News 11:00

BULLETIN 17 August 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The SACP’s election manifesto is focused on the working class and the poor
# tennis: Swiatek and Medvedev are through to the Cincinnati Open’s third round but Shelton is knocked out
# And American actress Hayden Panettiere dies at the age of 36

# The South African Communist Party says its election manifesto puts people first, particularly the workers and the poor who constitute the majority of society. It places reliable public services at the centre of its municipal programme, alongside decent work, land and housing, food security, safer communities, the fight against tender corruption and greater accountability from councillors. General secretary Solly Mapaila says they will measure themselves against the standards Chris Hani set:

# Deputy minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Thandi Moraka, has urged the media to help promote a more informed understanding of migration and regional relations, while encouraging people entering South Africa to comply with the country’s immigration laws and regulations. This is ahead of the 46th ordinary Southern African Development Community summit starting in Durban today. Moraka says migration is a global phenomenon caused by reasons such as seeking economic opportunities and pursuing academic development:

# The Soil of Africa Civic Movement says the recent judgement by the High Court in Pretoria concerning the governance and administration of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme is of significant public interest. The court has ordered the suspension of the appointment of administrator Hlengani Mathebula, and reinstated the disbanded board. Spokesperson Luzuko Sofute says there must be no victimisation of students or institutions as a consequence of disputes concerning governance and leadership:

# Tennis: Poland’s Iga Swiatek got her Cincinnati Open title defence off to a winning start, beating Colombia’s Emiliana Arango to make the third round. World number one Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus defeated Australian Talia Gibson, while American Coco Gauff saw off Russian Liudmila Samsonova. In the men’s draw, Portuguese qualifier Jaime Faria stunned American Ben Shelton to secure the first top-ten victory of his career. Fourth-seeded Russian Daniil Medvedev, Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime and American Taylor Fritz are also through to the third round.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-13-cents and the euro at 18-rand-70-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-86-cents and Bitcoin trades at 63-thousand-606-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-401-dollars-87-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 90-dollars-41-cents a barrel.

# And finally: American actress Hayden Panettiere, popularly known for her roles in Heroes, Nashville and Scream 4, has died at the age of 36. At just four years old, she was cast in the popular US soap opera One Life to Live. Panettiere went on to play a self-healing cheerleader in Heroes, which was followed by Nashville, in which she played a young country music star. The circumstances surrounding her death are unknown. Her father, Skip Panettiere, described her as an incredible light and a force of nature.

Stay tuned for more news………….