News 09:00

NEWSFLASH NEWS AGENCY 10 November 9 vm

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Institute of Race Relations says LGBT South Africans living in less affluent areas are vulnerable to discrimination
# The Presidential Climate Commission dismisses claims of missing the 2030 emissions reduction target
# And, the South African Jewish Board of Deputies seeks clarity on minister Naledi Pandor’s conversation with the Hamas leader

# The Institute of Race Relations says South Africa’s progressive constitutional framework still benefits members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community, who live middle-class, urban lives. This is one of the findings in the latest report from the institute titled, An In-Depth Look into the Quality of Life of LGBT South Africans. IRR’s, Gerbrandt van Heerden, says LGBT South Africans living in less affluent, rural areas, and with a lack of access to the private sector, are particularly vulnerable to discrimination:

Play sound: ENG GerbrandtonLGBT

# South Africa’s Presidential Climate Commission has refuted suggestions that the country will fall short of its 2030 emissions reduction target. A Reuters report had indicated concerns over the potential extension of some coal-fired power plants to address power shortages, impacting the emission targets. The commission’s executive director, Crispian Olver, says South Africa is committed to reducing emissions to a range of 350 to 420 megatons of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2030. South Africa is the world’s 14th-biggest emitter of climate-warming gasses.

# National Treasury has approved eThekwini Municipality’s 1.6-billion-rand grant rollover request. The rollover is for the municipal disaster recovery grant, the project preparation support grant, and the neighbourhood development partnership grant for the employment programme. eThekwini mayor, Mxolisi Kaunda, says they had applied for the rollover after the Treasury only dispatched the funds in March, three months before the end of the 2022/2023 financial year, while the grant framework stipulates that the funds can be spent in 12 months:

Play sound: ENG MxolisionGranted

# The South African Jewish Board of Deputies accuses the Department of International Relations and Cooperation of unmitigated hostility amid escalating antisemitism globally, leaving Jewish citizens feeling vulnerable. The organisation says government is bullying Israeli ambassador Eliav Belotserkovsky for criticising its pro-Jihadist stance. It has challenged minister Naledi Pandor’s decision to cease answering questions about her conversation with Hamas leader Ismael Haniyeh, lodging a Public Access to Information Act application. They also criticise government’s alignment with Hamas, signalling a departure from its support for a two-state solution.

# Soccer: The Colombian Football Federation has confirmed that the father of Liverpool forward Luis Diaz has been released by kidnappers and is safe. Luís Manuel Diaz was kidnapped by the left-wing guerrillas in the family’s hometown of Barrancas on the 28th of last month. Diaz’s mother was also kidnapped in the incident but she was rescued within hours after police set up roadblocks. The federation says the father was handed over to United Nations and Catholic Church officials by members of the National Liberation Army.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-64-cents and the euro at 19-rand-90-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-80-cents and Bitcoin trades at 36-thousand-751-dollars-50-cents. Gold sells at one-thousand-957-dollars-33-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 80-dollars-43-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….