News 15:00

BULLETIN NEWS AGENCY 2 January 3 pm
Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# DA urges the new Air Force deputy chief to address the Defence Department’s myriad crises
# A Cybertruck explodes at Trump’s Las Vegas hotel
# And, the Olympic Games: The world’s oldest Olympic champion and Holocaust survivor dies aged 103

# The DA has congratulated Lancelot Mathebula on his appointment as deputy chief of the South African Air Force. The party calls on him to address the Department of Defence’s crises, citing financial mismanagement, including 3.4-billion-rand in unauthorised expenditure and wasteful spending. The DA’s Nicholas Gotsell urges focus on increasing the SAAF’s operational capacity, particularly aircraft availability and combat readiness:

# The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa says masses of people remain economically marginalised, landless and dispossessed in post-apartheid South Africa. Numsa’s spokesperson, Phakamile Hlubi-Majola, says the union’s vision for 2025 is extremely simple and ideologically clear. She says they are calling on all those who believe in building a society that advances humanity to unite:

# Nevada police are investigating after a Tesla Cybertruck filled with fuel canisters and firework mortars exploded outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas. The driver was killed and seven people suffered minor injuries. President Joe Biden says the White House is tracking the incident and law enforcement is investigating any possible connection with the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans, which left 15 people dead. Police are also checking for any link to president elect Donald Trump, who owns the hotel, or Elon Musk, who owns Tesla.

# Olympic Games: Agnes Keleti, the world’s oldest Olympic champion and Holocaust survivor, has died at the age of 103. She was hospitalised in Budapest with pneumonia last week. Keleti’s life story reads like a gripping Hollywood film script, with her feisty spirit never breaking in the face of adversity. As Hungary’s most successful gymnast, she won ten Olympic medals, all of them after reaching the age of 30 against much younger competitors, including five gold medals in Helsinki in 1952 and Melbourne in 1956.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-86-cents and the euro at 19-rand-29-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-25-cents and Bitcoin trades at 96-thousand-594-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-643-dollars-74-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 75-dollars-64-cents a barrel.

# And, finally: Two South Africans will be awarded the Officer of the Order of the British Empire by king Charles. David Green, CEO of Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront, and Robert Wilkinson, a leader in infectious disease research, are on the list of those recognised for exceptional contributions. Green is being honoured for strengthening tourism and cultural ties between South Africa and the UK, while Wilkinson is celebrated for his groundbreaking work in tuberculosis and HIV research. Their achievements showcase South Africa’s significant global impact in these fields.

Stay tuned for more news………….