News 18:00

BULLETIN 21 November 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# South Africa welcomes the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant, and Deif
# The repo rate is cut by 25 basis points
# And rugby: Philip Snyman names an experienced Blitzboks squad for the Dubai Sevens

# The South African government has welcomed the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants for Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Mohammed Deif. Terming it a significant development, International Relations spokesperson Chrispin Phiri reiterated South Africa’s commitment to international law, and that government has called for global accountability to uphold human rights and justice in the Palestine-Israel conflict:

# The Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee has decided to cut the repo rate by 25 basis points to 7.75-percent. This follows yesterday’s announcement that inflation was at 2.8-percent in October – lower than the bank’s inflation target of between 3- and 6-percent. The rate cut means the prime lending rate will be 11.25-percent.

# Rise Mzansi has warned against the misuse of public funds following the declaration of foodborne illnesses as a national disaster.  These illnesses have already claimed 22 lives with a total of 890 cases reported.  Rise Mzansi spokesperson Mabine Seabe has urged Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs minister, Velenkosini Hlabisa, to set up systems that prevent politicians and officials from looting public funds during the disaster:

# The Western Cape fire season has begun with fires reported in Newlands Forest and Hermanus recently. The Western Cape experiences its fire season in summer, lasting from December through April. Volunteer Wildfire Services’ CEO Claire Lotter says teams are prepared for what is expected to be a busy season. Experts say most fire ignitions are caused by people, either accidentally or on purpose, especially in case of wildfires.

# Rugby: Springbok Sevens head coach Philip Snyman has selected ten previous Dubai Sevens winners in his squad for next weekend’s sevens season opener in the United Arab Emirates. First-timers Donovan Don, David Brits, and Tristan Leyds join seasoned players Impi Visser and Zain Davids, named co-captains. Snyman says he aims to build squad depth and consistency, targeting a top-four finish in every tournament:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-1-cent and the euro at 18-rand-96-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-76-cents and Bitcoin trades at 97-thousand-546-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-670-dollars-12-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 73-dollars-79-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The National Sea Rescue Institute has welcomed a new rip current hazard forecast model developed by the South African Weather Services. Launched in Cape Town, the model aims to enhance beach safety by accurately predicting rip current occurrences. NSRI spokesperson Andrew Ingram told the SABC the tool will improve festive season planning and resource distribution. The model is set to expand to the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.

Stay tuned for more news………….