News 08:00

BULLETIN 17 November 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The White House rejects minister Lamola’s claims that Trump is pursuing a white supremacy agenda
# More than 30-million-rand in counterfeit goods are seized countrywide
# Over 30 are killed after a bridge collapsed at a copper mine in the DRC

# The White House has refuted International Relations and Cooperation minister Ronald Lamola’s claims that president Donald Trump’s administration is pursuing a white supremacy agenda. This is in relation to the changes to the US refugee programme. Lamola told CNN that the programme to take white Afrikaners from South Africa is a clear agenda to back up white supremacy. He added that in the Geneva Convention, Afrikaners do not fit the definition of a refugee. The White House says Trump was approaching the refugee issue with a humanitarian heart.

# Police and their crime-fighting partners collectively seized counterfeit and illicit goods worth more than 30-million-rand during recent nationwide takedown operations. Police spokesperson, Amanda van Wyk, says over the past two weeks, police multidisciplinary teams executed search and seizure warrants targeting shops and storage facilities in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, and Western Cape. She says this led to the seizure of more than 800-thousand counterfeit and illicit items:

# The Special Investigating Unit says the ruling by the Bisho High Court on the probe into the awarding of degrees at the University of Fort Hare does not prevent it from continuing with its investigation. The court ruled in favour of Eastern Cape premier, Oscar Mabuyane, in stopping the SIU from investigating him in relation to allegations that he had fraudulently registered for a master’s degree. The SIU’s spokesperson, Kaizer Kganyago, told Newzroom Afrika that the ruling is based on a proclamation that has been amended:

# At least 32 people have been killed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, after a bridge at a copper and cobalt mine collapsed due to overcrowding. Over 20 people were injured. The Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Support and Guidance Service says gunfire from soldiers sparked panic among the illegal miners at the Kalando mine in the Lualaba province. This saw them rushing to the makeshift bridge, built to get across a flooded trench, which collapsed and left them piled on top of each other, causing deaths and injuries.

# Tennis: World number two Jannik Sinner saw off his close rival Carlos Alcaraz to defend his ATP Finals crown in Turin. The 24-year-old Italian captured the title without dropping a set throughout the tournament, winning 7-6, 7-5 in the final. He has extended his indoor winning streak to 31 matches. Sinner, who is the ninth man to triumph at the year-end championships in consecutive years, says winning the trophy there is no better ending for him this season:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-9-cents and the euro at 19-rand-83-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-47-cents and Bitcoin trades at 95-thousand-325-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-78-dollars-81-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 63-dollars-47-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….