News 15:00

BULLETIN 28 August 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# A former Johannesburg teacher is found guilty of raping and murdering her boyfriend’s young daughter
# Gauteng parents and guardians are urged to sign consent forms for measles vaccination
# And China sends a top official to the US for trade talks

# A former Johannesburg kindergarten teacher was found guilty of raping and killing her boyfriend’s four-year-old daughter. The High Court in the city found Amber Lee Hughes sexually assaulted Nada-Jane Challita before drowning her in the bathtub of her father Elie’s home in Glenvista in January 2023. Hughes had been looking after the toddler while her father was out of town after they had an argument. Hughes changed her plea on the murder charge to guilty recently, but denied raping Nada-Jane.

# The Gauteng Department of Health urges parents and guardians to sign consent forms for their children to be vaccinated against measles. The six-week drive, running until 12 September, aims to vaccinate over three-million children. The province has reported more than 400 confirmed measles cases since January. The department’s Motalatale Modiba cautions that low consent form returns leave children vulnerable:

# Coaltech South Africa CEO Avhurengwi Nengovhela says Africa should harness its coal resources instead of relying on Western loans to tackle the energy crisis. He made his case for coal in the Just Energy Transition debate at the Continental Energy and Infrastructure Forum at Sun City in North West. Nengovhela argued that Africa has abundant coal and expertise. He rejected external just energy transition pressures, insisting Africa can drive its own energy future:

# China’s International Trade Representative and vice minister of commerce, Li Chenggan, will lead a delegation to Washington for trade talks this week, as the two countries navigate a truce after months of friction. Both countries slapped escalating tariffs on each other’s exports. China is the world’s leading producer of rare earths, used to make magnets essential to the automotive, electronics and defence industries. The countries have since agreed to move forward. This month, they delayed the threatened reimposition of higher tariffs on each other’s exports till 10 November.

# Cricket: England fast bowler Mark Wood is targeting a return to action with Durham in the County Championship next month ahead of the Ashes series against Australia. The 35-year-old hasn’t played a Test for England since August last year. He sustained a knee injury at the ICC Champions Trophy event in February. Wood said in an interview with the podcast Stick to Cricket he is determined to be fit for the Ashes:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-63-cents and the euro at 20-rand-58-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-84-cents and Bitcoin trades at 112-thousand-949-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-403-dollars-19-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 67-dollars-30-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….