News 13:00

BULLETIN 10 May 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Constitutional Court rejects pleas to postpone the elections 
# Absa expands its operations into China to foster economic ties with Africa
# And cricket: Virat Kohli continues his reign as the top batter in the IPL 

# The Constitutional Court has dismissed the applications of the African Congress for Transformation, Labour Party of South Africa, and Afrikan Alliance of Social Democrats to postpone the elections. The parties had approached the court after missing the deadline to submit their candidate lists, citing a malfunction in the Electoral Commission’s online portal. The court ruled the parties had failed to demonstrate sufficient grounds for a postponement and that delaying the elections would be costly. The IEC argued its online system was functional and a postponement would cost the country almost 600-million-rand.

# The South African Jewish Board of Deputies, alongside the South African Union of Jewish Students, are staging a protest outside the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg today during minister Naledi Pandor’s keynote address at the Global anti-Israel Conference. National director, Wendy Kahn, says Jewry denounces Pandor’s advocacy for intensified university activism against Israel. She urges the minister to promote dialogue, and freedom of thought:

# Absa has inaugurated a non-banking subsidiary in China, aimed at strengthening economic connections between Africa and the Asian powerhouse. Operating under a wholly foreign-owned enterprise licence, the subsidiary will offer advisory services to clients in China for transactions across Africa. CEO Arrie Rautenbach emphasises the move’s significance, highlighting Absa’s commitment to global expansion and facilitating growth on the continent. He says the move underscores Absa’s dedication to extending its international footprint and leveraging its expertise to benefit clients in African markets and beyond.

# Cricket: Virat Kohli remains the top-scorer in this year’s Indian Premier League, with 634 runs in 12 games at an incredible average of 70 runs. This follows after he slammed 92 to set up a 60-run win for Royal Challengers Bengaluru over Punjab Kings to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. The team ended on 241 for seven and then bowled Punjab out for 181. The 35-year-old Kohli was happy to contribute to the victory: 

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-44-cents and the euro at 19-rand-89-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-12-cents and Bitcoin trades at 62-thousand-898-dollars-13-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-372-dollars-46-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 84-dollars-18-cents a barrel.

# And finally: A Chinese zoo is accused of painting dogs black and white for its so-called panda dog exhibition in a bid to fool visitors into thinking they are seeing real pandas. Visitors who streamed to see the animals were disappointed to discover they were actually chow chows, originally from Northern China and known for their thick coats of fur. A spokesperson defended the zoo against accusations of false advertising, saying they were just offering a new display without charging extra.

Stay tuned for more news………….