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Top News of the Day: Ukraine Officials: Bodies of at Least 300 People Found in Kyiv

Morning Newsletter, Newsroom / April 4, 2022 April 4, 2022

After Russia withdrew to focus its attacks on certain parts of Ukraine, 300 bodies were found near the capital, Kyiv. It is reported that these victims were subjected to “extra-judicial killings”.

“Reuters could not independently verify those figures or who was responsible for the killings.”

According to Times Live, Ukraine’s authorities were investigating alleged Russian war crimes after the discovery of hundreds of victims, some tied and shot at close range, scattered over cities around Kyiv following the withdrawal of Kremlin troops to concentrate their operations in other regions of the nation.

Following the event, Germany’s Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht said “Putin and his supporters will feel the consequences”. He also encouraged the European Union to discuss the banning of “import of Russian gas”.

Furthermore, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, appeared in a video played before the 64th Grammy Awards, pleading with viewers to assist Ukrainians “in whatever way they can.”

“What is more opposite to music? The silence of ruined cities and killed people,” said Zelenskiy.

There was no sign of progress in efforts to end the war, even though Russia’s top negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, said talks would resume on Monday.

Here are the top trending stories of the day.

Headline: Ukraine accuses Russia of war crimes after bodies found bound, shot – Times Live

Headline: The Best, Worst, and Weirdest Moments of the 2022 Grammy Awards – Time

Headline: Halala! DJ Black Coffee wins his first Grammy – Times Live

Headline: Grammys 2022 Fashion Round-Up: Doja Cat, Biebers & More! – E! News

Headline: La Liga: Barcelona 1-0 Sevilla – highlights – BBC

Headline: Maharaj moves past Paul Adams as SA’s best post-isolation spinner, hunts Tayfield’s 170 – Sport24

Headline: An estimated 16 000 African students studying in Ukraine worried about their future – SABC News

Headline: Russia’s war with Ukraine: Five reasons why many African countries choose to be ‘neutral’ – News24

Image credit: Getty Images

Top News of the Day: Electricity tariff hike will take effect today | New Police Commissioner Announced | 64th Grammy Awards Ceremony

Morning Newsletter, Newsroom / April 1, 2022 April 1, 2022

Eskom customers should expect a 9.61% electricity tariff increase on Friday after the National Energy Regulator’s approval of the increase in February.

“People will see a change from 1 April, in accordance with the NERSA decision, of their tariffs and then it would be an average increase of 9.61% more than what it was previously,” said Eskom’s general manager Hasha Tlhothlalemaje for EWN.

And in other local news, President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday afternoon appointed Fannie Masemola as the new police commissioner.

According to News24, there were 5 candidates in the running for the role. The incumbent president praised Masemola for his “outstanding record of achievements in policing across South Africa” from serving as the “chairperson of the Natjoints on Covid-19” to de-escalating violence in KwaZulu-Natal in 1994.

Meanwhile, in entertainment news, the 64th Grammy Awards ceremony will take place on Sunday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Trevor Noah will be hosting the show with live performances from BTS, Billie Eilish, Silk Sonic, John Legend, Carrie Underwood and many others. Unfortunately, Foo Fighters were removed from the list of performers as they’re still mourning the loss of their drummer, Taylor Hawkins.

Here are the top trending stories of the day.

Headline: Brace yourselves: Eskom 9.61% tariff hike to kick in on Friday – EWN

Headline: Fannie Masemola named new national police commissioner – News24

Headline: Fuel levy lowered by R1.50/litre until end of May – News24

Headline: You have got to be kidding me: this year’s standout April Fools’ gags – The Guardian

Headline: Silk Sonic, J Balvin, Carrie Underwood & More Added as Performers to 2022 Grammy Awards – Billboard

Headline: Finishing second will be good for Chiefs – Sowetan Live

Headline: Unseeded Naomi Osaka rallies past Belinda Bencic to reach Miami final – The Guardian

Headline: Bella Hadid is making her acting debut – Nylon

Image credit: Flickr

Top News of the Day: No-confidence motions sparked controversy in Parliament

Morning Newsletter, Newsroom / March 31, 2022 March 31, 2022

A motion of no confidence in the cabinet of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has failed in the National Assembly.

More than half of the members of Parliament voted against the motion of no confidence in Ramaphosa and his cabinet after a long roll-call vote.

“Honourable members, the outcomes are as follows: there’s one abstention, 131 yes, and 231 no. The motion is therefore not agreed to.”

