News 09:00

BULLETIN 1 October 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa launches phase two of the Business and Government Partnership
# Maximum resources are deployed to find the Lusikisiki mass murderers
# And the leader of the French far-right is on trial for misusing funds

# President Cyril Ramaphosa will launch phase two of the Business and Government Partnership in Sandton, Gauteng, this evening. The partnership was established to secure progress in energy, transport, and logistics, and combat crime and corruption as enablers of economic growth and the creation of jobs. The first phase of the partnership, which began last year, identified three top issues, energy, crime, and logistics, as critical to turning the economy around. The presidency says Ramaphosa will provide feedback on progress to date and ambitions for the year ahead.

# Deputy president Paul Mashatile says the government of national unity’s strategic priorities are to achieve sustainable economic growth, alleviate poverty, and develop an ethical, capable developmental state. He is currently on a working visit to the UK, which is one of South Africa’s most significant bilateral partners, particularly in trade, investment, tourism, and the Just Energy Transition. Speaking to Bloomberg, Mashatile says the government of national unity is working to create a conducive environment for investment:

# The Eastern Cape government says police are working around the clock to find the suspects responsible for the killing of 18 people at Ngobozana village in Lusikisiki, Eastern Cape, at the weekend. Premier Oscar Mabuyane is set to visit the affected families today. The government’s spokesperson, Khuselwa Rantjie, says the premier has vowed that this gruesome crime will not go unpunished:

# The trial of France’s far-right National Rally leader, Marine Le Pen, and 24 senior figures in the party got underway yesterday. They allegedly embezzled money from the European parliament with fake jobs. The system of fake jobs was first flagged in 2015 and covered contracts for parliamentary assistants between 2004 and 2016. Le Pen has denied any wrongdoing. If convicted, the sanctions could include jail but also a ten-year ban from public office, which would ruin her hopes of succeeding Emmanuel Macron as president in the 2027 elections.

# Soccer: Mikel Arteta says Arsenal’s dramatic last-gasp victory against Leicester will help shape the character of the team as he prepares for today’s Champions League showdown against Paris Saint-Germain. The Gunners scored twice in injury time to win 4-2 on Saturday and finished the weekend third in the Premier League, one point behind leaders Liverpool. Arsenal host French champions PSG in a Champions League league-phase match at the Emirates today, seeking their first win in the competition this season after a goalless draw against Atalanta.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-26-cents and the euro at 19-rand-23-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-10-cents and Bitcoin trades at 63-thousand-745-dollars-87-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-638-dollars-57-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 71-dollars-80-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….