News 15:00

BULLETIN 14 February 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# An advocacy group accuses government of hypocrisy on migrant rights
# FutureCoal is committed to sustainable transformation across the entire coal value chain
# And rugby: The Boks start the season with an alignment camp in Cape Town

# Kopanang Africa Against Xenophobia accuses government of hypocrisy and selective justice in its treatment of migrants. The group says while president Cyril Ramaphosa spoke of peace, justice, and equality during his state of the nation address, he failed to acknowledge the continued discrimination and violence faced by African migrants in South Africa. The organisation’s Mike Ndlovu calls for an end to scapegoating, improved access to services for refugees, and stronger protections against xenophobic violence.

# FutureCoal says consistent and clear policies and strategies that enhance the responsible and sustainable use of coal are needed. It launched its Southern Africa Chapter, bringing together four leading coal-rich nations, South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. Collectively, the four countries possess an estimated 150-billion tons of coal reserves. FutureCoal CEO, Michelle Manook, says sustainable coal stewardship is possible, particularly as coal remains a strategic asset for countries developing their economies:

# US president Donald Trump has offered to sell state-of-the-art fighter jets to BRICS-member India. He and prime minister Narendra Modi vowed to ramp up trade, rekindling a bond that defies the new US administration’s punitive approach to much of the world. Modi, only the fourth world leader to visit the White House since Trump’s return, described his fellow nationalist as a friend and told him he was adopting a take on his “Make America Great Again” slogan. Trump says he found a special bond with Modi and India.

# Rugby: The Springboks start the new season when Rassie Erasmus and his management team host the first in-person coaches’ strategic session of the year and a three-day alignment camp with a group of 56 domestic players in Cape Town from 7 March. The group includes 18 members of the 2023 World Cup-winning squad, 10 of which were also crowned champions at the 2019 World Cup, and five of whom participated in the 2015 global event. Jurenzo Julius, JF van Heerden, and Reinhardt Ludwig will get their first taste of Springbok rugby.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-35-cents and the euro at 19-rand-21-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-9-cents and Bitcoin trades at 97-thousand-73-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-934-dollars-51-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 74-dollars-90-cents a barrel.

# And finally: FNB expects Valentine’s Day spending to increase by double digits again this year. This follows an 11-percent year-on-year rise in 2024. Spending on chocolates, flowers, gifts, and jewellery saw significant increases, with a 60-percent spike in chocolate purchases and 83-percent in flowers in the week of Valentine’s Day. FNB’s Ashley Saffy encourages responsible spending, secure transactions, and the use of virtual cards for enhanced safety when making these purchases:

Stay tuned for more news………….