News 11:00

BULLETIN 3 December 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# South Africa is urged not to abstain from a UN vote demanding that Russia returns abducted Ukrainian children
# The search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 will resume
# And tennis: Serena Williams files the necessary paperwork for a return, but says she is not coming back

# The Ukrainian Association of South Africa is calling on South Africa not to abstain from a United Nations resolution vote on the abduction of Ukrainian children. The UN General Assembly in New York will today vote on the resolution, which demands the immediate, safe, and unconditional return of over 20-thousand Ukrainian children, who were forcibly transferred or deported by Russia since 2014. The association’s Dzvinka Kachur says South Africa cannot abstain from children’s rights, even as a non-aligned country:

# The DA has welcomed the National Assembly’s approval of the establishment of a committee to oversee the Presidency. The committee will scrutinise the budget of the Presidency, and the president, deputy president, and director general will account on key policy matters once per year. The DA’s George Michalakis says the establishment of the committee is a major step forward in strengthening Parliament’s oversight role, and was a key recommendation in the state capture commission of inquiry:

# King MisuZulu kaZwelithini has re-appointed Prince Thulasizwe Buthelezi as the AmaZulu traditional prime minister. Buthelezi, the current KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, was removed in December last year, with the king not explaining the dismissal. The king’s spokesperson, Prince Thulani Zulu, says to support Buthelezi, the king has also, for the first time in Zulu history, formed a five-member Prime Minister Executive Council:

Moving abroad:

# The Malaysian Transport Ministry has confirmed that a search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 will resume on December 30th. The aircraft carrying 239 people vanished from radar screens on March 8, 2014, while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. A new search conducted in March was suspended because of poor weather conditions. The US-based robotic company Ocean Infinity will recommence the search over a period of 55 days. The ministry says it is committed to providing closure to the families affected by this tragedy.

# Tennis: Twenty-three-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams says she is not returning to the sport, despite recently taking a step that would be necessary should she want to return to the professional game. The 44-year-old American appears on a list published on the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s website in October, showing players registered in the international drug testing pool. Williams, who retired after the 2022 US Open, posted on social media, “I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy”.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-7-cents and the euro at 19-rand-89-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-62-cents and Bitcoin trades at 93-thousand-330-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-209-dollars-26-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 62-dollars-50-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….