News 12:00

BULLETIN 9 May 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Joslin Smith pre-sentencing proceedings are postponed for further consultation
# The Cape Town port races to ship fruit ahead of the looming US tariffs
# And cricket: The Pakistan Super League moves to the UAE amid tensions on the Indian-Pakistani border

# The Western Cape High Court has postponed the pre-sentencing proceedings in the Joslin Smith trial to the 23rd for further consultations. The young girl’s mother, Kelly, Jacquen Appollis and Steveno van Rhyn were last week found guilty of kidnapping and human trafficking following Joslin’s disappearance from her home in Saldanha Bay last year. Uncertainty remains over whether the three will testify in mitigation of their sentences. Judge Nathan Erasmus says new evidence may emerge during the proceedings:

# The port of Cape Town is expediting fruit exports to the US ahead of a 30-percent tariff set to take effect on the ninth of July . Currently, a 90-day reprieve allows a reduced 10-percent tariff, providing a critical window for South African exporters. To enhance efficiency, the Cape Town Container Terminal has added two 500 kilovolt-ampere generators, increasing capacity during peak fruit export seasons. This upgrade aims to mitigate potential job losses and economic instability in rural areas reliant on citrus exports.

# The GOOD Party is calling on Pope Leo the 14th to walk in the footsteps of his predecessors by championing justice, compassion, and equality. Born Robert Prevost in Chicago, the 69-year-old is the first American to be elected pope. GOOD’s secretary general, Brett Herron, says the pontiff assumes the sacred responsibility of guiding over a billion faithful with full and supreme authority in matters of faith, morality, church discipline, and governance:

# Cricket: The eight remaining games of the Pakistan Super League have been moved to the United Arab Emirates amid escalating border tensions between India and Pakistan. At least 31 civilians were killed and 46 wounded when India fired missile strikes on Pakistan and Pakistan-administered parts of Kashmir on Wednesday. According to reports, one drone misfired and led to an explosion near the Rawalpindi cricket stadium. The PSL’s organisers say they remain keen for the tournament to be completed, but the safety of players gets priority.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-18-cents and the euro at 20-rand-45-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-10-cents and Bitcoin trades at 103-thousand-765-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-323-dollars-87-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 63-dollars-45-cents a barrel.

# And finally: American billionaire Bill Gates pledged to give away almost his entire personal wealth in the next two decades, saying the world’s poorest would receive some 3.63-trillion-rand via his foundation. He also hit out at the world’s richest man and a key figure in US president Donald Trump’s administration, Elon Musk, accusing him of killing the world’s poorest children with huge cuts to the US aid budget. Gates and Musk once agreed over the role of the wealthy in giving away money, but have since clashed several times.

Stay tuned for more news………….