News 09:00

BULLETIN 2 January 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# NSFAS is determined to conclude all outstanding 2023 disbursements by 15 January
# At least 20 people are dead in the powerful Japan earthquake
# And tennis, Naomi Osaka wins the first match of her comeback at the Brisbane International

# The National Student Financial Aid Scheme is determined to conclude all the outstanding 2023 disbursements by the 15th of January, in consultation with the relevant institutions. This will ensure that the 2023 bursary allowances do not affect the returning students for the 2024 academic year. The Scheme’s spokesperson, Ishmael Mnisi says NSFAS has disbursed about 234-thousand-124 students allowances since the 5th of December last year, as part of the reconciled final disbursements for the 2023 academic year:

# Three people including a seven-year-old boy were killed near Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal on New Year’s Eve when their car was swept away by the Msunduzi River following heavy rains that caused damage to a bridge. The provincial MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi, says it is sad that the province began the year on such a sombre note, with more lives lost due to inclement weather:

# Gauteng police have launched a manhunt for suspects after four people were shot and killed in Soshanguve, Tshwane. The police attended to a shooting incident in Soshanguve early yesterday, where they found four people with gunshot wounds. Police spokesperson, Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi says one of the victims was a 14-year-old teenage girl:

# At least 20 people were killed after a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck the west coast of Japan on Monday. Roads and buildings were damaged, transport and communication services have been disrupted, and some 45-thousand-700 households are without power. The quake left 20 people dead in Ishikawa, and dozens have been injured in four other prefectures. Aftershocks have also been reported, with Japan’s weather agency warning they could continue for a few days. The weather agency has lifted all tsunami advisories following the quake. Tsunami waves of up to 1.2 metres hit a number of areas along the country’s western coast on Monday.

Tennis: New mother Naomi Osaka won the first match of her comeback by beating Tamara Korpatsch in straight sets at the Brisbane International. The Japanese four-time Grand Slam champion, playing in her first tournament in 15 months, defeated the unseeded German 6-3 and 7-6. She will face Karolina Pliskova next. Osaka afterwards said she was very proud of herself and thought she played at a good level. The 26-year-old welcomed her daughter Shai in July 2023.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-29-cents and the euro at 20-rand-18-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-29-cents and Bitcoin trades at 45-thousand-244-dollars-12-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-71-dollars-13-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 78-dollars-38-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….