News 14:00

BULLETIN 11 February 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The United Africans Transformation says South Africa must defend its sovereignty
# The DA accuses the ANC of stalling Tshwane’s power station plans
# And rugby: Pressure is building on Warren Gatland after Wales’ 14th straight loss

# The United Africans Transformation is calling on the government to remain resolute in defending South Africa’s sovereignty. US president Donald Trump signed an executive order last week freezing aid to South Africa over its land reform policies. UAT’s spokesperson, Mighty Mabule, says they condemn the unwarranted and imperialistic actions of Trump, who has interfered in South Africa’s internal affairs under the guise of human rights concerns:

Meanwhile, European Council president Antonio Costa has pledged full support for South Africa’s G20 leadership after the US opted to skip the summit. US secretary of State Marco Rubio cited concerns over South Africa’s policies. In a call with president Cyril Ramaphosa, Costa highlighted the continued strengthening of ties and multilateral cooperation ahead of the South Africa-European Union summit on March 13. They affirmed they share the same values of democracy, human rights, dignity and equality, and hope the summit will help consolidate their strong bilateral partnership. 

# The DA says plans to reactivate Tshwane’s Rooiwal and Pretoria West power stations have stalled since the ANC-led coalition took over the metro. The party claims its initiative to lease the stations to private investors would have reduced reliance on Eskom and eased load-shedding. The DA’s Cilliers Brink urges the municipality not to defund the project in its upcoming budget, warning that further delays could impact the city’s energy security:

# An earthquake of 5.3 magnitude hit the Greek island of Santorini, the strongest yet of the thousands of tremors, prompting thousands op people to flee. It was followed by another 5.0-magnitude tremor two hours later. According to Athens University, nearly 13-thousand tremors have been recorded between 26 January and 8 February. The tremors have baffled scientists, who say that the region has not experienced seismic activity on this scale since records began in 1964. Santorini lies atop a dormant volcano which last erupted in 1950.

# Rugby: It seems Warren Gatland’s time as head coach of Wales has run out. The New Zealander is reportedly set to be replaced after his charges recorded their 14th straight loss in a Six Nations clash against Italy in Rome this weekend. According to Wales Online, the Welsh Rugby Union is set to discuss the situation tomorrow, and may decide to put Gatland on the sidelines and appoint an interim coach for the remainder of the Six Nations. His contract stretches until after 2027’s World Cup.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-46-cents and the euro at 19-rand-6-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-82-cents and Bitcoin trades at 98-thousand-83-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-905-dollars-6-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 76-dollars-62-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….