News 18:00

BULLETIN 13 February 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa deploys SANDF to assist the mission in Eastern DRC 
# The US Senate approves a 1.79-trillion-rand package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan 
# And Rugby: Chasing the Sun 2 will premiére on 24 March 

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has authorised the deployment of 2-thousand-900 members of the South African National Defense Force in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Decades of conflicts in eastern Congo between several rival armed groups over land and resources have killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced more than seven million. Spokesperson Vincent Magwenya confirmed the allocated budget of over two billion rand for this deployment until 15 December:

Meanwhile, the GOOD Party has expressed profound disappointment in Ramaphosa’s failure to commit to a basic income grant, labelling it as disheartening. During the state of the nation address debate, the party’s secretary-general, Brett Herron, acknowledged Ramaphosa’s recognition of fundamental changes, but points out that despite past gains, one in three citizens still live in extreme poverty. Herron urges immediate actions to alleviate poverty:

# The US Senate has approved an aid package worth 1.79-trillion-rand for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. The Democratic-controlled Senate voted 72 to 29 in favour of the package when 22 Republicans voted with the Democrats. The legislation will now be sent to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. Reuters reports president Joe Biden had urged Congress for months to hurry the new aid through, and also requested funds for humanitarian aid in Gaza. Both houses must approve the legislation before Biden can sign it into law.

# Rugby: SuperSport announced Chasing the Sun 2 – A Story for South Africa – will premiére on the 24th of next month. This is the sequel to the first series that chronicled the Springboks’ road to victory in the 2019 World Cup in Japan. The five-part series details the team’s triumphant campaign in France last year, where they clinched the Webb Ellis trophy for a record fourth time. SuperSport says the new series details the blood, sweat and sacrifices, and the joy of victory after years of unrelenting endeavour.

# And finally, American football: The more than 123-million people who watched Sunday’s Super Bowl on television was the biggest audience in the United States since the moon landing. An estimated 125- to 150-million people watched in July 1969 how Neil Armstrong became the first person to set foot on the moon’s surface. It is thought American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift’s attendance to watch boyfriend Travis Kelce (Kels) play for champions Kansas City Chiefs may have boosted the figures. Last year, 115.1-million people watched the event.

Stay tuned for more news………….