News 08:00

BULLETIN 17 July 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The International Monetary Fund keeps South Africa’s growth forecast unchanged
# Judgement is reserved in Eskom’s appeal against the disclosure of coal and diesel contracts
# And cycling: Jasper Philipsen wins stage 16 of the Tour de France

# The International Monetary Fund has kept its growth forecast for South Africa unchanged at 0.9-percent for this year, while the global projection also remains unchanged at 3.2-percent. The fund has released its World Economic Outlook Update. IMF says the outlook remains balanced but some near-term risks have gained prominence. These include price pressures emanating from renewed trade or geopolitical tensions. The fund has warned of potential swings in economic policy due to many elections this year that could have negative spillovers to the rest of the world.

# The Gauteng High Court has reserved judgement in Eskom’s application for leave to appeal a court ruling ordering it to provide AfriForum with information on its existing coal and diesel contracts. The civil rights organisation suspects that the information in these contracts may reveal possible irregularities and corruption at the power utility. AfriForum’s, Charné Mostert, says Eskom has a legal obligation to operate transparently and responsibly:

# Forestry, Fisheries, and Environment minister Dion George has promised wide consultation for South Africa’s next decarbonisation pledge to the UN in 2025. George emphasised South Africa’s commitment to global climate agreements in his Budget Vote speech. He highlighted plans to boost renewable energy investments, particularly in Mpumalanga. He also promised timely completion of environmental impact assessments, aiming to accelerate the nation’s energy transition and create sustainable jobs.

# The EFF in the Western Cape has condemned the delays in the case against four suspects in the disappearance of six-year-old Joslin Smith. On Monday, the Vredenburg Magistrate’s Court postponed the case to September, as the state requested more time for further investigation, forensic reports, and data analysis of the accused’s cell phones. The accused include Joslin’s mother Racquel Chantel Smith. The Grade One pupil went missing from her home in Saldanha Bay in February. The EFF says the delays in this case expose a glaring weakness in the justice system.

# Cycling: Belgium’s Jasper Philipsen won stage 16 of the Tour de France, from Gruissan to Nimes, to claim his third stage victory of this year’s race. Germany’s Phil Bauhaus was second and Norway’s Alexander Kristoff was third. Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar retained the leader’s yellow jersey and protected his lead of three minutes and nine seconds over two-time defending champion Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark. Philipsen says at this point in the competition everything is possible:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-5-cents and the euro at 19-rand-68-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-42-cents and Bitcoin trades at 65-thousand-641-dollars-73-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-471-dollars-40-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 83-dollars-65-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….