News 07:00

BULLETIN 7 March 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# South Africa wants the International Court of Justice to urgently act to prevent a full-scale famine in Gaza
# President Ramaphosa says government-business collaboration is yielding positive outcomes
# And, Navalny’s widow asks the Russians to protest against Putin on election day

# South Africa has again approached the International Court of Justice with an urgent application for the provisional measures the court ordered in January to be strengthened. It wants the court to do what is within its power to prevent a catastrophic famine in the Gaza Strip. President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, says under the Genocide Convention, deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated destruction, including through mass starvation and destruction of food systems, amounts to genocide:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says the partnership between government and business is beginning to produce tangible results. These include the reduction in load-shedding, improved performance of the rail network and ports, and a reduction in security incidents targeting energy and logistics infrastructure. The president had a virtual meeting with members of the Cabinet and senior business leaders yesterday. Ramaphosa says he is confident that they are turning the corner on the country’s most urgent challenges.

# Build One South Africa leader Mmusi Maimane will today announce the future of the party in a press briefing outside the Independent Electoral Commission offices in Tshwane. This follows the Constitutional Court’s refusal to entertain an urgent application challenging the high signature requirements for new entrants in the upcoming elections. In light of the legal setbacks, Maimane, along with key BOSA leaders, will reveal their next steps in response to the court ruling.

# Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane has expressed sadness at another incident where a Grade eleven boy learner from Jeppe High School for Boys in Johannesburg passed away. He died after a rugby match with Hoërskool Die Anker in Brakpan. The department’s spokesperson, Steve Mabona, says the South African Depression and Anxiety Group availed their services after this incident for additional support for learners:

# The widow of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has urged her compatriots to protest against president Vladimir Putin on election day. Yulia Navalnaya asked Russians to form long queues at polling stations at midday on the 17th of this month. Her husband died in an Arctic prison camp last month, with Navalnaya blaming Putin for his death. She says people can vote for any candidate except the president, and the authorities won’t be able to do anything about it. Putin is nonetheless expected to win a fifth term.

# Golf: Former world number one Jon Rahm of Spain says the Official World Golf Ranking system is no longer fit for purpose. This comes after the Saudi-backed LIV Golf League formally withdrew its application to have players receive world ranking points from its tournaments. LIV was denied world ranking accreditation in October last year, mainly because its format had only 54 holes with no cuts. The two-time major winner says it’s clear that the ranking system is not good:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-83-cents and the euro at 20-rand-52-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-97-cents and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-41-dollars-77-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-150-dollars-90-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 82-dollars-90-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….