News 18:00

BULLETIN 12 June 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Cabinet rejects claims of racially targeted farm attacks amid the latest crime statistics
# Local police say there are likely no survivors after the Indian air crash
# And cricket: Australia has a 74-run first-innings lead over the Proteas

# Cabinet has dismissed claims that farm attacks and murders are racially motivated. It says the latest crime statistics do not support the narrative that white farmers are being targeted. Cabinet reiterates that official crime data does not classify victims by race. Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, urged the public to rely on verified data and not to spread misinformation that could fuel racial tensions:

# Agriculture minister John Steenhuisen has warned that the foot-and-mouth-disease outbreak will affect consumers in the short term. Speaking on the sidelines at the Red Meat Abattoir Association’s 31st conference in Somerset West, Cape Town, he confirmed that 900-thousand doses of vaccine will be rolled out once received from the Botswana Vaccine Institute. The minister says meat transport restrictions is economically affecting abattoirs:

# Local police say there appear to be no survivors after an Air India aircraft crashed in a residential area near Ahmedabad Airport shortly after take-off. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with 242 people on board was on its way to London Gatwick. The passengers included 169 Indian nationals, 53 Brits, seven Portuguese and a Canadian. A city police official, Kanan Desai, told Reuters more than 200 bodies have already been recovered from the crash site, which could include those on board the flight and those on the ground.

# Israel says Hamas was weaponising suffering in Gaza after a US and Israeli-backed charity accused the Palestinian militant group of killing five of its aid workers in the territory. The distribution of food and basic supplies in the blockaded and war-ravaged Gaza Strip has become increasingly fraught and perilous, exacerbating the territory’s deep hunger crisis. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says a bus carrying its staff to a distribution site near the southern city of Khan Yunis was attacked by Hamas, killing at least five Palestinian aid workers.

# Cricket: South Africa was bowled out for just 138 runs despite a fightback by captain Temba Bavuma and David Bedingham on day two of the World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord’s in London. This gave Australia a first-innings lead of 74 runs. Bedingham scored 45 runs before becoming one of Pat Cummins’ six scalps for just 28 runs from 18 overs, taking his Test tally to 300. Bavuma scored 36 runs before also being dismissed by the Australian captain.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-76-cents and the euro at 20-rand-58-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-17-cents and Bitcoin trades at 107-thousand-523-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-391-dollars-10-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 68-dollars-70-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….