News 08:00

BULLETIN 26 May 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Thabo Mbeki defends the controversial “Kill the Boer” song
# Donald Trump agrees to delay the 50-percent EU tariffs until July
# And athletics: Akani Simbine does it again

# Former president Thabo Mbeki has defended the controversial “Kill the Boer” song, saying it is a symbolic expression rooted in the anti-apartheid struggle. The song was in the spotlight last week, after US president Donald Trump during his meeting with president Cyril Ramaphosa at the Oval Office, played a video of EFF leader Julius Malema singing the song. Mbeki told the SABC that those who portray the chant as a literal call to violence are exaggerating for political purposes:

# Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation minister, Maropene Ramokgopa says the issue of illicit financial flows remains a critical challenge for many countries, especially on the African continent. Ramokgopa was addressing the 3rd G20 Development Working Group Meeting in KwaZulu-Natal. She says according to the African Union Economic Commission for Africa’s high-level panel on illicit financial flows, the African continent loses an estimated 1.5-trillion-rand annually due to the illicit financial flows:

# The Independent Financial Advisors Forum has filed a court interdict to halt the City of Johannesburg’s move to proceed with a medical aid brokerage tender, arguing it is unlawful. The metro has decided to tender for the appointment of a sole medical aid brokerage provider for its employees. IFAF’s spokesperson, Njabulo Majola, says it is evident that the metro seeks to appoint a single broker to render services to members of various medical schemes, who are currently in contractual relationships with brokers of their choosing:

# US president Donald Trump says he has agreed to delay a 50-percent tariff on European Union imports until July 9th. It follows a phone call he had with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday. The 50-percent rate would have come after Trump had imposed a 20-percent reciprocal tariff on the EU in April, which itself was also delayed. The EU is one of America’s largest trading partners. Von der Leyen says they are ready to agree on a trade deal with the US swiftly.

# Athletics: South Africa’s Akani Simbine remains unbeaten in the 100-metres this year, as he powered to his third Diamond League win of the year in Rabat, Morocco. He stormed to victory with a time of 9.95-seconds ahead of Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala and American Fred Kerley. Simbine’s compatriot Zakithi Nene delivered a strong performance in the men’s 400-metres, finishing second. Another South African, Prudence Sekgodiso, had to settle for second in the women’s 800-metres. Simbine says he feels great and confident:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-82-cents and the euro at 20-rand-33-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-20-cents and Bitcoin trades at 109-thousand-617-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-345-dollars-95-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 64-dollars-27-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….