News 07:00

BULLETIN 18 July 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# ActionSA urges Ramaphosa to announce economic growth plans in his parliamentary address
# A high-profile Democrat calls on Biden to drop out of the presidential race
# And Knorr recalls brown onion gravy sachets from the market

# ActionSA has called on president Cyril Ramaphosa to use his Opening of Parliament Address to announce concrete steps for the grand coalition to grow the economy and create jobs. Spokesperson Samkelo Mgobozi has stressed the urgency for political accountability, policy certainty, and attracting investment. He calls for reforms in labour laws, investment hurdles, and competition in key industries to create 4.8-million jobs within five years:

Meanwhile, Rise Mzansi says Ramaphosa’s address must focus on practical implementation rather than lofty promises. They urge Ramaphosa to prioritise tackling crime, removing illegal firearms, professionalising the police, digitising the court system, and creating jobs. Party leader Songezo Zibi calls for an all-government approach to fighting corruption and revitalising the economy with sustainable growth strategies: 

# A Ekurhuleni council meeting erupted into chaos yesterday evening after a stand-off between the ANC and EFF. Political parties were supposed to debate and pass a motion of no confidence in mayor Sivuyile Ngodwana. The EFF’s Nkululeko Dunga, says they are disappointed at the attitude of councillors especially the ANC:

# California congressman Adam Schiff has become the most prominent Democrat to publicly call on president Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race. He says the choice to withdraw from the campaign is Biden’s alone, but he believes it is time for him to pass the torch and secure his legacy of leadership. Schiff says a second Donald Trump presidency will undermine the very foundation of America’s democracy. He adds that he has serious concerns about whether Biden can defeat Trump in November.

# Cycling: Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz won stage 17 of the Tour de France to complete a Grand Tour hat-trick after previous stage wins at the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana. The Education-EasyPost rider finished 37 seconds ahead of Britain’s Simon Yates, to become the first man from his country to win a stage at the Tour. Overall race leader Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar finished 27th but extended his advantage over two-time defending champion Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark by two seconds.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-19-cents and the euro at 19-rand-89-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-66-cents and Bitcoin trades at 64-thousand-665-dollars-8-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-460-dollars-80-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 85-dollars-24-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Knorr has recalled its brown onion gravy sachets from shelves after a small batch was found to have been filled with its professional brown sauce base. Owner Unilever says the packaging now doesn’t show certain ingredients contained in the sauce base. The product, marked best-before dates of 11 and 12 December 2025, can be returned for a refund. News24 reports Knorr also had to recall its Cup-a-Soup lite beef and vegetable in 2022 when it was incorrectly packaged with regular beef and vegetable soup mix.

Stay tuned for more news………….