News 13:00

BULLETIN 8 November 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The US refuses to endorse the G20 Health Working Group proposals 
# The ANC warns South Africans against joining military forces abroad
# And, TLU SA calls for a practical action plan against foot-and-mouth disease in the Western Cape

# The United States refused to endorse most of the agreed-upon proposals at the G20 Health Working group meeting in Polokwane, Limpopo yesterday. The US reportedly objected to references to solidarity, equity, sustainability, gender equality, and inclusiveness in the context of health, the core themes of South Africa’s presidency. Health minister Aaron Motsoaledi commented on the US stance, saying that universal healthcare is non-negotiable:

# The African National Congress says it is deeply concerned about the distress calls from 17 South African citizens currently trapped in the conflict zone in the Donbas region of Ukraine. According to reports, sixteen men from KwaZulu-Natal and one from the Eastern Cape were lured into joining armed formations in the Russia–Ukraine conflict under the guise of lucrative employment opportunities. ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu warns against South African citizens’ participation in foreign armed forces or rendering military assistance to foreign governments without authorisation:

# Eskom says the power system continues to operate reliably, demonstrating the positive impact of the generation recovery plan. Eskom spokesperson, Daphne Mokoena says the energy availability factor which measures the percentage of time the generation fleet is available to produce electricity, stands at 71.50-percent month-to-date. She says this is up by 7.46-percent from 64.04-percent last year, with a year-to-date figure of 63.29-percent. She adds these figures demonstrate both recovery and sustained improvement in performance, strengthening energy security and grid stability:

# The agriculture organisation, TLU SA says the confirmed cases of foot-and-mouth disease on a farm near Gouda in the Western Cape calls for urgent action. TLU SA’s Bennie Van Zyl says the organisation is urgently calling for a transparent, collaborative, and practical action plan to be implemented without delay. He says it is essential that the Department of Agriculture maintains full and continuous communication with farmers and agricultural organisations:

# A second typhoon in a week is churning toward the Philippines, with residents in its path warned to flee the looming destructive winds and life-threatening storm surges. Fung-wong follows on the heels of Typhoon Kalmaegi, which killed almost 200 people in the central part of the Philippines, as well as five people in Vietnam. Forecasters are now warning that the latest storm could strengthen into a super typhoon before making landfall on the eastern coast on Sunday. According to Reuters Fung-wong is already lashing parts of the region with heavy rain and winds.

# And tennis:  Novak Djokovic cruised into the Athens ATP final with a victory over Yannick Hanfmann on Friday and will meet Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti in the final today. Musetti must win the final to secure a place at the ATP Finals in Turin. Djokovic broke his four-match semi-final losing streak. The 38-year-old Serb had fallen in the last four at Roland Garros, Wimbledon, the US Open and Shanghai. His last semi-final victory was at the Geneva clay-court event in May when he went on to beat Hubert Hurkacz in the final for his 100th career singles title.

Stay tuned for more news………….