News 13:00

BULLETIN 24 July 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Ramaphosa welcomes the pausing of the impeachment proceedings
# Carney says Canada is ready to respond if the US’ new 50-percent tariffs come into effect
# And Cape Town earns a place among the most beautiful cities in the world

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has welcomed the Western Cape High Court’s decision to grant his urgent application, temporarily halting Parliament’s Section 89 impeachment proceedings. The interdict remains in place pending the outcome of his review application challenging the independent panel’s report into the Phala Phala matter. Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, says he respects the court’s ruling and reaffirms his commitment to judicial independence, the separation of powers and constitutional accountability:

# The Soil of Africa Civic Movement is calling on government to implement practical measures that cushion vulnerable households from the impact of rising living costs. Consumer inflation accelerated to five-percent year-on-year last month, up from 4.5-percent in May, reaching its highest level in two years. The movement’s spokesperson, Luzuko Sofute, says the sharp rise in transport costs, driven by significant fuel price increases, places additional pressure on already struggling households:

Moving abroad:

# Canadian prime minister Mark Carney says they will continue to negotiate a new trade deal with the US, but is willing to respond should the new threatened tariffs come into effect. President Donald Trump’s administration announced new 50-percent tariffs on a range of Canadian goods from the 19th of August. Carney says everything’s on the table if an agreement can’t be reached, including continuing to diversify trade away from the US:

# Soccer: South African stars Relebohile Mofokeng and Aden McCarthy are edging closer to UEFA Champions League action this season. According to Soccer Laduma, McCarthy’s Azerbaijani club, Sabah FK, beat Finland’s KuPS 1-nil in the first leg of their second qualifying round and need another victory to progress. Mofokeng’s Belgian side, Union Saint-Gilloise, enters the third qualifying round against Norway’s Bodø/Glimt. Victory would move them one step closer to the Champions League phase.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-92-cents and the euro at 19-rand-27-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-53-cents and Bitcoin trades at 64-thousand-928-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-and-54-dollars-40-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 91-dollars-46-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Cape Town has earned itself a place among the globe’s most beautiful places to stay. A global study has ranked the Mother City as the eighth most beautiful destination for design-led accommodation, the highest-ranked in Africa and placing it among some of the planet’s most sought-after travel experiences. The research analysed luxury accommodation listings across more than 200 international tourist destinations. Bali claimed top spot, followed by Paris and California’s Yucca Valley. The impressive top ten also includes London, Los Cabos, Saint Barthelemy and Hawaii.

Stay tuned for more news………….