#RussianBear Premium vodka takes gold #IAMNEXT

Russian Bear Premium Vodka recently won gold at the International Wine & Spirits Competition (IWSC) in the Vodka category. Described by a panel of highly qualified and trained judges from the global wine and spirit industry, as having an exceptionally pure profile.

To celebrate the endorsement, Russian Bear released its signature vodka in a next level limited edition Gold bottle. With a matte black, gold foiled top and gold-foiled label, the packaging truly represents the liquid it contains. Available at selected stores across Mzansi for a limited time only.

Russian Bear Brand Manager, Simone Burns says, "We are incredibly proud of the result. It is especially exciting to receive such a glowing assessment from such an esteemed international forum."

The IWSC is a prestigious international competition which awards the best wines and spirits from across the world, and is renowned for setting the benchmark for quality and celebrating and encouraging excellence in the industry.

"As a brand, we are confident that our product truly is next level. We are always looking for new ways to excite our customers and share our wins. To thank them for their ongoing support and to celebrate our recent award, we are excited to have launched the limited-edition Gold bottle," adds Burns.

In the midst of all this excitement, fans are battling it out for a chance to record a single with Kid X and produced by Makwa 6eats.

The 2018 #IAMNEXT tour officially launched on the 30th April 2018. South African hip hop artists can enter for a chance to win the opportunity to record a single with Kid X and have their music video produced by MTV Base.

"Now that we've proven that our Vodka has what it takes to win gold, we're even more excited to be giving our customers the opportunity to top the charts themselves," concludes Burns.

To enter #IAMNEXT, buy either a 750ml or 1 litre bottle of Russian Bear Vodka, visitwww.iamnextsessions.russianbear.co.zaand book a session using the barcode on your bottle.

Many Patients With Breast #Cancer Don't Actually Need #Chemo, Study Finds

The majority of women with the most common type of early-stage breast cancer can safely skip chemotherapy after surgery, according to a highly anticipated new report. The findings came from the largest breast cancer treatment trial ever conducted and showed that most patients who have an intermediate risk of a cancer recurrence - a group that numbers 65,000 women a year in the United States - can avoid chemotherapy and its often debilitating side effects.

"We have been waiting for these results for years," said Allison Kurian, an oncologist at Stanford University who was not involved in the trial. "They are going to change treatment and remove uncertainty for women making decisions."

The same decade-long study had previously confirmed that patients at low risk, as determined by a genomic test of their tumours, can skip chemotherapy. The two groups, taken together, account for about 70 percent of women diagnosed with the most common type of breast cancer. That means more than 85,000 women a year can safely forgo chemotherapy.

Some of those women have been skipping chemotherapy based on less rigorous research. Now, they can have confidence in those decisions, experts said. Other patients may change their treatment approach based on the results of this latest study. The latest results were presented Sunday morning at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

#England expecting a tough #Springboks challenge - Owen Farrell

Owen Farrell says England have the experience to cause South Africa problems in the upcoming three-Test series, which gets underway on Saturday.

England last toured South Africa in 2012, when they only managed to avoid a whitewash by drawing the third and final Test.

But Farrell - who is captaining the squad in the absence of Dylan Hartley - thinks it could be a different story this time.

"Excited to be in Durban, a brilliant spot, but what we are most excited about is to be here for the rugby, and we are looking forward to building towards this Test match this weekend," he told _Sky Sports_.

"International rugby is a step up and this is somewhere you come to get better and improve as a player.

"In 2012, I was at a different stage. We had only just got together under Stuart [Lancaster].

"We had an OK Six Nations but we came as a fairly young team and it didn't go as well as it could have.

"This group has a lot more experience now and we are excited to be here.

"Coming over here, you expect a physical challenge. We have to make sure we are up there with that and we are pretty smart all over the field - and are able to execute at the same time."

Farrell is relishing the prospect of leading the side and added: "Dylan did a fantastic job.

"I shared a room with him throughout that time and saw all the work he put into it.

"First and foremost, I just have to be myself."

New study reveals teens are abandoning #Facebook for #Snapchat and #Instagram

Teenagers have abandoned Facebook in favour of other social media platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram, according to a study from the Pew Research Center. Just 51% of US individuals aged 13 to 17 say they use Facebook - a dramatic plunge from the 71% who said they used the social network in Pew's previous study in 2015, when it was the dominant online platform.

