News 13:00

BULLETIN 5 August 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The petrol price drops tomorrow, but diesel sees a further hike
# Religious leaders push back against the Marriage Bill
# And a record number of countries will attend the 80th anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bomb tomorrow

# Petrol users will see some relief at the pumps from midnight, with the price of both 93- and 95-octane unleaded fuel dropping by 28-cents a litre. The price was increased by 52-cents last month. The bad news however is that diesel prices will increase by up to 65-cents a litre. This follows an increase of 82-cents last month. The price of illuminating paraffin will increase by 43-cents per litre. LP-gas will drop by 78-cents per kilogram in the Western Cape and 69-cents in the rest of the country.

# The DA has accused Parliament’s joint standing committee on Defence of shielding minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Angie Motshekga, from accountability. The party’s Nicholas Gotsell says the minister has not been to Parliament to account for the Democratic Republic of Congo deployment calamity, and the 813-million-rand that is unaccounted for by the South African National Defence Force. Gotsell says this blatant lack of oversight undermines transparency and accountability:

# Religious leaders and the Christian political party Hope4SA strongly opposed the proposed Marriage Bill during public hearings in Kimberley in the Northern Cape. The bill seeks to unify all marriages under one law, including same-sex unions. The ACDP’s Zeilede Kgomongoe says the bill undermines traditional values and fails to reflect the beliefs of many South Africans. Hope4SA’s André Strauss says the legislation threatens religious freedom, warning state employees could lose their jobs and wedding venue owners face lawsuits.

# Rugby: New Zealand coach Scott Robertson says a wave of injuries has provided opportunities for players who deserve a chance to play for the national team. He has named one uncapped player, flanker Simon Parker, in his 36-man squad for the Rugby Championship, which begins this month when the All Blacks play back-to-back Tests in Argentina. Tevita Mafileo, Kyle Preston and Leroy Carter have been included as part of a seven-man injury cover group. Robertson says Parker deserves this opportunity:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-3-cents and the euro at 20-rand-81-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-96-cents and Bitcoin trades at 114-thousand-455-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-365-dollars-1-cent a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 68-dollars-1-cent a barrel.

# And finally: A record number of countries and regions will attend the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima tomorrow, including Russia’s ally, Belarus, and first-timers Taiwan and representatives of Palestine. The United States dropped the bomb on the Japanese city on 6 August 1945, killing some 140-thousand people. Three days later a second device was used on Nagasaki, with some 74-thousand people losing their lives. Representatives from 120 countries and regions are expected to attend the ceremony. These however don’t include prominent nuclear states like Russia, China, and Pakistan.

Stay tuned for more news………….