News 08:00
BULLETIN 20 February 8 am
Good morning. I am……..
In this bulletin:
# The Department of Health says a social media video on Covid-19 vaccine deaths is misleading
# The DA in Gauteng says Lesufi didn’t provide any real solutions to help residents in the province
# And in motorsport, Formula One pre-season testing will start with everyone chasing Max Verstappen
# The Department of Health says a voice note making rounds on social media platforms claiming that people who vaccinated against Covid-19 are dying due to the vaccine is misleading. The voice note promotes the use of an unregistered, over-the-counter product called Nature`s Choice Activated Charcoal, as the solution to allegedly prevent such deaths. The department’s spokesperson, Foster Mohale, says there are no reported deaths causally linked to Covid-19 vaccines, except for the three cases that the department reported last year:
# Former COSATU general secretary, Mbhazima Shilowa, stresses the need for the labour federation to provide compelling reasons for its members to support the ANC in the upcoming elections. The organisation calls on its members to vote for its alliance partner, and Shilowa says leaders should be equally prepared to answer some difficult questions. He notes that some members have shown independence in voting, resulting in ANC’s loss of certain metros. Shilowa emphasizes the importance of engaging members at branch level to address these issues.
# The DA in Gauteng says premier Panyaza Lesufi did not offer residents any real solutions to improve their well-being. The premier delivered the State of the Province address yesterday evening. The DA’s Gauteng leader, Solly Msimanga, says Lesufi presented no solution to the ongoing load-shedding crisis; instead, finding a solution has been kicked back to the municipalities, which are already unable to provide basic services:
# The US has proposed a United Nations Security Council draft resolution calling for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza, and for Israel not to go ahead with a planned offensive in Rafah. The draft resolution is being offered by the Biden administration as an alternative to an Algerian draft, which is calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. The US draft warns of the effects of an Israeli ground offensive into Rafah, saying it would result in further harm to civilians and their further displacement including potentially into neighbouring countries.
# Motorsport: The new Formula One season gets going in Bahrain tomorrow where the cars will be tested until Friday. Red Bull dominated the previous season when Dutch driver Max Verstappen cruised to his third consecutive drivers’ championship, winning a record 19 out of 22 races. His team won its sixth constructors’ championship. The season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix will take place next weekend, and Verstappen hopes for another good season:
# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-97-cents and the euro at 20-rand-42-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-88-cents and Bitcoin trades at 51-thousand-681-dollars-40-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-18-dollars-21-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 83-dollars-42-cents a barrel.
Stay tuned for more news………….