News 07:00

BULLETIN 10 April 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Electoral Commission is mulling the court ruling on Zuma’s candidacy
# AfriForum reiterates it will challenge the Bela Bill if it is passed into law
# And cricket: Rain has the final say in the first ODI between the Protea women and Sri Lanka

# The Electoral Commission of South Africa says it is taking legal advice on the decision of the Electoral Court to allow former president Jacob Zuma to contest the elections. The court yesterday set aside the objection against Zuma’s candidacy to become a member of Parliament for the uMkhonto weSizwe party. The IEC says it would ask for reasons from the court to understand the basis of the conclusion reached to decide on how to proceed with the matter.

# AfriForum is ready to launch a legal challenge if the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill is passed into law. The bill amends sections of the South African Schools Act of 1996 to respond to administrative and governance problems in schools, and to transform the education system as a whole. AfriForum’s, Alana Bailey, says it is clear that the Bela Bill is undesirable and impracticable:

# The Department of Health will today launch a ground-breaking initiative to combat teenage pregnancy by introducing the first self-care wellness vending machine in Mthatha, Eastern Cape. The vending machine carries a variety of contraceptives and HIV prevention items, targeting girls and women of childbearing age. The department’s Foster Mohale says the initiative responds to a concerning surge in adolescent pregnancies, with over eleven-thousand-500 girls aged 10 to 14 years giving birth in public health facilities in the past three years:

# Over 100-thousand people in Russia and Kazakhstan were forced to flee their homes due to the worst flooding in Eastern Europa in seven decades. This was caused by swiftly melting snow swelling rivers to bursting point. Reuters reports rivers have risen metres in a matter of hours to reach the highest levels in history. The Kremlin says president Vladimir Putin is getting constant updates on the situation, but has no immediate plans to visit the region.

# Cricket: The first One Day International between the Proteas women and Sri Lanka was called off due to persistent rain in East London yesterday evening. Tazmin Brits scored 116-off-128 balls, her second career ODI century, as the hosts posted 260 for six. In reply, Sri Lanka only reached 23 for no loss of wickets in just under seven overs when it started raining, leading to the game eventually being called off. The second ODI will be played in Kimberley on Saturday.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-45-cents and the euro at 20-rand-3-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-39-cents and Bitcoin trades at 68-thousand-944-dollars-51-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-352-dollars-39-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 89-dollars-43-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Reigning Miss South Africa Natasha Joubert has launched the second phase of her advocacy campaign, with ten more bursaries being made available. She has partnered with computer company ASUS and leading coding school HyperionDev, as part of the education arm of her Natasha Joubert Collective. Scholarships will be awarded to individuals who aspire to pursue a career in technology. Joubert says she is committed to doing as much as possible in the education and entrepreneurial spaces to make a difference in some people’s lives.

Stay tuned for more news………….