News 13:00

BULLETIN 15 June 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# South Africa targets tourism growth from Mexico beyond the World Cup
# G7 leaders meet in France after America and Iran declare an agreement to end the war
# And: A suspect is due in court over 150 live scorpions found at the Cape Town International Airport

# Tourism minister Patricia de Lille says South Africa will continue promoting its tourism offerings in Mexico beyond the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Speaking in Mexico, De Lille identified the country as a key growth market, citing steady increases in visitor arrivals over the past three years. De Lille says her counterparts agreed to strengthen cooperation, improve air connectivity and implement a new three-year tourism action plan between the two countries:

# The Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs warns municipalities and the public about ongoing fraudulent calls from individuals falsely claiming to be Deputy minister Namane Dickson Masemola. Spokesperson Musa Mkaliphi says the scammers are attempting to obtain information or influence decisions under false pretences. She urges the public to verify callers through official channels and report suspicious activity. She says impersonating a public office bearer is a serious offence:

# Leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy nations will meet at the French lakeside resort Evian-les-Bains, shortly after the US and Iran said they had reached a preliminary deal to end their war. The leaders will discuss the ‌next steps on Iran, and also seek common ground on the war in Ukraine, tackling global economic imbalances and sourcing critical minerals outside of the dominant supplier China. US President Donald Trump is due to meet with Middle Eastern leaders and attend a working session with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during the summit.

# Soccer: Award winning Somali referee Omar Artan will receive his full World Cup fee despite being denied entry into the United States. Artan was questioned for eleven-hours by immigration officials in Miami before being refused entry and returned to Somalia. US authorities cited alleged vetting concerns and derogatory information. The 34-year-old referee has since been appointed to officiate the UEFA Super Cup and says he remains determined to work at the 2030 World Cup in Morocco, Spain and Portugal.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-18-cents against the rand and the euro at 18-rand-77-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-72-cents and Bitcoin trades at 65-thousand-655-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-342-dollars-25-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 82-dollars-25-cents a barrel.

# And finally: A 28-year-old man is expected to appear in the Bellville Magistrate’s Court today after being arrested at Cape Town International Airport with 150 live venomous scorpions hidden in his luggage. Police say the suspect was intercepted following intelligence-led operations by the Kuilsriver Stock Theft and Endangered Species Unit, working with CapeNature. The scorpions were discovered concealed among clothing and later secured at a holding facility. He faces charges under environmental conservation laws linked to possession of protected wildlife species.

Stay tuned for more news………….