News 13:00

BULLETIN 26 August 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The DA says there’s no justice for Babita Deokoran as an accused official is allowed to resign
# French police act quickly after a fire attack on a synagogue
# And, the world celebrates International Dog Day

# The DA in Gauteng says it is scandalous that the provincial Health Department dragged out the disciplinary enquiry of chief financial official Lerato Madyo for two years, and then accepted her resignation before it was concluded. The DA’s Jack Bloom says she was facing 13 misconduct charges concerning suspicious contracts that murdered whistle-blower Babita Deokoran tried to stop at the Tembisa Hospital. Bloom says he suspects the department deliberately delayed Madyo’s disciplinary process to protect others who were implicated:

# The EFF in Gauteng says it is strongly opposed to Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero’s proposal of recruiting foreign nationals into the Johannesburg Metro Police Department. The mayor says this is to address language barriers. The EFF’s Dumisani Baleni argues that the state should instead invest in training officials in language and cultural skills. He has also called for local unemployed police graduates to be upskilled:

# Antiterrorism police in France have arrested a man suspected of trying to set a synagogue on fire in the southern city of La Grande-Motte. The incident occurred on Saturday, and yesterday, the suspect was arrested in Nimes. He shot at police, and was in turn wounded in the face. Two other people are also in custody. French media reports the suspect is a 33-year-old Algerian. He had set two cars alight, one containing a gas bottle, in the synagogue’s car park and damaged the doors of the building.

# Motorsport: Formula One Mercedes’ team principal, Toto Wolff, says the drop in performance at the Dutch Grand Prix may have been due to the upgraded floor in both cars. George Russell finished in seventh a place ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton, as McLaren’s Lando Norris won the race. Mercedes claimed victories at three of the last four races before the summer break. Wolff says there could be a few factors in play that contributed to the non-performance in Zandvoort:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-82-cents and the euro at 19-rand-92-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-52-cents and Bitcoin trades at 63-thousand-705-dollars-82-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-525-dollars-11-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 79-dollars-87-cents a barrel.

# And finally, today marks International Dog Day, a global celebration dedicated to honouring human’s beloved canine companions and raising awareness about their needs. Established in 2004 by animal advocate Colleen Paige, the day also highlights the importance of responsible pet ownership, adoption, and the welfare of dogs worldwide. Dog lovers are encouraged to spoil their pets with special treats, activities, and extra attention today.

Stay tuned for more news………….