News 18:00

BULLETIN 10 September 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Action Society says the government is failing to protect children
# Black Business Unity turns to township-led economic growth
# And golf: America overhauls the qualification system for next year’s Ryder Cup in Limerick

# Action Society has called on Justice and Constitutional Development minister Mmamoloko Kubayi to allow parents and caregivers controlled access to information on adults convicted of sexual offences against children. The organisation argues the secrecy around the national register for sex offenders leaves parents unable to properly protect their children. Action Society’s Juanita du Preez says more than 74-thousand vetting applications are still backlogged, while about 300-thousand teachers reportedly remain unvetted:

# Black Business Unity says it will shift focus from government petitions to driving economic activity in Gauteng townships. The advocacy group says it is frustrated by what it calls systemic neglect of township economies and a lack of accountability over small-business funding. The organisation’s founding member Mike Molloyi says it will launch “mini chambers” in municipal wards from next week. He says the initiative will raise independent funds, engage communities and help businesses take greater control of local economic development.

# The DA in the Western Cape is calling for safe and reliable public transport amid a potential disruption to Golden Arrow bus services. This follows a court interdict preventing a planned strike by employees. The party’s Nomafrench Mbombo says the City of Cape Town is expanding MyCiTi services to areas like Khayelitsha, Lansdowne and Wynberg, warning that funding cuts from national government could put those plans at risk:

# Golf: America is overhauling its qualification system for next year’s Ryder Cup, meaning the race for six automatic spots will not begin before January. Qualifying will only conclude after 31 events in August, with the competition against Team World starting in Limerick, Ireland, the next month. The PGA of America says the previous year’s results in other competitions are being eliminated. Reuters reports they are moving away from a points structure tied to prize money and rather assign fixed point values based on each tournament’s strengths.  

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-18-cents against the rand and the euro at 18-rand-80-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-87-cents and Bitcoin trades at 76-thousand-995-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-364-dollars-19-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 106-dollars-51-cents a barrel.

# And finally, researchers say evidence from Indonesia suggests humans may have been using psychoactive plants as far back as 25-thousand years ago. The study focuses on ancient plant remains discovered in a cave on the island of Sulawesi, including traces of naturally occurring substances that can affect the brain. Scientists say the findings could push back the earliest known evidence of deliberate drug use by thousands of years. The discovery also provides clues about how prehistoric people may have used plants for ritual, medicinal or recreational purposes.

Stay tuned for more news………….