News 17:00

BULLETIN 6 June 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Seifsa urges the prioritising of national interests over narrow political gains  
# Spain seeks to join South Africa’s genocide case against Israel 
# And rugby: Veteran All Blacks Scott Barrett and Codie Taylor want to play in another World Cup 

# The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa has emphasised the importance of prioritising national interests over narrow political gains as political parties engage in coalition talks. They urge addressing public debt, macroeconomic stability, investor confidence, and youth unemployment as top priorities. Seifsa sees this as critical to South Africa’s economic path and stresses the need for a growth environment for job creation. They advocate for mature negotiations and highlight the symbiotic relationship between business and government for economic prosperity.

Meanwhile, ActionSA says it will remain in the DA-led coalition government in Tshwane but is open to being replaced by the ANC if necessary. The party, which won six national seats and five provincial seats, reaffirmed its commitment to effective governance. Party leader Herman Mashaba says while they continue to support the current coalition, they will welcome the DA’s decision to replace them with the ANC if it serves the city’s best interests:

# Spain has announced its intention to request the International Court of Justice for permission to join South Africa’s case accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza. Spain is the second European country, after Ireland, to join. Mexico, Colombia, Nicaragua, Libya, Chile, and the Palestinians have also requested to join. The court ordered Israel to halt its military offensive in Rafah but did not call for a ceasefire. Spain’s Foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, emphasised today the need for peace in Gaza and the Middle East.

# Rugby: Two veteran All Blacks have extended their contracts with the Crusaders which will make them available for New Zealand until the 2027 World Cup. Thirty-year-old lock Scott Barrett and 33-year-old hooker Codie Taylor were part of the team that lost to the Springboks in last year’s World Cup final, and want to have a go at another tournament. Barrett is said to be a favourite to become new All Black captain after Sam Cane relinquished the role in his final year of professional rugby.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-98-cents and the euro at 20-rand-65-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-24-cents and Bitcoin trades at 71-thousand-14-dollars-57-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-358-dollars-7-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 78-dollars-78-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Research from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has revealed malnutrition poses a significant setback in combating tuberculosis in South Africa. Speaking at the eight South African TB conference, the foundation’s Yogan Pillay stated nutrition plays a crucial role in decreasing TB incidence, with malnourished people more susceptible. Pillay says the aim is to reduce new TB infections and deaths by 2030, and likened nutrition to a vaccine:

Stay tuned for more news………….