News 08:00
BULLETIN 24 April 8 am
Good morning. I am……..
In this bulletin:
# My Vote Counts says the breakdown of coalitions is due to individuals’ pursuit of power
# Cosatu welcomes the amendments to the Spy Bill but still has concerns
# And the EU urges donors to resume funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine
# My Vote Counts says in South Africa’s multi-party democracy coalition politics must evolve organically. Today, roughly one in every three municipalities is governed by a coalition. Several polls suggest coalitions will emerge nationally and provincially after the May 29 general elections. The non-profit organisation has released a policy paper on coalitions. It says often, the cause of coalition breakdown or poor performance is because of the individuals involved, their egos, and their pursuit for power. My Vote Counts says a legal framework to govern coalitions is needed.
# Cosatu says intelligence and security services are part of any modern state. What is critical, however, is to ensure there are sufficient checks and balances in place in law to prevent the abuse of such agencies. The trade federation presented its submission on the General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill to an ad-hoc committee of the National Council of Provinces. Cosatu’s, Matthew Parks, says they remain concerned that the powers of the Inspector-General for Intelligence are prone to being undermined by state intelligence organs:
# The European Union is urging countries to restore funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees. Unsupported Israeli allegations about the humanitarian agency’s links to Hamas led major donors to cut funding. Also, 12 staff of the agency were accused of having been part of the seven October attacks on Israel, which saw around one-thousand-200 people killed and about 250 taken hostage. The EU says countries must reinstate funding to the agency as it is the Palestinian refugees’ lifeline.
# Cricket: A maiden Indian Premier League century from Marcus Stoinis helped the Lucknow Super Giants beat the Chennai Super Kings by six wickets. CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad’s unbeaten 108 guided his team to 210 for four. Lucknow were in trouble at 88 for three after eleven overs. However, Stoinis came to the rescue, scoring an unbeaten 124 and sharing an unbeaten 65-run stand with Deepak Hooda, to achieve victory with three balls to spare. Stoinis says the run chase was exciting:
# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 19-rand-9-cents and the euro at 20-rand-44-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-78-cents and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-576-dollars-35-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-325-dollars-11-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 88-dollars-34-cents a barrel.
# And finally, the Cape Peninsula University of Technology will confer an honorary doctorate to Banyana Banyana coach, Desiree Ellis, tomorrow. She is the most successful coach in the history of Banyana Banyana, having led the team to their maiden Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title in 2022. Under her leadership, the team also qualified for back-to-back Women’s World Cups. CPUT says Ellis will be recognised for her significant achievements which have positioned her at the top of the African and global sports fraternity.
Stay tuned for more news………….