In this year's study, reported Facebook use was, according to Pew, "notably lower" than the percentage of teens who said they used YouTube (85%), Instagram (72%) or Snapchat (69%). In the previous study, just 52% of teens said they used Instagram, while 41% said they used Snapchat. YouTube was not included in the 2014-2015 survey.

Use of Facebook was markedly higher among lower-income teens, with 70% of those living in households earning less than $30,000 (€25,700) a year using the platform, compared with just 36% of those whose annual family income is $75,000 (€64,200) or more.

#Fuel hike set to put further pressure on #consumers and #agriculture sector

The South African consumer faces another hefty hike in fuel costs effective Wednesday June 6 according to the recent announcement by the Department of Energy. Petrol (95 ULP & LRP) and diesel prices will increase by 82 cents a litre for all grades and diesel by 85 and 87 cents a litre for the for the two grades (0.05% and 0.005% sulphur) respectively.

This means the 95 ULP petrol will reach a record high of R15.79 a litre and R15.20 a litre for the inland and the coastal areas respectively. The two grades of diesel will cost R14.19/ l and R13.70/ l respectively at wholesale level for the inland and the coastal areas.

Impact on agriculture: will be further cost pressures on the agriculture sector

It is estimated that a R1/ litre increase in fuel costs equates to a R1 billion rand increase in input costs per year to the agriculture sector. These costs manifest differently across the various industries from planting, harvesting, distribution and packaging.

The higher crude oil price is a double whammy due to the direct influence on the fuel price and the indirect influence on oil derivatives such as fertilizer, pesticides and herbicides all of which are inputs in crop farming. The summer crop season has ended, and harvesting is in full swing with a total of 3.85 million hectares and an additional 500,500 hectares of wheat is currently being planted in the Western Cape.

This could easily translate into additional cost of over R153 million rand. Bear in mind that the distribution of agricultural produce is dominated by road transport, so the net effect of fuel increases is reduced profit margins for producers. Logistics companies in the agriculture value chain will also be hard hit, for example, over 80% of grain is transported by road. These costs will eventually be passed on to the consumer up the value chain.

Impact on consumers: Erosion of disposable income

For low income households, transport costs account for a large portion of household expenditure and the consequence of a sustained fuel price increases will further erode disposable income and cause financial stress. This will force a change in spending patterns with a cut in spending on luxury items and frequency of visits to eateries. As businesses face additional costs in in transport, packaging and distribution, they eventually pass on to the consumer which ultimately feeds into rising inflation.

Although slightly up from 3.8% in March to 4.5% year-on-year (y/y) in April 2018, the CPI has been relatively low and comfortably within the SARB's target range of between 3% to 6%. The SARB has kept rates unchanged at 6.5% with prime remaining at 10% in its May 2018 meeting and all indications are that there will be no reprieve for the consumer for the remainder of the year if the current developments are sustained in a low growth environment.

Nonetheless, we still expect the robust agriculture output for the 2017/18 season coupled with huge carryover grain stocks to continue to provide some cushion for consumers in the short to medium term. Reports that major crude oil producers such as Saudi Arabia and Russia will boost output should help exert downward pressure on oil prices and possibly halt further increases at the pump.

President Ramaphosa heaps praises on Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Sporting a Madiba lookalike shirt, President Cyril Ramaphosa appeared starstruck when he met Ladysmith Black Mambazo for the first time at the State Theatre, on Sunday.

The group took the stage at the State Theatre in Pretoria on Friday, Saturday and Sunday in celebration of the 100 years of the birth of Nelson Mandela.

Mutual admiration abounded with Ramaphosa saluting the members of the auspicious Grammy winning group an intimate meet and greet session before their performance.

Also flashing endless smiles was Minister of Arts and Culture Nathi Mthetwa, who said he was looking forward to being serenaded the the Isicathamiya group. "We government officials often do a lot of talking. Today we are going to be listening to the wonderful sounds of amaMbazo," he said.

Ramaphosa echoed Mthetwa's sentiments saying: "We are indeed ready to listen to your melodic sounds, so that we can't not only feed our ears but also feed our souls."

The president described the group as the most valuable asset and export in South Africa. "We produce gold, diamonds, platinum and wine but you are by far the most valuable export," he said. He said the group had done a lot to put South Africa on the map.

President Ramaphosa heaps praises on Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Sporting a Madiba lookalike shirt, President Cyril Ramaphosa appeared starstruck when he met Ladysmith Black Mambazo for the first time at the State Theatre, on Sunday.

