News 07:00

BULLETIN 21 August 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# SAMATU and Denosa endorse the second presidential health compact
# The Ukraine Parliament votes to ban the Russian-linked Orthodox church
# And tennis: Jannik Sinner is cleared after twice testing positive for a banned substance

# The South African Medical Association Trade Union and nursing organisation Denosa support the signing of the second presidential health compact, which aims to strengthen the healthcare system. Representing over 90-thousand doctors and nurses, they endorse the compact’s ten pillars, including improving healthcare infrastructure, access to medicines, and pandemic preparedness. Denosa spokesperson Sibongiseni Delihlazo says the compact builds on past health summits and seeks to advance National Health Insurance, promoting equitable, high-quality care for all:  

Meanwhile, the Rural Health Advocacy Project has welcomed the signing of the compact by President Cyril Ramaphosa, viewing it as a key advancement in bolstering South Africa’s health system. Spokesperson Palesa Chidi says the compact aligns with their mission to ensure equitable healthcare access, particularly in rural areas emphasising collaboration among healthcare providers:

# Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane has expressed concern following a fire incident at Lancea Vale Secondary School in Eldorado Park yesterday. The fire damaged three classrooms within the Grade 8 and Grade 9 block. The same school was in the news last week after a learner was stabbed on the school premises. The department’s spokesperson, Steve Mabona, says the police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the fire:

# Ukraine’s Parliament has voted to ban the Russian-linked Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which it accuses of siding with Moscow. Kyiv has been trying to curb spiritual links with Russia for years, a process accelerated by Moscow’s 2022 invasion, which the church endorsed. Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the ban would boost his country’s spiritual independence. Russian Orthodox Church spokesperson Vladimir Legoida has condemned the vote as an unlawful act that violates the basic principles of freedom of conscience and human rights.

# Tennis: World number one Jannik Sinner has been cleared after testing positive twice for the banned substance clostebol. He tested positive during Indian Wells in March, where the Italian reached the semifinals, and a further test eight days later was also positive. Sinner was provisionally suspended, but successfully appealed and was allowed to keep playing. He will still lose his rankings points from Indian Wells and his prize money. The International Tennis Integrity Agency determined that clostebol entered Sinner’s system unintentionally through a massage from his physiotherapist.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-79-cents and the euro at 19-rand-80-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-19-cents and Bitcoin trades at 59-thousand-162-dollars-42-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-516-dollars-85-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 77-dollars-8-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The National Aviation Gender Summit taking place in KwaZulu-Natal is looking into promoting women’s participation in the global aviation sector. This aligns with the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s Gender Equality Programme. The event will gather female aviation professionals and industry representatives to discuss gender equality and diversity in aviation. Deputy minister of Transport, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, will deliver the keynote address at the summit.

Stay tuned for more news………….