Update@Noon

1. Chinese stocks dropped from their highest level in three weeks on concern the rebound in equities has overshot prospects for earnings growth 2. U.S. stocks rose, following last week's gain in the Standard & Poor's 500 Index, with homebuilders pacing the advance amid light volume before further clues from the Federal Reserve on the path for interest rates 3. What is the trend behind the falling...

The Progressive Women's Movement of South Africa is unhappy about Pistorius parole during the women's month and will ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services not to approve the parole board's recommendation. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to the Convener at the Progressive Women's Movement of South Africa, Mme Jacqui Mofokeng.

Fifteen people have been confirmed dead and five seriously injured in an accident involving a mini-bus and a train. The accident happened in Shaka's head near Ballito north of Durban last night. It is believed the drive of the taxi lost control and the taxi veered off the road and landed on the rail way track colliding with passing train. Vusi Makhosini reports

Three nurses are accused of neglecting a pregnant woman at the Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital in Johannesburg will be disciplined by the department of health. This comes after the death of an unborn baby at the hands of the nurses at the facility. It's alleged that the mother had been admitted at the hospital as a high risk patient, however she wasn't treated as such. Senior Health Journal...

The ANC's National General Council is expected to focus its attention relentlessly on the state of the country's economy. This was revealed at the ruling party's launch of a number of discussion documents for its National General Council scheduled for the 9th to the 12th of October. The NGC is a mid-term review of the policies and implementation of decisions passed at the ANC's 2012 National Confe...

1. Rand part of the Troubled Ten as it weakens further 2. Eurozone trade surplus widens 3. Brazilian president Rouseff faces further calls for impeachment as economy crumbles

Legal representatives of the Marikana tragedy victims have called the Farlam Commission report a disgrace and criticized government for being in denial. The legal team says they will also apply for a review of the Farlam commission of inquiry's report as they do not agree with the findings. For more we are joined on the line by one of the legal representatives of the Marikana victims, Advocate Dum...

Today is the final day for the South Sudan's government and rebels to reach a peace deal or face possible sanctions. Over the weekend . East African leaders were gathered in Ethiopian capital in an effort to convince South Sudan's warring sides to sign a peace deal. Diplomats have warned any failure to sign a peace deal could trigger serious consequences for the rival leaders. Sakina Kamwendo spea...

About a hundred residents have been left destitute following a fire that gutted about 50 shacks in Lwandle, Cape Town. Residents says they are not sure how the last night fire started. Many called on government to provide them with RDP houses. Thandiswa Mawu reports

The families, whose loved ones were killed in Marikana three years ago, are still struggling to come to terms with the events of that fateful day. Forty-four people were killed in the week between the 12th and the 16th of August in 2012. The third commemoration was held at the koppie, where 34 mineworkers were killed. Itumeleng Kgajane compiled this report.

Market Analyst and Economist Clive Ramathibela looks at the Asian Markets which, tracking an advance in U.S. equities, Japan’s Economy Contracts as Consumption, Investment Decline and South Africa finally wakes up to “Venture Capitalisation” as SME’s show strong growth potential

President Jacob Zuma has arrived in the Botswana capital, Gaborone, ahead of the SADC leaders summit which will start this morning. Botswana President Ian Khama is set to become the next regional economic bloc leader when Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe vacates the position tomorrow. Regional economic integration and energy security including peace and security will be the main issues that the...

Mohammed Nalla, Strategic Research at Nedbank Capital talks; China remains a key focal point for emerging markets but we are seeing some yuan stability now, rand remains on the backfoot as EM currencies stay pressured with Malaysia quite hard hit and Oil developments remains to the downside for now

Guinea-Bissau's President Jose Mario Vaz has dismissed the government following weeks of tension with Prime Minister Domingos Pereira. The two are said to be disagreeing about many issues including the use of aid money and the return of a former army chief of staff to Guinea-Bissau. sakina Kamwendo spoke to Senior research fellow at the Institute for Security Studies in South Africa David Zounmeno...

There was palpable anger late yesterday afternoon in Boksburg on the East Rand among members of the AMCU and the National Union of Mineworkers after the Chamber of Mines remained entrenched in its final offer of one thousand rands on the last day of independent mediation. This led to the total collapse of the talks and means that the Chamber's orginal offer of up to seven hundred and fifty rands f...

Opposition parties in parliament have called on government to provide financial compensation for the families of the mine workers who died in Marikana in 2012. During the debate on the report by the Farlam Commission of Inquiry, opposition MPS also called for certain government ministers to be brought to book for their role in the killings. The parties argue that despite the findings of the report...

1. Yesterday you told us that there was a sale on at the JSE (so to speak), and to move quickly if we wanted to snap up some bargains. And it seems that those who got in on the action made some good gains on the day. But the JSE also released their interim results yesterday. Talk us through some of the notable issues. 2. Unfortunately the news from Glencore, in the form of their half year producti...

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) says it has begun a major clean-up campaign to put its house in order. This includes a broad skills and qualifications audit across the entire company. Chairperson of the Prasa board, Popo Molefe, says this follows a report by the Auditor General which highlighted maladministration of funds as one of many other problems facing the agency. Sakina Ka...

The Democratic Alliance has refuted claims by Sanral that their opposition to the e-tolling project in the province is a political strategy to disrupt the process. The City of Cape Town this week approached the Cape Town High Court to have Sanral's decision to toll sections of the N1 and N2 set aside. The DA's provincial deputy leader Bonginkosi Madikizela says they will be picketing outside the c...

1. Asian currencies stabilized after the biggest two-day selloff in four years as the yuan's tumble eased. Emerging-market stocks rose after record earnings at Tencent Holdings Ltd. boosted technology companies 2. China's central bank said it will keep the yuan stable at a reasonable, equilibrium level as the currency fell for a third day after Tuesday's devaluation 3. Google Inc. continues to ris...

Government has informed education authorities that Mandarin will be taught in schools from January. Sakina kamwendo spoke to Elijah Mhlanga at the Department of Basic Education

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) says it has begun a major clean-up campaign to put its house in order. This includes a broad skills and qualifications audit across the entire company. Chairperson of the Prasa board, Popo Molefe, says this follows a report by the Auditor General which highlighted maladministration of funds as one of many other problems facing the agency. Sakina Ka...

1. Oil has fallen faster than the rand has depreciated 2. Gold and gold shares bounced strongly 3. The JSE is on sale

Provincial Police commissioners have been grilled by the Parliament's Police committee and forced to apologise, after they pledged their support to the National Police Commissioner in a media statement. Their statement, two weeks ago, followed a recommendation by the Farlam Commission on Marikana that there should be an inquiry into Phiyega's fitness for office. The committee hauled them over the...

Communications Minister Faith Muthambi says the country is ready for digital migration and good progress has been made so far. Muthambi was giving a status report to parliamentarians on the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) project. This is despite criticism about financing to carry out the project as well as the analogue switch-off deadline. The international deadline for migration to DTT was...