News 09:00

BULLETIN 29 July 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Liberation War Vets accuse the National Veterans Association of division
# South Africa secures a 10.4-billion-rand loan to support just energy transition
# And a gunman kills four people, including an NYPD officer in Manhattan

# The ANC-aligned uMkhonto we Sizwe Liberation War Veterans have accused the South African National Veterans Association of political sabotage. The Liberation War Veterans says the association refuses to recognise it as the official replacement of the disbanded uMkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans’ Association. Addressing the media, National Commissar, Bobo Pemba, warned that no National Veterans’ Conference of all Liberation Armies will take place in two months without its involvement:

# South Africa has secured just over 10.4-billion-rand loan from Germany’s KfW Development Bank to support the country’s efforts to shift to a low-carbon economy. The agreement builds on two other loans concluded in 2022 and 2023 and forms part of Germany’s pledge at the COP26 Climate Change Summit to support South Africa’s shift away from its reliance on fossil fuels. Finance minister Enoch Godongwana says the loan will strengthen the country’s short- and medium-term energy security measures and promote decarbonisation.

# The Forum for South Africa has criticised Public Works minister, Dean Macpherson’s suspension of all Expanded Public Works Programme fund transfers to the Free State’s Matjhabeng Municipality. This follows reports that the municipality’s EPWP payroll is allegedly being used to pay inflated salaries. FOSA leader, Tebogo Mashilompane, says the minister should have dealt with only those who are affected, instead of painting everyone with the same brush:

# Four people, including a New York Police Department officer, have been killed at a skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan. One person was wounded. According to authorities, a gunman wearing a bulletproof vest and armed with a rifle entered 345 Park Avenue. He opened fire, shooting an off-duty police officer who was working as a security detail at the building, and four others. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch says the shooter was found dead in the building from a self-inflicted injury:

# Cricket: India may still use the world’s best Test bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, to try and win the final Test against England to draw the series. It was decided beforehand he would only play three matches because of a back injury, but with England leading 2-1, head coach Gautam Gambhir says they haven’t decided on his participation yet. Captain Shubman Gill says Bumrah looks fully fit at this stage, and it would be brilliant if he could play at the Oval in London from Thursday.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-90-cents and the euro at 20-rand-73-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-88-cents and Bitcoin trades at 118-thousand-618-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-310-dollars-25-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 69-dollars-19-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….