News 14:00

BULLETIN 17 January 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The EFF calls on the international community to hold Israel accountable for its crimes against humanity in Gaza
# The DA condemns the decision to disband the police’s Inspectorate Division
# And motorsport: Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings finish second in the Dakar Rally

# The EFF says it salutes the resilience of the Palestinian people and Hamas and is calling on the international community to hold Israel accountable for its crimes against humanity in Gaza. Hamas has accepted a draft agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of dozens of hostages. EFF deputy president, Godrich Gardee says justice will only be achieved when the occupation ends, when Palestinians can live in peace and dignity in their homeland:

Meanwhile, cars were set alight and the former home of a Jewish community leader, Alex Ryvchin, vandalised in Sydney in the latest anti-Semitic attack in Australia. Authorities condemned the incident and vowed to hunt down the perpetrators. Ryvchin has repeatedly urged the government to address attacks on members of the Jewish community, which have flared up since the start of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. A spate of anti-Semitic attacks in Sydney and Melbourne prompted the government to assign a special taskforce to address the problem.

# The DA has condemned the decision to disband the South African Police Service’s Inspectorate Division. The Inspectorate seeks to ensure accountability, transparency, and oversight within the police, playing a key role in combating inefficiencies and internal misconduct. The party’s Lisa Schickerling believes this move threatens critical police reform efforts:

# Motorsport: Yazeed al-Rajhi made history becoming the first driver from host nation Saudi Arabia to win the Dakar Rally. The Overdrive pilot held onto his overnight lead to beat South Africa’s Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings in a Toyota by three-minute-57-seconds, with Mattias Ekstrom of Sweden third in his Ford. Another South African team, Brian Baragwanath and Leonard Cremer, finished tenth. South African Michael Docherty finished 14th on his KTM in the motorbike division.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-72-cents and the euro at 19-rand-28-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-85-cents and Bitcoin trades at 102-thousand-18-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-703-dollars-80-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 80-dollars-47-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Some of music’s biggest stars including Billie Eilish, Katy Perry, and Stevie Nicks, will headline a benefit concert called FireAid at the Inuit Dome and Kia Forum in Los Angeles later this month. The concert is to help those affected by the deadly LA wildfires. Other artists who will perform include Joni Mitchell, Sting, Lady Gaga, and Earth, Wind and Fire. Organisers say contributions to FireAid will be distributed under the Annenberg Foundation for short-term relief efforts and long-term initiatives aimed at preventing future fire disasters. 

Stay tuned for more news………….