News 13:00

BULLETIN 10 June 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Parliament reports the foot and mouth disease vaccine backlog is expected to be cleared by mid-June
# Soccer: Spain, France, Denmark and Germany have qualified for the Women’s World Cup
# And: Stellenbosch University clamps down on cannabis use in residences

# Parliament’s portfolio committee on Agriculture says South Africa is making steady progress in controlling foot and mouth disease. The vaccine backlog is expected to be cleared by mid-June. The committee reports that 13.5-million doses have been ordered, with 11.5-million delivered from suppliers in Argentina and Turkey. Of the latest 3.5-million doses received, 1.2-million will be distributed to provinces. The committee says laboratory testing capacity has been expanded, with new diagnostic facilities in KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape expected to strengthen disease surveillance and response efforts.

# Union federatioin SAFTU says the country faces a deepening crisis of de-industrialisation, mass unemployment, factory closures, collapsing state capacity and growing dependence on imported manufactured goods. The economy grew by 0.5-percent in the first quarter of this year, while the manufacturing sector continued to weigh on the economy. SAFTU’s Asive Dyani says an economy that grows on the back of finance and real estate while manufacturing collapses, does not serve workers:

# The South African Revenue Service and the Hawks have seized 30 bricks of cocaine at the port of Durban. This comes days after a major seizure at the same port, where about 90 kilograms of cocaine hidden in trucks from Brazil was confiscated. Hawks spokesperson, Katlego Mogale, says through intelligence-led risk profiling and targeting methodologies, a container vessel originating from South America was identified for inspection:

# Soccer: Reigning champions Spain, France and Denmark have joined Germany in earning automatic qualification to next year’s Women’s World Cup in Brazil. Spain dispatched Iceland 6-1, France secured a narrow 1-nil victory over Ireland, and the Danes were convincing 4-1 winners over Serbia, while Germany defeated Slovenia 2-nil in their final qualification tie. Meanwhile, England, Austria, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Ireland, Serbia, Slovenia and Sweden have qualified for the play-offs. The draw will take place next Thursday.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-54-cents and the euro at 19-rand-10-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-14-cents and Bitcoin trades at 60-thousand-836-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-166-dollars-96-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 90-dollars-36-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Stellenbosch University introduced new residence rules banning the use, possession, and smoking of cannabis in student accommodation. The university says the decision follows legal guidance on whether residence rooms can be regarded as private spaces, particularly where students share rooms or corridors. Dean of Students Leslie van Rooi says shared living environments do not meet the legal definition of privacy. He says the university cited concerns about illegal sales in residences, while medical and religious cannabis use is under consideration.

Stay tuned for more news………….