News 12:00

BULLETIN 10 October 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# WaterCAN says Johannesburg’s water crisis is a human rights emergency
# Soccer: Bafana Bafana captain says they know what is at stake in World Cup qualifiers
# And a Chinese man lived more than 170 days after his pig liver transplant

# WaterCAN says the City of Johannesburg’s water crisis has become a human rights emergency threatening lives, livelihoods, and residents’ dignity. The organisation is set to protest at mayor Dada Morero’s office next month, calling for water justice. The metro is facing a severe and recurring water crisis caused by ageing infrastructure and insufficient maintenance due to budget constraints. WaterCAN’s executive manager, Ferrial Adam, says underserved communities are being disproportionately affected by unreliable water supply:

# The Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute has reiterated its warning over Eskom’s controversial plans regarding the Koeberg nuclear power plant in Cape Town. The National Nuclear Regulator is likely to approve the 20-year licence extension for Koeberg’s Unit 2. SAFCEI’s Francesca de Gasparis says at the heart of this controversy lies Eskom’s Time-Limited Ageing Analysis, a new engineering report that seeks to assess the condition of Unit 2 by extrapolating data from the completely different Unit 1 reactor:

# The GOOD Party has welcomed the Special Investigating Unit’s raid on businessman Hangwani Maumela’s Sandhurst residence in Sandton, calling it a step towards justice. Three luxury cars, art works and designer furniture were confiscated. Maumela is allegedly part of three syndicates that orchestrated 820-million-rand in fraudulent Tembisa Hospital contracts. Secretary-general Brett Herron says while the wheels of justice turn slowly, they are turning. He urged prosecutions for all involved, including politicians, saying murdered whistleblower Babita Deokaran’s sacrifice must be honoured and public trust restored.

# Soccer: Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams says qualifying for the World Cup is still in their hands, as they head into this evening’s crucial Group C qualifier against Zimbabwe in Durban. South Africa topped the group with 17 points before receiving a three-point deduction for fielding an ineligible player against Lesotho in March. They now sit level with Benin on 14 points and behind on goal difference. Their final qualifier is against Rwanda next Tuesday. Williams says they know what is at stake:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-22-cents and the euro at 19-rand-95-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-91-cents and Bitcoin trades at 121-thousand-293-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-986-dollars-85-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 64-dollars-84-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Doctors in China have transplanted a genetically modified pig liver into a 71-year-old man who lived 171 days after the procedure. Experts say the new study suggests pig-to-human liver transplantation shows promise for use as a bridge to help a human with a serious liver condition live long enough for their own liver to recover, or for a donor human liver to became available. Scientists have been exploring alternatives for decades, including pig organs because of their similarity to human organs.

Stay tuned for more news………….