NEWSFLASH NEWS AGENCY 12 February 1 pm

Good afternoon,

In this bulletin:

# Cyril Ramaphosa receives another endorsement for a second term as ANC leader
# More foreigners are advised to urgently leave Ukraine
# And, Banyana Banayana’s head coach says her charges are ready for Zambia

# ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa has received another endorsement to continue as the party’s leader. One of the party’s top six, treasurer-general Paul Mashatile, says there is consensus within the ANC that Ramaphosa should be given a second term. Mashatile has promised the ruling party will fix itself and ensure that people have basic services:

Play sound: ENG RamaphosaEndorsement

# The Department of Home Affairs will recruit ten-thousand young people as part of the presidential employment stimulus programme. President Cyril Ramaphosa revealed in his state of the nation address on Thursday beneficiaries of the stimulus programmes will soon rise to over one-million South Africans. Home Affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi told eNCA the young people will be responsible for the digitisation of paper records, among other projects:

Play sound: ENG AaronMotsoaledi

# Britain and Norway have joined the US in urging their nationals in Ukraine to leave the country as soon as possible amid fears of a Russian invasion. Their decision comes as Washington warned a Russian invasion of Ukraine could come within a week, with national security adviser Jake Sullivan saying all the pieces are in place for a major military operation that could start rapidly. He conceded however that the US did not have definitive information that an invasion has been ordered by Russian president Vladimir Putin.

# Soccer: Banyana Banyana head coach Desiree Ellis is impressed with the fitness of the players ahead of today’s friendly match against Zambia in Lusaka. The game will serve as a rehearsal for their African Women’s Cup of Nations qualifiers against Algeria over two legs. Ellis says she is really excited and surprised at the level of fitness, considering the clubs are in the preseason:

Play sound: ENG BanyanaCoach

Ellis expects Zambia to provide a challenge for her side:

Play sound: ENG ZambiaQuality

# And finally: Spanish police have dismantled a drug trafficking ring which simulated boat damage, and even orca attacks, to get towed into ports and smuggle in hashish. Police say the coastguard would tow the boats to Andalusian ports, where the drugs were unloaded little by little and stored in a hiding place awaiting reshipment abroad. The investigation was opened last year. Two people were arrested and 172-kilogrammes of drugs, as well as euros equivalent to well over a million-rand, were seized.

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