News 18:00

BULLETIN 12 April 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The US fears an imminent attack by Iran on Israel
# A Norwegian diplomat deems South Africa pivotal for global peace
# And, boxing: Tyson Fury says Oleksandr Usyk is too small to beat him

# The United States has issued a travel restriction for its embassy personnel in Israel for fear of an attack by Iran. Staff aren’t allowed to travel outside of the greater Jerusalem, Tel Aviv or Beersheba areas. This follows after Iran vowed retaliation for a deadly strike on its consulate in Syria almost two weeks ago for which Tehran blamed Israel. US officials expect the attacks to be targeted at military installations. BBC News reports Iran backs Hamas as well as other militant groups in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, the Norwegian diplomat Mona Juul, currently in South Africa, deems the nation pivotal for global peace. She sees potential for South Africa to mediate in conflicts such as the ones between Israel and Palestine, and Russia and Ukraine. Juul criticised the United Nation’s Security Council’s paralysis, attributing it to failures in halting conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. She emphasises South Africa’s role in bridging diplomatic gaps and fostering peace amid international challenges:

# Traders in financial markets anticipate that the South African Reserve Bank will maintain interest rates without a decrease this year. The bank’s Monetary Policy Committee is scheduled to meet next month to decide on the repo rate. Economists predict the Reserve Bank will continue its approach of keeping interest rates high to address the country’s current inflation rate of 5.6-percent. These high interest rates are expected to endure well into the following year, reflecting ongoing efforts to stabilise the economy amidst inflationary pressures.

# Boxing: Tyson Fury says Oleksandr Usyk is too small to compete with him in their undisputed heavyweight world title fight. Briton’s Fury is the WBC champion, while Ukraine’s Usyk holds the WBA, WBO and IBF belts. Fury says former cruiserweight champion Usyk will struggle in Saudi Arabia on 18 May:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-94-cents and the euro at 20-rand-11-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-54-cents and Bitcoin trades at 69-thousand-935-dollars-34-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-413-dollars-59-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 91-dollars-86-cents a barrel.

# And finally, the weekend’s Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town will lead to several road closures. Tomorrow’s ultra marathon will affect areas from Newlands to Muizenberg, including Kommetjie Road and Chapman’s Peak Drive. On Sunday, closures for the half-marathon will extend from Newlands to Fish Hoek, with diversions over Ou Kaapse Weg. Main roads like the M3 and the Hout Bay Road will also see temporary closures. Motorists are urged to plan alternate routes for smoother travel.

Stay tuned for more news………….