News 18:00

BULLETIN 2 October 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The UN chief is banned from Israel due to a row over Iran
# Tennis: Carlos Alcaraz downs Jannik Sinner in an exciting final to clinch the China Open title
# And inflation drives the shift in South Africa’s coffee consumption preferences

# United Nations Secretary General António Guterres has been banned from entering Israel over his response to Iran’s ballistic missile bombardment. Israel’s Foreign minister, Israel Katz, called Guterres an anti-Israel secretary-general who lends support to terrorists. He says anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran’s attack on Israel does not deserve to step foot on Israeli soil. Yesterday’s attack is the latest in a series of escalations, starting almost a year ago with attacks on Israel by Hamas, and recently involves increased fighting between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel.

The South African Zionist Federation has condemned Iran’s missile attack on Israel, calling it a dangerous escalation. The federation has criticised the South African government for their silence on the issue. The federation’s Rolene Marks has urged government to denounce this act of war. She also highlighted Iran’s destabilising role in the Middle East and emphasised Israel’s right to self-defense:

# The South African National Christian Forum is urging the Constitutional Court to clarify the law regarding the eligibility of impeached office bearers to serve as Members of Parliament. They are concerned about how the Western Cape High Court handled the case of impeached former Judge President John Hlophe. The forum’s Marothi Mashashane calls for clearer guidelines to prevent impeached individuals from serving in Parliament, advocating for potential amendments on eligibility:  

# Tennis: Carlos Alcaraz beat world number one, Jannik Sinner of Italy, in a brilliant final to clinch the China Open title. Sinner won the first set in the tiebreaker before the Spaniard struck back to clinch the second set 6-4. The deciding set also went to a tiebreaker and Alcaraz clinched it 7-3 to win the match. The world number three now beat Sinner in all three their meetings this season. Both have already qualified for next month’s ATP Finals, taking place in Turin, Italy.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-39-cents and the euro at 19-rand-21-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-7-cents and Bitcoin trades at 61-thousand-563-dollars-61-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-658-dollars-89-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 75-dollars-69-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Inflation has led to a significant rise in coffee prices in South Africa with instant coffee seeing a 22.3-percent price increase from August 2023 to August 2024. While instant coffee consumption has dropped by 12-percent, the use of ground coffee and beans have surged by 58-percent. According to Eighty20, wealthier segments tend to prefer ground coffee, while instant coffee remains popular with a broader demographic. Coffee pod consumption has decreased by 30-percent due to high costs, with brands like Nespresso retailing at a premium price.

Stay tuned for more news………….