News 08:00

BULLETIN 1 August 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The DA says it is essential to review South Africa’s electricity pricing policy
# Netanyahu warns Israel will exact a heavy price for any revenge attacks
# And Olympic Games: Djokovic makes history as he reaches the quarterfinals

# The DA has welcomed plans to review South Africa’s electricity pricing policy. Minister of Energy and Electricity, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, announced earlier this week that the review would be undertaken to address a rising affordability crisis, which is undermining electricity access for a growing number of poor consumers. The DA says for any new electricity pricing policy to succeed, the rationalisation of Eskom as a business, increasing the footprint of Independent Power Producers, and allowing municipalities to generate their own electricity, should be a priority.

 # Municipal union Samwu says the South African Local Government Association must return to the negotiating table with a revised wage offer that truly benefits municipal workers. The union has rejected Salga’s 3.75-percent wage hike and is demanding an eight-percent increase. The association is representing the country’s municipalities. The third round of negotiations is scheduled for the 12th to the 16th of this month. Samwu’s Dumisane Magagula says workers are prepared to defend collective bargaining and the pursuit of a living wage:

# Gauteng police say they have seized 300-million-rand worth of drugs in Fourways, north of Johannesburg, and have rescued a kidnapped businessman. Eight kidnappers, including three Tanzanian nationals, were also arrested. It is understood the businessman was kidnapped on the fifth of July at a mosque in Helderkruin, Roodepoort. Police spokesperson, Athlenda Mathe, says the businessman was rescued at a house in Lenasia:

# Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has praised the military for its strike in Beirut, which killed senior Hezbollah commander Fu’ad Shukr, calling him one of the world’s most wanted terrorists. Four other people were killed in the strike, including two children. Israel says the strike was a response to a rocket attack that killed 12 people, mostly children, in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Saturday, which it says Shukr helped plan. Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war in Gaza, saying Israel will exact a heavy price for any revenge attacks.

# Olympic Games: Serbia’s Novak Djokovic has become the first tennis player to reach four Olympic quarterfinals. The 24-time Grand Slam champion defeated Germany’s Dominik Koepfer, 7-5, 6-3, in Paris as his pursuit of a first Olympic gold medal continues. Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz dispatched Russian Roman Safiullin, 6-4, 6-2 to set up a quarterfinal clash with American Tommy Paul. Germany’s Alexander Zverev, Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime are also through to the quarterfinals.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-22-cents and the euro at 19-rand-74-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-43-cents and Bitcoin trades at 63-thousand-981-dollars-72-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-442-dollars-76-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 81-dollars-14-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….