News 14:00

BULLETIN 14 October 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# SANParks confirms a foot-and-mouth-disease outbreak in the Addo Elephant Park
# Russian strikes leave 600-thousand people without power in Ukraine
# And three Russian gymnasts are denied visas for the world championships in Rotterdam

# SANParks confirmed a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak among kudu in Addo Elephant National Park in the Eastern Cape. Spokesperson JP Louw says surveillance detected lameness among the animals. Initial tests were negative, but a second set of tests returned positive. No other wildlife species is showing clinical signs. Louw says the positive result does not establish the source or link to other outbreaks in the province. Biosecurity controls have been strengthened, including vehicle disinfection. Louw says no cloven-hoofed animals may enter or leave the park without veterinary authorization.

# Police arrested 16-thousand-380 suspects during a nationwide Operation Shanela in the past week alone. They were apprehended for various criminal offences, including two-thousand-165 wanted suspects linked to violent crimes who were successfully traced and arrested across multiple provinces. Spokesperson Vincent Mukhathi says in support of efforts to combat gender-based violence and femicide, 169 suspects were arrested for rape, 155 for murder and 140 for attempted murder:

Moving abroad:

# Russian missile and drone attacks have left at least 600-thousand people without electricity in Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky says the overnight strikes hit energy facilities in the capital of Kyiv and the city of Kharkiv. At least three people were killed and 21 injured. Zelensky says the attacks damaged dozens of energy facilities, raising fears of further power cuts. Zelensky accuses Russia of ignoring a proposed halt to attacks on energy infrastructure announced by US president Donald Trump.

On to sports news:

# The Russian Gymnastics Federation has criticised the Netherlands for denying visas to three Russian gymnasts for the World Artistic Championships in Rotterdam, starting on Saturday. The trio are reigning women’s all-around world champion Angelina Melnikova, Viktoria Listunova and Anna Kalmykova. The federation has labelled the decision as discrimination and a violation of the principles of equal competition. It will appeal the decision to World Gymnastics and the International Olympic Committee.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-48-cents and the euro at 18-rand-44-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-86-cents and Bitcoin trades at 83-thousand-276-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-141-dollars-96-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 108-dollars-72-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Stellenbosch University is calling for a holistic approach to mental health support for elite athletes. Psychologist Leslie Swartz says elite athletes are expected to perform at their best while managing the intense demands of competing at the highest level. He says supporting their mental health requires more than addressing problems when they arise. Swartz calls for proactive, individualised care, supportive training environments and strong leadership and protection systems:

Stay tuned for more news………….