News 18:00

BULLETIN 24 May 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The ICJ orders Israel to immediately halt the Rafah offensive 
# President Cyril Ramaphosa says the Investigating Directorate against Corruption is a permanent entity within the NPA
# And cricket: The Proteas are looking to bounce back against the Windies

# The International Court of Justice has ordered Israel to halt its military offensive in Rafah, citing insufficient evacuation efforts to protect civilians. This follows South Africa’s appeal for stricter measures. The court’s order comes as the International Criminal Court seeks arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders for war crimes. The ICJ’s president, Judge Nawaf Salam, says Israel must ensure unimpeded access to Gaza for any United Nations investigative body probing allegations of genocide:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced the Investigating Directorate against Corruption as a permanent entity within the NPA. He addressed the media during the signing into law of the National Prosecuting Authority Amendment Bill in Pretoria. Ramaphosa welcomed the directorate’s progress in taking 39 state capture cases to court and the preservation of state capture assets to the value of more than 14-billion-rand, with over six-billion-rand recovered:

Ramaphosa has also expressed his condolences following the death of former member of Parliament and DA federal council chairperson, James Selfe. He passed away on Tuesday at the age of 68 years, after a long illness. Selfe, who served in Parliament for many years, was praised by Ramaphosa for his dedication to democracy, commitment to fighting crime, and respectful approach to political opposition. Ramaphosa acknowledged Selfe’s contributions to legislative reforms and described him as a passionate and dignified advocate of liberalism.

# Internet search giant Google is investing in the Umoja subsea cable, which will connect South Africa and several East African countries to Australia. This aims to protect the countries from future internet disruptions by providing much-needed capacity and a new route for connectivity. The cable will stretch ten-thousand kilometres along the Indian Ocean floor and bolster Google and Meta’s existing infrastructure investments in Africa. Recent cable breaks highlighted the need for backup systems. The cable is due to go live before the end of the year.

# Cricket: The Proteas will have a chance to bounce back quickly in their three-match T20 series against the West Indies, with the remaining two games being played this weekend. South Africa lost by 28 runs in the first game in Jamaica, with a career-best 87 from Reeza Hendricks in vain. The T20 World Cup is played in the USA and West Indies next month, and Hendricks says the Proteas must quickly adapt to the conditions:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-41-cents and the euro at 19-rand-97-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-44-cents and Bitcoin trades at 67-thousand-239-dollars-94-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-337-dollars-91-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 81-dollars-86-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….