News 07:00

BULLETIN 13 November 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Fikile Mbalula stresses the importance of putting citizens first
# The EFF says the decrease in unemployment is not significant
# And a New York judge delays Trump’s hush-money ruling

# ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says the shifting political landscape means they must work together across the political divide to find solutions based on the commitment to put citizens first. He delivered the keynote address at the Institute for Global Engagement in Irene, Gauteng. Mbalula says not everyone agrees with the option to establish a government of national unity and they respect the difference of views:

# The EFF says the decrease in the unemployment rate is deceptive and does not signify real economic growth or improvement in the quality of employment opportunities. Statistics South Africa has reported that South Africa’s unemployment rate decreased by 1.4 percentage points to 32.1-percent in the third quarter, from 33.5-percent in the second quarter. The EFF says these employment changes are largely driven by precarious and informal sector jobs, as well as part-time government employment schemes, rather than sustainable, full-time positions in the formal private sector.

# FlySafair has filed an urgent application to block a ruling threatening its international routes due to foreign ownership regulation violations. FlySafair’s international destinations include Mauritius, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Namibia. According to News24, the airline emphasises that limiting supply on these routes could escalate fares and disrupt travel plans due to high demand this summer season. The airline assures customers that domestic flights remain unaffected and promises to minimise any disruption to international services.

# The City of Tshwane has warned residents about a scam claiming it accepts bitcoin for municipal bills at retail stores. The city denies any such agreement and outlines the legitimate ways to pay, including e-Tshwane, customer care centers, retail outlets, and the Post Office. Spokesperson Lindela Mashigo says the city cautions against these fraudulent claims and pledges to prosecute those involved:

# New York Judge Juan Merchan has delayed a ruling on whether to undo president-elect Donald Trump’s conviction in his hush-money case. Earlier this year, Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in a scheme to influence the 2016 election. Judge Merchan is to decide if the conviction in the hush money case should be upheld and proceed to sentencing, or throw it out on the grounds of the US Supreme Court’s decision on presidential immunity. Proceedings have been postponed to next Tuesday.

# Rugby: Former Welsh scrumhalf Mike Phillips wants head coach Warren Gatland to be dismissed after this past weekend’s loss to Fiji – their tenth defeat in a row. The New Zealander returned to the role in December 2022 after coaching Wales from 2007 to 2019. Phillips played his 94 Tests for Wales between 2003 and 2015. He says Gatland is laughing all the way to the bank without being held accountable, and deserves to be kicked out like he did to so many quality Welsh players.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-7-cents and the euro at 19-rand-21-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-4-cents and Bitcoin trades at 88-thousand-373-dollar-30-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-610-dollars-42-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 71-dollars-97-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….