News 12:00

BULLETIN 28 April 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Gwarube wants the Treasury to probe possible textbook procurement irregularities
# Iran accuses the US and Israel of disrupting maritime security
# And Mimi Coertse dies at the age of 93

# Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, has asked National Treasury to investigate alleged irregularities in the procurement of foundation phase textbooks. According to News24, Lighthouse Publishers was registered three days after the terms of reference for the national catalogue were issued. It was awarded 26-percent of the total approvals for the publishing of textbooks and stands to make 285-million-rand. Spokesperson Lukhanyo Vangqa says Treasury is the legal custodian of procurement compliance:

# Forum for South Africa says Communications and Digital Technologies minister Solly Malatsi’s withdrawal of the draft National Artificial Intelligence Policy exposes a deeply concerning failure within the department. The document contained fictitious references. FOSA leader, Tebogo Mashilompane, says what is particularly alarming is that a document of such national importance could pass through multiple layers of drafting and quality assurance without such glaring inaccuracies being detected:

Moving abroad:

# Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, says the responsibility for any disruption to maritime transport lies with the US and its supporters. The UN Security Council debated the safety and protection of waterways such as the critical Strait of Hormuz. Iravani says since February 28, America and Israel have waged a war of aggression against Iran in violation of the UN Charter, disrupting maritime security and threatening regional peace:

# Tennis: Britain’s Cameron Norrie isn’t seen as the favourite in his match against world number one, Jannik Sinner, for the first time in his career today. They are meeting in the round of 16 of the Madrid Open in Spain, where the Italian is gunning to become the first man ever to win five Masters One-thousand tournaments in a row. The world number 23 hopes to reach the quarterfinal for the first time. He says Sinner will be tough, but he must just stick to his own game.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-58-cents and the euro at 19-rand-41-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-39-cents and Bitcoin trades at 76-thousand-882-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-620-dollars-64-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 104-dollars-9-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Famous South African opera soprano Mimi Coertse has died at the age of 93. She made her South African debut in Handel’s Messiah at the Johannesburg City Hall in 1951, and left the country two years later. She eventually landed in Vienna, Austria, where she gained international recognition with appearances in operas such as Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Verdi’s Rigoletto and Bizet’s Carmen. Coertse returned to South Africa in 1973 and became a frequent broadcaster on television and radio. She died in her home in Pretoria.

Stay tuned for more news………….