The group took the stage at the State Theatre in Pretoria on Friday, Saturday and Sunday in celebration of the 100 years of the birth of Nelson Mandela.

Mutual admiration abounded with Ramaphosa saluting the members of the auspicious Grammy winning group an intimate meet and greet session before their performance.

Also flashing endless smiles was Minister of Arts and Culture Nathi Mthetwa, who said he was looking forward to being serenaded the the Isicathamiya group. "We government officials often do a lot of talking. Today we are going to be listening to the wonderful sounds of amaMbazo," he said.

Ramaphosa echoed Mthetwa's sentiments saying: "We are indeed ready to listen to your melodic sounds, so that we can't not only feed our ears but also feed our souls."

The president described the group as the most valuable asset and export in South Africa. "We produce gold, diamonds, platinum and wine but you are by far the most valuable export," he said. He said the group had done a lot to put South Africa on the map.

A sign of good things? #CellC refreshes its branding with a new typeface and a new colour

Cell C has launched a revamped corporate identity, including a new corporate colour and a new type font. 

Cell C's new orange branding is very close to the corporate colour of telecommunications giant Orange - which is a dominant player in the African market - and has nearly 256 million customers worldwide.

Orange, headquartered in France, operates in more 28 countries, including Botswana, Egypt and the Ivory Coast. 

Cell C's new colour choice is very interesting given that Orange has a registered trademark for its orange, says Jeremy Sampson, executive director at Brand Finance Africa. This might limit Cell C's expansion to other African countries in the future, or create the need for a second brand outside of SA.  

Cell C's old logo was launched in 2010.

The new in town #Ferrari - Aphiwe Dyantyi savours #Springboks moment

Aphiwe Dyantyi is ready to embrace the challenge and to further his rugby career after being chosen for the Springbok squad at the weekend.

The Lions wing was selected in Rassie Erasmus' enlarged Bok squad of 43, which will do duty in the June internationals against United States and England.

Born in East London, the 23-year-old, who matriculated at Dale College in King William's Town in 2011, said it was "a massive opportunity" and that he was fully focused on making the most of it.

When he joined the University of Johannesburg (UJ) as a first-year in 2012, the furthest thing from the young student's mind was a full-time rugby career.

"I played in all the age-group A teams at Dale and also U13 Craven Week," said Dyantyi.

"But when I got to the open division, I was a year younger than the rest - for example, I was 15 in Grade 10 and 16 in Grade 11.

"It was hard for me to crack it and it didn't help that I was small at the time.

"But the worst thing for me is that I was not backed by anyone and given the opportunity to show what I could do.

"After being used to playing for the A teams, I never got any further and it was something I had to take and to learn from."

Dyantyi only became involved in rugby when his residence mates persuaded him to help out in the varsity's koshuis league.

"I did play a few times, but it was purely for fun," recalled Dyantyi.

"But the next thing, UJ asked me if I didn't want to focus more on the game and to try out for the U19s."

He said there were a number of key personnel who guided him in his decisions, among them UJ U19 coach Mac Masina and first-team mentor Werner Janse van Rensburg.

"The management at UJ was very good, but it still took me a while to warm to the idea," he said.

"Eventually I was offered a sports bursary and as I was looking at the time for an academic bursary I thought this was a win-win situation. So I decided it could do no harm and gave it a go."

The rest, as they say, is history and Dyantyi has steadily moved through the ranks, graduating from the Varsity Cup to become a key player for the Lions in this year's Super Rugby campaign.

The young star did pay special tribute to his family for their contribution to his success.

Education minister Angie Motshekga extremely disappointed by 'naked' School Choir Performance

A "naked" choir performance by a group of South African schoolgirls has led to calls for investigation by the country's education minister.

Angie Motshekga said she was "extremely disappointed" after seeing footage of the Xhosa girls performing wearing only a small apron, known as an "inkciyo".

The basic education minister said it was an "indignity [which] goes against the values of our cultures".

But the choirmaster has defended the choice - saying he was proud.

According to South Africa's Daily Dispatch website, the unnamed teacher said: "We are proud of our Xhosa tradition. We are proud of 'inkciyo'. We are proud of Xhosa women and girls."

The Xhosa are South Africa's second-largest ethnic group. Footage of the performance at a competition in Mthatha, in the Eastern Cape, emerged earlier this week, showing the girls dancing on stage, their breasts and buttocks exposed.