News 11:00

BULLETIN 6 January 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# South Africa says invasions against sovereign states only yield instability
# Venezuela’s opposition leader says justice has defeated tyranny following Maduro’s capture
# And tennis: Djokovic will start his season at the Australian Open after withdrawing from the Adelaide International

# South Africa says the situation in Venezuela must be resolved exclusively through peaceful means, dialogue, negotiation, and respect for the will of the Venezuelan people, without external interference. President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured by US forces over the weekend. SA representative to the United Nations, Jonathan Passmoor, told a UN Security Council meeting military invasions against sovereign states yield only instability and deepen the crisis:

Meanwhile, Venezuela’s opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner, María Corina Machado, says Maduro’s capture will go down in history as the day justice defeated tyranny. He had been accused of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices. In an interview on Fox News, Machado praised US president Donald Trump for Maduro’s capture:

# Energy regulator, Nersa, has extended the comment period for its consultation paper on electricity trading rules. Stakeholders now have until the end of this month to submit their feedback, following requests for more time. Nersa spokesperson Charles Hlebela encourages all interested parties to submit their views to help shape the future of electricity trading.

# The DA says Gauteng parents are still waiting for placements for over five-thousand grade one and grade eight learners, with the new school year starting next week. The party calls on the provincial Department of Education to provide a clear update on unplaced learners, late applications, and the placement process. The DA’s Sergio Isa dos Santos says the delays are causing financial, emotional, and logistical burdens for families.

# Tennis: Two-time champion Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from next week’s Adelaide International, saying he is not quite physically ready to compete. The 38-year-old Serb was planning to use the event as a springboard to the Australian Open at Melbourne Park. Djokovic, who has scaled down his playing time in recent years to attempt to be fresh for the Grand Slams, says his focus is now on preparation for the Australian Open, where he has lifted the trophy a record ten times.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-30-cents and the euro at 19-rand-14-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-12-cents and Bitcoin trades at 93-thousand-625-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-465-dollars-81-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 61-dollars-37-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….