News 11:00

BULLETIN 1 April 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# RISE Mzansi describes educational institutions as war zones
# The Minerals Council reports a 24-percent drop in fatal mine accidents
# And the European Union is ready to impose more sanctions on Russia

# RISE Mzansi says places of learning in South Africa have become war zones. A total of 36 murders were recorded at educational institutions in the first three quarters of the current financial year in comparison to 33 for the entire previous year. RISE Mzansi’s Makashule Gana says they will submit questions to the ministers of Basic Education, Police, Higher Education, and Justice, to understand what active steps are being taken to ensure the safety of educational institutions:

# The Minerals Council South Africa has reported a 24-percent drop in mining fatalities, with 42 deaths recorded last year compared to 55 the previous year. The industry also saw a 16-percent reduction in injuries. At its fall-of-ground day of learning, over 300 industry experts discussed ways to improve safety and prevent rock falls, the biggest risk in underground mines. The council’s Allan Seccombe says new safety measures and technology are helping the industry move closer to its goal of zero harm.

# The DA in Gauteng has launched a cancer scandal tracker to count the days until premier Panyaza Lesufi dismisses those accountable for the cancer treatment disaster. Last week, the Gauteng High Court ruled that the provincial Department of Health’s failure to implement a plan to provide timeous radiation oncology services to cancer patients on the backlog list was unlawful and unconstitutional. The DA’s Jack Bloom says Lesufi needs to act now to save lives:

# European Foreign ministers have called out Russia for delaying a ceasefire in Ukraine, saying it is clear that Moscow does not want peace. US and Russian officials have been in talks for several weeks to try to reach a ceasefire agreement. The European Union’s Foreign Policy chief, Kaja Kallas, says they are ready to exert further pressure on Moscow, including through the adoption of new sanctions, to ensure Ukraine is in the best possible position to secure a just and lasting peace:

# Rugby: New Zealand Rugby and Ineos have settled their sponsorship contract dispute. The British chemicals giant was accused of breaching its six-year sponsorship deal with New Zealand Rugby. The company, owned by British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, allegedly abruptly walked away from its lucrative sponsorship agreement three years early, and failed to make its first payment this year. Both parties say whilst the details of the settlement remain confidential, they are satisfied with the outcome.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-38-cents and the euro at 19-rand-86-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-74-cents and Bitcoin trades at 83-thousand-398-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-133-dollars-36-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 74-dollars-75-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….