News 18:00

BULLETIN 15 February 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa reports substantial progress in addressing the longstanding electricity crisis 
# The new Lotteries commissioner pledges to clean up the institution 
# And Cricket: A good first day for India in the third Test against England

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says the government is making clear and measurable progress in addressing the electricity crisis, which has persisted for over 15- years. He notes improved maintenance at Eskom plants, with damaged units returning to service ahead of schedule. The president was responding to the state of the nation address in Parliament. According to Ramaphosa, businesses and households are embracing rooftop solar installations on an unprecedented scale, supported by government incentives:

# New National Lotteries commissioner, Jodi Scholtz, has pledged to clean up the organisation following financial irregularities. Funds intended for projects have been traced to personal accounts, resulting in property acquisitions. Scholtz announced plans to strengthen the audit division, initiating on-site inspections and legal actions against irregularities. Past directors may also face delinquency declarations, and dubious organisations risk blacklisting.

# The EFF has threatened to march to the American embassy if the bombardment and genocide of Palestinians persist. Briefing the media at the party’s headquarters in Johannesburg, the leader of the red berets, Julius Malema, condemned recent attacks on Palestine, accusing Israel and prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu of defying the International Court of Justice’s order to stop. Malema says the EFF intends to hold the American embassy responsible for the war in Gaza:

# Local police and the FBI have asked for information on yesterday’s shooting during the Super Bowl victory parade in Kansas City. Local DJ Lisa Lopez-Galvan was killed and her son and over 20 more people wounded when shots were fired during Kansas City Chiefs’ celebrations. The FBI set up a website, asking people with videos of the shootings to post it there. Three people were arrested, while the authorities don’t regard the incident as terror-related.

# Cricket: India is in a strong position after the opening day of the third Test against England in Rajkot. The hosts posted 326 for five after a bad start, when the first three wickets were down with only 33 runs on the board. Captain Rohit Sharma then scored 131 and Ravindra Jadeja an undefeated 110, while Sarfaraz Khan contributed 62 before he was run out. Mark Wood claimed three of the five wickets. England won the first Test and India the second, with the series consisting of five matches.

Stay tuned for more news………….