News 15:00

BULLETIN NEWS AGENCY 24 Deecember 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Deputy president Mashatile lauds the seventh administration’s key achievements
# Cricket: Sam Konstas will debut for Australia in the Boxing Day Test against India
# And, conservationists say there is little time left to protect African penguins from extinction

# Deputy president Paul Mashatile has praised the seventh administration of the government of national unity for key achievements in 2024. Delivering his Christmas message, Mashatile highlighted almost 300 days without load-shedding and the first load-shedding-free winter in five years. He also hailed president Cyril Ramaphosa’s water task team to tackle water challenges, while measures address illegal spaza shops, food safety and crime:

# South Africa will retain its preferential access to US markets in 2025 under the African Growth and Opportunity Act despite strained relations between the two countries. US trade representative Katherine Tai confirmed that the list of eligible nations for duty-free access will remain unchanged. Tensions, including South Africa’s ties with China and its stance on Ukraine and Israel, have raised concerns in the US. With AGOA set to expire next year, South Africa’s trade relationship with the US remains crucial for its economy.

#  The ANC has noted and welcomed the official declaration of Mozambique’s election results by the Constitutional Council. The ANC’s Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri says as a long-standing ally and partner of the people of Mozambique, the party reaffirms its respect for the constitutional process and institutions that safeguard democracy in the region. She says the ANC calls on all political parties, stakeholders and citizens in Mozambique to respect the declared outcomes and prioritise unity and national development:

# Cricket: Sam Konstas will become one of the youngest Test players to open the batting for Australia when he debuts in front of 90-thousand people at the MCG in Melbourne in the Boxing Day Test against India. At 19-years-and-85-days on Thursday, Konstas will be the Baggy Green’s youngest Test player since his captain, Pat Cummins, debuted at 18-years-and-193-days in South Africa in 2011. The five-Test series is level at one-all, with the final encounter being played in Sydney from the third of January.   

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-56-cents and the euro at 19-rand-31-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-27-cents and Bitcoin trades at 93-thousand-998-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-615-dollars-34-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 72-dollars-97-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The International Union for Conservation of Nature is concerned that there is little time to prevent African penguins from becoming extinct. The organisation uplisted the species from endangered to critically endangered in October. The African penguin faces a catastrophic decline in population at over 97-percent over the last century. The union notes the continued dwindling of breeding pairs and food sources becoming scarcer due to climate change and human impact. The organisation is advocating for enhanced protection of the remaining birds.

Stay tuned for more news………….