News 08:00

BULLETIN 22 July 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Cosatu welcomes the signing into law of the Pension Funds Amendment Bill
# Senzo Meyiwa’s murder trial resumes after a month-long break
# And Kamala Harris says she intends to earn and win the Democratic nomination

# Cosatu has welcomed president Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to sign the Pension Funds Amendment Bill into law. The amendment will allow fund members to withdraw a part of their pension fund savings before retirement. Contributions will be divided into two pots, one-third that can be drawn on before retirement, and a second pot that preserves two-thirds of savings on retirement. Cosatu’s spokesperson, Matthew Parks, says this will provide invaluable relief to millions of workers and their families who are drowning in debt:

# Deputy minister of Health Joe Phaahla will lead South African delegates to the 25th International AIDS Conference in Munich, Germany this week. The conference, the largest on HIV and AIDS, brings together scientists, activists, and policymakers. The Departmental spokesperson Foster Mohale says the conference provides South Africa an opportunity to share insights from HIV vaccine trials and recent survey results:

# The murder trial of the late former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa is set to resume in the High Court in Pretoria today after a month-long recess. He was shot and killed at his girlfriend Kelly Khumalo’s parental home in Vosloorus, on Gauteng’s East Rand, in 2014. Five men are on trial for the murder. Vodacom’s forensic liaison supervisor Pinky Vythilingam will be back on the witness stand to continue unpacking the cellphone data of the accused.

# US vice president Kamala Harris says she is honoured to receive president Joe Biden’s endorsement and has vowed to earn and win the nomination. Biden has endorsed Harris to be the Democratic nominee and go up against Republican nominee Donald Trump after he decided not to seek re-election. Many prominent Democrats including Bill and Hillary Clinton and California governor, Gavin Newsom, have thrown their support behind the vice president. Harris could be the first black woman and first Asian American to lead the ticket of a major US political party.

# Cycling: Twenty-five-year-old Tadej Pogačar has won his third Tour de France title. The Slovakian won six of 21 stages and completed the rare Giro d’Italia-Tour de France double, becoming the first male rider to win both in the same season in 26 years. He finished the Tour with a margin of victory of six minutes and 17 seconds, reclaiming the Tour title from two-time defending champion Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark. Belgian rider Remco Evenepoel finished third. Pogacar says doing the double is amazing:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-23-cents and the euro at 19-rand-87-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-57-cents and Bitcoin trades at 68-thousand-14-dollars-26-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-409-dollars-32-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 83-dollars-13-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….