News 07:00

BULLETIN 25 February 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Eskom has reduced load-shedding to stage two
# AgriSA is going to address trade and sustainability at the B20 Summit
# And the UN General Assembly adopts a resolution to end the war in Ukraine

# Loadshedding has been reduced to stage two until further notice, following the successful recovery of eight out of ten generation units that tripped over the weekend. A total of three-thousand-808-megawatts has been restored from the units that tripped. Eskom’s spokesperson, Daphne Mokwena, says while the recovery of the emergency reserves is progressing well, further replenishment is required to reach sufficient levels:

# AgriSA says it will advocate for sustainable agricultural growth, trade policies, and food security at the B20 Summit engagement with business leaders in Cape Town. CEO Johann Kotzé emphasises the need to integrate climate adaptation and sustainability into trade without harming Africa’s food system. He says that the industry body sees this as a key opportunity for economic growth with 55-percent of South Africa’s agricultural exports tied to G20 nations.

# A provisional report by the Competition Commission’s Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry reveals how social media tech giants dominate South Africa’s media advertising market. The inquiry found Google enjoys a monopoly, through biased algorithms. Chairperson James Hodge calls for Google to compensate South African media houses with 500-million-rand annually over five years. He proposes a five-to-ten-percent digital levy on tech giants and algorithm adjustments to restore fair competition:

# Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi says fighting crime remains an apex priority for the provincial government. He delivered the state of the province address in Tshwane yesterday evening. Gauteng remains South Africa’s crime hotspot, accounting for 25-percent of the country’s national murder statistics. Lesufi says together with the private sector, they have identified and profiled 442 kingpins that are committing the worst crimes in the province:

# The United Nations General Assembly has adopted a resolution titled, “Advancing a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine”. A total of 93 members voted in favour of the resolution, 18 against, and 65 abstained. The resolution calls for a de-escalation, an early cessation of hostilities, and a peaceful resolution of the war. Also, it highlights the need for the war to end this year. Monday marked three years since Russia invaded Ukraine. The UN has recorded 41-thousand-783 civilian victims, including at least 12-thousand-605 deaths.

# Cricket: New Zealand is through to the Champions Trophy semifinals, after beating Bangladesh by five wickets in Rawalpindi. Spinner Michael Bracewell returned career-best ODI figures of four for 26 runs to help restrict Bangladesh to 236 for nine. In reply, Rachin Ravindra scored his fourth ODI century, as the Black Caps reached the target with 3.5 overs to spare. New Zealand’s win means hosts Pakistan have been eliminated from the Champions Trophy, while India has also secured a place in the last four.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-39-cents and the euro at 19-rand-24-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-21-cents and Bitcoin trades at 92-thousand-252-dollar. Gold sells at two-thousand-945-dollars-56-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 74-dollars-94-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….