News 18:00

BULLETIN 4 April 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Parks Tau warns against retaliatory tariffs without clarity from the US
# The GOOD Party slams government over the missed pit latrine eradication deadline
# And Rugby: The Blitzboks face Great Britain and Argentina in Singapore

# Trade, Industry and Competition minister Parks Tau says retaliatory tariffs against the US would be ill-conceived without a full understanding of how it arrived at its decision to impose a 31-percent tariff on South Africa. The minister, alongside International Relations minister Ronald Lamola, held a joint media briefing on the government’s strategic approach to the new US tariffs. Tau says recent US trade policies have affected the multilateral system:

# The GOOD Party says the government has failed to meet its deadline to eradicate pit latrines in schools. According to the party, Basic Education minister Siviwe Gwarube, like her predecessor Angie Motshekga, has not fulfilled the pledge, with four-percent of schools still relying on unsafe toilets. GOOD’s Kaden Arguil warns that without an updated audit, the true scale of the problem remains unknown:

# US President Donald Trump says he wants “direct talks” with Tehran on a nuclear deal, after he threatened to bomb Iran if it develops nuclear weapons. Trump has given Iran’s leaders a two-month deadline to reach an agreement on the country’s nuclear programme, which has strained relations with Western nations for decades. Western countries including the United States have long accused Iran of pursuing a nuclear weapon, which Tehran has denied, insisting its enrichment activities were solely for peaceful purposes.

# Rugby: It does not get easier for the Blitzboks after they could only finish in ninth place in Hong Kong. Tomorrow morning in the last tournament of the regular season they face a tough pool A. The South Africans play Great Britain at 7:26am and then face top of the log Argentina at 10:44 am. Argentina also won the Honk Kong tournament for the first time last week. The Blitzboks are currently fourth on the log with the top eight teams qualifying for the world championships in Los Angeles next month.

# Financial indicators: The dollar trades at 19-rand-3-cents and the euro at 20-rand-94-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-68-cents and Bitcoin trades at 82-thousand-779-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-50-dollars-68-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 64-dollars-86-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The European Union says the Nature Restoration Regulation is the first continent-wide, comprehensive law of its kind. The regulation aims to restore ecosystems, habitats, and species across the EU’s land and sea areas. These measures should cover at least 20-percent of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030, and ultimately all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050. Europe’s nature is declining, with more than 80-percent of habitats in poor condition. The EU says it is committed to achieving its climate mitigation and climate adaptation objectives.

Stay tuned for more news………….