News 09:00

BULLETIN 22 January 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Steenhuisen appoints a council to strengthen the response against foot and mouth disease
# ActionSA wants minister Kubayi to provide a safety plan for courts in Gauteng
# And, three journalists are among the 11 killed by Israeli forces in Gaza

# Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen has formally appointed the Foot and Mouth Disease Industry Coordination Council to support the implementation of South Africa’s national strategy to contain and control the disease. The Northern Cape is the only province that has not been affected by the FMD outbreak, which has also spread to two of the country’s largest feedlots. Steenhuisen says the council will ensure that the industry plays an active, coordinated role in supporting the phased rollout of the FMD strategy, including vaccine distribution, traceability and disease control readiness

# The GOOD Party says retired Constitutional Court Judge Sisi Khampepe, who chairs the judicial commission probing delayed Truth and Reconciliation Commission investigations and prosecutions, must not allow herself to be bullied. This, as former presidents Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma want Khampepe to recuse herself, accusing her of being biased. GOOD’s secretary general, Brett Herron, says Khampepe must not take the rescue application personally:

# ActionSA is calling on minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi, to provide a plan on the protective arrangements at magistrates’ courts in Gauteng. This comes after two people were fatally shot, and three others were wounded, when gunmen opened fire on a group that was outside the Booysens Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. ActionSA’s Phiwokuhle Xulu says  such brazen criminality within the precincts of the courthouse constitutes an assault on judicial independence:

# Eleven people, including two young boys and three Palestinian journalists, have been killed in Israeli strikes in central Gaza. The Israeli military says it had ordered the strike on the journalist after its soldiers identified several suspects who operated a drone affiliated with Hamas. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate says journalists were carrying out a humanitarian, journalistic mission to film and document the suffering of civilians. According to Reporters Without Borders, Israeli forces killed at least 29 Palestinian journalists in Gaza between December 2024 and December 2025.

# Soccer: Bayern Munich has secured a place in the last 16 of the Champions League following a 2-0 victory over Union Saint-Gilloise. Five-time champions Barcelona came from behind to defeat a resilient Slavia 4-2, boosting their chances of moving straight into the last 16. Liverpool cruised to a 3-0 victory against Marseille to boost their chances of a top-eight spot. Newcastle United clinched a last-16 play-off spot following a comfortable 3-0 win against PSV Eindhoven. There were also victories for Chelsea, Juventus, Athletic Club, and Qarabağ.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-26-cents and the euro at 19-rand-2-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-85-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 89-thousand-873-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-795-dollars-10-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 64-dollars-70-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….