News 09:00

BULLETIN 1 October 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Paris prosecutor’s office launches an investigation into Nathi Mthethwa’s death
# The WHO welcomes South Africa’s plan to combat substandard medical products
# And the British prime minister sets out his vision for national renewal

# French authorities have launched an investigation into the death of South Africa’s ambassador to France, Nathi Mthethwa. He was found dead outside the Hyatt Hotel on Tuesday, after being reported missing on Monday. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau says Mthethwa’s room window on the 22nd floor had been forced open with scissors that were left at the scene. She says investigators did not find any signs of a struggle or evidence that drugs or medication had been involved. Beccuau says initial investigations suggest that this may have been a deliberate act.

# The World Health Organisation has welcomed the launch of South Africa’s five-year National Action Plan to combat the serious threat posed by substandard and falsified medical products. This initiative positions the country as a leader on the African continent in the fight against fake and poor-quality medicines. WHO’s Hiiti Sillo says at least one in ten medical products in low- and middle-income countries, including South Africa, is substandard or falsified:

# The GOOD Party says Western Cape Finance MEC, Deidré Baartman’s provincial economic review and outlook address was as uninspiring as the economic data she presented. The 2025 Provincial Economic Review and Outlook focused on the economy, unemployment, energy, healthcare, and crime, amongst other things. GOOD’s secretary general, Brett Herron, says while the MEC is talking about a growth rate projected at 0.8-percent this year, the growth for the jobs plan promised four-to-six-percent growth:

# British prime minister Keir Starmer has warned that the next four years will be a fight for the soul of the country against Reform UK. According to Ipsos, a leading pollster, just 13-percent of voters say they are satisfied with Starmer since coming into office 15 months ago, while 79-percent are unsatisfied. Addressing the Labour Party conference on Tuesday, Starmer declared that the UK is at a fork in the road, saying people have a choice to choose renewal or decline:

# Soccer: Kylian Mbappé scored a hat trick and his 60th Champions League goal, as he helped Real Madrid to a 5-1 win against Kairat Almaty in Kazakhstan. In Turkey, Victor Osimhen scored the winner from a penalty, as Galatasaray stunned Liverpool 1-0. Both Atlético Madrid and Bayern Munich scored five goals against Eintracht Frankfurt and Pafos, respectively, while Tottenham Hotspur clawed back from 2-0 down to earn a point in a 2-2 draw away to Bodø/Glimt. Chelsea earned a 1-0 win against Benfica.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-25-cents and the euro at 20-rand-27-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-21-cents and Bitcoin trades at 114-thousand-533-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-858-dollars-38-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 66-dollars-13-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….