News 08:00

BULLETIN 25 February 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Treasury says South Africa will use the G20 Presidency to tackle barriers
# Six cash-in-transit robbers killed in a shootout with the police in Pretoria
# And the legendary singer Roberta Flack has died at the age of 88

# National Treasury Director-General, Duncan Pieterse, says South Africa will use its G20 Presidency to address financing for development and tackle barriers to growth in developing countries. The Finance and Central Bank Deputies’ meeting is taking place in Cape Town this week. The G20 members represent about 85-percent of the world’s gross domestic product and 75-percent of international trade. Pieterse says South Africa has signalled a strong intent to review the operational processes of the G20 group of major economies:

# Health minister, Aaron Motsoaledi, is set to launch a new HIV treatment campaign at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital Community Hall in Soweto, Gauteng, today. The campaign’s objective is to put an additional 1.1-million people, who are living with HIV but are not on treatment, on antiretroviral medication by the end of December. The department’s spokesperson, Foster Mohale, says South Africa has 7.8-million people living with HIV and AIDS, and at least 5.9 million are on ARV treatment:

# Six suspected cash-in-transit robbers were killed in a shoot-out with police on Monday in Laudium, Pretoria. A seventh suspect was severely wounded in the shootout. The suspects were allegedly on their way to rob a cash van in Atteridgeville when they were intercepted. Gauteng deputy provincial Police Commissioner, Fred Kekana, told the SABC that police attempted to stop the suspects’ vehicles when the shootout ensued:

# Tennis: Fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas is through to the second round of the Dubai Championship. The Greek, who is playing in the tournament for the first time in five years, defeated Italian Lorenzo Sonego 7-6, 6-3. Tsitsipas will face Russia’s Karen Khachanov, who beat British wildcard Daniel Evans, 6-1, 6-3. 2018 champion Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain also advanced to the second round, overcoming Hungarian Fabian Marozsan, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6. There were also wins for Australian Alexei Popyrin and Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-36-cents and the euro at 19-rand-23-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-19-cents and Bitcoin trades at 92-thousand-192-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-944-dollars-52-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 74-dollars-63-cents a barrel.

# And finally, award-winning pop/R&B vocalist and songwriter, Roberta Flack, known for her Grammy-winning hits, Killing Me Softly With His Song, and The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, has died. She was 88. Over her career, she has won five Grammys, including a lifetime achievement award in 2020, and back-to-back record of the year wins. Flack, a classically trained singer-pianist, had six top-ten pop hits and ten R&B singles. Her last album was released in 2012. The Recording Academy says the world has lost a musical great.

Stay tuned for more news………….