News 14:00

BULLETIN 4 November 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Fuel prices will rise on Wednesday due to crude oil and international costs
# The GOOD party appeals to the Western Cape government to shift money in its budget to save teachers’ jobs
# And rugby: The All Blacks suffer a double injury setback before the crunch Test against Ireland

# The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources has announced fuel price increases from Wednesday. The price of 95- and 93-octane petrol will rise by 25-cents per litre, while the price of standard diesel will increase by 21-cents and low-sulphur diesel by 20-cents a litre. Illuminating paraffin will also see a rise of 21-cents per litre, and the maximum retail price of LP gas will increase by 36-cents per kilogram. The department says these adjustments reflect ongoing global tensions and rising international Brent crude oil prices.  

# The GOOD Party is calling on Western Cape premier Alan Winde to admit that it’s untenable to reduce the number of teachers in the province while the country is in the grip of a teacher shortage. GOOD’s Brett Herron says the provincial government receives enough money from National Treasury not to scrap any teaching posts. He says the department however chooses to spend some of this allocation on other discretionary projects:

More schools news: A Gauteng Department of Education investigation found that Pretoria High School for Girls’ principal, Phillipa Erasmus, mishandled racism complaints. The inquiry was launched in July after 12 girls, including prefects, were accused of making racist comments in a whites-only WhatsApp group. In his findings, Mdladlamba Attorneys’ Mthuthuzeli Mdladlamba said Erasmus’ lack of action included selective discipline and unaddressed bullying:

# Rugby: The All Blacks have lost two stalwarts before Friday’s Test against Ireland in Dublin. Flyhalf Beauden Barrett and hooker Codie Taylor both suffered concussions during Saturday’s narrow 24-22 victory over England at Twickenham. Head coach Scott Robertson called up Harry Plummer and Brodie McAlister as replacements from the All Blacks Fifteen squad currently touring the United Kingdom. The clash at the Aviva Stadium is touted as a revenge match for Ireland who lost to New Zealand in the quarterfinal of last year’s World Cup.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-54-cents and the euro at 19-rand-11-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-75-cents and Bitcoin trades at 68-thousand-790-dollars-10-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-742-dollars-78-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 75-dollars-3-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The celebrated music producer, Quincy Jones, has passed away at the age of 91. His publicist, Arnold Robinson, confirmed that Jones died peacefully at his Los Angeles home, surrounded by family. Renowned for his work with icons like Michael Jackson and Ray Charles, the 28-time Grammy winner shaped American music for over seven decades. His productions, including Jackson’s Thriller, which sold over 65-million copies, and film scores like The Italian Job, leave an indelible legacy in music and cinema.

Stay tuned for more news………….