News 11:00

BULLETIN 19 October 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Eskom achieves 12.06-billion-rand in diesel savings year-on-year
# The Freedom Front Plus is ready to fulfil its opposition role in Tshwane
# And, motorsport: Verstappen ends his long wait for pole at the US Grand Prix sprint qualifying

# Eskom says it achieved 12.06-billion-rand in diesel savings year-on-year between 1 April and 17 October this year, less than the 18.24-billion-rand spent last year over the same period. Eskom spokesperson, Daphne Mokwena, says the power utility strategic use of peaking stations, including pumped storage and open-cycle gas turbines, remains key in managing electricity demand during peak times, particularly during evening peaks:

# The Freedom Front Plus in Tshwane says it is ready to fulfil its opposition role in the Metro and will not join the ruling ANC-EFF-ActionSA coalition government. However, the party’s Grandi Theunissen says it will nominate one of its councillors to serve as the chairperson of the city’s Public Accounts Committee. He says opposition parties usually fulfil this role in all three spheres of government:

# The DA in Gauteng is calling on the provincial government and Departments of Health and Education to launch food poisoning public awareness campaigns to educate learners, parents, and educators on the importance of buying food that is fit for consumption. The DA’s Sergio Isa Dos Santos says the party is committed to holding both departments accountable for their role in protecting children’s health:

# Donald Trump has called a judge “the most evil person” as she released more than one-thousand-800 pages of evidence in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s election conspiracy case against him. Trump said US District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan’s rejection of his request to delay releasing the new evidence until after next month’s vote amounted to election interference. She argued keeping the files under wraps could itself have been construed as interference. The indictment centres on the 6 January 2021 riots at the Capitol and accuses Trump of illegally conspiring to overturn his election defeat.

# And, motorsport: Max Verstappen swept to a convincing pole position for today’s sprint race at the United States Grand Prix in a fast and frantic qualifying session on Friday. It was the first time in 12 events since May that the three-time world champion had secured any kind of pole position. Verstappen clocked a best lap to beat Mercedes’ George Russell with Charles Leclerc taking third place on the grid for Ferrari. McLaren’s Lando Norris, who trails Verstappen by 52 points in the championship, was fourth ahead of Carlos Sainz of Ferrari.

Stay tuned for more news………….