News 06:00

BULLETIN 16 May 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The National Health Insurance Bill is now officially an act of Parliament
# The AA forecasts a significant drop in fuel prices in June
# And the US is going to provide an extra R36.6-billion in military aid for Ukraine

# The National Health Insurance Bill has officially become an act of Parliament following president Cyril Ramaphosa’s signature. The signing ceremony at the Union Buildings in Pretoria marked a significant milestone in healthcare reform. Opposition parties and certain civil rights organisations have announced their intention to challenge the legislation in court. Ramaphosa criticised those advocating for a return to a fragmented healthcare system, stating such views are out of touch with global standards:

Meanwhile, the minister of Health Joe Phaahla asserts the signing of the NHI is not a political tactic but a commitment to improving healthcare for all South Africans. He emphasises the comprehensive nature of the law, describing it as a transformative approach to health delivery. Phaahla refuted claims the NHI was rushed, and said over 60 public hearings were held across all nine provinces with extensive district participation:

# The Automobile Association predicts significant fuel price cuts in June. Unaudited mid-month data from the Central Energy Fund reveals that 95-octane petrol is expected to drop by about 61-cents a litre, and 93-octane petrol by about 63-cents. Diesel is expected to decrease by about 74-cents a litre and the price of illuminating paraffin by 69-cents. The association says the main drivers behind the possible decreases are a strengthening rand and lower international oil prices.

# The independent structural engineers appointed to investigate the George building collapse, have been given a preliminary timeline of a minimum of 12 months. V3 Consulting Engineers has been appointed by the Western Cape government to probe the collapse that has claimed the lives of 33 workers and 19 are still unaccounted for. Premier Alan Winde says they need to understand what happened and ensure that they put steps in place to avoid a tragedy of this scale, including laying charges if that is required.

# US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, has announced an additional 36.6-billion-rand in military funding for Ukraine. This comes as Russia’s president Vladimir Putin has said that work to plan a further military operation in Ukraine is underway. Moscow’s defence spending will rise to more than eight-percent of gross domestic product in the coming year. Blinken says the funding will have three components:

# Cricket: Former Proteas star batter Gary Kirsten will have very little time to get acquainted with Pakistan’s team before the start of a four-match T20 series against England. He only joins the team as head coach on Sunday, with the first encounter being played at Headingley on Wednesday. The two countries will use the series as final preparation for next month’s World Cup in the US and the Caribbean. Kirsten says the tournament is a fantastic opportunity for Pakistan to uphold its legacy as a formidable force.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-25-cents and the euro at 19-rand-87-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-17-cents and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-153-dollars-17-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-393-dollars-17-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 83-dollars-10-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….