News 18:00

BULLETIN 20 January 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The ANC welcomes the ceasefire in Gaza and reaffirms its support for Palestine
# Minister Barbara Creecy reiterates the rise in road deaths and calls for motorists to change their behavior
# And cricket: Rishabh Pant is appointed captain of the Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL

# The ANC welcomes the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, seeing it as an important step towards peace in Gaza. Briefing the media on the outcomes of the special national executive committee meeting, ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula reaffirmed the party’s longstanding support for Palestine and reiterated its commitment to human rights:

# Transport minister Barbara Creecy says preliminary festive season road crash data reveals that 87-percent of incidents stemmed from human factors including speeding, drunken driving, and reckless behaviour. The minister has urged South Africans to change road habits, as crashes claim more lives due to bad decisions. She has called for accountability and stricter measures to enforce road safety:

# A teenager has pleaded guilty to killing three young girls in a stabbing spree last year that sparked the UK’s most violent riots in a decade. At the start of his trial, 18-year-old Axel Rudakubana admitted to murdering the three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport. The stabbings triggered riots in several English and Northern Irish towns and cities. Rudakubana, who was born in Wales to parents of Rwandan origin, will be sentenced on Thursday.

# Cricket: Record-breaking wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant has been named captain of Indian Premier League team Lucknow Super Giants for the upcoming edition of the lucrative T20 tournament. The 27-year-old set a new IPL record when he went to Lucknow for 60-million-rand in the auction in November. Pant, a flamboyant left-handed batsman, returned as captain of Delhi Capitals last season after 14 months away from elite cricket following a car crash. But he parted ways with Delhi, who ended sixth in the 10-team table of the 2024 season.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-60-cents and the euro at 19-rand-33-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-85-cents and Bitcoin trades at 107-thousand-696-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-711-dollars-87-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 78-dollars-90-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Pope Francis has urged incoming United States president Donald Trump to lead a society with no room for hatred and to promote peace and reconciliation among peoples. In a message marking Trump’s inauguration, the 88-year-old pontiff offered the incoming president his prayers that Almighty God will grant him wisdom, strength and protection. Pope Francis says he hopes that under Trump’s leadership the American people will prosper and always strive to build a more just society.

Stay tuned for more news………….