News 08:00

BULLETIN 25 March 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# South Africa and the DRC are looking to strengthen their defence relations
# Citrus exports show stable growth with a balanced supply
# And rugby: Victories for Tuks, Ikeys, the Eagles, and the Ixsias in the penultimate group round of the Varsity Cup

# Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Angie Motshekga, is hosting her Democratic Republic of Congo counterpart, Kabombo Muadiamvita, this week. The visit aims to strengthen further and enhance the longstanding bilateral relations between the two countries. This comes against the backdrop of an escalating conflict in the DRC. Minister Motshekga’s spokesperson, Onicca Kwakwa, says discussions will focus on key areas of defence cooperation and bolstering strategic defence capabilities:

# The Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa reports that citrus exports remain stable, aligning with the five-year average. Lemon exports are projected at 32.9-million cartons, slightly down by five-percent from 2024, while navel and valencia orange exports are expected to rise by five- and six-percent, respectively. Grapefruit exports are also set to increase by six-percent. The association says that the industry remains focused on overcoming logistical challenges and European Union trade restrictions to meet its 2032 export target.

# Eastern Cape police have launched a manhunt following the kidnapping of a teacher from Happydale Special School in Algoa Park, Nelson Mandela Bay on Monday morning. Police spokesperson, captain Andre Beetge, says three men drove into the school’s parking lot and grabbed the 45-year-old female teacher, who had just parked her vehicle. He says no ransom has yet been demanded:

# The US National Security Council has launched an investigation into an incident where a journalist was inadvertently added to a group chat where detailed military strikes on Yemen were discussed. The Atlantic editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, confirmed that he received an invite on the encrypted messaging app Signal from an account labelled White House National Security Adviser Michael Waltz. Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, denied that anyone in Trump’s cabinet was texting war plans. Goldberg told CNN that Hegseth is lying:

# Rugby: University of Pretoria-Tuks moved to the top of the Varsity Cup table with a 29-19 victory over the University of Stellenbosch-Maties, with just one round remaining until the semifinals. University of Cape Town-Ikeys stunned defending champions University of the Free State-Shimlas 40-26. North West University-Eagles kept their hopes of reaching the semifinals with a 52-7 win over the University of Johannesburg, while the Ixsias of the Central University of Technology broke their three-match losing streak with a 34-28 victory against the University of Witwatersrand.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-25-cents and the euro at 19-rand-72-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-58-cents and Bitcoin trades at 86-thousand-806-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-and-14-dollars-24-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 72-dollars-38-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….