News 17:00

BULLETIN 11 January 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Israel faces accusations of igniting a humanitarian crisis in Gaza
# The City calls for a clear deadline on private sector involvement in the port of Cape Town 
# And Rugby: Andy Farrell is named the new head coach of the British and Irish Lions

# In a plea at the International Court of Justice, in The Hague in the Netherlands, a lawyer representing South Africa, Blinne Ni Ghralaigh called for urgent measures to safeguard Gaza’s Palestinians from Israel’s alleged violations of the genocide convention. The Israel-Palestine conflict has resulted in over 23-thousand Palestinians killed and more than 59-thousand wounded. Describing the situation as a crisis of humanity and a living hell, she warns of a looming public health disaster in Gaza with infectious diseases spreading:

# The City of Cape Town is calling for a clear deadline for private sector involvement in the Port of Cape Town. Mayoral committee member for Economic Growth, James Vos, says with a private sector partner due to commence operations at the Port of Durban in April, there is continued silence from the national government on a timeline for a private sector partner boost for Cape Town. He says allowing private sector participation in the Port of Cape Town has the potential to contribute an additional six-billion-rand in exports:

# Portuguese multinational energy corporation, Galp (Gulp) Energia, has successfully drilled and logged the first oil exploration well, Mopane-1X, off the coast of Namibia. Initial findings confirm a substantial column of high-quality light oil in reservoir-bearing sands. NamCor’s Marketing, Communications, and Public Relations manager, Paulo Coelho, confirmed drilling operation advances to explore deeper targets, with plans to relocate the rig to Mopane-2X for further assessment. Coelho has revealed Galp’s intention to analyse acquired data and conduct a drill stem test to determine the commercial viability of the discovery:

# Rugby: Ireland’s coach, Andy Farrell, has been named head coach of the British and Irish Lions for next year’s tour of Australia. The Englishman, who is the father of England captain Owen Farrell, succeeds New Zealander Warren Gatland who opted out after the Lions’ tour of South Africa in 2021. Farrell was Gatland’s assistant during the Lions series in 2013 and four years later. His role with the team will start in December this year. Farrell will prepare the Lions for 10 games, including a Test against Argentina in Dublin and three Tests against the Wallabies.

# And finally: The Re.Bag.Re.Use initiative team says it has been inspired to continue making a difference. The initiative recently received its second international accolade, winning the Silver Stevie Award in the Women in Business category: Startup of the Year – Consumer Products Industries. Fifteen ladies are involved in Re.Bag.Re.Use; five ladies to cut empty plastic bread bags into strips and ten ladies crochet these strips into beautiful multi-functional items. Founder, Regine le Roux, says the international recognition is a nod that they are heading in the right direction.

Stay tuned for more news………….