News 15:00

BULLETIN 4 April 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Ronald Lamola says South Africa will navigate the US tariffs with resilience and innovation
# The Public Servants Association is extremely disappointed with the passing of the 2025 budget
# And Rugby, it’s a knock-out weekend for the Lions, the Bulls and the Sharks in the Challenge Cup

# Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola says South Africa will expand market access and strengthen global alliances in response to the new US tariffs. The government plans to diversify trade relationships, focusing on markets across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Lamola told the media South Africa will also leverage the African Continental Free Trade Area to enhance regional trade and reduce reliance on a single market to reduce tariff exposure:

# The Public Servants Association says it is extremely disappointed with the recently passed 2025 budget, which includes a controversial proposed increase in Value Added Tax. The union says this decision, made without adequate consultation with key stakeholders, will have severe repercussions for the working class and vulnerable communities across South Africa. The association’s Claude Naiker says they are calling for efficiency, which can be achieved through the proper allocation of resources:

# Russia says tensions around Iran’s nuclear programme could only be solved “diplomatically” and called for “restraint,” after US President Donald Trump threatened to bomb Iran if it develops nuclear weapons. Trump last week had said “there will be bombing” of Iran if it does not drop its efforts to develop nuclear weapons. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov says all sides should show restraint and concentrate on diplomatic efforts. Trump pulled the US out of an agreement in 2018 that relieved sanctions on Tehran in return for curbing its nuclear programme.

# Rugby: The Lions, Bulls and Sharks are in action this weekend in the quarterfinals of the Challenge Cup. The Lions have a tough nut to crack when they face Edinburgh at 9pm tonight in Scotland. Tomorrow afternoon at half-past-one the Bulls are in France to face Bayonne. The Sharks have to wait till Sunday to face Lyon at 6:30pm also in France. The Sharks are the defending champions.

# Financial indicators: The dollar trades at 19-rand and the euro at 20-rand-1-cent. One British pound costs 24-rand-72-cents and Bitcoin trades at 81-thousand-924-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-127-dollars-32-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 64-dollars-75-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Elton John has described his new album as the “freshest” he has done since the 1970s, as “Who Believes in Angels?” was released today. The studio album comes after he wound down his glittering live career with a global farewell tour which wrapped up in Sweden in July 2023. “Who Believes in Angels?” is a collaboration with US singer Brandi Carlile and co-written by John’s long-time songwriting partner Bernie Taupin.

Stay tuned for more news………….