News 16:00

BULLETIN 21 November 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# A Grade R learner dies from a suspected foodborne illness
# Israel kills 71 pro-Iran militants in Syria
# And rugby: Chris Laidlaw and Sergio Parisse are among five new inductees into the Hall of Fame

# The Gauteng Education Department has confirmed the death of a Grade R learner from Dumezweni Primary in Diepkloof, Soweto, while three other learners were taken to hospital with similar symptoms after consuming snacks. The police are investigating, and support services are in place. Department spokesperson Steve Mabona says MEC Matome Chiloane has expressed condolences to the family and wished the sick learners a speedy recovery:

Meanwhile, ActionSA has welcomed the government’s declaring of a state of disaster in response to the ongoing food poisonings linked to spaza shops. While the party considers the move long overdue, it is seen as a crucial step. ActionSA’s Matthew George urges swift action to finalise the declaration. He calls for stricter enforcement to prevent further loss of innocent lives:

# Bayer, in collaboration with regulatory authority SAHPRA, has initiated the recall of Yaz Plus birth control pills, batch WEW96J, due to a packaging error. The company published the recall notice on social media, urging medical professionals to inform patients and ensure affected packs are removed from circulation. Some packs contain 24 hormone-free tablets and only four hormone tablets, making the contraception ineffective. Users are advised to check their packs and return affected ones for a replacement or refund. A formal statement is expected to follow with details on the recall process.

# Israeli strikes killed 71 pro-Iran militants in the Syrian city of Palmyra, with more than a third of them identified as fighters from Iraq and Lebanon. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said those killed included 45 fighters from pro-Iran Syrian groups, 26 foreign fighters, most of them from the Iraqi Al-Nujaba movement, and four from Lebanon’s Hezbollah armed group. The strikes targeted three sites in the city renowned for its ancient ruins, including one that hit a meeting of pro-Iranian groups with leaders from Al-Nujaba and Hezbollah.

# Rugby: Two former New Zealand players and Italian legend Sergio Parisse are among five new inductees into the sport’s Hall of Fame. Eighty-one-year-old Chris Laidlaw played scrumhalf for the All Blacks from 1963 until 1970, and sevens specialist DJ Forbes represented his country from 2006 until 2017. Parisse is the first Italian to be inducted. He played 142 matches for the Azzurri, who he represented in five World Cups. The other two are Australia’s Olympic gold medal-winning sevens star, Emilee Cherry Barton, and Scottish player Donna Kennedy.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-10-cents and the euro at 19-rand-5-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-88-cents and Bitcoin trades at 97-thousand-787-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-664-dollars-65-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 73-dollars-90-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….