News 09:00

BULLETIN 16 February 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The South African victim describes Jeffrey Epstein as a mastermind criminal
# The Bondi Beach attacker has made his first court appearance
# And rugby: Grand Slam-chasing France secure a dominant bonus-point win against Wales in the Six Nations

# South African survivor of Jeffrey Epstein, Juliette Bryant, has described the late convicted sex predator as a mastermind criminal and highly manipulative. She was recruited from Cape Town by Epstein in 2002 as a 20-year-old first-year university student and aspiring model. She says he abused her multiple times on his private island in the Caribbean, as well as his ranch in New Mexico, between 2002 and 2004. Bryant told Newzroom Afrika that she was not trafficked to other men but raped by Epstein repeatedly:

# Trade unions in the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council have rejected the 9.8-percent Government Employees Medical Scheme increase in medical aid contributions. Gems has defended the hike as necessary for long-term sustainability and to maintain its 25-percent statutory reserve requirement. The increase will be revised to 9.5-percent in April. Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa president, Simon Hlungwani, says the hike is unreasonable:

# The DA in Gauteng has expressed concern about load shifting happening in the province, as the provincial government has not provided a schedule to residents. Load shifting means water will be redirected from reservoirs with enough supply to those running low, in an effort to balance the system and prevent a total collapse. The DA’s Stephen Moore says there is a need for clear timelines and public transparency that allows communities, businesses, clinics and schools to plan:

# The man accused of opening fire on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s famed Bondi Beach in Australia in December appeared in court for the first time today. Twenty-four-year-old Naveed Akram faces 59 charges, including 15 counts of murder and one count of committing a terrorist attack over the shooting. His father, Sajid Akram, was killed by police during the attack. Akram’s lawyer Ben Archbold says it is too early to say what plea his client would be entering. He is due back in court on 9 April.

# Rugby: Defending champions France thrashed Wales 54-12 in Cardiff, continuing their quest to secure a Six Nations Grand Slam. Les Bleus scored eight tries on route to a second bonus-point win in the competition, while Wales suffered their 13th straight Six Nations defeat. The 54 points racked up by France in the Welsh capital break their previous record of 51 scored in 1998. France, the only remaining unbeaten team in the competition after two rounds, will host Italy on Sunday, with Wales taking on Scotland.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 15-rand-92-cents and the euro at 18-rand-89-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-71-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 68-thousand-588-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-975-dollars-34-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 67-dollars-27-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….