News 08:00

BULLETIN 14 July 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The US issues a fresh deadline related to forced labour products
# The DA demands answers on the National Student Financial Aid Scheme
# And, Iran hits two UAE tankers in the Strait of Hormuz with missiles

# The US Trade Office has given South Africa and 59 other countries until Thursday to submit additional information on its forced-labour prohibition policies. Last week, a South African delegation participated in a public hearing, where it urged to be exempt from a proposed 12.5-percent tariff linked to the importation of goods produced using forced labour. As an alternative, South Africa requested that key exports such as precious metals, vehicles, and citrus fruits be excluded from any tariff action, saying there is no evidence these products are made using forced labour.

# The DA says it will submit parliamentary questions requiring minister of Higher Education and Training, Buti Manamela, to account for the decision to place the National Student Financial Aid Scheme under administration. It also wants full details on the appointed advisors, including their roles, remuneration, and mandates. This comes as the administrator, professor Hlengani Mathebula, reportedly appointed four technical advisers at a cost of about ten-million-rand a year. The DA’s Delmaine Christians says students cannot continue paying the price for instability and poor oversight:

# Rise Mzansi says poor leadership is to blame for Johannesburg’s ongoing refuse collection crisis, which has left residents and businesses surrounded by uncollected waste. According to the party’s Johannesburg mayoral candidate, Lukhona Mnguni, concerns raised by Pikitup casual workers, including job insecurity and the rotation of contractors, are disrupting waste removal services. Rise Mzansi’s Mabine Seabe calls for urgent action to restore reliable refuse collection across the city:

# Iranian missiles struck two United Arab Emirates tankers named Mombasa and the Bahia in Omani territorial waters in the Strait of Hormuz, killing one crew member and injuring eight. The crew member killed on the Mombasa was Indian, while of the injured, six were Indian and two Ukrainian. The UAE Defence Ministry has condemned the strikes, saying they constitute a serious violation and a clear breach of international law. It adds that using the Strait of Hormuz as a tool for pressure or economic blackmail amounts to piracy.

# Cricket: Brendon McCullum has apologised for England’s poor Test results towards the end of his reign. A disappointing 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia, in conjunction with a string of eight losses in the last 12 Tests, saw the New Zealander sacked as the Test head coach. McCullum, who retains his role as coach of the white-ball teams, says it’s a results business and, unfortunately, they weren’t able to get the results they wanted:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-46-cents and the euro at 18-rand-75-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-99-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 62-thousand-391-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-17-dollars-68-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 84-dollars-4-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….