News 09:00

BULLETIN 8 July 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Lamola says BRICS nations won’t be deterred by Trump’s threats
# The EFF welcomes a 25-year sentence for the killer of an ANC youth leader
# And the US Justice Department and FBI say Epstein had no secret client list

# International Relations and Cooperation minister Ronald Lamola says, despite US president Donald Trump’s threats, BRICS nations will not be deterred from implementing the resolutions taken at the summit in Brazil. Trump says countries that align themselves with the “anti-American policies” of the BRICS group will be charged an additional ten-percent tariff in trade with the US. Lamola told the SABC that the Global South must develop and it’s able to stand on its own:

# The EFF has welcomed the sentencing of the man convicted of the 2017 murder of a former ANC Youth League secretary-general, Sindiso Magaqa. On Monday, the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court sentenced Sibusiso Ncengwa to 25-years in prison. Magaqa was shot and killed while sitting in a vehicle in Umzimkhulu, KwaZulu-Natal. Two councillors survived. Three other accused are still in custody, with the third declared mentally unfit to stand trial. The EFF says the political killing of Magaqa was not an anomaly, but a logical outcome of a criminal culture.

# KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Thulasizwe Buthelezi, has welcomed the 139-million-rand allocation dedicated to disaster relief efforts across the province’s municipalities. This is part of the National Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs’ Disaster Recovery Grant. The MEC’s spokesperson, Senzelwe Mzila, says the funding will serve the fundamental purpose of revitalising municipalities and aiding in a sustainable recovery process:

# The US Justice Department and the FBI say a review has found no evidence that financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein kept a so-called client list that could implicate high-profile associates. The department says they also found no evidence that Epstein was murdered, but did indeed die by suicide in a New York prison cell in 2019. It adds that no further charges are expected in connection with the investigations into Epstein, as investigators did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.

# Tennis: World number one Jannik Sinner of Italy is through to the Wimbledon quarterfinals after Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov was forced to retire injured while leading, 6-3, 7-5, 2-2. Serbia’s Novak Djokovic battled past Australian Alex de Minaur, 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, to make his 16th Wimbledon quarterfinal. American Ben Shelton and Italian Flavio Cobolli are also through to the last eight. Sinner says it is regrettable how the match ended:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-79-cents and the euro at 20-rand-90-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-25-cents and Bitcoin trades at 107-thousand-811-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-330-dollars-62-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 68-dollars-81-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….