News 07:00

BULLETIN 20 June 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa vows to enhance the access to essential services
# A new British poll shows Labour is on course for a 200-seat majority
# And tennis, Andy Murray’s participation at Wimbledon is in doubt

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says people’s primary aspirations are adequate food, water, affordable electricity, and decent housing. In his inauguration speech, he affirmed the government’s commitment to enhancing living standards and ensuring equitable access to vital services. According to Ramaphosa, socio-economic development and the fulfilment of basic rights are pivotal objectives for his second term, signalling a strong resolve to address critical issues affecting South Africans:

# Meanwhile the Young Communist League of South Africa urged the newly inaugurated  Ramaphosa to focus on youth and working class needs under his new administration. The organisation calls for policies to alleviate economic hardships, warning the government of national unity against undermining social security programmes. The league’s secretary Mzwandile Thakhudi pledged to support the administration while holding it accountable for advancing socialism and addressing the needs of the working class.

# ActionSA president Herman Mashaba will appear as a state witness in the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court in Katlehong, Ekurhuleni, today. Spokesperson James de Villiers says this relates to a corruption case against Setheo Engineering. Mashaba reported it to the police, NPA, and Hawks. He says that ActionSA is committed to zero tolerance for corruption:

# The Department of Health says it’s considering exploring artificial intelligence tools to accelerate tuberculosis and silicosis diagnosis. Following the World Health Organisation’s recommendations, the department is hosting a conference from today until Saturday in Sandton, Gauteng, to discuss using AI to improve diagnosis and address backlogs, especially among mineworkers. The department’s Foster Mohale says the conference will feature health professionals, mining representatives, and AI tech companies to promote awareness tools for the end TB goal by 2035:

# The Labour Party is on course for a majority of 200 seats, according to a new YouGov projection.  The poll also suggests the Tories will slump to their lowest number of seats at an election since its formation in 1834. If this is replicated when the country goes to the polls on 4 July, Labour would have its second-largest majority since the Second World War. According to the projections the Liberal Democrats could win six times the number of seats they had in 2019, with Nigel Farage’s Reform party possibly five seats.

# Tennis: Andy Murray’s hopes of bowing out from tennis at this year’s Wimbledon were left in severe doubt after a back injury forced him to retire from a second-round match at Queen’s last night. The British tennis great is now set to undergo a scan after lasting a mere five games against Australian Jordan Thompson. Wimbledon is now less than a fortnight away but Murray refused to rule out one last appearance. The former world number one has spoken of wanting to retire either after Wimbledon or the Paris Olympics.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-95-cents and the euro at 19-rand-28-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-82-cents and Bitcoin trades at 65-thousand-123-dollars-14-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-333-dollars-62-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 85-dollars-15-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….