News 12:00

BULLETIN 7 October 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Transport Department gave a US blacklisted Russian cargo plane permission to land in South Africa
# The Huguenot Tunnel’s structural integrity remains sound, but there is no timeline for its reopening
# And rugby: The Stormers lose another Bok prop but three Boks return after international duty

# The Department of Transport has confirmed it issued a flight permit to a Russian aircraft operator, Abakan Air, last month. The US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Abakan Air for sanctions in June last year, citing the company’s role in transporting Russian military equipment. The Russian IIyushin IL-76 cargo aircraft landed in Upington in the Northern Cape last Thursday with a full load of cargo. The department’s spokesperson, Collen Msibi, says the plane was carrying a civilian helicopter and an acrobatic aircraft:

# The South African National Roads Agency says the structural integrity of the Huguenot Tunnel in the Boland remains sound. This follows a bus fire inside the tunnel last Friday night, which has resulted in its closure. The Western Cape Mobility MEC, Isaac Sileku, says the designated engineering and maintenance teams are continuing to assess the extent of the damage to the tunnel and infrastructure. He adds there is no definitive timeline available as to when the tunnel will be reopened:

# Business Leadership SA says the government must aggressively pursue alternative trade partnerships through BRICS and the African Continental Free Trade Agreement. This follows the expiry of the US preferential trade framework, the African Growth and Opportunity Act, on September 30th. However, Trade, Industry, and Competition minister Parks Tau has expressed confidence that a renewal is imminent. South Africa accounted for 54-percent of all AGOA exports to the US. BLSA CEO Busiswe Mavuso says an accelerated reform agenda can significantly lessen the negative effects of AGOA’s end.

# An Israeli advocacy group campaigning for the release of hostages in Gaza has called for US president Donald Trump to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his determination to bring peace to the region. In a letter sent to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said Trump made possible what many said was impossible. The call comes as high-stakes negotiations between Israel and Hamas started in Egypt yesterday, based on a 20-point plan announced by Trump last week.

# Rugby: The Stormers will be without Springbok tighthead Neethling Fouché for the foreseeable future after he broke his arm in Friday’s United Rugby Championship match against Ospreys in Cape Town. Another Bok prop, Frans Malherbe, is still recovering from a troublesome back injury. Coach John Dobson says the good news is that their Bok backline players Sacha Feinberg Mngomezulu, Damian de Allende and Cobus Reinach should join them soon after clinching the Rugby Championship. The Stormers are currently second on the log behind the Bulls.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-20-cents and the euro at 20-rand-10-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-12-cents and Bitcoin trades at 123-thousand-583-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-953-dollars-6-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 65-dollars-46-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….