Good News 14:00

BULLETIN 25 January 2 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Good News:

# Africa’s first deep underground science laboratory, the Paarl Africa Underground Laboratory, or PAUL, is set to become a reality in the next five to ten years. Located in the Du Toits Kloof mountains in the Western Cape, PAUL will be the continent’s first and the Southern Hemisphere’s second such laboratory. The facility aims to study dark matter and conduct unique research in various fields. Stellenbosch University professor Faïrouz Malek says the laboratory’s establishment will bring substantial benefits to science, education and the broader community:

# Health minister Joe Phaahla received a multi-million-rand health equipment donation from the German Development Bank at Sobantu Community Hal in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, today. The 500-million-rand donation includes mobile health clinics, specialised vaccine fridges, vaccine carriers, temperature monitoring devices and information technology equipment. The donation aims to support government efforts to strengthen the public health system. 

# Western Cape inmate Benn Mathews Christopher was last year’s highest performing inmate and parolee, achieving six distinctions in his matric examinations. The Department of Correctional Services reports Christopher, from Brandvlei Correctional Centre near Worcester in the Boland, obtained an average of 86.14-percent. His distinctions include As in English First Additional Language, Maths Literacy, Tourism and Business Studies. High-achieving inmates from various prisons received trophies and certificates during a ceremony at the Westville Correctional Services Centre in Durban.

# Scientists in Germany hope a breakthrough in fertility research will save the critically endangered northern white rhino, of which only two cows remain on the planet. Experts achieved the very first in vitro fertilisation pregnancy after transferring a laboratory-created embryo of a southern white rhino into a surrogate mother. It is now hoped the procedure can be repeated with the northern white, which is a closely-related sub-species. BBC News reports the northern white was once found across central Africa, but were wiped out due to the demand for rhino horn.

# And finally: Almost a decade after exiting The Daily Show, Jon Stewart is returning to host the Comedy Central show once a week as the presidential election season heats up. He will also be the executive producer of the show. This comes over a year after South African comedian Trevor Noah, who succeeded Stewart as host in 2015, left the show in December 2022. Viewers will see Stewart hosting on Mondays, and a rotating line-up of comedians will take over anchor duties from Tuesdays through to Thursdays.  

Stay tuned for more news………….