News 07:00

BULLETIN 19 November 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa receives the G20 Africa Expert Panel report
# Mary de Haas refuses to name her sources
# And, UK parliamentarians are warned of new Chinese spying attempts

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has received a report by the Africa Expert Panel, marking a key milestone in South Africa’s G20 Presidency. The panel, chaired by former minister of Finance, Trevor Manuel, was tasked with developing evidence-based policy recommendations that strengthen Africa’s voice within the G20 Finance Track. Ramaphosa says the report outlines actionable pathways for addressing Africa’s debt challenges, improving access to development finance, and strengthening the global financial safety net:

Meanwhile, the G20 Africa Expert Panel has recommended the launch of a new debt refinancing initiative for low-income and vulnerable countries. Many countries, including some on the African continent, anticipate a peak in their current debt obligations over the next five years. Manuel says another recommendation is building a multilateral sovereign debt resolution mechanism that is transparent and effective:

# Human rights researcher Mary de Haas has refused to name her sources while giving evidence to Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee investigating police corruption. De Haas cited life-threatening risks for those who provided information. She told members of Parliament that police officers and ordinary citizens continue to face violence without adequate protection:

# Suspended Gauteng Director of Public Prosecutions, advocate Andrew Chauke’s legal team, says the charges against him are vague and stem from a fundamental misunderstanding of prosecutorial discretion. An inquiry into Chauke’s fitness to hold office got underway in Pretoria this week. He is facing serious allegations, including the alleged quashing of prosecutions against politically connected individuals. Chauke’s legal representative, advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, says the inquiry risks undermining prosecutorial independence by framing legitimate professional decisions as misconduct.

# Britain’s domestic intelligence agency, MI5, has issued an alert warning that two people linked to the Chinese intelligence service are actively seeking to recruit parliamentarians. Targets are said to include Parliament staff, economists, think tank employees, geopolitical consultants, and those working alongside the government. Britain’s Security minister Dan Jarvis says the government will not tolerate covert and calculated attempts to interfere with the country’s sovereign affairs:

# Cricket: Former English bowler Stuart Broad says his country’s best chance of winning the Ashes hinges on how well they play in the first two Tests. The visitors last won the series in Australia in 2011, with the Baggy Green winning their last three home series comprehensively. Broad says England’s record is shocking at the Gabba in Brisbane, where the third Test takes place, saying they will have a major problem if they lose the first two matches. The first Test starts in Perth on Friday.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-16-cents and the euro at 19-rand-89-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-57-cents and Bitcoin trades at 92-thousand-348-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-68-dollars-42-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 64-dollars-21-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….