News 13:00

BULLETIN 26 April 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The DA outlines bold solutions for economic reform 
# Golden Arrow Bus Services evaluates electric buses
# And Soccer: An all-woman refereeing team is set to officiate a Serie A match for the first time

# The DA has launched a new economic policy to tackle South Africa’s severe unemployment crisis. The policy, which aims to create between two-million and three-million new jobs, focuses on improving the ease of doing business, making better fiscal choices, and reforming labour policies. In a media briefing, DA leader John Steenhuisen described the high levels of unemployment, affecting over 70-percent of young people, as a man-made disaster caused by the ANC. Steenhuisen urged voters to support the DA’s plan:

Meanwhile, UNICEF South Africa has urged the prioritisation of children in the developmental agenda, marking 30 years of democracy with a manifesto release. The manifesto calls for enhanced efforts to ensure the well-being of all children, including those with disabilities and migrants. UNICEF’s country representative, Christine Muhigana, underscored the need for leaders to prioritise children’s protection and future as citizens prepare to voice their choices in the upcoming elections:

# Golden Arrow Bus Services is assessing whether to acquire Lion’s Explorer E electric buses from MAN Truck and Bus South Africa. The Cape Town based bus service received its first Lion’s Explorer E for testing in September. Company engineer, Gideon Neethling, reported positive feedback from drivers and passengers during non-passenger testing in February. The evaluation aims to determine energy efficiency and operational suitability, with GABS considering more than 60 electric buses annually.

# Soccer: An all-female refereeing team will officiate a Serie A match for the first time this weekend. Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi will be in charge of the game between league champions Inter Milan and Torino on Sunday. She will be joined by assistant referees Francesca Di Monte and Tiziana Trasciatti. Thirty-three-year-old Caputi became the first female referee in Serie A in 2022 and has taken charge of six games in the Italian top flight this season.

# Financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-98-cents and the euro at 20-rand-37-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-75-cents and Bitcoin trades at 64-thousand-500-dollars-95-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-348-dollars-79-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 88-dollars-1-cent a barrel.

# And finally: The influence and growing presence of fossil fuel and petrochemical industries are not what the people want, nor what the climate needs. This is the view of Greenpeace’s Graham Forbes. Discussions at the United Nations Treaty talks in Canada are attempting to break the deadlock between fossil fuel nations, and others pushing for an ambitious treaty to deal with the whole lifecycle of plastic. Forbes says UN member states must step up and deliver a global plastic treaty that will cut plastic production and end single-use plastic.

Stay tuned for more news………….