News 14:00

BULLETIN 15 July 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa highlights the economic impact of climate change
# The Joslin Smith missing case has been postponed to September
# And rugby: The Boks retain their number one ranking despite the defeat to Ireland

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has emphasised the impact of climate change disruption to South Africa’s economic growth. He was speaking at the Climate Resilience Symposium in Pretoria, hosted by National Treasury, the Presidential Climate Commission, and the World Bank. Ramaphosa emphasised the need to integrate climate goals into fiscal policy. He stresses the importance of accelerating de-carbonisation and implementing the Just Energy Transition to build a more resilient, inclusive economy:

The objectives of the symposium are to integrate climate goals into macro-fiscal and finance policy, and improve government coordination by mainstreaming climate change considerations into the intergovernmental fiscal system. Treasury’s Georgina Ryan says South Africa’s Just Energy Transition will come under the spotlight:

# The Vredenburg Magistrate’s Court has postponed the case against four accused linked to the disappearance of six-year-old Joslin Smith to 16 September. Joslin went missing from her house in the Middelpos informal settlement in Saldanha Bay four months ago. The girl’s mother, Kelly Smith, her boyfriend, Jacquin Boeta Appollis, friend Steveno van Rhyn, and Lourentia Lombard face charges of kidnapping and human trafficking. Smith is expecting her fourth child. The court expected an update on the investigation, but some forensic evidence remains outstanding.

# Rugby: The Springboks remain the world’s number-one-ranked team despite the drawn series with Ireland. A 25-24 last-gasp drop goal victory for the second-ranked Ireland in Durban levelled the Test series after the Boks won by seven points in Pretoria in the first encounter. The Springboks have been penalised 1.75 ranking points after the Kings Park defeat, but still lead Ireland, who gained 1.75 ranking points for winning.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-15-cents and the euro at 19-rand-81-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-57-cents and Bitcoin trades at 62-thousand-718-dollars-39-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-411-dollars-84-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 85-dollars-8-cents a barrel.

# And, the Dubai International Airport is currently hosting world-renowned South African photographer Chris Fallows’ latest exhibition The 11th Hour. He has spent over three decades photographing the planet’s majestic wildlife icons that are quickly going extinct. The photos in the exhibition range from elephants that are being wiped out through poaching and trafficking of ivory, to wandering albatrosses which 15 out of the 22 species are threatened with extinction. Fallows says more must be done to protect wildlife:

Stay tuned for more news………….