News 15:00

BULLETIN 28 September 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Madlanga Commission pursues criminal charges against Feroz Khan
# ICASA opens the airwaves as 546 parties contest the local government elections
# And rugby: The Wallabies improve to sixth in the world rankings after beating the Boks

# The Madlanga Commission has ordered that dismissed Crime Intelligence Unit officier Feroz Khan be criminally charged for failing to comply with a subpoena to appear before the inquiry today. Khan is the second witness facing possible criminal charges after North West businessman Suliman Carrim. Chairperson Mbuyiseli Madlanga rejected Khan’s request for a further postponement, but granted an in-camera hearing which could take place next Tuesday:

# The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa will allocate political election broadcast slots ahead of the 4 November local government elections today, to ensure equitable access to the airwaves. The allocation follows receipt of the final candidate list from the Electoral Commission and will be done under the Municipal Elections Broadcasting Regulations. The slots are broadcast free of charge, with parties responsible for their own material. A total of 546 parties and 142-thousand-and-72 candidates will contest 10-thousands-526 seats.

Moving abroad:

# Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates says getting countries to agree on global rules for artificial intelligence could be harder than Cold War negotiations over nuclear weapons. He says nuclear technology was controlled mainly by governments, making it easier to negotiate limits. A-I is being developed by private companies as well as governments. Gates says governments need safeguards and monitoring of A-I systems, rather than relying on companies to regulate themselves. He says the United States and China must work together, despite their competition to lead in A-I technology.

# Rugby: The Wallabies improved one position to sixth in the world rankings after beating top-ranked South Africa in Perth yesterday. Australia would also have surpassed England if they won by 15 points, but four yellow cards in the final eleven minutes saw them squander a 42-17 lead to eventually win 42-38. New Zealand is still second, followed by Ireland, France, England, Australia, Scotland, Argentina, Japan and Fiji. The Wallabies, unbeaten in their last six Tests, face the All Blacks in two Bledisloe Cup matches next month.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-42-cents against the rand and the euro at 18-rand-67-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-78-cents and Bitcoin trades at 82-thousand-988-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-150-dollars-87-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 104-dollars-76-cents a barrel.

# And finally: CapeNature is urging residents and visitors to never approach, touch or feed fur seals and act immediately if bitten or exposed to saliva. Spokesperson Luke Folb says since rabies was detected along the coastline at the end of last year, at least 176 people had been bitten by seals. He says anyone bitten must wash the wound for 15 minutes and seek urgent care:

Stay tuned for more news………….