News 11:00

BULLETIN 14 April 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Ramaphosa says global trade must remain free and governed by a rules-based system
# The ANC says the reopened inquest into Chief Luthuli and Mxenge’s death is a long-overdue step towards justice
# And, a landmark antitrust trial between Meta and the US Federal Trade Commission gets underway

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says trade between nations is a vital part of economic progress, but there must be a level playing field in global trade. Economists warn that global trade could shrink by three-percent as a result of America’s new tariff measures. In his weekly newsletter, Ramaphosa says trade must remain free, predictable and governed by a rules-based system. He says with developing economies such as South Africa vulnerable to volatility in international trade, government is intensifying efforts to diversify destinations for the country’s products.  

# The reopened inquest into the death of anti-apartheid activist and Nobel Peace laureate, Chief Albert Luthuli, and anti-apartheid lawyer, Griffiths Mxenge, begins in the High Court in Pietermaritzburg today. A 1967 inquest ruled that Luthuli was walking on a railway line when he was struck by a train and died after fracturing his skull. Mxenge was stabbed to death in 1981. ANC KwaZulu-Natal provincial convenor, Jeff Radebe, says the inquest represents a long-overdue step towards justice and accountability:

# The Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa is calling on the Health Department to root out corruption in procurement by overhauling the tender system and ensuring transparent processes. The department plans to procure more hospital beds, mattresses, and linen, items that are crucial to patient care and dignity. Denosa’s spokesperson, Sonia Mabunda-Kaziboni, says they are concerned that these procurements if managed through the existing tendering system, will fall victim to the same corrupt practices that have plagued other public health initiatives:

# Social media giant Meta is set to face off against the US Federal Trade Commission in a landmark antitrust trial in Washington today. In the lawsuit, the FTC argues that owner Mark Zuckerberg’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp in 2012 and 2014, respectively, were illegal and should never have been approved. It claims the transactions prevented companies from competing, effectively giving itself a monopoly. If FTC wins the case, Zuckerberg could be forced to sell off both Instagram and WhatsApp.

# Motorsport: Six-time MotoGP world champion, Marc Marquez, has extended his lead at the top of the riders’ championship by winning the Qatar Grand Prix. The Ducati rider finished ahead of Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Maverick Vinales, and VR46 Racing’s Franco Morbidelli. South Africa’s Brad Binder finished 13th place for Red Bull KTM. Marquez, who is 17 points clear at the top of the rider’s standings, says he is happy to win in Qatar for the first time since 2014:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-98-cents and the euro at 21-rand-64-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-99-cent and Bitcoin trades at 84-thousand-410-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-231-dollars-97-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 64-dollars-26-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….