News 15:00

BULLETIN 17 December 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Calls mount to declare drunk driving a national disaster
# Cricket: An Australian woman bowler is reprimanded for swearing
# And, a Brazilian judge rules that one of Adele’s songs must be pulled globally

# South Africans Against Drunk Driving founder, Caro Smit, has urged the government to declare drunk driving a national disaster following fatal crashes in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. Smit told Newzroom Afrika drunk driving is a major road safety threat, advocating for specialised courts to address offenders and penalties for liquor outlets serving intoxicated patrons. She calls on citizens to unite against drunk driving:

# The South African National Christian Forum says today’s deadline for spaza shop registration is unfair and unclear. The forum has called for an extension of the spaza shop registration deadline, citing confusion and delays in the process. The forum’s president Marothi Mashashane, says many municipalities were unprepared, with unclear directives and forms only becoming available after the 21-day deadline was announced:

# Water and Sanitation minister Pemmy Majodina has announced new dam projects to address South Africa’s water scarcity, with construction starting in late 2025. Key projects include the Cwabeni and Stephen Dlamini Dams in KwaZulu-Natal and expansions of existing dams like Clanwilliam and Tzaneen. Meanwhile, in a statement, Majodina says that municipal debt to water boards persists, with several municipalities failing to settle accounts. The minister says the government is withholding grants from non-compliant municipalities and enforcing strict repayment conditions to ensure financial sustainability.

# Cricket: Australia fast bowler Kim Garth has been reprimanded for swearing during the third ODI against India in Perth last week. She was found to have breached level one of the International Cricket Council’s code of conduct with the use of an audible obscenity during an international match. In addition, one demerit point has been added to Garth’s disciplinary record, for whom it was the first offence in a 24-month period. She was found to have used inappropriate language after being struck for a boundary.

# Financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-6-cents and the euro at 18-rand-93-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-92-cents and Bitcoin trades at 107-thousand-227-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-638-dollars-89-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 73-dollars-1-cent a barrel.

# And finally: A Brazilian judge has ordered a 2015 song by British pop superstar Adele, Million Years Ago, be pulled worldwide, including on streaming services, over an ongoing plagiarism claim by a Brazilian composer, Toninho Geraes. The injunction threatens Adele’s labels, Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music, with a fine of 143-thousand-rand per act of non-compliance. Geraes claims Adele plagiarised the music of his samba classic Mulheres recorded by famous Brazilian singer Martinho da Vila and is suing for lost royalties, moral damages, plus songwriting credit on Adele’s track.

Stay tuned for more news………….