News 11:00

BULLETIN 11 June 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Lamola says government is committed to creating more investment opportunities with Mexico
# Iran says America should refrain from threats of force if it wants a deal
# And soccer: Bafana Bafana’s coach acknowledges Mexico is their toughest opponent in Group A

# Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, says government is working to strengthen bilateral relations, expand trade and create more investment opportunities with Mexico. He met with Mexican Foreign minister, Roberto Velasco Álvarez, in Mexico City ahead of the Binational Commission between the two countries. Mexico remains one of South Africa’s largest trading partners in Latin America. Lamola described the meeting as significant:

# The chairperson of Parliament’s portfolio committee on Police, Ian Cameron, is calling for the suspension of Crime Intelligence head Feroz Khan. He has been implicated in evidence before the Madlanga commission, including allegations of interfering in criminal investigations. Khan is currently out on bail in a case involving precious metals following his arrest together with former Gauteng Hawks chief Ebrahim Kadwa. Cameron says officials alleged to have broken the law must be suspended to protect the integrity of ongoing investigations.

# The Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber has voiced strong opposition to the metro’s proposed average eleven-percent electricity tariff increase. CEO Denise van Huyssteen says businesses are already under pressure from rising fuel costs, expensive logistics and unreliable municipal infrastructure. She argues the increase is not cost-reflective and will further undermine competitiveness and job creation. Van Huyssteen also raised concerns over frequent power outages and ageing infrastructure, calling on the metro to improve maintenance, reduce electricity losses and strengthen security at key power facilities.

Moving abroad: 

# Iran says it will continue to exercise its right to self-defence in response to any armed aggression. The US launched a second round of airstrikes on Tehran this morning, with president Donald Trump warning it would pay the price for stalled negotiations. Iran responded with strikes targeting US bases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan. Iran’s United Nations envoy, Amir Saeid Iravani, says if the US is genuinely seeking a diplomatic solution, it must refrain from making threats:

# Soccer: Bafana Bafana’s coach, Hugo Broos, has assured South Africans the team will put up a good fight in tonight’s World Cup opening match against co-host Mexico at Estadio Azteca. The encounter is a rematch of the 2010 group opener, in which the two sides shared the spoils in a 1-all draw in Johannesburg. Broos says the match will be tough, especially playing in front of 85-thousand shouting and singing Mexicans:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-55-cents and the euro at 19-rand-10-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-14-cents and Bitcoin trades at 62-thousand-585-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-94-dollars-83-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 92-dollars-20-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….