News 18:00
BULLETIN 2 October 6 pm
Good afternoon. I am……..
In this bulletin:
# ICASA relaunches its telecoms affordability inquiry
# The DA raises alarm over unguarded power and water infrastructure in Tshwane
# And, soccer: Lionel Messi buys the majority stake in a second Spanish club
# The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa has relaunched its inquiry into the affordability of telecommunications services. It will examine voice and data costs, particularly for low-income households, rural communities, young people and informal workers. ICASA says affordability remains a barrier to digital inclusion despite expanded network coverage. The inquiry will include industry data, consumer surveys, public comments and hearings. Meanwhile, Vodacom and MTN are challenging ICASA regulations aimed at preventing consumers from losing unused data and facing unexpected out-of-bundle charges.
# The DA says some of Tshwane’s water and power infrastructure is without security after municipal security contracts ended yesterday. The party calls on the city to urgently protect these sites, especially as the city continues to deal with power problems following damage to the Njala infeed station. The DA’s Cilliers Brink says residents and private security cannot be expected to take responsibility for protecting municipal infrastructure:
# Water and Sanitation minister Pemmy Majodina says significant progress has been made on the construction of the Ntabelanga Dam in the Eastern Cape. The dam forms part of the multi-billion-rand Umzimvubu Water Project, alongside Laleni and Mbokazi dams. Majodina says government could initially afford about nine-billion-rand, requiring a redesign of the project. She says construction has advanced since with access infrastructure improved and work underway on a cofferdam and river diversion:
# Cargo is piling up at Pakistan’s main port in Karachi as truckers refuse to drive north, fearing their vehicles and containers will be seized for barricades around Islamabad. Police requisitioned more than two-thousand vehicles in September, many still carrying cargo. The disruption comes ahead of a march planned for 4 October by supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, demanding his release. Transporters say routes to Islamabad and several other cities are being affected, while daily storage charges on seized containers can reach 40-thousand Pakistani rupees.
# Soccer: Another Spanish club now belongs to Argentinian great Lionel Messi. He just became the majority owner of second-tier side CD Eldense after earlier buying a stake in UE Cornella. Thirty-nine-year-old Messi, who quit the international game last month, still plays for American club Inter Miami. He bought Eldene’s shares from a Colombian investment group. Eldense, which was established in 1921, writes on its web page Messi’s involvement marks the start of a new and exciting chapter in the club’s century-old history.
# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-58-cents against the rand and the euro at 18-rand-70-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-95-cents and Bitcoin trades at 86-thousand-657-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-189-dollars-82-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 102-dollars-80-cents a barrel.