News 09:00

BULLETIN 5 April 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# A legal council will apply for Busisiwe Mkhwebane to be struck off the roll of advocates
# The worst week for US stocks since Covid as Trump’s tariffs kick in
# And rugby, the Lions are knocked out of the Challenge Cup by a dominant Edinburgh

# The Legal Practice Council will bring an application for ousted Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane to be struck from the roll of advocates. The former EFF member of Parliament and current MK Party representative was removed from her position as the head of South Africa’s watchdog body after a Section 194 inquiry into her conduct. She was found unfit to hold office and removed from her position in September 2023. The Council says it has referred the matter to its attorneys to assist in the institution of the striking off application.

# The MK Party says it will protest Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s upcoming state visit to South Africa. Secretary-general Floyd Shivambu strongly condemned the government’s decision to invite Zelenskyy, calling him a puppet president. Zelenskyy is expected in Pretoria next week as part of an official state visit. He emphasised Zelensky’s imminent visit goes against the country’s non-aligned stance in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine:

# Stock markets in the US have ended their worst week since 2020, as Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs continue to cause turmoil on global markets. All three main indexes on Wall Street this week dropped by more than five-percent. Shares in big American companies like Nike and Apple, which manufacture goods in highly-tariffed Asian countries, dropped the most. Trump, meanwhile, has again insisted that taxes on goods entering the US will supercharge the American economy. Some of the tariffs have now come into force, with a baseline ten-percent charge hitting the UK and many other nations.

Meanwhile two tiny, remote Antarctic outposts populated by penguins and seals are among the obscure places targeted by the Trump administration’s new tariffs. Heard and McDonald Islands, a territory four-thousand kilometres south-west of Australia, are only accessible via a seven-day boat trip from Perth, and haven’t been visited by humans in almost a decade. Like the rest of Australia, the Islands are now subject to a tariff of 10-percent. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday it shows and exemplifies the fact that nowhere on Earth is safe from this.

# And rugby: The Lions were subjected to a second successive round of 16 exit where they were beaten 24-12 by Edinburgh at the Hive Stadium on Friday night. The hosts scored three tries in the first half and sent the Lions into the break 17-0 down. The Lions’ second half was better with a try by Franco Horn while a late try to Jaco Visagie made the scoreline look a bit more respectable. Edinburgh will next meet the winner of the round of 16 game that takes place his afternoon, between the Bulls and Bayonne.

Stay tuned for more news………….