News 16:00

BULLETIN 3 February 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The GOOD Party condemns right-wing politicians for misinforming Donald Trump on the Expropriation Act
# Hamas welcomes the formation of The Hague Group supporting Palestines
# And tennis: Alcaraz regards Sinner as the world’s best player at the moment

# The GOOD Party is calling for action against those spreading false information about the Expropriation Act, which has led to United States president Donald Trump’s claims about land confiscation. They criticise right-wing politicians for misleading Trump as these lies threaten the economy. GOOD’s secretary general, Brett Herron, says while the act has been signed into law, it has not been implemented yet and is designed to protect property rights:

Meanwhile, the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, attacked the US Agency for International Development, calling it a criminal organisation, as Trump claimed the agency was run by radical lunatics and said he was considering its future. The assault on the agency, tasked with humanitarian relief overseas, marks a significant new front in Trump’s move to give unprecedented power to Musk to counter what they consider wasteful official spending. USAID’s projects included providing assistance to famine-stricken regions in Sudan, providing textbooks for displaced schoolchildren in Ukraine and training health workers in Rwanda.

# Hamas has welcomed the formation of The Hague Group, an alliance of nine countries aiming to coordinate legal, diplomatic, and economic measures against Israel’s alleged violations of international law. The group formed by South Africa, Malaysia, Namibia, Colombia, Bolivia, Chile, Senegal, Honduras, and Belize seeks to support Palestinian self-determination. Hamas called it a crucial step to end what it describes as a racist and fascist occupation. The move follows South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

# Tennis: Carlos Alcaraz regards world number one Jannik Sinner of Italy as the world’s best player at the moment. The Spaniard, currently ranked third, and Sinner are regarded as the Top Two of the new generation after each winning two Grand Slam titles last year. Alcaraz now has four while Sinner increased his tally to three in Australia last month. Alcaraz says Sinner makes the final or wins every tournament he’s playing in. Alcaraz is currently the top seed in the Rotterdam Open in the Netherlands.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-86-cents and the euro at 19-rand-35-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-26-cents and Bitcoin trades at 95-thousand-649-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-802-dollars-17-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 76-dollars-73-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The South African Maritime Safety Authority says it is developing plans to balance economic growth with protecting marine resources. This comes as experts warn that underwater radiated noise from commercial vessels disrupts marine life. Speaking to various stakeholders in Cape Town, Transport deputy minister, Mkhuleko Hlengwa confirmed that mitigation strategies will be incorporated into the South African Maritime Code. He insists on improved resource availability:

Stay tuned for more news………….