News 18:00

BULLETIN 10 February 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The ANC reaffirms its support for peacekeeping missions across Africa
# The Indian police stop the megastar Ed Sheeran’s street performance
# And cricket: An easy victory for the Black Caps over the Proteas in Pakistan

# The ANC has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting peacekeeping missions across Africa. The National Assembly is holding an urgent debate on the deaths of 14 South African National Defence Force members in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In his address, the ANC’s Malusi Gigaba acknowledged the sacrifices made by African countries in supporting South Africa’s freedom, and reiterated their dedication to collective action in resolving conflicts across the continent:

Meanwhile, the DA has criticised the Defence Force for being unprepared in the escalating conflict in the DRC. The party says soldiers were sent into battle without enough equipment and funding. The DA’s Chris Hattingh argues the SANDF was ill-equipped to handle the M23 rebels, and government, led by president Cyril Ramaphosa, failed to prioritise the safety of troops:

# Pop megastar Ed Sheeran has denied that he unlawfully serenaded the Indian public after police said he lacked the necessary permission to play and abruptly terminated a street performance. The British singer-songwriter and four-time Grammy winner is touring the world’s most populous country but took time out between concerts to busk to a surprised crowd in tech hub Bengaluru. Videos shared on social media show a police official disconnecting his microphone midway through a rendition of his hit “Shape of You”.

 # Cricket: South African opener Matthew Breetzke’s record for a one-day international debut was all in vain as New Zealand cruised to a six-wicket victory in the tri-nations tournament in Pakistan. Breetzke’s 150 runs propelled the Proteas to 304 for six. But Kane Williamson’s undefeated 133, and Devon Conway’s 97 helped the Black Caps reach the target with four wickets down and eight balls remaining. New Zealand also beat Pakistan in Saturday’s opening match. South Africa and the hosts meet on Wednesday, followed by the final on Friday.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-40-cents and the euro at 18-rand-97-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-77-cents and Bitcoin trades at 97-thousand-693-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-901-dollars-98-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 75-dollars-30-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Cosatu says South Africa owe it to the gallant sacrifices of the Namibian people led by former president Sam Nujoma, to deepen and strengthen the bonds between two peoples at all levels. Nujoma died on Saturday aged 95. Cosatu’s Zanele Sabela says during his first term in office as head of state in 1990 to ’95, Nujoma focused on reconciliation and nation building, much like former president Nelson Mandela:

Stay tuned for more news………….