News 18:00

BULLETIN 10 December 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The minister of Justice confirms the DA’s letter seeking court action against the NDPP selection process
# South Africa lobbies to stay in the AGOA extension
# And, the US could ask foreign tourists for five-year social media history before entry

# Justice and Constitutional Development minister Mmamoloko Kubayi says the DA’s threat to legally block the interviews for the new National Director of Public Prosecutions has no merit. The party sent a letter to the advisory panel opposing the consideration and interview of former NDPP Menzi Simelane for the position. Kubayi confirmed the panel’s legal team has been instructed to respond:

# South Africa is actively lobbying to remain part of the US African Growth and Opportunity Act, as discussions over a possible one-year extension continue. News 24 reports the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Competition spokesperson, Kaamil Alli, said the government seeks inclusion in the initiative in its current form. The US has flagged that South Africa could be treated differently unless it reduces tariffs and non-tariff barriers on American goods.

# The Road Accident Fund is urging South Africans to take personal responsibility in reducing road crashes and fatalities this festive season. During the 2024 festive season, the four most common types of motor vehicle accidents were pedestrian incidents, hit-and-run collisions, single-vehicle overturns, and head-on crashes. RAF’s Khathutshelo Magadani says they registered a total of 65-thousand-732 new claims in the 2024/2025 period. He says that as people travel for the holidays, they must be safe, vigilant and behave responsibly on the roads:

# Tourists from dozens of countries could be asked to provide a five-year social media history as a condition of entry to the United States, under a new proposal unveiled by American officials. This would affect people who are eligible to visit the US for 90 days without a visa. It also proposes the gathering of applicants’ telephone numbers and email addresses for the past 10 years and information about family members. Analysts say the plan could pose an obstacle to visitors or harm their digital rights.

# Motorsport: Red Bull’s Formula One Motorsport Advisor, Helmut Marko, is set to leave the company at the end of the year. The 82-year-old has been in the position since 2005. The Austrian has overseen the progression of 20 drivers to F1, including Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel, who went on to win eight world titles between them for the team. Red Bull CEO Oliver Mintzlaff says Marko has been an influential figure for the team, and his departure will leave a significant gap.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-1-cents and the euro at 19-rand-80-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-66-cents and Bitcoin trades at 91-thousand-951-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-204-dollars-57-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 61-dollars-52-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….