News 17:00

BULLETIN 25 June 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# John Hlophe affirms the MK Party’s election rigging concerns despite their National Assembly participation
# Al Jama-ah confirms Phase 2 of the government of national unity has commenced
# And Tennis: Jannik Sinner is more confident ahead of Wimbledon after his first grasscourt title

# The MK Party’s parliamentary leader, John Hlophe says their participation in the National Assembly doesn’t imply they have abandoned their belief that the elections were rigged. Today, members took their oath to uphold the Constitution as MPs after boycotting Parliament’s first sitting. Hlophe added that they are here to work without engaging in pettiness, but are determined not to be intimidated:

# Al Jama-ah leader Ganief Hendricks has confirmed that phase 2 of the government of national unity has commenced. Hendricks stated that structures are yet to be established and urged South Africans to be patient, noting the involvement of ten political parties. He called on parties to support the ANC in the government of national unity talks:

# The Transnet National Ports Authority has granted a logistics company a 25-year concession to build and operate a container terminal at the Richards Bay port. Expected to be operational in 2027, the 285-million-rand terminal aims to handle 50-thousand to 200-thousand containers annually. Port manager Dennis Mqadi says this project will bolster economic growth, reduce logistics costs, and create jobs, particularly benefiting industries in northern KwaZulu-Natal. He said that measures to alleviate port congestion include switching more freight to rail and better coordination.

# The European Union has extended the right of Ukranian refugees to stay in the bloc for another year to March 2026, as Russia’s war ravages their homeland. Currently some 4.2 million Ukrainians are registered as refugees across the EU, with Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic hosting the biggest numbers. The 27-nation European Union first granted Ukrainians the right to stay in the weeks after Moscow launched its all-out invasion in February 2022. The measure had been due to expire on 4 March next year.

# Tennis: Jannik Sinner is aiming for a Wimbledon title after picking up his first grasscourt trophy at Halle in Germany on Sunday. The Italian said he is more confident on the surface heading into the Grand Slam that begins next week. The 22-year-old became the eighth man since the ATP rankings were first published in 1973 to win his first tournament as the world number one, after beating doubles partner Hubert Hurkacz 7-6 and 7-6 in Germany.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-15-cents and the euro at 19-rand-43-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-1-cent and Bitcoin trades at 61-thousand-98-dollars-23-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-326-dollars-57-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 84-dollars-94-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….