News 08:00

BULLETIN 19 March 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The FF Plus says the US aims to bring policy change in South Africa through diplomacy
# The Agribusiness Index is at its highest level since 2021
# And golf: Over 80 players are ready to battle it out in the Platinum Ladies Open

# The Freedom Front Plus says America has spelled out its problems with South Africa, and that the US government aims to bring about policy changes in the country through diplomacy. US Department of State’s spokesperson, Tammy Bruce, said South Africa is increasingly taking an aggressive position towards America and its allies, including accusing Israel, and not Hamas, in the International Criminal Court. FF Plus leader, Corne Mulder, says America’s action against the country revolves around much more than a single incident:

# The South African Zionist Federation says the government’s decision to allocate an additional 37-million-rand for its case against Israel at the International Court of Justice is a waste of public funds. This brings the total spending on the case to 132-million-rand. The federation’s Rolene Marks argues the government is prioritising a foreign legal battle over addressing urgent domestic issues such as unemployment, a struggling healthcare system, and ongoing power cuts.

# The Agribusiness Confidence Index increased by 11 points from the fourth quarter of last year to the first quarter of this year. This is the third consecutive improvement, placing the index at its highest level since the fourth quarter of 2021. The current level implies that South African agribusinesses remain optimistic about business conditions in the country. This optimism is a result of a combination of factors, including La Niña rains that support the agricultural season, improvements in port efficiency that supported exports, and the progress in controlling animal diseases.

# Russian president Vladimir Putin has agreed to halt attacks on energy and infrastructure targets in Ukraine temporarily. This follows Tuesday’s lengthy telephone call between Putin and US president Donald Trump. However, Putin declined to sign off on a broader ceasefire to end the three-year-long conflict in Ukraine, which Kyiv has already agreed to. In a statement, Russia says a key condition to prevent further escalation of the conflict is its demand to completely cease foreign military aid and intelligence sharing for Ukraine.

# Golf: A strong field of 86 players has assembled for the Platinum Ladies Open, which tees off at the Blair Atholl Golf and Equestrian Estate in Gauteng today. The total prize money is one-million-rand. The field includes South Africans Danielle du Toit, Casandra Alexander, and Kaiyuree Moodley, England’s Hayley Davis, and France’s Lucie Malchirand. Scotland’s Lorna McClymont, who is playing her third tournament since joining the professional ranks earlier this year, says her brother got her into the game:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-12-cents and the euro at 19-rand-82-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-54-cents and Bitcoin trades at 82-thousand-799-dollars. Gold sells at drie-thousand-34-dollars-54-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 70-dollars-2-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….