News 12:00
BULLETIN 30 November 12 pm
Good afternoon. I am……..
In this bulletin:
# The Presidency announces it has no plans to cut diplomatic ties with Israel
# AfriForum challenges the racial requirement in water license applications
# And Gymnastics: British coaches are banned from weighing athletes after a damning report
# The Presidency has announced it has no plans to cut diplomatic ties with Israel. This is despite Parliament’s recent motion to close embassies. The government’s foreign policy, deemed executive prerogative, can’t be directed by Parliament. The International Criminal Court complaint and labelling Israel as apartheid state hasn’t led to diplomatic steps. President Cyril Ramaphosa meanwhile continues dialogue on the Middle East situation, focusing on interventions while expressing displeasure with Israeli actions in Gaza.
Meanwhile, a temporary humanitarian truce between Israel and Hamas has been extended for a seventh day as negotiations continue in hopes of reaching a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. Since the truce began last week Friday, 70 Israeli and dual national hostages have been freed in return for 210 Palestinian prisoners. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made clear he has no intention of considering a more lasting ceasefire, saying Hamas must be eliminated to ensure there will be no new threat to the state of Israel from Gaza.
# Eskom has announced stage 3 load-shedding was implemented at 10am today until 4pm, due to improved generation recovery and emergency reserves. Thereafter, stage 4 will be implemented until 8pm, followed by stage 5 until 5am tomorrow. Eskom will communicate further later today.
# AfriForum demands the immediate removal of the requirement for broad-based black economic empowerment status in water use license applications. The civil rights organisation plans to send an urgent request to Water and Sanitation minister Senzo Mchunu, warning of a complaint to the South African Human Rights Commission if the demand is not met. AfriForum’s Marais de Vaal believes the requirement is illegal and goes against the provisions of the National Water Act:
# Gymnastics: British coaches have been banned from weighing athletes following the release of a damning report on systemic physical and emotional abuse in the sport in the country. Former gymnast Eloise Jotischky last year won a civil cast against British Gymnastics for abuse suffered from coach Andrew Griffiths. She says he subjected her to inappropriate weight management techniques, describing weighing as a punishment. Griffiths is no longer allowed to coach gymnasts.
# Financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-72-cents and the euro at 20-rand-49-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-76-cents and Bitcoin trades at 37-thousand-685-dollars-84-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-and-42-dollars-29-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 83-dollars-30-cents a barrel.
# And finally: Environmentalists are rejoicing over the birth of a rare Sumatran rhino in a sanctuary in Indonesia. The smallest of all rhinos are on the list of critically endangered species, with only about 40 of the animals left in the world. They can now only be found on the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Borneo after also being native to Bhutan, India, Myanmar and Thailand. The calf weighed 25 kilograms at birth. It is the first-born of seven-year-old Delilah, while its father, Harapan, was repatriated from Cincinnati earlier.
Stay tuned for more news………….