News 13:00

BULLETIN 9 May 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Media organisations condemn the killing of the journalist Aserie Ndlovu and his partner
# The South African pork industry is at risk amid US trade talks
# And cricket: The IPL is suspended indefinitely due to the deadly conflict between India and Pakistan

# The African Media and Communicators Forum and the National Press Club has condemned the killing of renowned media practitioner, Aserie Ndlovu and his partner, Zodwa Mdhluli. The Press Club’s acting chairperson, Antoinette Slabbert, says the couple’s remains were discovered yesterday morning. She says the forensic team had positively identified the remains and confirmed that Ndlovu and Mdhluli were murdered and dumped in a veld in the KwaMhlanga area in Mpumalanga:

# 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:

# South African pork producers are expressing concern over ongoing trade discussions with the United States. They fear the negotiations might lead to the relaxation of existing safety protocols. Such changes could potentially have detrimental effects on the local pork industry, raising alarms about the future of domestic producers in the face of international trade agreements. South African Pork Producers’ Organisation CEO Peter Evans has emphasised the need to protect local producers from potential adverse effects of such agreements.

Meanwhile, senior US and Chinese officials are set to meet in Geneva, Switzerland, this weekend, to discuss a de-escalation of their damaging trade war. President Donald Trump has placed at least a 145-percent tariff on most Chinese imports, and China has responded with a 125-percent tariff on some US imports. US Treasury secretary Scott Bessent has expressed optimism, saying all they want is fair trade:

# Cricket: The Indian Premier League has been suspended indefinitely because of the deadly conflict between India and Pakistan. This follows after a match was abandoned in Dharamsala yesterday, less than 200 kilometres from the northern city of Jammu where explosions were reported hours earlier. On a third day of exchanges today, India said it repulsed a wave of Pakistani drone and artillery attacks overnight. Officials in Pakistan reported more civilian deaths. Pakistan has earlier moved the remaining matches in its T20 league to the United Arab Emirates.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-15-cents and the euro at 20-rand-44-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-10-cents and Bitcoin trades at 102-thousand-742-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-325-dollars-8-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 63-dollars-57-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….