News 08:00

BULLETIN 9 October 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# SAFTU condemns the high retail prices of essential goods
# Tshwane is set to elect a new mayor today
# And the chief of the British MI5 warns about a threat from Russia and Iran

# The South African Federation of Trade Unions says it strongly condemns retailers that keep essential food items’ prices high despite declining input costs. The Competition Commission’s latest Essential Food Price Monitoring Report revealed that input costs of essential food items have declined, yet their retail prices remain unjustifiably high. Saftu’s, Mogoshadi Maserumule, says the profitability of the South African retailers, extracted from the working class through low wages and high retail prices, is reflected in the exorbitant earnings of the retail executives:

# The Judicial Service Commission has resolved to recommend South Gauteng High Court judge, Edwin Mogomotsi Molahlehi, for the position of judge president of the Labour Court and Labour Appeal’s Court. On Monday, the commission started conducting interviews to fill 26 judicial vacancies in various courts. Judge Susannah Cowen has been recommended for the position of deputy judge president of the Land Court. The JSC says it has resolved not to recommend any candidates for the vacancy in the Eastern Cape Division of the High Court.

# The City of Tshwane is set to elect a new mayor today following the ousting of Cilliers Brink through a motion of no confidence last month. The ANC, which holds 75 of the 214 seats in the council, would need the support of the EFF and ActionSA to pass the threshold to have its candidate reportedly Kgosi Maepa as mayor. DA Federal Council chairperson Helen Zille gave the ANC an ultimatum to reinstate Brink or risk instability in the metro. ActionSA wants to install its own mayor Nasiphi Moya.   

# Russia and Iran are engaged in intensifying efforts to undertake assassination and sabotage plots in the UK. This is according to the UK’s head of domestic security service MI5, Ken McCallum. He says overall, the agency has prevented 43 late-stage terror attack plots since March 2017, with organisers often in the final days of planning mass murder. ISIS and al Qaeda present a resurgent threat to the country. McCallum says young people are increasingly being drawn into online extremism:

# Soccer: Chelsea forward Cole Palmer has been named the 2023/2024 England men’s player of the year. Voted for by the public, the 22-year-old was picked ahead of Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka, who finished second and third respectively. This recognition comes after he was named PFA Young Player of the Year in August. Palmer, who joined Chelsea from Manchester City, has scored 25 goals in all competitions. He made his England debut in November last year and has gone on to earn nine senior caps.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-59-cents and the euro at 19-rand-30-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-3-cents and Bitcoin trades at 62-thousand-339-dollars-75-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-617-dollars-36-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 77-dollars-40-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….