Good News

BULLETIN 15 April

Good afternoon, here is your Good News:

# The Competition Commission says it continues to earn international recognition, this time for its leading market inquiry into online intermediation platforms. Spokesperson Siyabulela Makunga says at the 2024 Antitrust Writing Awards held in Washington, the Online Intermediation Platforms Market Inquiry team scooped two awards. Makunga says one was for a final report and decision, and another for an academic article on competition dynamics in South Africa’s digital travel and tourism markets:

# Preliminary figures from December last year to February this year indicate the arrival of 466-thousand-469 international passengers at Cape Town International Airport. This supported just over nine-thousand-300 jobs across the Western Cape. MEC of Finance and Economic Opportunities, Mireille Wenger, says it is clear that the province is a world-class tourism destination, being home to some of the best brandy, wines, food, and olive oil in the world:

# American Fiction, and Succession, were among the winners at the Writers Guild Awards, which held simultaneous ceremonies in New York and Los Angeles. The HBO drama Succession won best drama series and best drama episode. Oscars adapted screenplay winner Cord Jefferson won the adapted screenplay award for American Fiction and received the Paul Selvin Award. Other major winners included The Bear, Beef, and The Last of Us. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver won the comedy/variety talk series award.

# The Sandton SPCA Book Nook has raised 500-thousand-rand for the animal charity by selling second-hand books. The books sold at the shop, which is located at the Morning Glen Mall in Gallo Manor, are between 50-to-90-percent less than the retail value. General manager Stephen Mailia says donations and book purchases are vital in sustaining their operations, including sterilisation drives for animals, outreach, and education programmes. He adds that it costs about 800-thousand-rand each month to run the SPCA.

# And finally: The Olympic flame is being lit in Greece today before the start of its journey to France for this year’s Games in Paris. The flame will be lit at the birthplace of the ancient Games, Olympia, and carried to several tourist destinations in Greece. It will be handed to the organisers of the Games at the site of the first modern Games in Athens in 1896 next Friday, and then taken on board a 19th Century vessel for the journey to France.

Stay tuned for more news………….