News 11:00

BULLETIN 23 January 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Steenhuisen says South Africa needs to be honest in its non-aligned foreign policy stance
# At least six people are missing following the campsite landslide in New Zealand
# And tennis: Alcaraz, Medvedev, Sabalenka and the teenager Mboko are through to the Australian Open’s fourth round

# DA leader John Steenhuisen says there is confidence that all parties in the government of national unity will reach a foreign policy stance through consensus and compromise. The country’s foreign policy has come under scrutiny over Iran’s role in the recent BRICS naval exercise in Simon’s Town, which included China and Russia. Steenhuisen says it is important for the country to be honest in its non-aligned foreign policy stance, without any past loyalties. He adds an urgent cabinet lekgotla is needed to determine the country’s foreign policy direction.

# Union federation Saftu urges government to release a report on Eskom’s 2007 to 2008 load-shedding crisis. This comes after former president Thabo Mbeki claimed the utility deliberately caused the crisis by running down coal stocks. The federation argues workers and communities suffered job losses, business closures, and huge electricity price hikes. Saftu’s Asive Dyani calls on authorities to name those responsible, and take legal action if wrongdoing is proven:

# AfriForum’s private prosecution unit warns inaction by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate is undermining justice and putting lives at risk. Nearly four years after Emmanuel Mbense was tortured and killed in Brakpan, it was revealed at the Madlanga commission that police members were involved, with his body dumped in a dam. AfriForum’s Barry Bateman says despite repeated promises to the family, no arrests have been made:

Moving abroad:

# Rescue efforts are continuing to find six people who remain unaccounted for following a landslide that hit a campsite on Mount Maunganui on New Zealand’s North Island. Heavy rains triggered the landslide, bringing soil and rubble down on the popular campsite where families had been enjoying the school holidays. Prime minister Christopher Luxon says key rescue challenges remain:

# Tennis: World number one, Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, defeated France’s Corentin Moutet to progress to the Australian Open’s fourth round, and tie Sweden’s Bjorn Borg for the best Grand Slam record after 100 matches. Russia’s Daniil Medvedev battled past Hungarian Fabian Marozsan. In the women’s draw, Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka overcame Austrian Anastasia Potapova, while Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko claimed a three-sets victory over Denmark’s Clara Tauson to progress to the second week of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-9-cents and the euro at 18-rand-90-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-71-cents and Bitcoin trades at 89-thousand-475-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-959-dollars-21-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 63-dollars-77-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….