News 15:00

BULLETIN 19 January 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Transformation Alliance calls for support for failed matric learners 
# Airlink will restart its Durban to Bloemfontein route
# And tennis: Jannik Sinner is seeking a first Grand Slam title

# The Transformation Alliance is calling on parents and South Africans to give all the necessary support to learners who did not pass their 2023 matric examinations. The class of 2023 achieved a pass rate of 82,9 percent, going up from 80,1 percent in 2022, with the Free State retaining its national top position, with a pass rate of 89,03 percent. The alliance’s spokesperson, Tsakane Manganyi, has congratulated the learners:

# Airlink has announced it will resume Durban to Bloemfontein flights on the 26th of next month, introducing morning and late afternoon services. CEO and managing director Roger Foster says this move is pivotal in establishing Durban as the airline’s third hub airport. He highlights the response to rising demands for seamless connections, emphasising enhanced productivity for travellers on this route.

# City of Cape Town firefighters are currently working on containing a fire that broke out in the Redhill area yesterday evening. Five fire engines, three water tankers, two bush tenders and a skid unit have been deployed. The city’s Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson, Jermaine Carelse, says three helicopters were deployed to water-bomb the area earlier this morning. He adds that no properties have been affected, and no injuries reported:

# TotalEnergies is set to resume a 379-billion-rand liquefied natural gas project in Mozambique after a three-year halt due to militant activity. The International Monetary Fund says security conditions in the north show improvement, with production slated for 2027. Despite progress, the IMF cautions that social conditions remain fragile.

# Tennis: Defending womens champion Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and American Coco Gauff eased through to the fourth round of the Australian Open. Second-seeded Sabalenka beat Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko 6-love, 6-love, while fourth-seeded Gauff recorded a 6-love, 6-2 victory over compatriot Alycia Parks. In the men’s draw, fourth-seeded Italian Jannik Sinner earned his third straight-sets victory, against Argentine’s Sebastian Baez, to make the round of 16 for the third consecutive year. Sinner is seeking his first Grand Slam title:  

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-97-cents and the euro at 20-rand-66-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-7-cents and Bitcoin trades at 41-thousand-416-dollars-68-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-and-31-dollars-12-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 78-dollars-99-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….