News 08:00

BULLETIN 6 January 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# ActionSA supports a thriving mixed economy in South Africa
# Ukraine launches a new offensive in Russia’s Kursk region
# And finally, Jodie Foster, Demi Moore, and Colin Farrell are among the big winners at the Golden Globes

# ActionSA says it supports a thriving mixed economy in which the government plays its part by creating an enabling policy and safety environment to attract local and foreign direct investments. ActionSA president Herman Mashaba says the government cannot reasonably be expected to be the sole creator of mass employment. He says if properly enabled through appropriate legislation and, where necessary, incentives, a thriving private sector can contribute meaningfully to the creation of opportunities for jobs:      

# KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Thulasizwe Buthelezi, is urging residents to take heed of the severe weather warning and to take all necessary safety precautions as level 8 disruptive rain is expected from today until Wednesday. The department’s spokesperson, Senzelwe Mzila, says the inclement weather conditions are expected to cause the overflowing of low-water bridges, localised flooding, and may potentially disrupt major routes across the province:

# The Kremlin claims it has successfully repelled a Ukrainian attack in Russia’s Kursk region on Sunday. The attack looks to be an effort to seize new territory after Ukrainian troops swept across the border in a shock offensive in the same region in August. The Kremlin has since taken back a chunk of the land seized by Ukraine but struggled to fully expel the invading troops. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously said he plans to hold onto the territory and use it as a bargaining chip in potential peace talks.

# Tennis: Naomi Osaka retired from the final of the Auckland Classic with an abdominal injury on Sunday. This is a blow to the Japanese star just a week before the start of the Australian Open. Playing in her first WTA final for three years, against Denmark’s Clara Tauson, the four-time Grand Slam champion called for the physio after taking the opening set 6-4 and pulled out shortly afterward. Osaka was chasing her first title in four years. She had her first child midway through 2023 and returned to tennis 12 months ago.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-75-cents and the euro at 19-rand-33-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-32-cents and Bitcoin trades at 99-thousand-122-dollars-6-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-640-dollars-83-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 76-dollars-45-cents a barrel.

# And finally, Demi Moore and Zoe Saldaña won their first-ever Golden Globes at the award ceremony in Los Angeles. Moore won Best Female Actor in a film, musical, or comedy, for her role in The Substance. Zoe Saldaña was Best Supporting Female Actor in a film for Emilia Pérez. Colin Farrell was awarded Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or Motion Picture for The Penguin. Jodie Foster won Best Female Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or Motion Picture made for television for True Detective: Night Country.

Stay tuned for more news………….