolest neighbourhoods are places that represent the soul of cities, while maintaining their own unique local character that draws people in to live, work, and play. Linden, ranked 17, has been recognised for its old-school authenticity, quirky boutiques, and charmingly traditional and ultra-cool feel. Jimbōchō in Tokyo, home to 130 second-hand bookstores, tops the list, followed by Borgerhout in Antwerp and São Paulo’s Barra Funda in third.

Stay tuned for more news………….