News 07:00

BULLETIN 2 October 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# An economist says it’s time for decisive policy shifts
# Rugby: The Lions welcome back three key players before their Zebre match in Italy
# And finally, the world-renowned conservationist Jane Goodall has died

# Economist Frederick Mitchell says to foster meaningful economic advancement, South Africa must reconsider both its domestic economic policies and its international posture. South Africa’s economy recorded modest growth of just 0.8-percent during the second quarter of this year. Mitchell says unlocking South Africa’s economic potential requires an unambiguous economic blueprint. He says the blueprint must include securing and expanding trade access to vital markets, especially the US, lowering taxes, and reducing regulatory barriers.

# The South African Breweries says it is confident that its restructuring process is both procedurally and substantially fair. This comes as the Labour Court in Johannesburg has dismissed an urgent application by the Food and Allied Workers’ Union for an interdict to stop retrenchments at SAB. The company is cutting 233 local warehouse jobs. SAB says the restructuring process is being undertaken to improve operational efficiency in a challenging macroeconomic operating environment.

# The Gauteng Provincial Government is finalising an alternative site for Akasia Police Station to improve staff accommodation and strengthen policing services. Gauteng government spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga says premier Panyaza Lesufi affirmed the new site will address infrastructure challenges that have hampered service delivery. He says the land acquisition is set for completion by December, with phased relocation to follow:

# Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen says Europe is in the most dangerous situation since the end of the Second World War. This follows a series of suspected Russian incursions into European Union airspace in recent weeks, including in Denmark, Poland and Estonia. Moscow has denied any involvement. Frederiksen has urged European countries to move beyond national perspectives and see defence as a collective responsibility:

# Rugby: The Lions welcome back three key players before Sunday’s United Rugby Championship match against Zebre in Italy. Regular captain Francke Horn, prolific goalkicker Chris Smith, and centre Eduard Keyter all return from injury for the Johannesburg team, who lost to Cardiff in last weekend’s opening round. Zebre beat Scottish side Edinburgh in the first round and the Lions’ defence coach, Jaque Fourie, realises the Italians will pose a huge threat at home on Sunday.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-20-cents and the euro at 20-rand-19-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-19-cents and Bitcoin trades at 118-thousand-541-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-864-dollars-13-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 65-dollars-44-cents a barrel.

# And finally: World-renowned primatologist and conservationist, Jane Goodall, has passed away at the age of 91. She died due to natural causes in California during a speaking tour in the US. Considered the leading expert on chimpanzees, her career spanned more than 60 years, during which she not only broke barriers for women but also changed the way scientists study animals. The Jane Goodall Institute says Goodall’s discoveries as an ethologist revolutionised science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of the natural world.

Stay tuned for more news………….