News 14:00

BULLETIN 3 January 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Police register an inquiry following a social media child kidnapping report in Pretoria
# The Human Rights Commission considers approaching the Equality Court about an alleged racism incident on a FlySafair flight
# And tennis: Osaka is through to the Auckland tournament’s semi-finals

# Gauteng police has confirmed that an inquiry has been registered following information circulating about a child that was allegedly kidnapped and dragged into the veld at Claremont Street in Daspoort, in Pretoria last night. Police spokesperson, Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi says although no one has come forward to report a missing child, a search was launched and the alleged kidnapped girl child has not been found:

# The South Africa Human Rights Commission is considering taking the FlySafair racism incident to the Equality Court. SABC employee Nobuntu Mkhize was filmed on a Boxing Day flight from Durban to Cape Town, allegedly hurling racist comments and attacking the cabin crew. Commission chairperson Chris Nissen says the case could lead to fines or community service if rights violations are confirmed. Criminal complaints have since been filed as police investigations are ongoing.

# Save South Africa has expressed concern over the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs’ decision to terminate the contracts of community workers aged 55 and above, effective 31 January. Spokesperson Tebogo Mashilompane calls on COGTA to reconsider, highlighting the lack of proper planning and timing. He says this decision unfairly targets older workers who are unlikely to find employment, deepening unemployment and poverty:

# Israel has revealed it sent troops into Syria months before the Assad regime fell, launching a night-time mission to target a massive underground missile factory which it said was funded by Iran. The Israel Defence Forces says the raid on 8 September last year was prompted by missile manufacturing beginning at the facility near Maysaf in western Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor had previously reported that 27 people were killed in the raid. The Israeli military did not disclose any casualty figures.

# Tennis: Former world number one Naomi Osaka passed her toughest test yet at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, defeating American Hailey Baptiste 5-7, 6-1, 6-2. Osaka now moves on to the semi-finals tomorrow where she’ll meet the winner of tonight’s all-American quarter-final between Katie Volynets and Alycia Parks. This is Osaka’s first semi-final appearance since becoming a mother, an achievement she described as something that made her “happy and proud”.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-78-cents and the euro at 19-rand-31-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-28-cents and Bitcoin trades at 96-thousand-446-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-656-dollars-3-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 75-dollars-44-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….