News 08:00

BULLETIN 30 April 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# South Africa supports the right of nations to pursue the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes
# Top South African law firms are challenging the B-BBEE Legal Sector Code
# And, AfriForum lays a criminal complaint against the former Johannesburg mayor, Thapelo Amad

# South Africa says it remains committed to the establishment and maintenance of a world without nuclear weapons. The country is participating in the 11th Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons at the United Nations in New York. The Department of International Relations and Cooperation’s Xolisa Mabhongo says South Africa will seek to reinforce and promote the implementation of the three interdependent pillars of the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, including the peaceful use of nuclear energy:

# Three of South Africa’s largest law firms, Bowmans, Webber Wentzel and Werksmans, will challenge the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Legal Sector Code of Good Practice in the Gauteng High Court next week. The code was published by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition in September 2024, and was designed to address the legacy injustices of apartheid in the legal sector. The firms argue that the current framework is fundamentally misconceived and risks undermining, rather than advancing, meaningful, broad-based transformation in the legal industry.

# AfriForum has laid a criminal complaint with the police against former Johannesburg mayor Thapelo Amad over alleged illegal firearm use. This follows a viral video, earlier this month, showing a man firing shots into the air at a funeral in Soweto. AfriForum’s Jacques Broodryk says the incident may breach the Firearms Control Act and is calling for a full investigation and possible charges, including unlawful possession and reckless discharge of a firearm:

# The US Federal Reserve has decided to keep interest rates unchanged between 3.5 to 3.75-percent for a third time this year. The central bank has held steady on interest rates, citing uncertainty from president Donald Trump’s administration’s policies and the conflict in the Middle East. Trump has repeatedly called on the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates. FED chairperson, Jerome Powell, says he believes the central bank’s ability to decide monetary policy without political pressure is at risk:

# Tennis: World number one Jannik Sinner is through to the Madrid Open semifinals for the first time, continuing his bid for a fifth ATP Masters 1000 title. The Italian beat 19-year-old Spaniard Rafael Jodar, 6-2, 7-6. Sinner will face Arthur Fils after the Frenchman defeated Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic, 6-3, 6-4. In the women’s draw, Russian-born Austrian Anastasia Potapova beat Czech Karolina Pliskova, 6-1, 6-7, becoming the first lucky loser to reach a WTA 1000 semifinal. She will face Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk after she defeated Czech Linda Noskova, 7-6, 6-0.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-83-cents and the euro at 19-rand-64-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-67-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 75-thousand-838-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-563-dollars-14-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 111-dollars-63-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….