News 13:00

BULLETIN 10 August 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The DA writes to minister Tau on the continuing malpractice within the SABS
# British Airways announces the scrapping of flights from London to Beijing
# And, Olympic Games: RISE Mzansi congratulates Team SA on their sterling performance in Paris

# The DA says it has written to the minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Parks Tau, to alert him to ongoing malpractice within  the South African Bureau of Standards and to extend a helping hand. The DA’s Toby Chance says the SABS is a crucial institution in the department, with its mandate to ensure products bought and sold in the country meet quality standards and are internationally competitive:

# British Airways has announced the scrapping of its flights between London and the Chinese capital of Beijing. The carrier says this will happen from the end of October for at least a year. B-A ascribes the decision to weaker demand, and a ban on British flights over Russian airspace that led to longer journeys on some routes. Passengers who have already bought tickets, will be contacted to offer re-bookings or a full refund. Flights to Shanghai and Hong Kong are not affected.

# Olympic Games: RISE Mzansi says it joins all South Africans in congratulating the excellent performance of our Olympians who have now won a total of five medals in Paris. RISE Mzansi’s spokesperson, Gugu Ndima, says the party applauds the four-by-100-metres relay team represented by Bayanda Walaza, Bradley Nkoana, Shaun Maswangayi and Akani Simbine, whose brilliant accomplishment delighted South Africa with a silver medal:

# Tennis: Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the Cincinnati Open. After winning the gold medal at the Olympic Games, the 24-time Grand Slam champion also withdrew from the Canadian Open, which is underway in Montreal. This means the Serbian goes into the US Open at the end of this month without having played any preparation tournament. Djokovic gave his all in Paris to take gold from 21-year-old Spanish champion Carlos Alcaraz, and he is giving his 37-year-old body as much rest as he can.

# And, after days of drama, Miss South Africa will finally be crowned in a glittering pageant at Time Square in Pretoria tonight. This follows the withdrawal of Chidimma Adetshina, whose citizenship was questioned following identity theft allegations involving her mother. Meanwhile, the Puebla International Literature Festival in Mexico has withdrawn invitations to South African authors. The organisers say the Miss South Africa controversy had “deeply troubled” the African community. The festival is aimed at promoting cultural exchange.

Stay tuned for more news………….