News 12:00

BULLETIN 4 April 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga says DNA testing must extend beyond the school premises in the Matatiele rape case
# The FF Plus is concerned with the draft regulations on the private security industry
# And motorsport, Lando Norris believes it’s McLaren’s turn to have the best car

# Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities minister, Sindisiwe Chikunga says DNA testing in the investigation of the rape of a seven-year-old girl from Bergview College, in Matatiele, in the Eastern Cape, must go beyond just the school premises. The minister’s comments come amidst widespread public outrage and calls for justice. Chikunga expressed concerns that it may not have been an isolated incident:

# The Freedom Front Plus says the stringent draft regulations for possessing and using firearms in South Africa’s private security industry, will leave citizens even more vulnerable to crime. The regulations were published last week. The country’s security industry had around 2.56-million registered security guards in 2023, with 586-thousand being actively employed by more than 12-thousand companies. The FF Plus’, Heloïse Denner, says in contrast, the police force had only 180-thousand members in 2023:

# Republican congressman, Ronny Jackson, has reintroduced the US-South Africa Bilateral Relations Act, which would mandate a full review of the bilateral relationship between the two countries. He says South Africa has brazenly abandoned its relationship with the US to align with China, Russia, Iran, and terrorist organisations, a betrayal that demands serious consequences. Jackson says the review will help advance president Donald Trump’s foreign policy agenda. He adds that the era of governments undermining American interests without repercussions ends now.

# Motorsport: Formula One championship leader, Lando Norris of Britain, believes it was his McLaren team’s turn to have the best car. He won the first Grand Prix in Australia while his Australian teammate, Oscar Piastri, was victorious in Shanghai, China, with Norris in second place. Norris says McLaren is now faster than Red Bull, whose Dutch driver Max Verstappen was crowned world champion for the past four seasons. Norris intends to prove McLaren’s domination in the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka this weekend.    

# Financial indicators: The dollar trades at 19-rand-4-cents and the euro at 20-rand-95-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-77-cents and Bitcoin trades at 84-thousand-483-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-85-dollars-44-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 68-dollars-18-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Today is International Carrot Day, a day dedicated to the promotion and consumption of carrots, as well as raising awareness about the health benefits of the vegetable. Originating in Sweden, International Carrot Day has grown into a global celebration, with enthusiasts coming together to share their love for this vibrant root vegetable. Some interesting facts about carrots include, there are over 100 species of edible carrots, they have the largest content of vitamin A amongst vegetables, and they consist of 87-percent of water.

Stay tuned for more news………….