News 07:00

BULLETIN 28 July 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa condemns Israel’s starvation of Palestinians
# The DA urges minister Tau to secure a US Trade deal
# And the EFF says its 12th birthday celebrations were a resounding success

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has condemned in the strongest terms what he says is the genocide being committed by Israel against Palestinians. Israel continues to insist it is not responsible for the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and does not impose restrictions on aid. At least 133 people, including 87 children, have died of malnutrition since the conflict began in October 2023. Ramaphosa says the deliberate starvation of the people of Gaza is horrifying:

Meanwhile, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has called on governments around the world to use their leverage and put pressure on Israel to end the war in Gaza. On Sunday, Israel imposed a ten-hour tactical pause in military activity in three areas of Gaza, as international outrage grows over starvation inside the Palestinian enclave. Speaking ahead of a conference on Palestine opening in New York today, Türk said countries that fail to use their leverage may be complicit in international crimes:

# The DA is urging Trade, Industry and Competition minister, Parks Tau, to urgently finalise a trade deal with the United States, warning that 100-thousand jobs are on the line. DA spokesperson Toby Chance says negotiations remain incomplete just days before the 1 August deadline, with no public updates. Chance accuses the ANC of poor handling, citing past diplomatic blunders and fears over looming tariffs. He warns a no-deal scenario could devastate South Africa’s agriculture and automotive sectors.

# The EFF says its 12th anniversary celebration was a resounding success. The event took place in a state-of-the-art dome structure, specially constructed at the Khayelitsha Rugby Stadium in Cape Town, on Saturday, to mark the occasion. The EFF says the celebration carried a powerful message that South Africa remains trapped in the grips of crime, unemployment, corruption, and inequality. The party has vowed to stay on the picket lines, challenging injustice everywhere from Parliament to the streets.

# Motorsport: McLaren’s Oscar Piastri claimed victory in a wet-dry Belgian Grand Prix, his sixth win of the season. Heavy rain delayed the race start by 80 minutes, and then the first four laps took place behind the safety car. Once racing got underway on lap five, the Australian passed teammate Lando Norris and controlled the race from there. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished third. Piastri, who has extended his championship lead to 16 points over Norris, says the race was lively:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-74-cents and the euro at 20-rand-86-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-85-cents and Bitcoin trades at 119-thousand-240-dollar. Gold sells at three-thousand-335-dollars-1-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 67-dollars-87-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Wits University’s Johnny Mahlangu is part of a global team behind a breakthrough gene therapy for haemophilia A. The development of this treatment marks a major milestone in international gene therapy research. A Phase 1 trial in India showed patients remained bleed-free for over 27 months after having been injected with this modified virus. If approved by the Food and Drug Administration, it could become the second gene therapy for haemophilia A, offering a long-term alternative to lifelong Factor-Eight replacement therapy.

Stay tuned for more news………….