News 14:00

BULLETIN 3 September 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Sharpeville massacre survivors seek justice and compensation
# Cricket: India will host the inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy
# And the UN warns the world will soon breach the 1.5-degree Celsius warming limit

# Survivors and descendants of the 1960 Sharpeville Massacre have filed a landmark case in the High Court in Pretoria against government. Supported by Lawyers for Human Rights and Leigh Day, they want the court to overturn the 1961 Indemnity Act, which protected apartheid officials from liability. The families seek compensation and possible criminal accountability. More than 70 survivors and relatives have expressed interest in joining. They argue previous reparations were inadequate and failed to address the massacre’s long-term impact.

# The Department of Trade Industry and Competition has urged South African exporters to collaborate to access international markets under the Block Exemption for Promotion of Exports. The framework allows qualifying businesses to share certain costs, infrastructure, market information and logistics, and jointly market goods where permitted. The department says the measure responds to rising tariffs, logistics costs and increasingly complex global trade. It aims to help smaller businesses compete internationally. Exporters are urged to understand the exemption’s requirements and limitations before entering collaborative arrangements.

# Agricultural organisation TLU SA says its annual congress prioritised rural safety, the protection of property rights, economic sustainability and the conservation of land and water. The congress was held in Pretoria under the theme “Agriculture: Grounded. Protected. Preserved”. General manager Bennie van Zyl says it focused on the protection of producers and the resources on which future food production depends. He says action is needed to create greater stability for farmers:

# Cricket: The International Cricket Council has confirmed India will host the first-ever edition of the Women’s Champions Trophy in February. Sri Lanka was stripped of hosting because of government interference in its cricket board. The six-team T20 tournament will consist of South Africa, Australia, England, India, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka. ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta says the tournament will be a showcase of the best of women’s cricket:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-6-cents and the euro at 18-rand-64-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-67-cents and Bitcoin trades at 77-thousand-609-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-423-dollars-43-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 99-dollars-36-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The United Nations says global warming is likely to surpass the 1.5-degree Celsius warming threshold within the next few years, with warming potentially peaking at 1.8-degrees under the best-case scenario. The UN report says current policies could result in warming of around 2.6-degrees. Scientists warn every additional fraction of warming increases climate risks. They say emissions must be cut urgently, while carbon dioxide removal could help return temperatures below the 1.5-degrees threshold later this century.

Stay tuned for more news………….