News 17:00

BULLETIN 27 February 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Cabinet welcomes the successful G20 Foreign and Finance ministers’ meetings
# Rugby: The Springboks’ home Test venues are confirmed
# And a tipsy tourist is fined almost 10-thousand-rand for diving into Rome’s Trevi Fountain

# Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, says South Africa’s G20 presidency is progressing well following the successful Foreign ministers’ meeting in Johannesburg last week and the ongoing Finance ministers and central bank governors’ meeting in Cape Town. Ntshavheni says the cabinet highlighted that the G20 remains essential for international economic cooperation and for advancing South Africa’s goals of solidarity, equality, and sustainability:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says government wants to reach a meaningful deal with the US on diplomacy and trade, rather than having to explain its policies. In a conversation with Goldman Sachs’ vice chairperson Richard Gnodde in Johannesburg, the president addressed tensions over land-expropriation laws and their stance on Israel, which led to the US halting aid, and a 7.5-billion-rand shortfall in HIV programmes. Ramaphosa clarified no private land has been confiscated since apartheid ended:

# Parliament’s portfolio committee on Higher Education says new funding models for missing middle students will provide much-needed support. Chairperson Tebogo Letsie says students who don’t qualify for NSFAS due to their middle-class income can apply for funding. Administered by NSFAS, it will cover tuition, and accommodation. Letsie told SABC News that 17-thousand applications have been received and that the programme will run for ten years:

# Rugby: The Springboks will return to the Eastern Cape for the first time since 2021 when they take on Italy at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in the second Test on 12 July. The World champions will kick their season off against Italy in Pretoria on 5 July. They play against Georgia in Mbombela on 19 July. The Boks take on Australia in the Rugby Championship at Ellispark in Johannesburg on 16 August, and a week later in Cape Town. Argentina will face the Boks in Durban on 23 September.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-40-cents and the euro at 19-rand-28-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-33-cents and Bitcoin trades at 86-thousand-410-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-888-dollars-8-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 72-dollars-79-cents a barrel.

# And finally: A visitor from New Zealand was fined almost ten-thousand rand and banned from visiting the world famous Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy, for life. This follows after he and two friends decided to dive into the Baroque landmark. Police told CNN alcohol was definitely involved. The fountain was drained last year to repair marble chipped from the millions of coins thrown into the water each year. Would-be thieves regularly try to steal some of the almost 30-million-rand’s worth of coins thrown into the water each year.

Stay tuned for more news………….