News 15:00

BULLETIN 18 December 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Activists and Citizens Forum calls for the eradication of criminal syndicates
# Ukraine’s financial survival is at stake at a crucial European Council vote
# And cricket: Operators admit a Snicko fault saved Carey’s wicket in the third Ashes Test in Adelaide

# Activists and Citizens Forum reiterated that criminal syndicates have infiltrated South Africa’s criminal justice system, operating without fear and intimidating critics. Spokesperson Dennis Bloem cites allegations involving senior political figures, unresolved corruption cases, and delayed prosecutions as evidence of deep infiltration. He references whistleblower killings, including recent testimony-linked cases, warning the country faces a national security crisis. Bloem calls for urgent accountability and decisive action from authorities:

# The African Christian Democratic Party says the City of Johannesburg has failed to prevent the hijacking of buildings by unscrupulous groups. It says the murder of Warrick ‘DJ Warras’ Stock highlights the metro’s failure to protect residents and to safeguard property rights. ACDP’s Ronald Harris says the metro has approved a bad buildings strategy, which is hopelessly inadequate to deal with privately owned buildings under threat by predators:

Moving abroad:

# The European Council is voting today on whether to green-light a proposal to leverage Russian assets across the bloc to fund a loan to Ukraine. Kyiv’s finances are set to run dry in a matter of months. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen says Europe must decide how it can keep the country economically afloat and ensure it remains able to withstand Russian aggression:

# Cricket: The operators of the Snickometer being used in the Ashes series have admitted a fault led to England being denied Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey’s wicket. He was given not out after the stump microphones picked up a clear sound when the ball passed his bat and was caugt, but the replay showed the noise occurred before that. Carey himself thought he edged the ball and England was absolutely convinced. Snicko owner BBG Sports accepted responsibility for the mistake. The CEO of Cricket Australia, Todd Greenberg, demands answers.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-75-cents and the euro at 19-rand-64-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-37-cents and Bitcoin trades at 87-thousand-140-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-327-dollars-24-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 59-dollars-50-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The South African Weather Service has released its seasonal climate outlook for summer period from this month to April. Forecasts indicate a shift towards a weak La Niña state, expected to bring above-normal rainfall to parts of Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State and North West. While beneficial for water resources and agriculture, the outlook raises the risk of localised flooding, prompting calls for heightened community vigilance.

Stay tuned for more news………….