News 13:00

BULLETIN 31 December 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Eskom successfully synchronises Unit 2 of the Koeberg nuclear power station to the national grid
# Russia and Ukraine exchange hundreds of prisoners of war
# And rugby: A pleasing year for the Boks

# Eskom has successfully synchronised Unit 2 of the Koeberg nuclear power station in Cape Town to the national grid. This follows after weeks of extensive upgrades. The upgrades included replacing three steam generators, inspections, and refuelling, extending the unit’s operational lifespan by 20 years. Spokesperson Daphne Mokwena says the upgrades align with Eskom’s goal to increase capacity by two-thousand-megawatts by March:

# Emergency personnel have responded to a fire at Transnet near Teakwood Road in Durban’s Jacobs area. The fire, which broke out late last night, is believed to be linked to a diesel fuel pipeline. No injuries have been reported, but authorities have evacuated nearby residents and businesses as a precaution. Increased security is expected today while localised transport and business disruptions are also likely.

# Russia and Ukraine have exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war in a deal brokered by the United Arab Emirates. The Russian Defence ministry says it had swapped 150 Ukrainian soldiers held captive for an equal number of Russian troops. Officials in Kyiv told the BBC negotiations about prisoner exchanges have become more difficult in recent months, ever since Russian forces began to make significant advances on the battlefield. Ukraine does not publish numbers of prisoners of war but the total is thought to be more than eight-thousand.

# Rugby: The Springboks will end the year at number one for the sixth time since the World Rugby rankings were introduced in 2003, and the fifth time in the past six years. The Boks first achieved the feat in 2007 after winning the World Cup in France, with the All Blacks ranked second. According to SARugbyMag, the South Africans’ longest stint as the world’s best was 98 weeks, from 4 November 2019 to 20 September 2021, and they spent a total of 250 weeks at the top since 2003.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-71-cents and the euro at 19-rand-49-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-49-cents and Bitcoin trades at 93-thousand-899-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-613-dollars-65-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 74-dollars-32-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The Gauteng MEC for Health and Wellness, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, will join mothers on New Year’s Day tomorrow to welcome their new babies. She will also engage with parents about the importance of registering their babies after birth at Home Affairs offices located in hospitals. The department’s head of Communication, Motalatale Modiba, says the MEC will also officially open the newly expanded neonatal intensive care unit at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital:

Stay tuned for more news………….