News 07:00

BULLETIN 3 March 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Ndabeni-Abrahams says the government will assist spaza shops
# Stringent measures are needed to prevent the spread of foot and mouth disease
# And the Oscars are underway in Hollywood

# Small Business Development minister, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, says the government is committed to assisting spaza shops and food-handling outlets that are not yet compliant. Following several incidents of food poisoning and deaths related to foodborne illnesses, spaza shops, and food-handling outlets were requested to register by the 28th of last month. Ndabeni-Abrahams says 61 business regulation officers have been recruited to conduct awareness campaigns, research, and geo-mapping of spaza shops and food-handling facilities, among other functions:

# The DA says the Airports Company South Africa’s medium- to long-term plans to ensure a stable aircraft fuel supply at major airports remains deeply concerning. While a short-term safety measure has been implemented, there is still no meaningful progress toward a long-term, sustainable solution. The DA’s Chris Hunsinger says the party is alarmed by the ongoing lack of coordination and progress across key departments responsible for securing South Africa’s aviation fuel supply:

# The Department of Agriculture says the foot and mouth disease outbreak highlights the critical need for stringent control measures to prevent its spread. Test results confirmed the ongoing presence of the viruses in KwaZulu-Natal after a cattle at a dip tank in Mtubatuba tested positive. The department says no cloven-hoofed animals should be accepted from areas under restrictions in KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga. Agriculture minister John Steenhuisen stressed the importance of strict compliance with biosecurity protocols.

# The EFF in Gauteng will lead a march to the offices of Johannesburg Water today in response to the ongoing and persistent water shortages affecting residents. The party demands an immediate end to water shedding and calls for a sustainable and reliable water supply for all residents. The EFF’s spokesperson, Dumisani Baleni, says the water challenges in the City of Johannesburg have reached levels where, without urgent intervention, a humanitarian crisis is inevitable:

# Motorsport: Six-time MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez claimed victory in the season-opening Thailand Grand Prix on Sunday, his first win in the opening race since 2014. The Spaniard’s younger brother, Alex Marquez, finished second with two-time world champion Francesco Bagnaia of Italy in third to complete an all-Ducati podium. South Africa’s Brad Binder finished eighth. Marquez says winning the opening race is the best way to start the season:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-61-cents and the euro at 19-rand-39-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-47-cents and Bitcoin trades at 92-thousand-852-dollar-10-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-869-dollars-76-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 73-dollars-55-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The 97th Academy Awards are currently happening in Los Angeles, hosted by Conan O’Brien. Emilia Pérez leads the nominations with 13, while The Brutalist and Wicked are tied with ten nominations each. Early winners include Kieran Culkin, who won best supporting actor for his role in A Real Pain. Flow won the best animated feature film, while In the Shadow of the Cypress was named best animated short film. Wicked’s costume designer Paul Tazewell won best costume design, becoming the first black man to receive the award.

Stay tuned for more news………….