News 11:00

BULLETIN 20 November 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The MK Party describes the G20 leaders’ summit as political theatre
# Trump signs a bill for the release of all Jeffrey Epstein-related files
# And rugby: Kolbe says the Boks need to capitalise on their opportunities against Ireland

# The MK Party says it opposes the G20 leaders’ summit and the political theatre surrounding it. The summit, the first-ever to be held in Africa, will see representatives of 42 countries in Johannesburg this weekend. The MK Party says while global leaders gather to discuss development, sustainability and shared prosperity, South Africa continues to slide backwards on nearly every socio-economic indicator. It adds the summit serves merely as a global showcase for photo opportunities and speeches that do not translate into real change for South Africans.

Meanwhile, the Green Connection says a coalition of climate activists and affected communities will today march in Johannesburg in the run-on to the summit to protest against TotalEnergies’ century-long environmental destruction and human rights violations. Campaigners highlight displacement from the East African Crude Oil Pipeline and Mozambican gas projects. The coalition demands an end to new oil and gas development, compensation for impacted communities, cessation of greenwashing, and a just, renewable-focused energy transition in Africa.

# Union Nehawu has rejected the 9.8-percent increase in members’ contribution by the Government Employees Medical Scheme for next year. The scheme says the contribution adjustment is a necessary investment to secure access, value and stability for its more than 2.4-million beneficiaries. Nehawu’s spokesperson, Lwazi Nkolonzi, says the decision ignores the fact that in the last two years, GEMS has increased members’ contribution by over 25-percent despite the financial challenges faced by workers:

Moving abroad:

# US president Donald Trump has signed a bill directing the Justice Department to release all files tied to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein within 30 days. This comes after the bill, formally titled the Epstein Files Transparency Act, was overwhelmingly supported by both chambers of Congress. In a post on Truth Social, Trump framed the release of the files as a transparency effort he pushed through Congress. He also accused Democrats of championing this issue to distract attention from the achievements of his administration.

# Rugby: Springbok wing Cheslin Kolbe says they will need to capitalise on their point-scoring opportunities against Ireland in Dublin on Saturday. South Africa last beat Ireland at the Aviva Stadium in 2012, and Saturday’s clash offers the world champions a chance to end a 13-year wait for success in the Irish capital. Kolbe expects a physical match, emphasising they will need to adapt to the scenarios that play out on the field:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-19-cents and the euro at 19-rand-81-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-46-cents and Bitcoin trades at 91-thousand-824-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-and-73-dollars-60-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 63-dollars-23-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….