News 13:00
BULLETIN 29 April 1 pm
Good afternoon. I am……..
In this bulletin:
# South Africa tells the International Court of Justice Israel is acting with impunity in occupied Palestine
# ActionSA vows court action over the top secret Phala Phala report
# And, the ANC defends the Finance minister amid the EFF’s resignation calls
# South Africa has told the International Court of Justice that Israel is acting with impunity in the occupied Palestinian territories, deliberately blocking aid to Gaza. This week, the court is holding public hearings on a request for an advisory opinion concerning Israel’s obligations under international law. Delivering oral submission in The Hague in Netherlands, Department of International Relations and Cooperation director-general Zane Dangor says this has driven the region toward famine and constitutes genocide and apartheid:
# ActionSA says it will go to court, if necessary, to force the release of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate report into the theft at president Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm in Limpopo. The party has filed a formal Promotion of Access to Information Act application after Police minister Senzo Mchunu labelled the report top secret. ActionSA’s Michael Beaumont says the government of national unity is failing to hold Ramaphosa accountable:
# ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri says calls for Finance minister Enoch Godongwana’s resignation are unjustified unless linked to specific policy or legal failures. This comes after the EFF demanded his resignation following a court ruling suspending the VAT increase. The Western Cape High Court also overturned Parliament’s earlier adoption of the fiscal report. Bhengu-Motsiri says Godongwana has not violated his oath of office, and the ANC welcomes the court’s decision on the VAT hike.
# Cricket: The International Cricket Council has rejected England captain Ben Stokes’ plea for a review of over-rate penalties in Tests. This comes after England and New Zealand were docked three World Test Championship points, and all their players fined 15-percent of their match fees in Christchurch last December. The ICC Board has opted to maintain the existing rules that impose fines and points deductions on fielding sides, who fail to bowl an average of 15 overs per hour in the upcoming World Test Championship in June.
# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-53-cents and the euro at 21-rand-10-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-86-cents and Bitcoin trades at 94-thousand-981-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-312-dollars-4-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 63-dollars-99-cents a barrel.
# And finally, the American Lung Association’s 2025 State of the Air report reveals that approximately 156-million Americans, which is nearly half the population, are living in areas with unhealthy levels of air pollution. This marks an increase of 25-million people from the previous year, the highest in a decade. The report attributes the rise to factors such as extreme heat, wildfires, and drought, all linked to climate change. Communities of colour are disproportionately affected, with Latino Americans nearly three times more likely to breathe both ozone and particle pollutants.
Stay tuned for more news………….