News 16:00

BULLETIN 11 April 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# A US pastor is taken at gunpoint mid-sermon in an Eastern Cape church
# At least 220 people are now dead in the Dominican nightclub disaster
# And Prada is going to buy Versace for 27-billion-rand

# Eastern Cape police are investigating the kidnapping of US missionary pastor Josh Sullivan, who was abducted during a sermon at the Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell, Gqeberha. It is alleged four armed men stormed the church last night, took Sullivan at gunpoint, and fled the scene. His car was later found abandoned nearby. Police spokesperson Nobuntu Gantana suspects the motive is ransom-related as the country continues to battle a surge in kidnappings.

# The DA in KwaZulu-Natal says a collapse of the government of national unity could spell disaster for the province. The party’s caucus in the legislature welcomes renewed talks to resolve the national budget impasse, however, ongoing instability at the national level threatens the stability of the government of provincial unity. The DA’s Francois Rodgers urges all GNU partners to put principle before politics to safeguard jobs, economic progress, and efforts to tackle poverty:

# Dominican Republic authorities have ended their rescue operation and turned to recovery efforts following the collapse of a nightclub roof on Tuesday, which left at least 220 people dead while 189 people were rescued from the rubble. An official statement from the country’s Emergency Centre on Wednesday said that all reasonable possibilities of finding more survivors had been exhausted. The Jet Set nightclub is one of the Caribbean nation’s most famous venues. Two former Major League baseball players are among those confirmed dead.

# Motorsport: Seven-time Formula One world champion, Lewis Hamilton, is hopeful that Ferrari can take a step forward in the Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend. The Scuderia currently sits in fourth place in the constructors’ championship after struggling to match the pace shown by the likes of McLaren and Mercedes across the opening three races. The Briton says they have an upgrade to the car, which should bode well for a better weekend:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 19-rand-24-cents and the euro at 21-rand-86-cents. One British pound costs 25-rand-22-cents and Bitcoin trades at 82-thousand-104-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-216-dollars-61-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 63-dollars-15-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Italian fashion house Prada announced it had reached a deal with US group Capri Holdings to buy its flashy rival Versace for 27-billion-rand. The acquisition will create a luxury group with revenues of over 129-billion-rand that could better compete with industry giants such as the French conglomerates LVMH and Gucci. Prada group chairperson and executive director Patrizio Bertelli says they are delighted to welcome Versace to the Prada Group and to build a new chapter for a brand with which they share a strong commitment to creativity, craftsmanship and heritage.

Stay tuned for more news………….