News 16:00

BULLETIN 2 June 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# A Hawks member is exonerated over a polygraph test
# Lebanon announces a partial ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah but the attacks continue
# And rugby: The Blitzboks’ coach expects better play from them in Bordeaux

# KwaZulu-Natal Hawks warrant officer Karl Sander has concluded his testimony before the Madlanga commission after learning he was wrongly implicated in a polygraph test that led to his removal from his position. Evidence leader Lee Segeels-Ncube revealed the Forensic Science Laboratory found serious errors by the examiner. The test was declared invalid, clearing Sander of any wrongdoing. Segeels-Ncube revealed the examiner was barred from conducting further polygraph tests:

# The SABC says it will spend 704-million-rand on educational and children’s programming over the next three years, funded through the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies. The broadcaster told MyBroadband the allocation amounts to 234-million-rand annually, but remains insufficient to fully fund its public service mandate, which costs about two-billion-rand a year. The SABC says the funding is ringfenced and cannot be used as a bailout.

Moving abroad:

# Lebanon announced ​a partial ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel in what would amount to a limited de-escalation of a conflict that has ‌killed thousands of people and inflamed the US-Israeli war with Iran. Lebanon’s embassy in Washington says the agreement would not end the conflict, but it calls for Israel to refrain from strikes on Beirut and its suburbs controlled by Hezbollah, while the Iranian-aligned group would halt its attacks on Israel. Lebanon adds it would seek to expand the ceasefire in talks ​with Israel in Washington tomorrow.

# Rugby: The Blitzboks’ coach, Philip Snyman, expects his charges to play better in this coming weekend’s final Sevens World Championship tournament in Bordeaux, France, after losing to Australia in the final of last weekend’s tournament in Valladolid, Spain. He says they did not produce the type of game they are capable of. South Africa is nonetheless on top of the log after winning the first tournament in Hong Kong. They are up against Fiji, Kenya and Great Britain in Pool A in Bordeaux.  

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-20-cents and the euro at 18-rand-88-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-83-cents and Bitcoin trades at 69-thousand-142-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-525-dollars-14-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 93-dollars-56-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The University of Cape Town signed a long-term renewable electricity supply agreement with Discovery Green. The deal will see 70- to 90-percent of electricity used by UCT’s main and health sciences campuses sourced from renewable energy from next year for nearly a decade. Spokesperson Elijah Moholo says the agreement is expected to reduce the university’s carbon emissions by about 33-thousand-200 tonnes annually and includes collaboration on research, skills development, and student scholarships:

Stay tuned for more news………….