News 13:00

BULLETIN 2 October 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Israeli Army calls for more villages in southern Lebanon to be evacuated
# The DA in Gauteng is concerned by e-toll debt which puts service delivery at risk
# And cricket: The Proteas start the ODI series against Ireland

# The Israeli Army has called for the evacuation of additional villages in southern Lebanon, a day after a similar evacuation call after the military announced the launch of ground operations. Military spokesman Avichay Adraee in a post on social media called on residents to evacuate over 20 new villages and towns in southern Lebanon. Lebanese official media says an Israeli strike today targeted Beirut’s southern suburbs, after a night of repeated strikes on the area, where Hezbollah holds sway.

Back home: 

# The DA in Gauteng says the financial burden of paying for the now-defunct e-toll system should not have been shifted to the province, as the national government should be held responsible for this debt. The provincial government has to fund 30-percent of the e-toll debt, with the first instalment of 3.8-billion-rand paid on Monday. The DA’s Ruhan Robinson says it is unacceptable that the debt will be funded through the province’s revenue, which has already been allocated to spending in the medium term:

# The annual Rail Safety Conference in Stellenbosch has revealed the need to enhance railway safety in the sector. Railway Safety Regulator acting CEO Mmuso Selaledi emphasised the need for improved rail infrastructure. He referred to the Paarl incident where 24 people were injured, and a crash in Mpumalanga that claimed six lives. He says safety improvements and technological innovations in the industry is needed:

# Cricket: The Proteas face Ireland in the first of three ODIs at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi today. The series represents the last opportunity for ODI wannabees who want to play next year’s Champions Trophy. South Africa lost the series against Afghanistan 2-1 and tied a T20 series against Ireland 1-1. It is expected that during the all-format Pakistan tour at the end of this year South Africa will play their strongest lineup for the ODIs as they prepare for next year’s Champions Trophy. Play starts at 1:30 pm.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-38-cents and the euro at 19-rand-24-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-10-cents and Bitcoin trades at 61-thousand-512-dollars-22-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-653-dollars-99-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 75-dollars-38-cents a barrel.

# And finally, three-time Oscar winning-actor Daniel Day-Lewis is coming out of retirement to star in his son Ronan Day-Lewis’ directorial debut film Anemone. They co-wrote the film, described as an exploration of the intricate relationships between fathers, sons, and brothers, as well as the dynamics of family bonds. The cast includes Sean Bean, Samantha Morton, and Samuel Bottomley. This will be 67-year-old Day Lewis’ first acting gig since 2017’s Phantom Thread.

Stay tuned for more news………….