News 08:00

BULLETIN 21 December 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Gwarube notes the commencement of the BELA Act
# Soccer: Manchester United’s Mount is injured – again
# And, wholesale egg prices sky-rocket to over 100-rand per dozen in the United States

# Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube says she has acknowledged the commencement of the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act, as announced by president Cyril Ramaphosa. In a statement, Gwarube emphasised the importance of developing national regulations, policy, and norms to enhance the sector and ensure equal education for all learners. She explained that this process will include public consultations before full implementation:

In his reaction, DA leader John Steenhuizen says the negotiations in the GNU that enables the BELA Act to be implemented is a win-win compromise, without undermining existing constitutional rights to mother tongue education. DA spokesperson Willie Aucamp says Gwarube has to issue norms, standards and regulations to govern the implementation of the contested sections:

# German police arrested a Saudi Arabian man after a deadly car-ramming attack on a Christmas market in which an SUV barrelled through a crowd of revellers at high speed, leaving a trail of bloody carnage. Authorities in the city of Magdeburg, located about 130 kilometres southwest of Berlin, says at least two people were killed, one of them a young child, and 68 injured. The suspect was a 50-year-old medical doctor of psychiatry from Saudi Arabia who has been living in Germany since 2006.

# Soccer: Mason Mount is facing another lengthy spell on the sidelines, compounding his misery during another stop-start season at Manchester United. The former Chelsea midfielder has been a peripheral figure since arriving at Old Trafford in July last year, struggling with a loss of form and persistent injury issues. The England international has played just 32 times for United so far, scoring a solitary goal, and has started just nine Premier League games in total.

# And, wholesale egg prices reached record highs in the US after an outbreak of bird flu. Large eggs are currently selling for up to 102-rand per dozen, topping the previous record of 100-rand in December 2022. In California, the situation is even worse because of the state’s ban on raising hens in cages, with a dozen selling for up to 162-rand. The price was around 46-rand at the beginning of the year. Reuters reports the virus has already wiped out nearly 123-million poultry in the current outbreak.

Stay tuned for more news………….