News 17:00

BULLETIN 11 February 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Former president Thabo Mbeki criticises Donald Trump’s executive order on South Africa
# Rugby: The Boks will play Argentina at Twickenham in the final Rugby Championship match
# And a report highlights the growing threats to biodiversity in Kenya

# Former president Thabo Mbeki has labeled US president Donald Trump’s executive order against South Africa as unfortunate. Speaking to the SABC News, Mbeki criticised Trump’s order based on incorrect information about the country’s policies. Mbeki emphasised the importance of continued engagement with the Trump administration to address the misinformed decision. He urged South Africa to persist in diplomatic efforts to safeguard its international relations:

Meanwhile, European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen has vowed to retaliate firmly against Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports. German chancellor Olaf Scholz also says the EU would present a united front and act together as the largest market in the world. Trump signed executive orders to impose 25-percent tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from March 12, despite warnings from Europe and China.

# Tshwane mayor Nasiphi Moya has admitted that the metro has been in a state of neglect for some years. She was noting the progress made so far in addressing some of the key service delivery issues. Giving an update on her first 100 days in office, Moya acknowledged that more still needs to be done to avert challenges such as the water crisis, dilapidated infrastructure and the high rate of unemployment:

# Rugby: The Springboks will wrap up this year’s Rugby Championship campaign against Argentina at Twickenham in London on 4 October. This will be the teams’ first encounter on neutral territory in the southern hemisphere showpiece. Los Pumas will be the third external opponent the world champions face at the iconic stadium in the last three seasons after beating New Zealand by 35-7 in a warm-up game for the World Cup in 2023, and Wales by 41-13 last season. The Boks start their season against Italy on 5 July.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-49-cents and the euro at 19-rand-9-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-90-cents and Bitcoin trades at 97-thousand-798-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-882-dollars-42-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 76-dollars-91-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Kenya’s biodiversity is facing major threats amid issues of drought, deforestation, land use changes, and infrastructure development. According to a report by Nature Kenya, of the 56 key assessed areas, only three were rated as favourable. Threats include habitat loss for endangered species, bird fatalities from power lines, and pollution. Unregulated livestock has also reportedly increased human-wildlife conflict. Despite declining conservation efforts, government agencies and NGOs have vowed to continue working together to safeguard the country’s rich ecosystems.

Stay tuned for more news………….