News 15:00
BULLETIN 5 September 3 pm
Good afternoon. I am……..
In this bulletin:
# Cabinet intensifies its fight against crime and corruption
# The DA calls for the National Assembly to reassess appointment of judicial service commission representatives
# And, cricket: Pakistan falls to its worst Test ranking since 1965 after losing to Bangladesh
# Cabinet has intensified its fight against crime and corruption with a zero-tolerance policy. Recent efforts include South African Police Service operations targeting serious crimes and a whole-government approach to public safety. Briefing the media, acting minister in the Presidency, Maropene Ramokgopa, says notable successes include the arrest of suspects, the preservation of looted funds, and the extradition of British national Michael Lomas for Eskom-related corruption:
# The DA’s legal representative has urged the National Assembly to reassess the appointment of Judicial Service Commission representatives. This follows the appointment of John Hlophe, the first judge to be impeached in South Africa, as member of the JSC. Advocate Ismail Jamie argues that an impeached judge should not select judges or handle JSC matters due to a conflict of interest:
# Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei has died days after being doused in petrol and set on fire by a former boyfriend. The 33-year-old Ugandan marathon runner, who competed in the recent Paris Olympics, suffered extensive burns. Authorities in north-west Kenya, where Cheptegei lived and trained, said she was targeted after returning home from church. She and her ex-partner had allegedly been wrangling over a piece of land. There are concerns about the increasing cases of violence against female athletes in Kenya. Cheptegei is the third to have died since October 2021.
# Cricket: Pakistan fell to their worst Test ranking in nearly six decades after their shock 2-nil series defeat to low-ranked Bangladesh. Bangladesh inflicted a six-wicket defeat on the home team in the second Test in Rawalpindi, their first series win against Pakistan. Pakistan dropped two places, from sixth to eighth. The International Cricket Council says it was their lowest rankings since 1965 in the 12-team table, which is topped by Australia, followed by India and England with South Africa still ranked fourth. Bangladesh is ninth in the latest rankings.
# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-79-cents and the euro at 19-rand-75-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-43-cents and Bitcoin trades at 56-thousand-709-dollars-75-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-516-dollars-9-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 73-dollars-12-cents a barrel.
# And finally, Todd Phillips’ musical sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux, starring Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix, received high praise at the Venice Film Festival, even earning an eleven-minute standing ovation. The film is the follow-up to Phillips’ 2019 film, Joker, which received eleven Oscar nominations with Phoenix winning best actor and original score for Hildur Guðnadóttir. It also became the sixth-highest-grossing film of the year. Joker: Folie à Deux is set to premiere in theatres on the fourth of October.
Stay tuned for more news………….