News 16:00

BULLETIN 29 October 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The ANC’s national executive committee calls for government action following the Soweto food tragedy
# Cricket: Maiden centuries for Tony De Zorzi and Tristan Stubbs hands the Proteas a brilliant start to the second Test against Bangladesh
# And scientists invent a headband to help people fall asleep easier without taking sleeping pills

# The ANC’s national executive committee urges government to act after six children died in Naledi, Soweto, from contaminated food bought from a spaza shop. The party says it remains committed to enhancing food safety standards and ensuring accountability in food supply chains to protect vulnerable communities. Briefing the media at a special NEC meeting in Boksburg, ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula expressed condolences to the affected families and urged authorities to expedite investigations:

# South Africa’s sugar industry has called on Finance minister Enoch Godongwana to fulfil his 2023 Budget commitment to review the Health Promotion Levy. In an open letter, industry associations warn that the levy has already cost 16-thousand jobs and risks further losses. They urge consultations on the levy’s economic and health impacts, highlighting the threat to rural livelihoods and food security. The industry is also seeking an extension of the levy moratorium until these consultations are completed.

# The DA is calling on Employment and Labour minister, Nomakhosazana Meth, to take control of the Compensation Fund’s disastrous situation and launch an investigation to establish what has gone wrong and how hundreds of millions of rand of workers’ money has been squandered. The DA’s Michael Bagraim says at the end of last year, the fund couldn’t even produce a presentation for the auditor-general, and there has been no consequence management at all:

# Cricket: South Africa had a brilliant start to the second Test against Bangladesh in Chattogram, ending the first day on 307 for two after maiden centuries for Tony de Zorzi and Tristan Stubbs. Captain Aiden Markram won the toss and elected to bat, and lost his wicket for 33 with the score on 69. De Zorzi and Stubbs then combined for a second-innings partnership of 201 runs before Stubbs was bowled for 106. De Zorzi was unbeaten on 141 when bad light stopped play early.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-71-cents and the euro at 19-rand-13-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-1-cent and Bitcoin trades at 71-thousand-238-dollars-15-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-752-dollars-64-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 75-dollars-91-cents a barrel.

 # And finally: American scientists have developed a commercial device for people struggling to sleep, without having to revert to sleeping pills. The team from Massachusetts Institute of Technology describes the invention as a minimally disruptive headband which is in reality an EEG that sends audio waves to better align the brain regions to help the onset of sleep. GoodNewsNetwork reports a small study found people normally struggling fell asleep 10- to 15-minutes faster when wearing the headband, called Elemind.

Stay tuned for more news………….