News 12:00

BULLETIN 8 October 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Ramaphosa establishes a panel to select the next National Director of Public Prosecutions
# Sakeliga launches legal action to overturn BEE requirements for international airlines
# And the Nobel Prize committee is unable to reach winner on his hike, while another thought it was spam

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has set up a panel tasked with selecting the person who will be the next Director of Public Prosecutions. The panel, which will be chaired by minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi, comprises leaders of the legal fraternity and Chapter Nine institutions. Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, says the current NDPP, Advocate Shamila Batohi’s term ends in January next year:

# Business organisation Sakeliga says it’s legally challenging the International Air Services Council’s illegal imposition of Black Economic Empowerment requirements for international airline licenses. This follows a previous victory against similar BEE requirements for local airline providers. Sakeliga CEO Piet le Roux says as a regulator for international airlines, the IASC’s demands have serious consequences. He says requiring major international airlines to submit BEE certification or transformation commitments is not only illegal, but also impractical and absurd.

# The Cullinan Magistrate’s Court in Pretoria granted bail of two-thousand-rand each to two taxi operators, accused of torturing five men and burning them to death. Masipa Maepa and Job Magongwa are facing five counts of murder, five counts of kidnapping and five counts of assault. National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana says Magongwa has a prior assault conviction:

# Rugby: Springbok hooker Malcolm Marx says although they are delighted by their back-to-back Rugby Championship titles, hard work now lies ahead before their tour of the Northern Hemisphere. South Africa ended the competition on a high with consecutive victories over the All Blacks and two over the Pumas, but Marx says they still have to improve. The Boks play Japan in London on the first of November, followed by Tests against France in Paris, Italy in Turin, Ireland in Dublin and Wales in Cardiff on consecutive weekends.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-18-cents and the euro at 19-rand-98-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-10-cents and Bitcoin trades at 121-thousand-930-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-and-39-dollars-37-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 65-dollars-62-cents a barrel.

# And finally: A Nobel Prize winner ignored the congratulatory call as she thought it was spam, while another is on a hiking trip. Scientists Mary Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi won the Nobel Prize for Medicine for identifying the importance of regulatory T cells that act as the immune system’s security guards and keep immune cells from attacking a person’s own body. Brunkow says she ignored a call from the Nobel Committee because she thought it was spam. Ramsdell is on a backpacking trip and doesn’t know about his victory yet.

Stay tuned for more news………….