News 14:00

BULLETIN 27 December 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Free State dispatches the district disaster team following flooding in some parts of the province
# COSATU says South Africa needs to aggressively invest in all industrial and economic development opportunities
# And cricket: India is in trouble after Day Two of the fourth Test against Australia in Melbourne

# The Free State Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs has dispatched the District Disaster Management team as inclement weather caused flooding in some parts of the province. The department’s spokesperson, Zimasa Mbewu, says residents are advised to follow safety measures as these weather conditions pose significant risks to human life:

# Cosatu says it is critical government and business expand trade and investment with other large trading partners such as the European Union, China, Japan, India, Brazil and most importantly Africa. Cosatu’s Matthew Parks says such efforts must include South Africa’s BRICS partners and negotiations to establish an African Continental Free Trade Area. He says with a 41.9-percent unemployment rate, South Africa needs to aggressively invest in all industrial and economic development and export opportunities:

# South African travel agencies are facing significant disruptions due to ongoing political unrest in Mozambique. Protests erupted after the Constitutional Council upheld the disputed election results, fueling violence that has left over 100 people dead. Travel agents report cancellations and financial losses as routes to Mozambique are deemed unsafe. The Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency expressed concern over the impact on the Triland route linking South Africa, Eswatini, and Mozambique. The International Relations and Cooperation Department continues to call for dialogue to restore stability in Mozambique.

# The possibility that a power cable under the Baltic Sea between Finland and Estonia has been sabotaged is being investigated after it stopped working on Christmas Day. Authorities in both countries are examining whether a foreign ship may have been involved, without naming the vessel. It’s the latest in a series of incidents in the region in which undersea cables appear to have been damaged. Finnish police, in cooperation with the Border Guard and other authorities, are investigating the chain of events.

# Cricket: India is in trouble after the second day of the fourth Test against Australia in Melbourne. The visitors are on 164 for five, trailing by 310 runs after the hosts’ 474. Steve Smith anchored Australia’s innings with 140, while Usman Khawaja contributed 72, debutant Sam Konstas 60 and captain Pat Cummins 49. Jasprit Bumrah claimed four wickets. In India’s innings, Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 82 before he was run out in a mix-up with Virat Kohli. Cummins and Scott Boland both took two wickets.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-72-cents and the euro at 19-rand-50-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-42-cents and Bitcoin trades at 96-thousand-528-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-626-dollars-97-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 72-dollars-97-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….