News 13:00

BULLETIN 29 December 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Scores of people died when a plane crashes at a South Korean airport
# Putin apologises to Azerbaijan over a plane crash but doesn’t admit responsibility
# And the Pan-African Parliament urges all political parties in Mozambique to commit to a transparent mediation process

# A plane carrying 181 people has burst into flames after veering off a runway during landing at an airport in South Korea. Footage online appears to show the plane crashing into a wall, resulting in a huge fireball. Firefighters say two people were rescued, but the others are all presumed dead. Reports say the control tower issued a bird strike warning and shortly afterward the pilots issued a Mayday cal. Investigators are looking into bird strikes and weather conditions as possible factors in the crash.

Meanwhile, Russian president Vladimir Putin apologised to his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, over the downing of the country’s commercial airliner in Russian airspace, but didn’t admit that Moscow was to blame. Thirty-eight people were killed while 29 survived when the plane went down on Christmas Day. Most of the passengers were from Azerbaijan, and the others from Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. BBC reports Putin spoke to Aliyev over the phone, but didn’t directly admitted the plane had been struck by Russian missiles.

# The Pan-African Parliament’s Southern Caucus chair, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, is urging all political parties, civil society, and stakeholders in Mozambique to commit to an inclusive, transparent mediation process, that places the aspirations of the people at its core. Caucus spokesperson Moshe Semenya says such a process must allow the people of Mozambique to choose impartial and trusted mediators who can guide the nation towards reconciliation, peace and stability after the unrest that followed the disputed elections:

# The Garden Route District Municipality in the Southern Cape says firefighters are still battling wildfires across the district. Spokesperson Herman Pieters says there are currently active wildfires at Buffelsdrif along the N9 road, at Jongensfontein, and near the Swartberg Pass. He says the Swartberg Pass fire consists of two flanks, west and east, and is still showing signs of wildfire activity after the clouds have cleared:

# And tennis: Norwegian player Casper Ruud believes he can return to the top five in the world this season, although admitting Jannik Sinner of Italy and Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz are a breed apart of the rest. The 26-year-old, who reached his highest ranking of second in September 2022, is currently sixth in the world rankings behind Sinner, German Alexander Zverev, Alcaraz, American Taylor Fritz and Russian Daniil Medvedev. Ruud admits Sinner and Alcaraz, who both won two Grand Slam tournaments this year, will be tough to handle.

Stay tuned for more news………….