News 07:00
BULLETIN 5 January 7 am
Good morning. I am……..
In this bulletin:
# President Ramaphosa meets with the leader of the rebel group Rapid Support Forces on developments towards peace in Sudan
# The Department of Basic Education announces term dates, new subjects and shorter holidays for 2024
# And, FlySafair is recognised as the best and most punctual low-cost carrier globally
# The leader of the Rapid Support Forces, General Mohamed Dagalo, met with President Cyril Ramaphosa in Pretoria on Thursday. The Rapid Support Forces are at war with the Sudanese Armed Forces under Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. When fighting in Khartoum started in April last year, it was largely viewed as a mafia contest over spoils, but it soon degenerated into Africa’s most violent and destructive conflict. Almost six-million people have since been displaced, with 20-percent fleeing the country. General Dagalo told President Cyril Ramaphosa he is ready for peace and wants the war in his country to stop. Presidential spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya:
# The Department of Basic Education has unveiled the academic plans for 2024, including term dates, new subjects, and adjusted holidays. The public school calendar, starting on the 17th, will consist of 203 instructional days, an increase from the 199 days in 2023, with schools closing on 11 December. School holidays have been reduced to 25 days, down from 32 days in 2023. The department will also pilot the introduction of Coding and Robotics as new, next-generation subjects in the curriculum.
# A growing number of South African youth is exploring international job opportunities. This is a result of the country’s dire youth unemployment crisis. With an alarming rate of 60-percent, factors like sluggish economic growth, crime, and corruption contribute to the crisis. The National Youth Development Agency’s Lwaphesheya Khoza encouraged young job seekers to make use of JA Connect. She says it’s a cloud-based platform aimed at linking young African talent with global employment prospects:
# South African airline FlySafair has been recognised as the best and most on-time low-cost carrier globally by aviation data company Cirium. The On-Time Performance Review, which analyses over 30 million flights annually, crowned FlySafair with an on-time performance rate of 92.36-percent, based on 55-thousand-444 flight operations. On-time performance is crucial for an airline’s success and impacts customer perception. FlySafair says it’s dedication to punctuality has contributed to its positive standing in the industry.
# A drone boat packed with explosives has detonated in dense shipping lanes in the Red Sea. The US navy says the vessel belonged to Houthi rebels. The group says its campaign is a protest against Israel’s military operations in Gaza. The attack happened a day after 12 countries, including the US and UK, warned Houthi rebels of consequences unless it stopped targeting commercial vessels. International shipping has been severely disrupted as a result, with multiple companies suspending journeys through the Red Sea and taking a long diversion around Africa.
# Athletics: Legal analyst Mpumelelo Zikalala has cast doubt on Oscar Pistorius’s return to competitive athletics. Speaking to Talk 702, Zikalala suggested if the former Paralympic champion was to pursue a return to the sport, he would need permission from the Parole Board. The Blade Runner is set to be released from Atteridgeville Correctional Centre in Tshwane today after serving eight years of his 13-year sentence for the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in 2013. Zikalala says the parole process is geared towards rehabilitation and not any financial advantage.
# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-68-cents and the euro at 20-rand-45-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-71-cents and Bitcoin trades at 43-thousand-611-dollars-55-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-46-dollars-53-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 77-dollars-89-cents a barrel.
Stay tuned for more news………….