News 11:00

BULLETIN 21 July 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Ramaphosa says significant progress has been made through Operation Vulindlela
# Over 20 FlySafair flights have been cancelled due to the pilots’ strike
# And rugby: Owen Farrell will captain the British and Irish Lions against a First Nations and Pasifika 15-side

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says through Operation Vulindlela, government has made significant progress in opening the way to more rapid, inclusive and sustainable growth and job creation. Operation Vulindlela is a government-wide initiative to accelerate progress on economic reform. In his weekly newsletter, the president says progress has been made in local government, energy supply, rail and ports, and the visa system. Ramaphosa says even as the world faces difficult economic headwinds, the country’s economic reform agenda will create the conditions for higher growth and investment.

# FlySafair says it has had to cancel over 20 flights this morning as a result of the pilots’ strike over salaries and scheduling. This is despite the airline reassuring passengers yesterday that operations would not be affected by the start of the strike. Solidarity is demanding a 10.5-percent salary increase for pilots, while the airline is offering 5.7-percent. FlySafair’s chief marketing official, Kirby Gordon, told eNCA they are operating largely as scheduled:

# ActionSA in Gauteng is demanding the immediate deployment of specialised crime intelligence teams to Olievenhoutbosch. This follows the killing of six people at a tavern in Choba informal settlement on Friday night. The shooting is believed to have stemmed from a gang turf war between Lesotho and Mozambican nationals. ActionSA’s spokesperson, Zwelithini Mtshali, says this tragedy is a clear sign of the growing lawlessness that continues to plague communities:

Moving abroad:

# In a latest survey, 55-percent of Americans say president Donald Trump has gone too far when it comes to deporting immigrants living in the US illegally. This is according to a new CNN poll. According to reports, most immigrants taken into custody between last October and May had no serious criminal convictions. Meanwhile, 46-percent say Trump’s immigration policies have made the country safer. A 57-percent majority also say they oppose plans to build new detention facilities capable of holding up to 100-thousand undocumented immigrants.

# Rugby: Owen Farrell will captain the British and Irish Lions against a First Nations and Pasifika 15-side in Melbourne tomorrow. This is the first start of the tour for the former England captain, who leads a side featuring Welsh powerhouse Jac Morgan, as well as current England captain and call-up Jamie George. Alex Mitchell is set to continue his remarkable run of having played in every match on tour after being picked on the bench, where he is joined by Ben Earl and Marcus Smith.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-68-cents and the euro at 20-rand-58-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-76-cents and Bitcoin trades at 119-thousand-391-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-369-dollars-57-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 68-dollars-53-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….