News 11:00

BULLETIN 7 January 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Cosatu is deeply concerned about the looming job losses at ArcelorMittal
# Van Reenen’s Pass is reopened following a deadly accident
# And, over 50 people have died in an earthquake in China’s mountainous Tibet region

# Cosatu says it is deeply concerned following ArcelorMittal’s announcement of its plan to wind down its operations in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal and Vereeniging, Gauteng this month. This could potentially affect about three-thousand-500 direct and indirect jobs. The company says persistently high logistics and energy costs, coupled with insufficient policy interventions by the South African government, made the operations unsustainable. Cosatu’s Zanele Sabela says the closure will not only result in job losses but will have a negative economic impact on Newcastle and Vereeniging:

# The EFF says with schools reopening next Wednesday, it is imperative that the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act be implemented without delay. President Cyril Ramaphosa officially signed the Act into law in its entirety last month following a three-month consultation period on two contentious clauses dealing with language and admission policies. The EFF says these landmark clauses will serve a pivotal role in undermining racist practices, which were perpetuated by School Governing Bodies using admission and language policies, to create racial enclaves in schools.

# The N3 at Van Reenen’s Pass in KwaZulu-Natal has reopened following a deadly multiple-vehicle crash on Monday evening. Five children were among 18 people killed in the accident that involved a taxi, truck, and light motor vehicle. N3 Toll Concession chief operating officer, Thania Dhoogra, says cleanup operations will resume later today which may cause further traffic disruptions along the Van Reenen Pass:

# At least 53 people have been killed and 62 injured after an earthquake struck a remote region of Tibet in China this morning. The United States Geological Society says the 7.1-magnitude quake had multiple aftershocks, with tremors also felt in neighbouring Nepal’s capital Kathmandu and parts of India. According to reports, over one-thousand houses have been damaged with power and water cut off. Chinese president Xi Jinping has called for an all-out search and rescue effort to minimise casualties and resettle affected residents.

# Cricket: Proteas captain Temba Bavuma says there is something special brewing in the Test team. South Africa defeated Pakistan by ten wickets to win the second Test at Newlands in Cape Town and seal a two-nil series victory. This is the Proteas’ seventh straight Test win. South Africa’s victory ensures they head into June’s World Test Championship final against Australia having topped the table for the two-year cycle. Bavuma says despite the success they are not a well-oiled machine yet:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-56-cents and the euro at 19-rand-30-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-29-cents and Bitcoin trades at 101-thousand-956-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-640-dollars-36-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 76-dollars-6-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….