According to the Daily Maverick, Vuyolwethu Zungula, the leader of the African Transformation Movement (ATM), did not move his motion of no confidence in President Cyril Ramaphosa because his party was still in court trying to get a secret vote.

“No member of Parliament may reflect on any case [before court]. There is ongoing litigation… There is no way in which we can still proceed with this vote.”

Chief Whip Shivambu from the EFF supported Zungula by stating that “we know once a secret ballot comes, we will split the ANC vote in half…”

The Daily Maverick reports that the National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula was not having it. She said she had been told that this matter was not in a court of law because the Western Cape High Court had refused to hear the ATM case on Monday.

Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula ended the session and said further details would be discussed with the programme committee on Thursday.

“Parties having made their comments, I highly appreciate that and thank you very much honourable members. I now rule that we are not proceeding with this matter and the details of what we do next will be dealt with at the programming committee tomorrow, I thank you.”

Here are the top trending stories of the day.

Headline: No-confidence motions against Ramaphosa and Cabinet lay bare fractious tensions in House – Daily Maverick

Headline: Proposed salary increases for Ramaphosa and cabinet ministers for 2022 – Business Tech

Headline: Hyde Park’s iconic Summer Place just sold at auction for R129 million – Business Tech

Headline: UK spy chief says Putin advisors fear telling truth on Ukraine – EWN

Headline: Comedy Clubs Bump Up Precautionary Measures in Wake of Oscars Slap – Complex

Headline: Chris Rock Breaks Silence on Will Smith Slapping Him at the Oscars – Elle Magazine

Headline: MOTD Rewind: Olivier Giroud’s iconic scorpion kick for Arsenal against Crystal Palace from all angles – BBC

Headline: Las Vegas to become third American F1 grand prix venue in 2023 – The Guardian

Image credit: Gallo Images

Top News of the Day: Cabinet no-confidence vote: All you need to know | Academy Updates Members on Will’s Slapping Incident

Morning Newsletter, Newsroom / March 30, 2022 March 30, 2022

On Wednesday, South African MPs will vote on a motion of no confidence against President Cyril Ramaphosa and his cabinet at 2 pm. The African Transformation Movement (ATM) tried to get the Speaker of Parliament to hold the vote by secret ballot, but the request was rejected.

However, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, the speaker of the National Assembly agreed to John Steenhuisen’s request for a roll call voting procedure.

“In this regard, the Speaker has confirmed that a manual roll-call voting procedure will be used for the voting on the motion. This will entail the question being put for a decision of the House, followed by the secretary calling each member, and each member voicing either “yes” or “no” on the question.”

This will be Ramaphosa’s first motion of no confidence. The virtual sitting is scheduled to start at 2 pm.

Meanwhile, in entertainment news, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will be investigating the Will Smith slapping incident.

On Tuesday, the Academy released a statement informing its members that the 94th Oscar ceremony was supposed to be a celebration of the “incredible work this past year” but it was overshadowed by the altercation between Will Smith and Chris Rock.

“As outlined in our bylaws, the Academy’s Board of Governors will now make a determination on appropriate action for Mr. Smith. As governed by California law regarding members of nonprofit organizations like the Academy, and set forth in our Standards of Conduct, this must follow an official process that will take a few weeks.”

Here are the top trending stories of the day.

Headline: Motions of no confidence against Ramaphosa, Cabinet to be heard on Wednesday afternoon – News24

Headline: Academy Shares Letter Updating Members on Review Into Will Smith Oscars Slapping Incident – Complex

Headline: New rules to replace South Africa’s state of disaster – what you should know – Business Tech

Headline: France cruise to victory against Bafana Bafana – EWN

Headline: Jada Pinkett Smith promotes ‘season of healing’ after hubby’s Oscars slap – Times Live

Headline: Goodbye DStv — Disney+ and 8 other streaming services for the price of DStv Premium – My BroadBand

Headline: Salah targeted by lasers before Egypt penalty miss as Liverpool star misses out on World Cup spot – Goal

Headline: Hackers steal $600 million in one of the biggest crypto heists – Business Tech

Image credit: Flickr

Top News of the Day: Will Smith apologises to Chris Rock | ANC owes SARS R102 million

Morning Newsletter, Newsroom / March 29, 2022 March 29, 2022

The ANC has been issued with a bill of R102-million from the South African Revenue Service (SARS) for failing to pay 346 staff members’ taxes at Luthuli House in Johannesburg. The R102-million includes tax, UIF and the skills development levy.

