News 15:00

BULLETIN 19 July 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# CrowdStrike identifies the global IT issue
# The MK Party’s parliamentary leader says the government of national unity was formed out of the ANC’s desperation for power
# And, the African Development Bank approves a major loan to boost Transnet’s recovery plan

# CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz says the company is actively working with customers impacted by a defect in a content update for Windows hosts. The defect resulted in a global tech outage that is disrupting operations in multiple industries, with airlines halting flights, some broadcasters off-air and everything from banking to healthcare hit by system problems. Kurtz emphasised it was not a security incident or an cyberattack. The issue has been fixed, with updates available on the support portal. CrowdStrike advises organisations to use official channels for communication.

# MK Party parliamentary leader John Hlophe calls the ANC and DA’s government of national unity a cruel joke. Echoing former president Thabo Mbeki, Hlophe insists true unity can’t be achieved without addressing colonialism and apartheid’s legacy. Following president Cyril Ramaphosa’s opening of Parliament speech, Hlophe argues the ANC formed the GNU out of desperation to retain power:

# The African Development Bank Group has approved an 18.85-billion-rand loan for Transnet to support its recovery and growth plans. The 25-year loan, guaranteed by the South African government, will fund the first phase of Transnet’s 152.8-billion-rand five-year capital investment plan. This plan aims to address operational challenges in rail and port sectors. Transnet CEO Michelle Phillips welcomed the funding, highlighting its crucial role in stabilising and improving operations.

# Motorsport: American-owned Formula One team Haas will part ways with Danish driver Kevin Magnussen at the end of the season. This will end his seven-year association with the team across two spells, with him first joining in 2017 before returning in 2022. Haas will have an all-new driver line-up next year, with teammate Nico Hulkenberg also leaving to join Sauber. Haas is yet to announce who will partner British driver Ollie Bearman next season. Magnussen says he is looking forward to the next chapter:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-34-cents and the euro at 19-rand-97-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-70-cents and Bitcoin trades at 64-thousand-56-dollars-70-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-412-dollars-19-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 84-dollars-83-cents a barrel.

# Scientists have warned millions of lives are at risk unless urgent and radical action is taken to stop drug-resistant malaria spreading in Africa. Malaria parasites that can shrug off the effects of the critical drug artemisinin are now well-established in East Africa. Resistance levels have soared in some areas from fewer than one-percent to more than 20-percent of cases in the space of three years. The last time resistance to an antimalarial drug spread in Africa it led to a tripling in the number of children dying from the disease.

Stay tuned for more news………….