News 15:00

BULLETIN 15 July 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# South Africa’s cancer medicines are declared safe amid an African drug scare
# Rugby: A four-match ban for Jasper Wiese after his red card against Italy
# And Burano in Italy is named the world’s most colourful destination

# The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority says all locally available cancer medicines meet the required quality, safety, and efficacy standards. This follows after the Lancet Global Health study found poor-quality anti-cancer drugs in countries like Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, and Cameroon. SAHPRA spokesperson Yuven Gounden confirms the specific brands flagged in the study are not registered or sold in South Africa:

# A veteran labour lawyer, Michael Bagraim is urging workers to not access their retirement monies until retirement. Since Parliament passed the two-pot system into law in September last year, 57-billion-rand had been paid to more than 3.5-million workers. Bargraim says the system meant people could take a certain amount of money out of their pension or provident funds without having to resign:

# Namibia has officially started consultations with the International Atomic Energy Agency as it explores building a nuclear power plant, expected to take at least ten years. Executive director in the Ministry of Mines and Energy, Ben Nangombe, says the project must meet 19 key infrastructure criteria, including regulatory matters. The government is considering a range of options, including small modular reactors and large-scale facilities. Nangombe says the 106-billion-rand initiative forms part of a broader national energy strategy:

# Rugby: Springbok loose forward Jasper Wiese was given a four-match suspension for the red card he received during this past weekend’s Test against Italy in Gqeberha. This means he will miss South Africa’s next match against Georgia as well as the first three games of the Rugby Championship against Australia in Johannesburg and Cape Town, and against the All Blacks in Auckland. Wiese will only be available again on the 13th of September when the Boks play New Zealand in Wellington.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-80-cents and the euro at 20-rand-78-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-94-cents and Bitcoin trades at 116-thousand-386-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-358-dollars-19-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 68-dollars-49-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Burano in Italy has been ranked as the world’s most colourful destination. Creative studio Berlew conducted some analysis into just how colourful 125 of the world’s top travel destinations are. Every street in Burano is plastered in blue, red, green and yellow, from the walls and window frames to doors and shutters of the buildings. Chefchaouen in Morocco, infused with shades of blue, is ranked second, with Colombia’s vibrant Guatapé in third. Willemstad in Curaçao and Havana in Cuba wrap up the top five.

Stay tuned for more news………….