News 11:00

BULLETIN 10 April 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Lamola commends Pakistan for its impartial mediation in the US-Iranian conflict
# The SACP’s local government election decision is to top the agenda of the ANC NEC’s special meeting
# And soccer: Two South Africans referees are on the final list of match officials for the World Cup

# Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, has commended Pakistan for its impartial mediation and leadership in the US-Iranian war. He had a telephone call with Pakistan’s minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammad Ishaq Dar, during which he noted the ongoing initiatives aimed at lasting peace in the Middle East. The US and Iran will start peace talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, this weekend. Lamola urges all parties to engage in good-faith negotiations:

Meanwhile the International Monetary Fund says scarring effects caused by the war to date will mean slower global growth this year than first anticipated. Many countries have experienced rising petrol and diesel prices and higher airfares, largely due to the closure of the critically-important Strait of Hormuz for most of the past six weeks. IMF managing director, Kristalina Georgieva, says this crisis is global, but also asymmetric:

# The ANC is holding a Special National Executive Committee meeting in Gauteng today. The party says it will focus specifically on the evolving relationship with the South African Communist Party. This follows the SACP’s decision to contest local government elections independently. There will also be discussions on whether SACP members should continue holding dual membership. ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has been vocal about the SACP’s decision, describing it as erratic and dangerous for the National Democratic Revolution.

# Union federation Cosatu is calling for increased government funding for witness protection programmes, as current resources are not enough to safeguard whistleblowers who expose corruption. The federation welcomes the Protected Disclosures Bill published for public comment, describing it as a positive step in strengthening whistleblower protection. Spokesperson Matthew Parks says without adequate funding, witness protection systems may struggle to provide the security needed to encourage more people to come forward:

# Soccer: South African referee Abongile Tom has been selected as one of the match officials for the upcoming World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada. He is joined by compatriot assistant referee Zakhele Siwela. A total of 52 referees, 88 assistant referees, and 30 video match officials have been selected. This will be Tom’s first World Cup and Siwela’s third, having run the lines at the 2018 and 2022 editions. This year’s tournament will be the biggest in history, with a 48-team line-up and 104 matches.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-43-cents and the euro at 19-rand-20-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-5-cents and Bitcoin trades at 71-thousand-790-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-748-dollars-81-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 94-dollars-60-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….