News 14:00

BULLETIN 29 January 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The EFF condemns the postponement of a parliamentary meeting to discuss the deployment of soldiers in the DRC
# TLU SA calls on president Cyril Ramaphosa to prioritise practical solutions in his state of the nation address
# And rugby: Andy Farrell strengthens the Lions’ staff before the tour of Australia

# The EFF has condemned the postponement of a meeting of Parliament’s portfolio committee on Defence and Military Veterans which was planned for today. The meeting was set to receive reports on the deployment of South African National Defence Force soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The EFF says 13 soldiers have already lost their lives over the past few days, and with the rapidly worsening situation in the eastern DRC, the very real danger exists that more young soldiers could be killed.

# Agriculture organisation TLU SA is calling on president Cyril Ramaphosa to prioritise practical solutions in his state of the nation address in Cape Town next week Thursday. TLU SA’s Bennie van Zyl says Ramaphosa must demonstrate the courage to act as a true statesman and address the issues crippling the country head-on. He says South Africa urgently needs corrective action, not for politics, but for progress:

# After three interest rate cuts in a row, the US Federal Reserve is expected to take a breather today and signal it will remain on pause until the data changes. This is despite pressure to cut from president Donald Trump. Analysts expect the Fed to do nothing this week as it waits to see which policies the new Trump administration approves and how they might affect the US economy. The US central bank has a dual mandate from Congress to tackle both inflation and unemployment.

# Rugby: Head coach Andy Farrell roped in another two staff members to strengthen the British and Irish Lions for their tour of Australia. Former Australian Test player David Nucifora was appointed general manager of performance, and Ireland’s head of athletic performance, Aled Walters, will assume the same role at the Lions. The group will play Argentina in Dublin before the tour, and play nine matches in Australia, including three Tests against the Wallabies, from 28 June until the second of August.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-71-cents and the euro at 19-rand-45-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-22-cents and Bitcoin trades at 102-thousand-422-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-761-dollars-35-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 75-dollars-73-cents a barrel.

# And finally: President Cyril Ramaphosa is sending his good wishes to the government and people of China on the commencement of the Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year. Marking the onset of the Year of the Snake, the festivities will last for 15 days, culminating in the vibrant Spring Festival celebrations. Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, says the president is confident the Year of the Snake will sustain China’s standing as a formidable force for good:

Stay tuned for more news………….