News 09:00

BULLETIN 1 June 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# MK Party says the Conference of the Left demonstrated that progressive forces in SA remain resilient
# Parliament will undertake a public participation process on the ethics code and disclosure of members’ interests
# And tennis: Fonseca and Zverev are through to the French Open quarterfinals, but Swiatek is knocked out

# The MK Party says the Conference of the Left has shown that progressive forces remain resilient and capable of shaping an alternative future for South Africa. The conference aimed to strengthen coordination, unity in action, political education, and organised struggle among leftist and working-class formations. The MK Party’s second deputy president, Tony Yengeni, stressed the importance of unity but stated that it cannot mean the abandonment of principle, nor can ideological diversity become an excuse for paralysis and endless internal conflict:

# Parliament’s Joint Committee on Ethics and Members’ Interests has agreed on a public participation process in a bid to strengthen public trust in the institution. This is part of the comprehensive review of Parliament’s Code of Ethical Conduct and Disclosure of Members’ Interests, as well as the Executive Ethics Code. Committee co-chairperson, Henni Britz, says the current codes and ethical frameworks reveal areas that require improvement. He says the financial relationships, digital influence and public expectations have evolved significantly, making this review both necessary and timely.

# The City of Johannesburg has welcomed the Johannesburg Stock Exchange’s decision to lift the suspension of the metro’s listed debt instruments. This follows the tabling of the metro’s annual report for the 2024/2025 financial year earlier this year, fulfilling a key regulatory requirement and restoring Johannesburg’s full compliance with the JSE debt listing requirements. The metro’s spokesperson, Virgil James, says the removal of the suspension confirms that Johannesburg is meeting its statutory and regulatory obligations:

# Colombia’s presidential election will go to a runoff after far-right lawyer, Abelardo de la Espriella, won the first round on Sunday. The outsider and Donald Trump admirer won 43.74-percent of the vote, falling short of the absolute majority required to win outright. Leftist candidate Senator Iván Cepeda came in second place with 40.90-percent of the vote. The two will face each other in a runoff on June 21st. President Gustavo Petro, who endorsed Cepeda, said he did not accept the preliminary count results, alleging irregularities in the vote.

# Tennis: Nineteen-year-old Joao Fonseca backed up his win against Novak Djokovic by beating two-time finalist Casper Ruud to book his place in the French Open quarterfinals. The Brazilian knocked out the Norwegian 7-5, 7-6, 5-7, 6-2, to set up a meeting with Czech Jakub Mensik. Germany’s Alexander Zverev overcame Dutchman Jesper de Jong, 7-6, 6-4, 6-1. In the women’s draw, Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk stunned four-time champion Poland’s Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-1. She will face compatriot Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals after she defeated Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic, 4-6, ‌6-4, 6-0.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-22-cents and the euro at 18-rand-89-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-82-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 73-thousand-317-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-515-dollars-34-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 92-dollars-79-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….