News 18:00
BULLETIN 1 September 6 pm
Good afternoon. I am……..
In this bulletin:
# The Department of Health assures the public of a stable medicine supply
# The suspended Crime Intelligence deputy head, Feroz Khan loses his Labour Court bid
# And, Russian missile and drone strikes kill railway workers in Kyiv
# The Department of Health says medicine supplies in the public health sector remain stable, despite concerns about shortages and changes in the appearance or packaging of medicines. The department’s Foster Mohale says patients may receive medicines from different approved manufacturers, but these products contain the same active ingredients and provide the same therapeutic benefits. Mohale added temporary shortages of specific brands or pack sizes are being managed by providing suitable alternatives:
# Suspended Crime Intelligence deputy head Feroz Khan has suffered another legal setback after his urgent Labour Court application was struck off the roll. Khan, through the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union, sought to have the chairperson of his disciplinary process removed. The court found the application lacked jurisdiction or urgency and ordered POPCRU to pay the costs. The latest ruling comes as Khan faces an ongoing disciplinary process that could ultimately lead to his dismissal from the South African Police Service.
# Union federation COSATU has urged swift action by government, industry, labour and consumers to protect local jobs and value chains in the sugar industry. South Africa’s sugar industry has lost an estimated 1.5-billion-rand as a result of subsidised sugar imports. COSATU’s Matthew Parks says they welcome the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition and the International Trade Administration Commission’s gazetting of tariff relief for the sugar sector, through which import duty will rise from four-rand-83-cents to six-rand-97-cents per kilogram:
# Six railway workers are among at least twelve people killed in Russian missile and drone strikes on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and surrounding areas. Officials say a ballistic missile struck a railway depot overnight, killing seven people. The state railway company says a workshop was destroyed and several fires broke out. Four other people were killed, including an Indian citizen. Ukraine says the overnight barrage involved ballistic missiles and large numbers of drones, in the sixth consecutive night of Russian attacks on Kyiv.
# Cricket: A new-look Pakistan will face England in the final Test at Edgbaston, starting next Wednesday. Head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul were fired and seven players sent home after the visitors’ bad showing in the first two matches. Pakistan lost by and innings and 103 runs at Headingley, and by 194 runs at Lord’s. The team had been labelled as the country’s worst ever. New Zealand’s Mike Hesson takes over from Ahmed, and Australia’s Ashley Noffe from Gul.
# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-9-cents against the rand and the euro at 18-rand-66-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-80-cents and Bitcoin trades at 78-thousand-254-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-366-dollars-20-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 94-dollars-46-cents a barrel.