News 17:00

BULLETIN 23 April 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Fuel Retailers Association welcomes the Supreme Court of Appeal’s ruling on fuel retail licenses
# The Public Servants Association calls for lower interest rates 
# And soccer: Arsenal is determined to stay in the Premiership title fight

# The Fuel Retailers Association has applauded the Supreme Court of Appeal’s ruling suspending new fuel retail licenses until existing license challenges are resolved by the Energy minister. CEO Reggie Sibiya highlight the prolonged appeals process, aiming to protect retailers’ viability. The judgment aims to prevent the proliferation of service stations, aligning with the objectives of the Petroleum Products Act. The association urges adherence to legislative timeframes and calls for industry review. The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy is yet to comment.

# The Public Servants Association has urged the Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee to lower interest rates, citing financial strain on citizens, especially public servants. The association stresses the need to ease financial burdens, highlighting the role of public servants in society. It argues that reducing rates will aid economic recovery, providing immediate relief and making debt servicing more manageable. The PSA believes the current inflation outlook allows for rate cuts without risking inflationary pressures, supporting spending, investment, and job creation.

# The DA has revealed that Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Gauteng amassed 210,7-million-rand in medical accruals to 357 suppliers last year. Of these claims, more than half are outstanding beyond two months and more than a fifth beyond four months. The DA’s Michele Clarke says this is shocking, considering that Baragwanath is the largest hospital in Africa and serves more than 1.5-million people in the greater Soweto area:

# The United Kingdom is ready to start detaining migrants within days for deportation to Rwanda after the controversial plan got Parliament’s approval, sparking outrage from the United Nations and rights groups. The legislation is a flagship policy of the Conservative government and aims to curb irregular cross-Channel migration from northern France. It cleared its final hurdle after a marathon late-night parliamentary tussle yesterday. Under the scheme, undocumented asylum seekers arriving in Britain will be sent to Rwanda, where their asylum claims would be examined and, if approved, would allow them to stay in Rwanda.

# Soccer: A three-way battle continues in the English Premier League. Arsenal is ahead of Liverpool on goal difference, with Manchester City one point behind them. But defending champions City, has a game in hand. Arsenal is up next when they host London rivals Chelsea tonight. Manager Mikel Arteta says they are determined to stay in the fight:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 19-rand-21-cents and the euro at 20-rand-49-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-80-cents and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-163-dollars-65-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-310-dollars-38-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 86-dollars-44-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….