News 17:00

BULLETIN 4 November 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Government welcomes the strong voter turnout
# President Cyril Ramaphosa calls for stronger action against gender-based violence
# And: The DA urges taxi associations to honour peace commitments in the Western Cape

# Government has welcomed the strong voter turnout nationwide, describing today’s local government elections as democracy in action. Voters are urged to remain patient while waiting in queues and to follow instructions from election officials. Government deputy spokesperson William Baloyi also reminds the public that taking pictures of marked ballot papers is not allowed, as every voter’s choice must remain private:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged men to stop abusing women, calling for stronger police and criminal justice interventions to combat gender-based violence. Speaking after voting in Hyde Park, Johannesburg, Ramaphosa says the government is strengthening victim support services and increasing police numbers to improve visible policing. He says additional funding has been allocated towards addressing gender-based violence, with further funding expected in February’s budget to strengthen efforts to protect women:

# The DA calls on Cape Town taxi associations to honour their peace commitments and end violence immediately, ahead of today’s local government elections. This comes after the High Court in the Western Cape issued an interim order against Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association and the Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association. The party’s Nomafrench Mbombo says residents must be able to safely reach voting stations without fear or intimidation:

# More than 200 people who had made a cruise ship their permanent home have been forced to disembark in Cambodia after its operator suspended the voyage. The Villa Vie Odyssey left the port of Sihanoukville early today with about 50 crew members aboard. Its Florida-based owner blamed soaring fuel costs linked to the war in Iran, saying it could no longer afford to operate the vessel. Some residents remain in Cambodia, while others have travelled elsewhere in the region. The ship had been on a continuous world cruise for more than 755 days.

# Road running: The New York City medical examiner’s office is investigating the death of a 24-year-old while running the New York City Marathon on Sunday. Rachel Apa was part of more than 61-thousand athletes who participated in the race. She collapsed in Central Park near the finish line before being taken to hospital, where she died. Her father, Steve Apa, told New York Times Rachel died from a rare condition named rhabdomyolysis, where muscles break down and poison the bloodstream.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-46-cents against the rand and the euro at 18-rand-54-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-21-cents and Bitcoin trades at 77-thousand-300-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-41-dollars-41-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 105-dollars-25-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….