Good News

BULLETIN 10 December 

Good afternoon, here is your Good News:

# South African opera singer Pretty Yende says performing at the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was a divine moment. She sang Amazing Grace, backed by an orchestra under the direction of Venezuelan maestro Gustavo Dudamel. The concert marked the culmination of a five-year renovation project following a destructive fire in April 2019. Yende told the SABC she was in the French capital when the fire broke out:

# Netflix’s Emilia Pérez has received ten nominations for the 2025 Golden Globe Awards. Jacques Audiard’s Drug Cartel musical has scored the most nominations including for Best Motion Picture, Original Score, and Supporting Actress for Zoe Saldana and Selena Gomez. A24’s The Brutalist has received seven nominations including Best Film – Drama and Best Actor for Adrien Brody. Conclave has six nominations and Anora and The Substance five each. Wicked, A Real Pain, Challengers, and The Wild Robot have four each.

# The University of Pretoria says it has once again ranked impressively in 2024 across several global ranking measurements. The institution’s Accounting and Finance research claimed the number one ranking on the Quacquarelli Symonds Rankings H-Index metric. In the 2024 QS World University Rankings by Subject, three of the university’s disciplines were ranked within the top 100 in the world. The university says the rankings highlight its progress towards achieving its vision of becoming a leading research-intensive institution, recognised internationally for its quality, relevance and impact.

# The Voiceout Deaf farming collective in Westonaria, near Johannesburg, has launched an initiative that offers deaf individuals a chance to develop agricultural skills and find work. The project aims to enable deaf people to communicate through sign language in the workplace. The workers at the Westonaria agricultural park near Bekkersdal are responsible for producing fresh produce, which is supplied to local stores. Founder Matebogo Victoria believes farming is a key employment source for people with disabilities.

# And finally: Mohammad and Olivia were the most popular names English and Welsh parents gave their newborns last year. Mohammad dethroned Noah, who was number one in 2022, while Olivia stuck to her first place. Britain’s Office for National Statistics says an estimated four-thousand-661 babies were named Mohammad in 2023, followed by Noah, Oliver, George, Leo, Arthur, Luca, Theodore, Oscar and Henry. Amelia was the second-most popular name among girls, followed by Isla, Lily, Freya, Ava, Ivy, Florence, Willow and Isabella.

Stay tuned for more news………….