News 13:00

BULLETIN 3 June 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# A court rules that Moroadi Cholota’s extradition in the Ace Magashule corruption case was unlawful
# Rugby: Lerato Makua is ready for the Africa Women’s Cup
# And, global temperatures are set to break records over the next five years

# The Free State High Court in Bloemfontein has ruled that the extradition of Ace Magashule’s former PA, Moroadi Cholota, was unlawful and that the court has no jurisdiction to try her in the asbestos corruption case. Judge Philip Loubser found that the State misled US authorities, falsely portraying Cholota as a fugitive. The judge emphasised that only a Justice minister, not the National Prosecuting Authority, can legally request extraditions:

# The National Union of Mineworkers condemns the awarding of a 9.5-billion-rand battery storage project to Mulilo Energy, chaired by former Eskom COO Jan Oberholzer. The union says this amounts to a serious conflict of interest and undermines public trust. NUM’s Khangela Baloyi, is calling for the deal to be scrapped and for a full investigation into the bidding process, including whether it complies with transformation laws:

# Far-right Dutch leader Geert Wilders withdrew his party from the government in a row over immigration, bringing down a shaky coalition and likely ushering in snap elections. Wilders has been frustrated with what he saw as the slow pace of introducing the strictest-ever immigration policy, agreed with coalition partners, after his shock election win in November 2023. The withdrawal opens up a period of political uncertainty in the European Union’s fifth-largest economy and major exporter. The latest crisis also comes just weeks before the Netherlands hosts world leaders for a NATO summit.

# Rugby: Springbok Women utility forward, Lerato Makua, says she is determined to make an impact in the Africa Women’s Cup in Madagascar. South Africa will look to defend their title against Uganda, Kenya and host Madagascar at the Stade Makis in Antananarivo starting on Saturday. Makua, who is returning from a knee injury, says this is an opportunity for her to show that she is fit and ready to play in the World Cup later this year:

# Financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-87-cents and the euro at 20-rand-39-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-15-cents and Bitcoin trades at 105-thousand-123-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-358-dollars-91-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 64-dollars-67-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The World Meteorological Organisation forecasts a high likelihood of record-breaking global temperatures between 2025 and 2029. The organisation says there’s an 80-percent chance that at least one year will surpass 2024, currently the hottest on record. Additionally, there’s an 86-percent probability that a year will exceed 1.5-degrees-Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The organisation says that this trend increases risks of extreme weather events, including heatwaves, droughts, and rising sea levels, impacting societies and economies worldwide.

Stay tuned for more news………….