News 08:00

BULLETIN 13 March 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Thabo Mbeki says protecting children is a shared responsibility
# The defence force is officially deployed in five provinces
# And, a US military refuelling aircraft crashes in Iraq

# Former president Thabo Mbeki says it is difficult to claim that the soul of South Africa is informed by the philosophy of ubuntu, when it still has so many millions of children living in poverty. He delivered the keynote address at the Nelson Mandela Foundation’s 30th anniversary gala dinner in Bryanston, Johannesburg. Mbeki says that children’s rights are at the heart of the country’s democracy, and therefore protecting them is a shared responsibility:

# The South African National Defence Force says it has commenced a coordinated deployment in cooperation with the police to combat escalating violent crime, gangsterism, and illicit mining activities in five provinces. These are Gauteng, Western Cape, Eastern Cape, North West, and the Free State. The SANDF’s Mpho Mathebula says this deployment forms part of a coordinated Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster intervention, aimed at stabilising affected communities and disrupting criminal syndicates operating in key hotspot areas:

# Cape Town faces rising pressure on its water supplies as a heatwave pushes temperatures up to 42 degrees Celsius. Water restrictions could be introduced earlier than expected if usage continues to rise. Dam levels currently stand at 51.8-percent, 17.5-percent lower than the same time last year. Mayoral committee member for Water and Sanitation Zahid Badroodien says careful consumption is critical to avoid restrictions before the winter rains:

# A US military KC-135 refuelling aircraft has crashed in western Iraq. Two aircraft were involved in the incident; the second landed safely. The US Central Command says the incident was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire, and rescue efforts are ongoing. According to Reuters, the aircraft that went down had six service members on board. Refuelling aircraft plays a major role in wars, keeping fighter jets and bombers properly fuelled for combat when they must fly long distances to reach the target.

# Golf: Austrian Sepp Straka is part of a five-way tie for the early lead at The Players Championship at five-under at TPC Sawgrass in Florida. He is joined by four Americans, Maverick McNealy, Lee Hodges, Sahith Theegala, and Austin Smotherman, atop the leaderboard. The first round was affected by heavy rain, which ultimately resulted in play being suspended due to darkness. Defending champion Rory McIlroy, who is battling back issues, ended round one seven shots off the pace. World number one Scottie Scheffler carded a level-par 72.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-77-cents and the euro at 19-rand-30-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-38-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 71-thousand-205-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-110-dollars-63-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 98-dollars-44-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….