News 13:00

BULLETIN 20 Julie 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The ANC condemns Zuma for betraying the principles of non-alignment, peace, and anticolonial solidarity
# Solidarity says FlySafair starts excluding its pilots on Monday
# And, minister George launches the G20 Pangolin Pact Wildlife Crimes Awareness Campaign

# The ANC has condemned  the unwarranted use of the South African flag in foreign political engagements during bilateral meeting between the MK Party president Jacob Zuma and Morocco government officials. The ANC says this reckless and provocative act constitutes a flagrant violation of international diplomatic norms and an unacceptable intrusion into South Africa’s internal political affairs. Spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu says they condemned the opportunistic involvement of Zuma for betraying the principles of non-alignment, peace, and anti colonial solidarity that he once purported to uphold.

# Solidarity says FlySafair’s flights could be disrupted for two weeks because the company is set to lock out its pilots from Monday. This comes after nearly 90-percent of pilots voted in favor of a strike. The union gave FlySafair notice of a one-day strike, but FlySafair hit back with a notice that they would exclude the pilots for seven days, which could last for another seven days. Solidarity spokesperson, Helgard Cronjé says this forced Solidarity to extend its strike notice to 14 days as well:

# The minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dion George, has launched the Pangolin Pact Wildlife Crimes Awareness Campaign as a G20 legacy project. He says the project aims to create awareness about wildlife crimes and how South Africa and other G20 nations are combatting the illegal trade of wildlife including abalone, pangolins, rhinos and lions. George says this outreach supports South Africa’s national integrated strategy to combat wildlife trafficking, which was approved by Cabinet in 2023:

# President Donald Trump has been diagnosed with a common and benign vein condition following concerns over swollen legs and hand discolouration. The presidential physician diagnosed the 79-year-old president with chronic venous insufficiency, a condition where damaged leg veins fail to keep blood flowing properly. The White House also attributed the president’s recent hand bruising to frequent handshaking and routine aspirin use. Trump became the oldest American in history to assume the presidency when he began his second term. He frequently brags about his energy levels and, in April, claimed to be in very good shape.

# Cycling: Thymen Arensman of the Netherlands won the 14th stage of the Tour de France after a superb solo ride in the 183-kilometre mountain trek between Pau and Superbagneres on Saturday. The Slovenian Tadej Pogacar retained the overall leader’s yellow jersey as he took second place after beating his main rival Jonas Vingegaard from Denmark, in a two-man sprint to finish 1 minute 12 seconds behind Arensman. The defending champion Pogacar has now extended his lead over Vingegaard in the general classification to 4 minutes 13 seconds.

# And finally, a police dog that took part in Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral has died in a car crash. Police Dog Bert, a five-year-old springer spaniel that worked for Cleveland Police, was one of two dogs in a canine support unit vehicle when it collided with another car. Both animals were taken to a vet, but due to the severity of his injuries, Bert was put to sleep. Bert had been a serving police dog for three and a half years. In 2022, he was deployed to London to assist with the funeral of the late Queen.

Stay tuned for more news………….