News 17:00

BULLETIN 14 November 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# An organisation calls for amnesty for the illegal miners in Stilfontein, North West
# Soccer: Israel’s coach asks his players to only concentrate on the game in tonight’s tense match in Paris
# And the world’s largest coral is found in the Pacific

# The organisation Mining Affected Communities United in Action has called for amnesty for illegal miners in Stilfontein, North West. About 600 miners emerged after essentials were cut off by police. One body has been retrieved today with five people rescued thus far. National coordinator Meshack Mbangula told Newzroom Afrika miners fear arrest if they resurface and asked for proper plans to safely rescue those still underground:

Meanwhile, the EFF is urging law enforcement agencies to adopt humane strategies in handling these trapped illegal miners and to consider the health and safety of all individuals involved. The party’s spokesperson, Leigh-Ann Mathys, says approximately four-thousand-500 miners remain trapped underground, and the blocked access to necessities has forced many miners to emerge due to severe dehydration, starvation, and deteriorating health. She says the operation must balance enforcement with respect for human rights and dignity.

# The DA’s leader in Gauteng, Solly Msimanga, submitted over 200-thousand signatures to energy regulator NERSA in Pretoria today, opposing Eskom’s proposed 40-percent electricity tariff hike. Hundreds joined the DA’s protest, demanding affordable and reliable power. Msimanga called for public participation as NERSA opens hearings. He also emphasised accountability and relief amid South Africa’s energy and cost-of-living crisis:

# Soccer: Israel’s coach, Ran Ben Shimon, has asked his players to concentrate only on the game when they play France in the Nations League in Paris tonight. Unprecedented security measures were introduced around the Stade de France following last week’s violence when Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv played Ajax Amsterdam in the Netherlands. French president Emmanuel Macron plans to attend tonight, but only about 20-thousand spectators are expected at the 80-thousand capacity stadium. Ben Shimon says a low turnout would not affect his team’s performance.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-33-cents and the euro at 19-rand-31-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-22-cents and Bitcoin trades at 91-thousand-281-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-555-dollars-41-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 72-dollars-76-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The largest coral ever recorded has been found by scientists in the Solomon Islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean. The mega coral could be more than 300 years old and bigger than a blue whale. The coral is a species called Pavona clavus and provides a home to shrimp, crabs, fish and other marine creatures. The discovery was announced at the same time as the United Nations’ climate talks, COP29, in Baku, Azerbaijan, where strategies to tackle climate change are discussed. Small island nations like the Solomon Islands are extremely vulnerable to climate change.

Stay tuned for more news………….