Breakfast Edition: 17 June 2015
SANDF MEMBERS NOT HELD HOSTAGE: The SA National Defence Force on Tuesday reacted with "utter dismay" to reports that its troops in Sudan where "held hostage" during a court bid to have President Omar al-Bashir arrested while he was in South Africa. "There is no iota of truth in these allegations. There is equally no substance to support these allegations. The SANDF did not come under any threat during this period," it said in a statement. It was reacting to a report by Netwerk24, quoting unnamed South African soldiers in Sudan, that heavily armed Sudanese soldiers had surrounded military bases in Kutum, Mellit and Malha, and that South African troops were placed in a state of combat readiness. "No extra-ordinary operational preparedness was done by the SANDF in view of the reported situation in South Africa. No additional instructions, with regard to higher alert levels, were issued. The security situation in Darfur is calm where our troops are deployed."
JULIIUS MALEMA SPEAKS HIS MIND: Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema on Sunday said indicted Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir is "weak" and a vulnerable leader who must be defended from South Africa and its Western allies. This after the Pretoria High Court has issued an interim order stopping al-Bashir from leaving the country until it made a ruling on whether to endorse handing him to the International Criminal Court. Addressing EFF's National Students Assembly at University of Limpopo's Turfloop campus, Malema said African Union leaders must put pressure on President Jacob Zuma's government.
PRESIDENT ZUMA CELEBRATES YOUTH DAY: From a 20-year-old doctor to an 18-year-old pilot, South Africa has a good story to tell when it comes to its youth. This is according to President Jacob Zuma, who was speaking at the commemoration of Youth Day in Tshwane on Tuesday. "While working to solve all the problems affecting young people, we are also celebrating the achievements of our youth." He said the young guests he had invited to the event were "outstanding" individuals who had done well in their respective fields. Silindelo Masekane reports.
CIVIL SOCIETY SAYS "DOWN WITH CORRUPTION:" Twenty nine civil society organisations supported by eight trade unions will march to the Union Buildings and parliament in August to show their disdain for corruption. They says the march is also timed to coincide with the time when a Parliamentary Ad-Hoc Committee tables its findings on the recent report on Nkandla by the Police Minister Nathi Mhleko. The NGO's and unions met earlier this month to speak with one voice on the scourge and impact that corruption is having on South Africa. Former Cosatu spokesperson, Patrick Craven, who now speaks for the new coalition, says they were outraged when President Jacob Zuma used the Presidency's budget vote in Parliament to laugh off the Nkandla issue.
DONALD TRUMP ENTERS US RACE FOR PRESIDENT: Billionaire Donald Trump on Tuesday formally announced his bid for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, ending years of speculation that the U.S. real estate mogul and TV reality star would one day enter politics. "I am officially running for president of the United States and we are going to make our country great again," he told the cheering crowd, which gathered at Trump Tower on New York's Fifth Avenue Tuesday morning. In a lengthy speech to supporters, Trump spoke on immigration, Obamacare, the U.S. economy and foreign policy, promising that "I will be the greatest jobs president that God ever created."
NEW HOST FOR TOP GEAR: The BBC has announced that its hit car TV show Top Gear will return with a new host replacing scandal-tainted Jeremy Clarkson. The broadcaster says radio and TV personality Chris Evans has signed a three-year deal to lead a new line-up for the show, which has won a huge following with its mix of car tips, driving stunts and jokey banter. Clarkson was fired in March after he punched a producer during an off-set altercation. The show's two other hosts also left. The trio, who now present a show called Clarkson, Hammond and May LIVE was in South Africa the past weekend. Take a look.
WORLD'S FIRST PRINTED BRIDGE: A Dutch startup has unveiled plans to build the world's first 3D-printed bridge across an Amsterdam canal, a technique that could become standard on future construction sites. Using robotic printers "that can 'draw' steel structures in 3D, we will print a (pedestrian) bridge over water in the centre of Amsterdam," engineering startup company MX3D said in a statement, hoping to kick off the project by September. The plan involves robotic arm printers 'walking' across the canal as it slides along the bridge's edges, essentially printing its own support structure out of thin air as it moves along.
RACCOON HITCHES A RIDE: A man walking in a national forest in central Florida has captured an image of a raccoon appearing to ride on the back of an alligator. The image, taken in the Ocala National Forest became an internet sensation after it was uploaded to various websites as well as social media.
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