News 13:00

BULLETIN 26 February 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Inflation ticks up to 3.2-percent after the basket of goods was adjusted
# President Cyril Ramaphosa says African voices need to be heard on critical global issues
# And cricket: Afghanistan’s coach says they realise things are not correct in their country

# Consumer inflation increased to 3.2-percent in January, the first calculated according to an adjusted basket of goods. This is slightly higher than December’s three-percent and marginally below what economists expected. The new basket includes items that South Africans are spending more money on. The Reserve Bank will take this data into account when it has to take its next rates decision on 20 March. It also depends on what is decided in the final national budget as an increase in VAT will also lead to higher inflation.

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says the G20 being hosted in Africa highlights the continent’s growing importance in global economic and political discussions. He was speaking at the first meeting of G20 Finance ministers and central bank governors under South Africa’s presidency in Cape Town today. Ramaphosa says the summit’s location underscores the need for African voices to be heard on critical global issues like sustainable growth, the digital economy and green industrialisation:

# Tshwane mayor Nasiphi Moya has reaffirmed the city’s multiparty coalition government’s commitment to working closely with the diplomatic community. She had an engagement with the deans of ambassadors, including from Mexico, Chad, Singapore and Liberia. Moya’s spokesperson, Zintle Mahlati, says during the meeting the mayor also stressed that Tshwane is rolling out the Reclaim Our City campaign, dealing with the criminal elements that have become too common in the metro:

# UK prime minister Keir Starmer makes a high-stakes visit to the White House tomorrow to try to convince US president Donald Trump to provide security guarantees for Ukraine as part of any ceasefire agreement with Russia. He will seek to build on French president Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Washington on Monday, when he warned that peace cannot mean the surrender of Ukraine. Starmer will have to stick up for Kyiv without annoying Trump, who has stunned Europe by pursuing talks with Russian president Vladimir Putin.

# Cricket: Afghanistan’s coach, former England batter Jonathan Trott, says his players realise all too well that things aren’t correct in their home country. He reacted to about 200 British politicians asking earlier this year for the English team to boycott today’s Champions Trophy match against the Asian country in Lahore, Pakistan. They were concerned because of the oppression of women’s rights under the Taliban regime, including their participation in sport. Trott says his players have the ability to bring about change. Afghanistan won the toss and decided to bat.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-39-cents and the euro at 19-rand-30-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-27-cents and Bitcoin trades at 88-thousand-793-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-915-dollars-26-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 72-dollars-74-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….