News 18:00

BULLETIN 30 October 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Mashatile says crime intelligence failures stem from weak leadership and not a lack of resources
# Cricket: India chases a mammoth winning target of 339 in the World Cup semifinal against Australia
# And an Oxford study warns Africa’s wildlife has lost a third of its natural power

# Deputy president Paul Mashatile says the challenges within South Africa’s crime intelligence structures are not due to a lack of resources, but a failure of leadership, political will, and accountability. In his oral reply to questions in the National Assembly, Mashatile referred to the Madlanga commission, which revealed some officers helped criminal syndicates. He said government will act fast to fix leadership and clean up police units to fight crime effectively:

# The latest figures from Statistics South Africa show a rise in business failures. Total liquidations jumped nearly 24-percent in September compared with last year. Company liquidations increased by 16 cases, and close corporations by 12. Stats SA’s Onica Mushwana says the first nine months of the year recorded a 3.8-percent rise, highlighting growing financial strain on South African businesses:

# Minister in the Presidency Maropene Ramokgopa has urged African nations to invest and become shareholders in financing institutions to accelerate flagship projects. Speaking to the SABC News at the third Luanda Financing Summit in Angola, Ramokgopa called for boosted infrastructure in transport, energy, digital, and water sectors. She says the summit aims to bridge the continent’s 1.7-trillion-rand annual funding gap:

# Cricket: Co-hostess India is chasing a mammoth winning target of 339 in the World Cup semifinal against defending champion Australia in Mumbai. Young batter Phoebe Litchfield contributed 119 runs off just 113 balls, Ellyse Perry scored 77 and Ashleigh Gardner 63. Shree Charani and Deepti Sharma both took two wickets, while three batters were run out. Today’s winner plays South Africa in Sunday’s final after the Proteas annihilated England in yesterday’s first semifinal.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-29-cents and the euro at 20-rand-3-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-77-cents and Bitcoin trades at 107-thousand-857-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-and-two-dollars-81-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 63-dollars-83-cents a barrel.

# And finally: A new Oxford-led study published in Nature has revealed that Africa’s ecosystems are operating on less than two-thirds of their original energy, threatening biodiversity and livelihoods. Lead author from Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute, Ty Loft, says wildlife power, the energy driving nutrient cycling and seed dispersal, has dropped since pre-colonial times. Loft warns the loss of large species like elephants and rhinos has drastically weakened ecosystem functions across the continent. He emphasised their roles can’t be replaced by smaller species or livestock.

Stay tuned for more news………….