News 14:00

BULLETIN 13 June 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The DA’s Alan Winde welcomes his re-election as the Western Cape premier 
# Media24 announces the closure of several iconic publications
# And rugby: Scotland rests Finn Russell, but Duhan Van der Merwe and Pierre Schoeman are selected 

# The DA’s Alan Winde has welcomed his re-election as Western Cape premier for another five-year term. He received 26 votes in a secret ballot against the ANC’s Muhammad Khalid Sayed, who received 14 votes. Winde thanked residents for their confidence and trust, promising to tackle economic growth, job creation, and energy security. He also urges opposition cooperation for the benefit of all residents:

# The UDM’s secretary general, Yongama Zigebe, is calling on the seventh Parliament and administration, to prioritise the eradication of pit latrines in schools. Zigebe says it is imperative that Parliament and its portfolio committee on Basic Education hold the minister and Department of Basic Education accountable for its promises and commitments. He says thousands of schools still lack proper infrastructure, leaving the children to study in environments that pose serious health and safety risks:

# Media24 will close several iconic print publications in October, including City Press, Daily Sun, Rapport, and Beeld. According to a report by Moneyweb, the only remaining print publication will be Die Burger in Cape Town. This decision comes as print media now accounts for just over six-percent of overall advertisement spend, with digital making up about 40-percent. Financial losses, rising distribution costs, declining advertising revenue, and a shift to online readership have apparently driven this move.

# An invasive species of mosquito has set up home in 13 countries in the European Union, including France, Spain and Greece, with experts linking their presence to a rise in dengue fever. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control says climate change is creating favourable conditions for the tiger mosquito to spread. Authorities have been monitoring and trapping the insect as far north as Paris, where the Olympic Games will start at the end of July. Mosquitoes have become a growing threat in Europe over the past two decades.

# Rugby: Finn Russell was one of several senior Scotland internationals left out of an experimental squad for an upcoming tour of the Americas. South African-born Duhan van der Merwe and Pierre Schoeman have been included. Scotland coach Gregor Townsend named 10 uncapped players in his 37-strong squad. Townsend’s men will play Canada, the United States, Chile and Uruguay, none of them top-flight rugby nations, next month. Scotland look to develop their depth after a frustrating Six Nations Championship where they finished in fourth place.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-36-cents and the euro at 19-rand-84-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-47-cents and Bitcoin trades at 67-thousand-231-dollars-34-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-317-dollars-70-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 81-dollars-85-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….