News 07:00

BULLETIN 23 July 7 am/pm

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa appoints the National Youth Development Agency board members
# Parliament will vote on the Appropriation Bill today
# And soccer: Nigeria ends Banyana Banyana’s hope of defending their Wafcon title

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed the board members of the National Youth Development Agency for a period of three years, with effect from August 1st. The board chairperson is doctor Sunshine Myende, and Bonga Makhanya is the deputy. The board members include Kelly Baloyi, Wiseman Mbatha, and Busisiwe Nxumalo. Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, says the NYDA functions as a single, unitary structure addressing youth development issues at national, provincial, and local government levels:

# Parliament will today vote on the Appropriation Bill, marking a key step in finalising the national budget. This follows weeks of budget vote debates on departmental spending. The bill outlines how public funds will be allocated to various government departments. Parliament spokesperson Moloto Mothapo says once passed by the National Assembly, the national budget will go to the National Council of Provinces for consideration on 30 July:

Meanwhile, the MK Party says the firing of former Higher Education and Training minister Nobuhle Nkabane was a strategic move by president Cyril Ramaphosa to gain support from the DA ahead of today’s budget vote. The party argues Nkabane was simply a sacrificial lamb, while deeper corruption remains untouched within the government of national unity. MK Party’s John Hlophe says the party will reject the Appropriation Bill and is mobilising its allies to oppose it:

# Amnesty International says the Israeli military’s deliberate air strikes on Tehran’s Evin prison during last month’s 12-day war must be criminally investigated as war crimes. The strike killed at least 79 people and destroyed parts of the administrative building. The Evin prison holds political prisoners and foreign nationals. Amnesty International says under international humanitarian law, a prison or place of detention is presumed to be a civilian object. It adds that, therefore, there is no credible evidence in this case that the prison constituted a lawful military objective. 

# Soccer: Defending champions Banyana Banyana suffered a 2-1 defeat to Nigeria in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations semifinals in Morocco. Rasheedat Ajibade gave the Super Falcons the lead from the penalty spot in the first-half. South Africa responded with a spot-kick of their own in the second-half via Linda Motlhalo. Michelle Alozie scored the winner in extra time. Nigeria will meet Morocco in the final. Banyana Banyana coach, Desiree Ellis, says she is proud of her team:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-54-cents and the euro at 20-rand-60-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-73-cents and Bitcoin trades at 119-thousand-692-dollar. Gold sells at three-thousand-424-dollars-4-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 68-dollars-2-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….