“In December, the Gauteng High Court issued a civil judgment instructing the sheriff to attach assets to the value of R102,546,580.76 in 10 days. The sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to a request for whether it had done so or not.”

ANC Spokesperson, Pule Mabe has denied media reports and stated that “there are permissible payment arrangements in terms of the tax laws of the republic.” He further stated that the “story of the ANC being a tax invader is untrue”.

Staff members, with the help of Trade Union Nehawu, protested in the hopes that the ANC would pay the outstanding fees. To date, no payment was made. SARS has given the ANC 10 days to pay outstanding fees in tax debt or have its assets attached.

Meanwhile, in entertainment news, Will Smith apologized to Chris Rock after he slapped him at the Oscars. “I would like to publicly apologise to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong,” he said in a statement released on Instagram. Will further stated that his behaviour was “unacceptable and inexcuseable”.

The infamous slap happened after Rock made an uncanny joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald head. According to BBC, the Oscars film academy condemned Smith over the altercation and ordered a formal review.

“Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally” he said.

Here are the top trending stories of the day.

Headline: SARS slaps ANC with R102m tax bill – sheriff instructed to attach property – Daily Maverick

Headline: Will Smith apologises to Chris Rock after Oscars slap – BBC

Headline: Mr Price just launched period panties, and you can reuse them for up to two years – Business Insider SA

Headline: Top cop, top secret: Inside the national police commissioner interviews – News24 (for subscribers)

Headline: Oscars broadcast ratings jump from last year’s low – Daily Maverick

Headline: Chris Rock’s Upcoming Comedy Tour Sees Spike in Ticket Sales Following Will Smith Slap at Oscars – Complex

Headline: SA tennis ace Lloyd Harris digs deep to reach Miami Open last 16 – Sport24

Headline: Kick it Out: How discrimination in football is being tackled one-on-one – BBC

Image credit: Getty Images

Will Smith appears to hit Chris Rock on Oscars stage after gag about wife Jada

Entertainment, Newsroom, Press Association / March 28, 2022 March 28, 2022

Top News of the Day| The most shocking moment of the Oscars, 10 drugs found in Taylor Hawkins body…

Morning Newsletter, Newsroom / March 28, 2022 March 28, 2022

The 2022 Oscar award ceremony may go down as the most memorable event.

Moments before Will Smith received an award for best actor, Chris Rock took the stage to announce the best documentary feature and joked about Jada Pinkett Smith starring in “G.I. Jane” because of her bald head. “Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane II, can’t wait to see it” he said. Jada Smith shaved her head after struggling with alopecia for many years.

Moments later, Will Smith confronted Rock and proceeded to punch him in the face. The altercation appeared as if it was staged at first. Then Will went back to his seat and yelled, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f**king mouth!”.

Devil Washington and Bradley Cooper were seen comforting Will in private.

On Friday afternoon Foo Fighter’s drummer, Taylor Hawkins, was found dead in his hotel room at the Casa Medina hotel, in Colombia.

Prosecution officials have not released an official report confirming the cause of death.

However, a toxicology report found 10 substances in his body including opioids, marijuana and anti-depressants. Columbian Attorney General’s Office confirmed that the drugs may not be related to Hawkins’s death and further investigations are underway.

“The National Institute of Forensic Medicine is continuing its medical studies to be able to completely clarify the facts that led to Taylor Hawkins death.”

According to local reporters, “an ambulance was sent to the hotel after a man reported having chest pains”.

The Foo Fighters were meant to perform at a music festival this past weekend. Hawkins leaves behind his wife and their three children.

Here are the top trending stories of the day.

Headline: Will Smith Smacks Chris Rock on Oscar Stage After Jada Pinkett Smith Joke –Variety

Headline: Taylor Hawkins: Drugs found in body of late Foo Fighters drummer – BBC

Headline: Team by team analysis of the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – News24

Headline: Oscars Video: Beyoncé Performs ‘Be Alive’ From King Richard – TV Line

Headline: A Very Single Regina Hall Uses Oscars To Find A Boyfriend, Pats Down Jason Momoa – Huffington Post

Headline: amaBhungane: SA is pursuing a major gas deal – and Russia wants in – News24

Headline: Ukraine war: Biden denies calling for regime change in Russia a day after saying Putin ‘cannot remain in power’ – Sky News

Headline: Argentina coach Scaloni on Messi retirement talk: At some point it will happen but we must enjoy him – Goal

Image credit: Getty Images