News 08:00
BULLETIN 18 March 8 am
Good morning. I am……..
In this bulletin:
# President Ramaphosa will today address a conference on the state of human rights in South Africa
# The parliamentary committee on Police is calling for intensified training for the police on domestic violence
# And, following a landslide victory Putin claims Russia’s democracy is transparent
# President Cyril Ramaphosa will address the national conference on the State of Human Rights, marking the 30th anniversary of constitutional democracy and human rights in South Africa. The conference is hosted by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development from today until Wednesday in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni, under the theme Three Decades of Respect for and Promotion of Human Rights. Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, says delegates will unpack the legal, administrative, operational and financial hurdles impacting progress towards the realisation of human rights:
# Parliament’s portfolio committee on Police has directed the South African Police Service to enhance training for members to ensure compliance with the Domestic Violence Act. From the first of April to the 30th of September last year, 60 complaints were reported, of which 50 involved failure to complete a police domestic violence form. Two cases concern the failure to assist a complainant in opening a case. The committee says increased training will equip police officers with the tools necessary to ensure proper reporting and investigation of domestic violence.
# Johannesburg Water is urging residents to use water sparingly and observe level one-water restrictions, saying the system is severely constrained. Though Rand Water is pumping and supplying, the increased demand on the entire system has resulted in reservoirs being unable to maintain capacity. Joburg Water’s spokesperson, Nombuso Shabalala, says with demand outstripping supply, residents and businesses should work with the city to reduce water wastage by at least ten-percent:
# President Vladimir Putin says Russia’s democracy is more transparent than many in the West. This comes as early results from the polls show he has won the presidential election with nearly 88-percent of the vote, in an election where no credible opposition candidate was allowed to stand. The result means Putin will rule until at least 2030, when he will be 77. He says these elections have consolidated national unity, and that there were many tasks ahead for Russia as it continues its course of confrontation with the West.
# Tennis: World number two Carlos Alcaraz has successfully defended his Indian Wells title. The 20-year-old Spaniard beat Russian world number four Daniil Medvedev, 7-6, 6-1, to claim his first title since Wimbledon last year. Meanwhile, in the women’s draw, world number one Iga Swiatek of Poland claimed her second Indian Wells title, defeating Greece’s Maria Sakkari, 6-4, 6-0. Swiatek says she is proud of herself for how she fought throughout the tournament:
# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-76-cents and the euro at 20-rand-43-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-89-cents and Bitcoin trades at 67-thousand-922-dollars-14-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-146-dollars-99-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 85-dollars-59-cents a barrel.
Stay tuned for more news………….