News 09:00

BULLETIN 16 October 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# South Africa secures funding from the US to sustain its existing HIV/Aids programmes
# The Institute of Race Relations says South Africa is not an attractive place to do business
# And rugby: SA Rugby names its U19 training group ahead of the European tour

# Health minister Aaron Motsoaledi says South Africa will receive two-billion-rand over six months from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. This is to sustain existing HIV and Aids programmes in the country. The cuts in the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief in February this year have created a massive shortfall in funding to South Africa’s HIV programmes. Motsoaledi says the US has decided to reconsider the recent funding cuts through a new mechanism referred to as a transitional period, ranging from one to five years. 

# The Institute of Race Relations states that South Africa has allowed its economic foundations to decay while pursuing economic objectives that would not be possible without a reliable supply of investment and skilled administration. The National Development Plan has envisioned a future in which South Africa would achieve levels of investment equivalent to 30-percent of its gross domestic product. However, the country has not managed to do so in recent years. IRR’s Terence Corrigan says currently, the country is simply not an attractive place to do business:

# The City of Tshwane council has officially adopted the Regionalised Development Framework. The framework serves as a strategic guide for spatial development for the next ten to 15 years. Mayoral committee member for Economic Development and Spatial Planning, Sarah Mabotsa, says the framework will not only help to focus investment and development, but will also have a critical role to play in the long-term financial stability of the metro:

# United Nations secretary general, António Guterres, is calling on the world to build food systems that nourish people and protect the planet. Today is World Food Day under the theme, Hand-in-hand for Better Foods and a Better Future, a call for solidarity across borders, sectors, and communities. An estimated 673-million people still go to bed hungry every night. Guterres says global progress in tackling hunger is far too slow and, in some regions, reversing:

# Rugby: Five members of the victorious Junior Springbok team who won the World Rugby Under-20 Championship earlier this year in Italy were included in the SA Rugby Under-19 Academy training squad. They will go on a three-game tour of Europe at the end of October. The triumphant Junior Boks who are part of the training squad are SA Under-20 captain Riley Norton, Oliver Reid, Phiwayinkosi “Rambo” Kubheka, Siphosethu Mnebelele, and Vusi Moyo. The 36-man squad will play two matches in France and one in Ireland.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-34-cents and the euro at 20-rand-22-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-27-cents and Bitcoin trades at 111-thousand-603-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-238-dollars-11-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 62-dollars-24-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….