News 09:00

BULLETIN 17 November 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Civil organisations say the G20 Leaders’ Summit risks prioritising the interests of elites
# The US is going to designate a Venezuelan cartel as a foreign terrorist organisation
# And golf: Rory McIlroy wins the Race to Dubai title for a seventh time

# Civil society organisations say that without the input of ordinary people, the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg this weekend risks prioritising the interests of elites and perpetuating the status quo. The summit will be the first to be held on the African continent and will feature dignitaries from the world’s wealthiest countries. Nearly half the world’s population lives in poverty while just three-thousand billionaires own 43-percent of global assets. Civil society organisations are demanding that governments prioritise climate justice, debt reduction, and taxing billionaires and dollar millionaires.

# The ANC Women’s League says more must be done to curb incidents of gender-based violence and femicide, which have now reached disproportionate levels in South Africa. This comes amid statistics showing over 42-thousand reported rapes and thousands of femicides annually. ANC Women’s League secretary-general, Nokuthula Nqaba, says gender-based violence and femicide must be treated as a national emergency, allowing for dedicated resources and coordinated responses similar to natural disasters:

# The City of Johannesburg has strongly rejected a Sunday Times article headlined, Workers’ R4bn G20 blackmail. The article claims the metro diverted four-billion-rand from its capital expenditure budget to avert a protest by the South African Municipal Workers Union from disrupting the upcoming G20 Leaders’ Summit. Mayor Dada Morero’s spokesperson, Khathutshelo Mulaudzi, says the article is riddled with factual inaccuracies, contradictions, and unfounded claims:

# The US State Department says it will designate Cartel de los Soles, a Venezuelan cartel, as a foreign terrorist organisation, effective from next Monday. This comes as America has ramped up its military presence in the Caribbean, including with the arrival of the world’s largest aircraft carrier on Sunday. The US alleges that the cartel is led by president Nicolás Maduro. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Cartel de los Soles and other groups are responsible for terrorist violence as well as for trafficking drugs into America and Europe.

# Golf: Five-time major champion Rory McIlroy has won the Race to Dubai title for the fourth consecutive year and seventh time in his career. This is after the Northern Irishman finished as the runner-up in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, which England’s Matt Fitzpatrick won in a playoff. Switzerland’s Ludvig Åberg and England’s Tommy Fleetwood shared third place. McIlroy says eclipsing Spaniard Seve Ballesteros’ tally of six titles is an honour:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-9-cents and the euro at 19-rand-83-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-48-cents and Bitcoin trades at 94-thousand-907-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-82-dollars-92-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 63-dollars-53-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….