News 09:00

BULLETIN 31 October 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Cosatu says the usual approach to the budget won’t generate jobs
# The DA in Gauteng is calling for an inquiry into the Department of Social Development
# And a record 8.2-million new TB cases were reported worldwide last year

# Cosatu says it remains underwhelmed and disappointed by the Treasury’s continued approach to tackling South Africa’s deep-seated economic and governance crises. The union federation was responding to the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement. Cosatu’s, Matthew Parks, says the fundamental challenges facing the nation are a stagnant economy and a rising unemployment rate of 42.6-percent:

Meanwhile, the agricultural organisation TLU SA says it wants clarity on whether the plans announced in the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement will genuinely meet the real needs of the economy and agriculture. TLU SA’s, Bennie van Zyl, says the focus of the government of national unity on inclusive growth and job creation is valuable, but the concern is that real challenges, such as corruption and mismanagement, are not truly being addressed:

# The DA in Gauteng is calling for an inquiry into the ongoing shortcomings of the provincial Department of Social Development. The party’s, Refiloe Nt’sekhe, says since 2018, the department has consistently failed to meet its targets, which has had a detrimental impact on many vulnerable residents who rely on these essential services. She says an inquiry is vital for accountability and ensuring better performance moving forward:

# The World Health Organisation says a record 8.2-million new tuberculosis cases were diagnosed worldwide last year, the highest number since it began global TB monitoring in 1995. The number of TB-related deaths declined from 1.32-million in 2022 to 1.25-million last year. However, not all new cases are diagnosed, and the WHO estimates that around 10.8-million people actually contracted the disease last year. India, Indonesia, China, Philippines and Pakistan account for more than half of the global TB cases, with more than a quarter of the cases found in India alone.

# Soccer: Defending champions Liverpool are through to the Carabao Cup quarterfinals after beating Brighton three-two. Arne Slot’s side will take on Southampton for a place in the semifinals. Tottenham Hotspur ended Manchester City’s unbeaten start to the season, securing a two-one victory. Tottenham will face Manchester United in the quarterfinals after the Red Devils thrashed Leicester City five-two. Newcastle knocked out last season’s runners-up Chelsea two-nil, while Arsenal beat Preston three-nil.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-67-cents and the euro at 19-rand-17-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-89-cents and Bitcoin trades at 72-thousand-317-dollars-9-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-783-dollars-97-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 72-dollars-59-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….